How Long Does it Take to Design a Logo?
Industry News • 1st November 2022

Have you ever thought about how long it would take to design a logo? Well, this all depends on lots of different factors. As you might already know, your logo is hugely important. Your logo is the core representation of your brand and should communicate its quality and values. This logo will be ingrained on signage, stationary, website and more…. Something this critical should not be rushed or be done cheaply at a cost to quality.
Design can look easy from the outside, however, most people probably know that designing logos isn’t as simple as it seems. There is a lot of work involved which often requires a lot of time.
Realistically, How Long Should it Take to Design a Logo?
There are a lot of different factors that contribute to the amount of time a logo takes to create. It is possible to create a logo in anywhere between a few minutes and a few weeks. So, let’s explore the types of logos and how long it takes to create them in more detail.
The Logo Which Takes a Few Minutes to Create
There are of course lots of options for ‘cheap’ logos online. Sites like Fiverr and online logo generators promise quality designs quickly and at an affordable price. Now if you’re business is a ‘side hustle’ and you have a very limited budget this may seem like the right option for you – but think carefully…
A logo that is drawn on the back of a cigarette packet or generated by a program won’t have the desired effect on your potential customers.
‘You get what you pay for’ has become a bit of an overused cliché – but the sentiment holds true. In virtually every area of business, you pay more for a higher-quality product. If a logo only takes a few minutes to create, there will be serious quality issues. Chances are that you will not notice these issues, but your customers will!
If a designer hasn’t spent a good amount of time analysing your business, your industry and your goals – how can they possibly create a logo that is an accurate representation of your brand? It’s also worth remembering that logos like this are often very generic and are frequently used by designers for multiple clients. In simple terms, your logo will fail straight out of the gate at its primary task of making your business stand out.
The Logo Which Takes a Couple of Hours to Create
Although this is a better option than a logo which takes a few minutes, a couple of hours is just not enough time to create an effective logo. If you are working with a professional design agency, they will need time to thoroughly understand and analyse your business, before they can then plan and conceptualise your logo. This process alone takes more than a couple of hours, so a professional would need more time to complete the logo design process.
The Logo Which Takes a Few Days to Create
For most small to medium-sized businesses, a bespoke logo within a few days is achievable, but not ideal. The longer a designer can spend analysing your brand, the industry and your goals, the more effectively they will be able to design the perfect logo for your business. Likewise, the more time they can afford to spend on the design process itself, the higher quality your end design will be, and the more successful it will be.
Now you may be making this decision based solely on price, but don’t forget to take into account that the average lifespan of a logo is 10 years, at which point it will likely need a refresh. So it’s always worth investing more where you can, for the long-term success of the project and ultimately your business.
The Logo Which Takes 2-4 Weeks to Create
Realistically, the full design process for a professional logo should from start to finish should take between 2-4 weeks. When working with a professional design agency, the full creative process starts as soon as the first meeting/ phone call has taken place. Every company, service and product is different, so the agency has to gather as much information as they can to ensure that they understand your business, your industry, your goals and your requirements and more. Likewise, no two design solutions are the same – reputable design agencies don’t use templates or copy other designs. Everything should be bespoke and tailored to achieve your goals.Each design agency will have it’s own individual ways of working, but as an example of how the design process works, here is an outline of the key stages here at PHd Design;
We research your brand and brainstorm ideas before sketching and putting together some design concepts to help provide you with the perfect logo.
By using a traditional pen and paper we can let our imagination go. These concepts will be rough and possibly just outlines. This process allows us to quickly explore ideas for the design.
The pen is mightier than the mac. Our solutions are sketched and refined with your input first. This unleashes possibilities and gets to solutions quicker. Only then do we diligently and accurately design everything to beautiful on-screen visuals.
The next step is to provide you with multiple concepts we have sketched to discover which styles you prefer and to make any amendments you may request.
Finally, we provide you with the finished product files.
Who are PHd Design?
We are an award-winning little company that has been merrily doing this since 1992, and our thousands of clients love it, they’ve grown with us and stuck with us. Ranked in the top 100 of all creative agencies in the whole of the UK, we’re proud of our reputation of delighting our clients. We are located in a lovely barn in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside, near to historic Lichfield and on the doorstep of Birmingham.
Why not take some time to look around our website and plan how best to use our phenomenal services to make your business dreams come true? You can see more of our logo design projects on the ‘our work’ pages, or find out more about our services by contacting us today.