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Should I Stay Local?
Which one of these is a locally done logo refresh?
It’s time for you to bite the bullet! You’ve finally accepted the fact that your brand needs a refresh. Your website looks like it’s the starting page of Netscape Navigator, and your logo would feel more at home on the side of an arcade machine from 10 years ago.
Despite having the coolest/trendiest logo out there, a brand refresh is almost required by any company that wants to stay relevant. With the resolutions of smartphones surpassing even what the eye can see, even the big ones like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s have to update their logo, albeit slightly, every once in awhile.
Shopping around for a design firm that you feel comfortable tackling this important task is hard enough. But, with the advancements in video chatting and file sharing, does it matter if the company is close to you?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of staying local. First off, the obvious pro is, well, they’re near you! You can meet face-to-face, establish a rapport, make sure they understand exactly what you’re looking for, collaborate side by side, etc. That sounds amazing! But it can’t all be roses and sunflowers can it? There are cons… Depending on your location, you might be dealing with an agency that, to be perfectly honest, is just not that talented. Well, maybe they are, but they’re not very experienced dealing with your industry. Did you go to school for design? How are you supposed to know if they know what they’re talking about?
This is not an attempt to puff my chest, but I’m going to go ahead and say it, “I’m a good designer!” There, that felt good! I’ll say it again, “I am a good designer.” And I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. Ryan (the quiet other half of this company) is an excellent programmer. Yeah, I said that too. Ok, Rick, enough, we get it, you’re awesome… Relax, that’s not what I’m getting at. Despite Ryan and my experience in certain aspects of design and programming, we will be the first to admit when something is out of our area of expertise. This is when we either bring in an outside expert or turn down the job all together (sucks, but what can you do?)
Several years ago, you had no choice but to work with local businesses. Unless you were willing to wait much longer for jobs to get done, that was the only way to work efficiently and effectively. Nowadays, it’s possible to get things done with design firms across the country, or, dare I say it, across the world! With the power of software like Skype and Dropbox, it’s almost like you and the firm you are working with in Australia are in the same room! Just be careful…
Make sure, no matter whether you decide to work locally or globally, that the design agency you are dealing with understands what you are looking for, and has a portfolio and/or the experience to handle creating the perfect website or logo you require. Don’t settle for something you are not thrilled with just because you are scared to venture outside your neighborhood.