Question: Corporate Logo Design

SharpGraver

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I have been asked to design a logo for a friends tv reality show and I am wondering if anyone here has any experience in regards to how to structure payment for something that if used will appear on tv, t-shirts, jewelry(which I will be manufacturing) etc. So I guess my actual question is do people that do this take a one time fee or do they get a percentage in residuals like actors?
 

KatherinePlumer

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In my fairly limited experience in that field, logos are generally done as a one-time fee. It pays for your time, and a full buyout of the rights so they can do whatever they want with the logo. No royalties. Royalties happen when you license your work for specific uses but maintain ownership of the copyrights.

Others may have different experiences though, and ultimately you could probably work it out however it best suits you and your client.

-Katherine
 

Marrinan

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In this type of work one of the things that they are paying for is your research into the originality of the logo. Even though you think the whole thing up you have to be sure that someone else has thought the same thing up. It is quit possible to believe that yours is original and discover that you might have seen something long ago and it has been sitting in your subconscious since. I know this is not fun activity but it has to be done. Fred
 

Andrew Biggs

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Hi David

Take the money and run. Charge them a one off fee and get your money up front................how much that is depends entirely on what stage you get the artwork to. It can range from a one off design to a full blown corporate manual of how the design is to be used and all the specs that go with it.

Saatchi & Saatchi can charge an arm and a leg for this kind of work..................however small design studios a lot less. This is just the natural order of things and applies across the board in all industries.

Copyright is absolutely meaningless unless you have a lot of money, time and a large team of lawyers to back it up with. You also need to get involved with the client financials and track where and when the logo is used. BS and threats won't cut it or convince anyone............... unless you are prepared to back it up. In the world of movies and TV you are swimming with sharks and they have heard it all before.......and ignored it.

A lot of people think copyright and royalties are Nirvana............and it is.............if you have the money time and lawyers!!!! There is an awful lot of theoretical knowledge on this whole subject and in a perfect world it would all be true............. However, the realities are a lot different.

The show could be a flop or a success. Even if it's a success its time is limited to the fragile world of ratings and the vagaries of television.

Do the design, get paid and move on :)

Cheers
Andrew
 

Sam

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I can't imagine a company willing to let the artist retain copyright on a corporate logo. I've never heard of such a thing...if it even exists.
 

monk

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first thing i would do is find out who is going to pay you, and when. have you gotten any sort of retainer ? sam is right. you only have ownership until you get paid. then all you'll have title to is the green. if you go for any "royalty", guaranteed, someone else will be getting the job. doing this for a friend : you may be getting more glory than groceries, if you're not quite careful.
 

SharpGraver

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from what I am hearing from the large design firms, they get 50% of their fee up front because apparently corperations notoriously stiff them
 

Keith

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I have done a few through my sign business. all I can say is get 2/3 the cash up front. Be prepared to deal with "the committee" and dont forget to plan for the "revisions". Depending on what they want, You might also have to do a media package of different formats to use in adveritisements, press, and full color and B&w images in a few different formats for web and print media in both vector and bitmaps with color separations,( for envelopes letterheads, newspaper ads etc.....)The worst people to deal with by the way are rich people with boats, Lawers and Hair Salons. I really wish you luck. You can forget about keeping the copyright as thats never done and you are designing "their" logo not yours to make money off of every time they use it.
Post the logo when you get it done.

Good Luck,
 

BES

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Hi David

I Am engaged in corporate style working out 19 years.
This difficult enough employment with set of reefs!


Such work becomes not for 1 day and costs from $1000 and more!

1. It is necessary to understand accurately, what the customer wishes
to receive? Simply Logo, logo + a sign, or a small corporate style,
or the big corporate style?

2. Logo is an original writing of the name the Company or a product!

sony.jpg
(For example SONY)
Such font is not present. Each letter in this word is constructed, under certain laws. The distance between letters and so is considered.

The sign (trade mark) is a graphic element

Apple.jpg
(For example Apple)
this apple is constructed, under certain laws of design.

The firm block is a sign and a logo (sometimes the firm motto),
which are located on certain distance From each other, also have certain proportions, rather each other!

penta.jpg
(For example CHRYSLER)

3. Firm color. It is necessary to pick up color and to describe
it on systems RGB, CMYK, Pantone. That color was identical on a paper,
on the monitor or TV screen and in the outdoor advertising.

4. Corporate style is a set of various subjects and objects on which the firm
symbolics will be put. (The business documentation, firm transport, clothes, souvenirs Posters, the outdoor advertising and many other things)
All is necessary for building and describing it in Brendbook.
(Drawing up of Brendbook is separate work and is paid separately)

5. Originality – the Brand should pass examination in patent bureau also the certificate should be granted! It is paid by the customer separately!
(But at the initial stage you should check up – whether there are no similar ideas, and only after that to show sketches to the customer)

6. Customer should write the detailed technical project, in which its wishes should be stated (That there were no misunderstanding)!

7. On the basis of the Task the project Estimate is made!
Payment occurs in 2 stages.
50 % — from the sum are a transient part of the sum which covers
Your expenses! The others of 50 % — is the sum of payment for the possession right Result of your work!

8. After reception of 100 % of the sum you transfer all rights of use to the customer! For you there is only a right of the Author (That you have made it)


To describe all subtleties – in the small text it is almost impossible!
I have tried to reflect high lights and concepts!

Over one large-scale project I had to work 2 years!

Good luck to you!
Eric S. Brezhitsky
 

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