The $5 Logo Experiment

In 2004 I started a business by accident.  The short story is I had moved for a new job and I wanted to make local friends.  I started a social group online and 100 joined it the first week.  Within 2 years, I was able to quit my job (I worked with troubled youth) and run the group full time. Revenue came in from membership dues, event fees, and sponsors.  The group was HUGE.

In the early months I had no logo. I also had no budget for a graphic designer because the company was not bringing in any money at that time.  So I did what anyone would do, I started with a DIY logo (I think it was made using MS Word but I'm not sure).

2 years later, when there finally was decent revenue, I was able to get a professional logo, created by a professional graphic designer.

The point of this story is you have to start somewhere.  Having a DIY/starter logo may have kept my business from growing quickly or maybe it didn't, who knows.  I just know that I did the best I could with the resources I had.

My starter logo was good enough and once I was able to make money, I was able to upgrade.

Recently, in peer to peer Facebook groups, I noticed that some were saving up for a logo.  So they had NO logo at all and were expecting it to take a long time to save.  Often professional logos are anywhere from $300 to $1000.

I wanted to show people that the lack of a logo does not have to hold them up!  So I did something I've never done before. I went to Fiverr to get a logo for one of the members of Birth Worker Mastermind. 

I posted every step of my $5 logo experiment below so you can repeat it for your business. The worst that can happen is you lose a small amount of money. But the BEST thing that can happen is you walk away with a logo you can use until you grow your business.

Here's What I Did for My $5 Logo Experiment on Fiverr

Step 1
I went to Fiverr then to Logo Design.

Step 2
I flipped through the artists. 
I looked for those who had portfolios that I liked.  
I looked for those who had good ratings.
I read up on what you get for $5 (some would provide the original files, others wouldn't, some would do 3 logos, some just one, some offered unlimited revisions, some offered no revisions).
I narrowed the artists down to THREE.

Step 3
I sent Artist B and C the message below.
Artist A was going to create her own original drawing, so I told her I wanted a shell and a pearl.

Note, there is NO need to send an image to the artists. I just wanted to see what they would do with it and without it.  

You SHOULD however, send them a color palette.

Name of the Business:
Jersey Shore Doula

Color Palette:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7e/2a/d6/7e2ad68eae22dcb869397ae7696b6f2a.jpg

Image:
See attached. Pick the pearl and shell image (you can delete the box that is around it).
I am looking for you to use this image AND to do an alternative logo where you pick a pearl and shell image that you like. 

I am picturing the image of the shell on the left and the words to the right.

Step 4
I received all of the logos within a few days.
Total spent was $16.50 ($5.50 per artist).
Everyone allowed for edits but I didn't opt for any since this was just an experiment.

The Results

Artist A

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Artist B

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Artist C

The Conclusion

In my personal opinion, there are SEVERAL good logos here! Artist A and C really shined.  Artist B was horrible! My 4 year old could have made better logos.

All three artists allowed for edits. So I could have easily asked them to tweak the fonts or the layout.

I think the most important takeaway is that many of those who start a business start it with a very low budget.  It is ok if your logo or website is not perfect your first day in business.  Keep doing what excites, the money will follow, and then you can get a fancy logo that better represents your brand.

Do you know someone who doesn't have a logo? Please SHARE this blog with them. Sharing is Caring :)