Let's say you decide to start a new business and you are now looking to get a new logo for your company. You have settled that you will search a ready made logo available on the internet. You open a browser, go to google and search for "ready made logo designs".
Google will give you quite a few links for your query and you will now start narrowing down to a few possible companies to buy from.
I would recommend you to open a few results in a new browser window and quickly glance over their websites. If a website feels unprofessional, rushed and unreliable don't even bother browsing their inventory. We're talking about sites that sell design work. If a company that sells logos online is not able to come up with a decent design for their own company, then it's not worth spending time and money with them.
The second thing you should look for is their own logo. Judge their logo because that's what they sell. You will notice how most of the companies will have generic type based logos - I would avoid them. Again, if a company that sells logos is unable to come with a decent logo for themselves, it makes no sense for me to deal with them.
After you filter down the results based on the above criteria, you will be left with just a few companies.
It's now time to evaluate what each of these companies are offering in terms of logo designs. At this stage you can take advantage of any search tools the site may offer. Browse the gallery, randomly if you can, and narrow down to your desired category. Search, filter and repeat. The more varied the logo portfolio the better. That means that the site has multiple designers and you can see a larger variety of styles and takes on one single idea.
Another important aspect when searching for a logo is to take a break from the search. Save a few good logos and then take a break. Revisit them later, preferably with a friend or a family member. Don't rush into buying something - your logo will be used by your business for a few good years, or, in some cases, for the whole life of the business.
Let's say you have narrowed it to 3 great ready made logos that you wish to explore and eventually decide on one. It's time to compare what the companies offering them are including with your logo purchase.
Here are some features that are a must:
There are two main types of files in the graphics world - raster and vector. Raster images look great as long as they are displayed at the size they were created. If you try to scale them though, they get "pixelated" and they look bad. Usually, raster images are used for the web, email, presentations.
Vector graphics on the other hand, can be scaled up and down without the loss of quality. You can use these images for any type of medium and size. This is the final file format that you want your logo delivered to. Here is a list with some common vector file formats that are important to have: EPS (encapsulated post script), AI (Adobe Illustrator File), SVG (scalable vector graphics).
To work with the above vector file formats you most probably need a specialized software on your computer and most of us don't have that. It's important to check if, when you purchase your logo, someone (usually the original designer), will customize your new logo with your company name and colors and then send you the "logo kit" with the required logo design files.
I hope this mini guide will help you choose a great logo design for your company.