Need software to create Logo

[jamesbjenkins]

Hire a graphic designer. If you're near a university, post an ad on the digital media department billboard if you're low budget.

Trying to create a logo yourself is going to look like exactly what it is: amateurish and homemade.

I tried multiple times to design and create my own logo (I have all the necessary software) and it was a complete waste of time. After hiring a designer friend of mine, a week later I had my current logo that I'm thrilled with.

 

[texkam]

As a graphic designer, I can tell you there is an amazing amount of bad design advice in this thread. Like photography, there is a reason people in the know will do it right and pay for a professional. If I held a wedding shoot contest with only the winner getting paid, how many quality photographers would I attract? Make good design a priority and do what you try to convince potential clients to do, save up, work with a pro and get the job done right.

 

[CCericola]

Another option would be to find a graphic design site/forum and commission a contest. Basically, you tell them what you want and what you are willing to pay (or there is a preset price). Designers who wish to enter the contest will come up with something and submit entries for you to choose from.
There are many such sites, just an example is Logo Design Contests $29

As for how to choose a logo...that is the hard part. I think that common sense should tell you that you want something that is easy to read and that will appeal to your target market. If you are marking to (typical) young women, you probably don't want skulls, guns & lighting etc. If you are marketing to men, you probably don't want frilly lace and harts etc.
The most 'successful' logos are often very simple and clever. For example, the FedEX logo is genius. It's simple, easy to read and the space between the E and the X forms an arrow, which is a great symbol for a shipping company.

Please don't advocate those sites. They are demeaning to designers and goes against everything we stand for. Although not illegal they go against the code of conduct of the GAG (Graphic Arts Guild) and AIGA (American Institute if Graphic Arts)

 

[texkam]

I would not recommend using the lens aperture graphic.
Thanks for the suggestion. I assume that is because it is obvious and overdone?

Obvious is not necessarily a bad thing. Often it's only obvious and overdone to us photogs. If a Mom is searching through a sea of business cards in her purse trying to find "that photographer's" card, the one with the obvious photography graphic will be easy to spot.

 

[texkam]

Please don't advocate those sites. They are demeaning to designers and goes against everything we stand for. Although not illegal they go against the code of conduct of the GAG (Graphic Arts Guild) and AIGA (American Institute if Graphic Arts)

Not only that, but you won't get good work.

Spend some time here: NO!SPEC | To educate the public about speculative (spec) work
Photographers should be sensitive to a lot of these issues too. : )

 

[KmH]

I would not recommend using the lens aperture graphic.

Thanks for the suggestion. I assume that is because it is obvious and overdone?

Overdone? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I don't think it would be all that obvious to non-photographers that the graphic is a lens aperture, or that it in any way relates to photography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo

Logo design is an important area of graphic design, and one of the most difficult to perfect....

Logo design process
Designing a good logo is not a simple task and requires a lot of involvement from the marketing team and the design agency (if outsourced). It requires clear idea about the concept and values of the brand as well as understanding of the consumer or target group as marketers call. Broad step in logo design process would be formulating concept, doing initial sketch, finalizing the logo concept, deciding the theme colors and format.

http://www.logoblog.org/fedex-logo.php

 

[ISO]

You can also find someone on fiverr to do it, for, well, a fiver.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Overdone? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I don't think it would be all that obvious to non-photographers that the graphic is a lens aperture, or that it in any way relates to photography.

So, I guess I don't have to ask if you like my new logo?

 

[myvinyl333]

Hire a graphic designer. If you're near a university, post an ad on the digital media department billboard if you're low budget.

Trying to create a logo yourself is going to look like exactly what it is: amateurish and homemade.

I tried multiple times to design and create my own logo (I have all the necessary software) and it was a complete waste of time. After hiring a designer friend of mine, a week later I had my current logo that I'm thrilled with.

I have a designer that I have used for the iamnotjerry logo (below) and he did the George Burrows Photography.com. pictured on the photo below. I am unsure about the aperture graphic.However I like your logo. I was thinking of trying my hand at making one, but I agree it could be amateurish and homemade. Thanks
View attachment 23995

 

[myvinyl333]

I would not recommend using the lens aperture graphic.
Thanks for the suggestion. I assume that is because it is obvious and overdone?

Obvious is not necessarily a bad thing. Often it's only obvious and overdone to us photogs. If a Mom is searching through a sea of business cards in her purse trying to find "that photographer's" card, the one with the obvious photography graphic will be easy to spot.

Interesting point. I am not looking for photographers to recognize my site logo. This is truly not an easy task.

 

[Big Mike]

Another option would be to find a graphic design site/forum and commission a contest. Basically, you tell them what you want and what you are willing to pay (or there is a preset price). Designers who wish to enter the contest will come up with something and submit entries for you to choose from.
There are many such sites, just an example is Logo Design Contests $29

As for how to choose a logo...that is the hard part. I think that common sense should tell you that you want something that is easy to read and that will appeal to your target market. If you are marking to (typical) young women, you probably don't want skulls, guns & lighting etc. If you are marketing to men, you probably don't want frilly lace and harts etc.
The most 'successful' logos are often very simple and clever. For example, the FedEX logo is genius. It's simple, easy to read and the space between the E and the X forms an arrow, which is a great symbol for a shipping company.

Please don't advocate those sites. They are demeaning to designers and goes against everything we stand for. Although not illegal they go against the code of conduct of the GAG (Graphic Arts Guild) and AIGA (American Institute if Graphic Arts)

Sorry, didn't know that.
I know a handful of photographers who bought logos that way. Doesn't seem all that different from photographers offering cheap services on FB or Craig's List etc. Might get something good, might not...buyer beware.
It certainly doesn't do anything good for the industry, just like the cheap photographers...but hey, that's what you get with a free market economy.

 

[Tee]

Please don't advocate those sites. They are demeaning to designers and goes against everything we stand for. Although not illegal they go against the code of conduct of the GAG (Graphic Arts Guild) and AIGA (American Institute if Graphic Arts)

They're the graphic designer's equivalent to the $25 Facebook photographer?

 

[myvinyl333]

Please don't advocate those sites. They are demeaning to designers and goes against everything we stand for. Although not illegal they go against the code of conduct of the GAG (Graphic Arts Guild) and AIGA (American Institute if Graphic Arts)

They're the graphic designer's equivalent to the $25 Facebook photographer?

I decided to look on Craig's list for fun and found a $50 photographer. It was not as fun as I thought, more like embarrassing.