By look here, I mean the look of your brand. A lot of people start businesses while sidelining the look of the company. It is true that look is not as important as the product/service that you are selling; but not giving it any thought or not spending at all for it is a bad idea. Several businesses realize this through hindsight and then begin investing big sums in creating a brand. Such attempts usually meet with moderate success or failure. Successful branding is more achievable when done at the very beginning.
Now branding is just not about the look. It is about the values that make up for your system; it is about the image you want to project to your target market. This image is created through a number of ways, but the most obvious one or rather; the one that hits you immediately is the logo. Who doesnt love a good logo?
A good logo will be talked about and a bad one will be talked about too. Good logo design is esthetic, reflective of the company values and it appeals very much to the target group. That being said, good logo design is not easy or cheap.
It takes a lot of work
A professional design company or branding agency will put in a lot of work before they give the first set of logo options. They would have meetings with you during which they will ask you various questions. They would want to know of the story behind starting your company; your goals; the image you want your prospects and customers to have of you and so on. Based on the data gathered from this session, they would sit together with the creative team and come up with a few good options. They will present them to you, and will present you more till you are satisfied.
Of course there are people who do logo design for cheap. But more times than not, the work is amateur and not worth the little amount you pay for it. The more the work the more the pay is the usual rule here. That said, you neednt always go to a branding agency to get a good logo designed. Instead you can find professional design companies online. These guys function in pretty much the same way as a branding agency. The only difference is that they dont work from posh offices and charge exorbitant rates. Most of the communication is done over mail or phone.
The eventual outcome is a great logo design at an affordable price. So invest in the look of your brand from the very beginning. It wont cost you the earth and it is totally worth it.