Every successful business will have an equally successful business logo. Whether whimsical or traditional, flashy and bold or subtle and laid back, your business logo is often the first impression prospective customers will have of your products and/or services.
Because of the significant importance of this one small piece of your business, large or small, you'll want to be sure to take some time to think about the message you want to portray about your products and services and develop a logo that speaks to these goals. If you have a creative aptitude, an intense desire to get your marketing message just right, or just want to save pennies by creating your own, then online logo design will be your next step.
A good online logo design application can be indispensible for the unseasoned designer. More advanced users can likely choose any of the software options reviewed here and come out with a professional-looking logo that can be used for print, online or other project purposes. For the first-time user, however, you’ll want to review your options carefully before making a purchasing choice. Although no one wants to waste money by purchasing something difficult to use, or that doesn’t offer enough customizable options for your tastes, equally important is to not buy a software package that has more features than you are comfortable with. No matter how snappy the sample logos look on the box, if you are unable to use the software to create something similar, then you might have just wasted your time and money!
The key to good logo design software is its creative priming power and functionality. Unless you are a professional logo designer, or a professional graphics designer, chances are you’ll need a lot of creative suggestions to get your ideas flowing. A software application that has several applicable templates available to jump start your imagination is ideal for the beginner. On this site you will find articles related to online logo design as well as reviews of online logo design software to help in the decision making process.
You’ll also want to ensure the application has plenty of customizable features to suit your skills without having more than you need to cause design frustrations when the features are beyond your ability to duplicate.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate the online logo design programs rated on this site:
Appeal & Flexibility
Logo design software should have an easily navigable interface, with enough features to allow you the flexibility to customize key aspects of your logo design, but not so many that design becomes confusing or frustrating.
Design Features
At a minimum, the software should allow the user to customize colors, fonts, and object/graphic and font sizes. More advanced options will include shadows, layering capabilities and other features that allow you to fine tune the look and feel of your design.
Output Options
While not every file format output is necessary for print requirements or projects, having a variety ensures that later, when you send the coveted design you slaved on for hours to the printer, they don’t kick it back and tell you they cannot use that format. Typical professional formats will include TIFF or PNG format, with JPG and GIF options for web use. Outputs with higher resolution capabilities are also an advantage.
Ease of Use
No software package, regardless of the price, is worth your time or money if it is so complex that you spend more time figuring out how to use a feature than you do creating your design. Navigation should be user-friendly and, especially for the first-time user, clearly defined.
Help & Support
Even advanced users benefit from software support from time to time, so having reference materials or additional help available when necessary is important. Ideally both one-on-one technical support as well as online fact and knowledge databases are ideal. On-board tips and help is also an ideal feature with help found right inside the interface as work is developed.
Value for Cost
This section provides an overall rank for the value of a particular application based on its cost. Many variables went into this rank, including such things as availability for all operating systems, user-friendliness, samples and demos available for the beginning user, among others. Although subjective, this rank indicates that value does not always mean the least expensive option available.
If you are in need of a polished, professional business logo design without the hassle of a full-blown design software package then online logo design is definitely the way to go. You won’t go wrong choosing one of the three top ranked choices in this review; Laughingbird Software’s The Logo Creator, LogoSmartz, or My Logo Maker by avanquest, are all excellent choices for your business logo design needs.
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| Rank | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | |
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LogoSmartz | The Logo Creator | MyLogoMaker | Macware LogoDesign Studio | AAA Logo | LogoDesign Studio | Vistaprint | LogoMaker | LogoYes | |
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| Versions | ||||||||||
| Price | $39.95 | $29.95 | $29.95 | $34.99 | $49.00 | $19.99 | $19.99 | $49.00 | $69.00 | |
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| Upgrade Price | $39.95 | $59.99 | $69.00 | $39.99 | ||||||
| Design Features | ||||||||||
| Logo Project Templates | ||||||||||
| Number of Image Categories | 38 | 9 Themed Versions Available to Buy | 40 | Unlimited | 71 | 24 | 20 | 32 | 30 | |
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| Available Lines of Text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Available Fonts | 100+ | 100+ | 100+ | Unlimited | 100+ | 100+ | 20 | 34 | 36 | |
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| Supported Configuration | ||||||||||
| Operating System | Windows 2000 and above | Windows 95, 98, NT4, 2000, XP, Vista; PowerPC Mac OSX 10.1 or later | Windows XP, Windows Vista or 7 | Mac OSX 10.2.6 or higher; No Windows Version Available | Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 | Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista | Web-only application | Web-only application | Web-only application | |
| Processor | Intel Pentium Processor 133 MHZ or equivalent | Windows:200 MHZ Intel Pentium processor; Mac: 200 MHZ PowerPC | Pentium 500 MHZ processor or better | Pentium processor minimum | Pentium 233 MHZ or higher processor | |||||
| RAM | 128MB RAM | Windows: 64MB or more of application RAM; Mac: 64MB or more of application RAM | 128 MB RAM minimum | 256MB RAM | 512Mb or more recommended | 256MB of RAM | ||||
| Hard Drive Space | 150MB free hard disk space | Windows & Mac: 100MB of available disk space | Hard drive with at least 150MB free space | 200MB hard disk space | 50MB | 1.5GB of available hard disk space | ||||
| Required Browser Plugin | Web connection for activation | Internet access for updates (recommended) | n/a | Adobe Flash | ||||||