Do you need a logo for a personal website? Most may say no. Some might say maybe. As for me, I've been blogging for about a year now and have gone back and forth with having a logo created for this site.
After a lot of internal debate, I always ended up in the No camp. I mean really, isn't it a little pretentious to have a logo created for yourself if you're not a “Brand”?
Then I started on this journey to develop a personal Brand and it hit me right between the eyes. I am a brand. Just not the kind you see on shopping bags or billboards, at least not yet. Despite this epiphany, I still wavered until a recent comment exchange with a person I follow online.
I recently read a post by Chris Ducker titled “The easy to follow 9-step ‘small business' website checklist”. For those who may not know, Chris is well known in the blogosphere not only as an excellent content creator in his own right but also as the de facto expert on using virtual assistants. His business is called Virtual Staff Finder. You can visit his site HERE.
After reading through the brief introduction, Chris gets right into it with item one: A great looking header and logo. There is was, right at the top of the list.
Keeping in mind this is a post for small businesses, I kept reading. However, as I read through I realized that the other 8 items on the checklist were applicable to me. With this being true how could item one not apply?
At the end of the post, Chris asked his readers the following questions: “Need advice? Want to pimp your website?” He then invited his readers to post a link to their website so he can review it and offer his advice.
How could I pass up the opportunity to have an expert blogger, one I look up to at that, review my site and offer suggestions. Did I mention he was doing this for free? Obviously, I couldn't pass this opportunity up. Below is the question I posted.
After I posted my question I'll admit I felt a little anxious. What if he hated my site? What if he didn't respond?
That's the funny thing about the Internet. It's so easy to “put stuff out there” but you can't take it back afterwards.
I have this same feeling generally after posting on my site but I'm learning to push it down and move on. Anyway, I checked back probably 10 times the same day, forgetting completely that Chris lives in the Philippines. There's a time difference you know.
I checked back multiple times over the next couple of days only to notice that there was no response. Then after three days I checked and found this response.
There is was again. This time from someone who knows its importance. My name/logo could use a makeover. I wonder could that be a new reality series? “Logo Makeover. On tonight's episode, we review…”. Anyway…I had to admit that Chris' comments were spot on, my name/logo is just plain text. It definitely doesn't “pop”.
After reading his response, I made the decision to upgrade my logo. I realized that my name and how it is displayed on this website is a part of my personal brand.
As a side-note, you may notice that I took his advice on the menu drop-downs and adding a welcome video. Since this is the first video I've ever made I would welcome feedback.
Once I decided to move forward with the makeover, I needed to decide how to get it done; online or offline. There are several options online and of course, I could also use the good old fashion offline practice of hiring someone to create a logo for me.
After giving it, some thought I decided to use 48hourslogo.com (affiliate link) to develop a logo for this site.
My reason for using an online service was simple. By going online, I would be able to “crowdsource” a variety of designs. Rather than working with one designer, I would have multiple designers working on a logo.
This would provide me with several concepts and variations to choose from some of which I may never have considered. In my next post, I'll walk through the process of creating a logo using 48hourslogo.com.
QUESTION: What are your thoughts on a logo for a personal website? Post your comments below.
