Best Practices for Handling Website Errors

 

Best Practices for Handling Website Errors

This article explains the process of implementing error handling for a fix red page on hacked site utilizes server-side scripting. Proper error handling is necessary to ensure that users of a website have a good experience during their visit. Any professional website should be thoroughly tested on a staging server before being deployed on the live web server. However, it is not always possible to anticipate every possible error and good error handling will notify both the user and the webmaster about problems with the website in a production environment.

When we talk about website errors, there are two different types we need to talk about. Fatal errors cause execution of the script to halt and a page error (HTTP status code 501) to be reported to the user. An exception is an error thrown by server-side script that may be captured through scripting and allow the web page to still be displayed. An example of this kind of exception is a database query which causes an exception but doesn't abort execution of the current script.

Building a Code Library

In order to provide consistent error handling throughout a website, a shared code module should be created which provides the majority of the error handling details. The goal here is not to repeat code so that everything is handled in one central location. That way, any changes or modifications that need to be made to the code only have to be done once. A good error handling library will contain methods for displaying a friendly message to the visitor and also collect all of the debugging information needed for technical support.

Every programming language is different, so it will be up to the developer to decide how to best implement the error handling. The goal should be to make it flexible and intuitive so that it can be used in many different scenarios. It should only require a minimal amount of code to wrap a section of scripting code with error handling.

Displaying Friendly Messages

There are various options for displaying friendly error messages to the user. One option is to just stop processing of the entire page and display an error that reads "Sorry, this web page cannot be displayed at this time due to an internal issue. Our technical support team has been notified and will work quickly to resolve this issue." This is often the best way to handle any unexpected errors that we can handle through server-side scripting.

Another option is to display as much of the page as possible and place a highly visible error message on the screen. This message would read "Unable to perform action due to an internal error." The point of this type of handling is that we give the user the opportunity to correct the issue and attempt the action again. This type of situation is typically a from submission where bad data causes an error in the web page.

Debug Information

When the server-side code can handle the error, it is important that debug information is sent to the webmaster and technical support team so that issues can be resolved quickly. This debug information is very different from the friendly error message which is displayed to the user. It contains very detailed information about the code which caused the error, and any other pertinent information.

One of the most common errors is a database error due to a malformed SQL statement for websites which do not use stored procedures. This type of error can easily be caught and handled through server-side code. In this case, the type of debug information we would like to see is the source of the error (file name and line number) with a stack trace and the offending SQL script which caused the error.

Some other bits of information we would like to see is the URL including the query string. The request method (GET or POST) and all form variables passed to the script. Additionally, any cookies set on the client's machine would also be beneficial for reproducing the error. This sounds like a lot and it is. The point is, we need to get as much information as possible so that the issue can be identified and corrected quickly.

Transmitting Debug Information

Once we have this debug information, we need to transmit it to the webmaster and tech support team. The easiest way of doing this is to send an e-mail containing all of the above information. Another method is to store this information in a database where it is accessible through a company intranet.

As a best practice, you should consider doing both to eliminate the possibility that one method fails. Of course, if the whole script fails and stops executing, then no information will be sent out. This is one of the dangers of error handling. As a precaution to avoid this, website owners should periodically test their error handling to make sure that everything works.

Webmaster Alerts

As mentioned before, notifications about errors can be delivered via email regarding every error. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense to have your inbox filled up with lots of e-mails. Another alternative is to create an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. It is like a news feed that delivers headlines along with a synopsis to users.

Using an RSS reader application, users can receive notification through their computer or cell phone about new error reports that get generated. The RSS reader can check the web server every five minutes for new issues. There are lots of code libraries available for creating RSS services on a website. It is also not too difficult to create your own custom service since an RSS feed is not much more than a dynamically-generated XML document that conforms to the RSS specification.

For even faster response times, it is fairly trivial to add a notification (or alert system) using SMS or text messaging to a cell phone number. So just like a pager was used long ago, site owners will be notified instantly whenever an issue occurs. Since it is a text message, information such as the page URL, or error type can also be sent in the alert. An implementation should be careful not to flood recipients with tons of text messages. A best practice would be to limit messages to once every 15 minutes and maybe limit the total number of messages per day to 25.

Error Notification Digest Emails

For websites that generate many error notifications per day, it might be less intrusive to aggregate all of the error notifications into one digest. A digest is a single report containing all of the error reports that were recorded for an entire day. Reports must be recorded either in a database or in a flat-file such as XML format. A scheduled process is run at the end of the day that collects all of the errors for the day and builds one big report.

This type of report cuts down on the amount of error messages that get sent out via e-mail. So a good compromise would be to send an e-mail digest each day and maybe have an Intranet or RSS feed for nearly instantaneous notification of errors. Of course, this type of notification requires that the webmaster or technical support person be in front of their computer or cell phone when the notification is received.

Refining Error Handling

There is no hard and fast rule for how error handling should be done. That being said, each situation is different and care should be taken to decide how to handle errors. Sometimes, we can take corrective action in the program code to get "around" the error. In this case, we may not even need to display any error at all.

When showing friendly errors, try to put yourself in the user's shoes. What kind of message would I like to see if I were on the page and a critical error occurred during processing? Should this error contain details on how to submit feedback to the webmaster? Should the error contain links to help and support documents that may suggest workarounds? Should this message contain a process that notifies users (probably via e-mail) once the problem has been resolved?

There are a myriad of different issues to consider when building customer error handling. If nothing else, we hope that this article has peaked your interest in developing a custom error handling system for your website. Errors are a nuisance to both website owners and site visitors. Making your site reliable and robust should be a high priority in your business.

Guide to Buying Logos Online

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a Logo Design Atlanta for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

Owner Guide to Buying Logos Online

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a Atlanta logo design company for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a Atlanta logo design company for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

Owners Guide to Buying Logos Online

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a logo designer near me for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

Owners Guide to Buying Logos Online

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a logo designer near me for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

Owners Guide to Buying Logos Online

 

The Small Business Owners' Guide to Buying Logos Online

Starting a new business is exciting. After you put together the basics, you will soon be looking for a logo designer near me for your new business. There are thousands of places to get a logo design. Learn more about average price ranges, file formats, resolution, printing your design, and other basics to getting a logo. There are many considerations in creating a company logo, we hope this will help you navigate the myriad of options.

What's in a price ?

So what's the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there, some of the considerations when picking a logo, and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It's up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 - This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 - Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don't worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can't change color schemes of a logo - that's a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 - This is the average price of a unique custom logo on the web. You will find higher prices at design firms that are not web based. For this price you still probably won't get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 - Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?

A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don't get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web -based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo

This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template - although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that's left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo

Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo ?

This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats?

Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what's the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats - let's explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look OK when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design - always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There's no use to a logo that's so small you can't print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

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