What a Logo Is and How to Compare Proposals

A logo is a visual mark used to identify a business. It may be a designed business name, a symbol, or both.

A logo proposal is useful only when it explains what the supplier will create, how the work will be approved, which files and variants you will receive, and what you may do with them. A finished design does not by itself settle copyright, usage rights, or trademark registration.

Send the same written request to every supplier. Then compare the answers before comparing the total price.

Start with the kind of mark you need

Logo terminology is not completely uniform, so ask for simple descriptions rather than relying on a label alone. A proposed identity may use:

• a wordmark: the business name designed as the mark
• a symbol-only mark: a graphic symbol without the business name
• a combination mark: the name and symbol used together

A combination can help people connect an unfamiliar symbol with the business name. A symbol-only version can fit compact uses, but it still needs to be recognizable at the intended size. Neither format is the right answer for every business.

A favicon or social avatar deserves its own deliverable. Ask for a small-size or icon version tested at the required dimensions. If you do not know those dimensions, ask the supplier to state which sizes will be tested and delivered for each named platform or use. The answer may be the symbol-only mark, a simplified version, or another arrangement. A wordmark-only version is separate and may be useful for different applications.

Define where the logo will be used

List the actual applications before requesting a quote. Include every use that matters now or is already planned, such as:

• website header and favicon
• social profile and avatar
• email signature
• proposal, invoice, or presentation
• sign or vehicle
• clothing or merchandise
• packaging
• print advertising

This list lets the supplier recommend appropriate variants and exports. It also prevents both sides from assuming that “all logo files” means the same thing.

Color decisions should be tied to these applications too. The guide to choosing a brand color covers that decision in more detail.

Ask how the work will be developed and approved

An itemized proposal should explain the process as well as the final files. Ask:

• What discovery and briefing are included?
• Does the supplier compare the design with competitors or existing marks, and what exactly does that review cover?
• How many initial directions will be presented?
• What counts as a revision to the chosen direction?
• How many revision rounds are included, and what do additional rounds cost?
• What happens if no initial direction is accepted: another included direction, a priced new phase, or termination?
• Which milestones require approval?
• What information or feedback must the client provide?
• What schedule is proposed, and what changes the delivery date?

There is no single reasonable duration. Timing depends on the scope, decision points, feedback, availability, and supplier schedule. The proposal should show the milestones and the consequences of delayed input.

A designer's visual comparison with competitors or existing marks is separate from legal trademark clearance unless the agreement explicitly says otherwise. Keep that distinction visible in the proposal.

Tie every variant to a planned use

Do not request a fixed bundle simply because another business received it. Ask which versions your application list requires. These may include:

• the primary arrangement
• a horizontal or stacked arrangement
• wordmark-only and symbol-only versions where relevant
• a dedicated small-size or icon version tested for the favicon and avatar
• the color and one-color versions required by the named media
• a reversed version, usually a light logo prepared for a dark background, where needed

Usage guidance should match the number of applications, suppliers, and people handling the files. It might be one concise page or a larger guide. Useful rules can cover minimum size, the minimum empty area that must remain around the logo, background use, prohibited changes, and examples for important applications. Designers often call that empty area clear space. A one-person business may still need written rules when printers, sign makers, developers, or future team members will use the logo.

Ask for an editable master and named exports

Vector and raster files serve different purposes. Adobe explains that raster files use a fixed pixel grid, so enlarging them beyond their intended size can make the image look blocky. Vector artwork is suited to resizing, but a vector filename does not prove that every object in the file remains editable or vector-based.

Ask the supplier to identify:

• the editable vector master, its file format, and the software or workflow it requires
• the SVG, PDF, or other vector exports needed for your named web and print uses
• the PNG or other raster exports, including the required sizes and backgrounds
• screen and print color values
• font names and who is responsible for the licenses
• any third-party artwork, assets, or templates and the terms that apply to them
• which delivered files remain editable and vector-based

Adobe Illustrator (.ai), PDF, EPS, and SVG files can all appear in vector workflows, but no one extension is sufficient for every printer, vendor, or future editor. Fonts, effects, embedded raster content, and export settings can affect editability and appearance. Adobe's Illustrator saving guidance explains why settings and intended use matter alongside the filename.

Put usage rights and trademark work in writing

Logo delivery, permission to use or modify the artwork, copyright ownership or licensing, and trademark registration are separate questions. The answer depends on the agreement and applicable law.

Ask the proposal or contract to state:

• permitted commercial uses and any territorial limits
• exclusivity, assignment, or license terms
• whether you or another supplier may adapt the artwork
• how rejected concepts and third-party materials are treated
• whether the supplier may show the work in a portfolio
• whether any trademark search, filing, or legal advice is included

Assume that trademark work is not included unless the proposal says it is. For an EU trademark application, EUIPO advises searching for earlier marks that might conflict, but it also explains that finding an earlier registration does not decide every outcome. A database search is an early check, not a clearance opinion or a guarantee of registration.

Trademark scope and procedure depend on the markets and the goods or services involved. If registration matters or a possible conflict appears, use an appropriately qualified trademark professional in the relevant jurisdiction.

Send one comparison request

Write your planned uses above the table, send the same questions to each supplier, and copy the replies into the columns. Mark a blank answer as “missing” and request it before deciding on price.

Planned uses: website header: ; favicon: ; social avatar: ; email: ; documents: ; signage or vehicle: ; clothing: ; packaging: ; print advertising: ; other:

A lower total is not automatically worse, and a higher total is not automatically better. Compare like with like. If one proposal includes research, several directions, tested variants, detailed rules, and an editable handover while another leaves those fields blank, the totals describe different scopes.

Mischka Studio's branding services may include logo variants, application rules, color specifications, and a visual-identity handover within the agreed scope. Any trademark clearance, registration, legal advice, exclusivity, or specific file format must be confirmed separately in writing.