Are you a talented logo designer who’s confident about what you create, but you’re failing to attract new clients?
Do you ever start to doubt your skills and wonder “maybe I’m just not good enough”?…
Chances are, you don’t lack the talent or skills, but that your work is simply not being found by your potential customer…
We live in a world where an incredible amount of content is being published every second, so fighting your way through the mass of information to get noticed by your perfect client can be a real challenge. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to reach your potential target audience, but navigating your way through the options available can be overwhelming.
That’s why we have put together this handy guide for you, to help you decide what platforms have the biggest potential to find new logo design clients, based on real world experience, with contributions from some of the best logo designers in the Logo Geek Community.
Here’s our list of the places where you can find high quality logo design clients…
Online Portfolio Sites
Portfolio websites are a fantastic way to share your work and to grow your network. Although designed primarily to connect with and inspire designers, they are also platforms where branding agency owners and savvy clients look to find a designer to work on their next logo or branding project.
Dribbble
Dribbble was founded in 2009 with a goal to create a community of designers and creative professionals from all around the world, not only offering an opportunity to share their design work, but also to inspire them, educate and offer job opportunities. Needless to say, Dribbble has grown into the top global community for professional designers.
Jeroen van Erdeen has made it his number one tool to drive new clients:
“Dribbble has always been my most rewarding source of income when it comes to finding/winning new clients. Most of my high-profile clients (such as Google, Yahoo and Disney) have found me via this platform and I always believed that Dribbble is the current number one when it comes to quality design, with so many talented designers who are willing to work. I’ve always been an active member in this community and have been posting 3-4 shots a week, mostly logo concepts that I’ve been working on. So over the years this has formed a really big portfolio with lots to see for potential clients.”
Behance
Behance, which is part of the Adobe family, has also grown into one of the biggest and most important platforms to showcase your design portfolio, enabling you to reach companies on a global scale.
Behance makes it easier than ever for the companies to explore work of designers from all around the world in search for the right fit for their business needs. And that designer could be you.
Zachary Richard Hill has definitely made it work for him:
“Behance has allowed me to create more comprehensive case studies that give me the ability to showcase a little more thinking and process behind the work compared to other social media outlets. As a result, I have been able to generate leads and job opportunities.”
Your Own Personal Website
Having your own personal website gives you the freedom to present your work, brand and story in any way that you can imagine… plus, once the client lands on your website there’s no other designers around to tempt them, which is the primary down side to the portfolio sites mentioned above. When the client lands on your website, if they are impressed, they are yours for the taking.
A website is a platform that you own and have 100% control over, and if properly optimised for search engines (such as Google), clients will find you when they are searching.
Logo Geek Community member Craig Burton, who specialises in branding for schools, can support this claim…
“My website is an online space where I have complete control over the way in which I present value to my customers. It provides me with the tools to be able to manage and optimise content like no other online platform can.”
There are endless ways to build a website, but platforms that have worked well for designers include WordPress and SquareSpace. Here’s a brief overview of each…
WordPress
WordPress is an open source Content Management System. To set up your website you will need to have hosting and a domain name. It can take a little time to get your head around if you’re a total newbie, but… to help you get started here is a great video, taken from this excellent guide to starting your own website on WordPress.
There are thousands of WordPress themes suitable for designers that look fantastic and offer complete customisation. A good place to search for WordPress themes is ThemeForest. They are typically only around $50, so a worthy investment.
SquareSpace
Whilst WordPress can be fairly time consuming, and a little technical, SquareSpace in comparison is a platform that allows you to get started quickly and easily without requiring too much knowledge of web design.
The templates provided out of the box are beautiful, and the intuitive tools for creating your website pages make it incredibly easy to get a portfolio website up and running quickly.
Below is an excellent step by step guide to get you started…
Search Engine Optimisation
Above is how you can build your website, but the truth is… having a website is useless unless clients can actually find you.
When searching for a logo designer, clients typically turn to search engines such as Google or Bing. To be found on Google you need to actively optimise your website. This activity of optimisation is called Search Engine Optimisation or… SEO for short.
Optimising your website for search engines is a long-term strategy, but when done right you can reap the benefits.
You can learn more about building a website and optimising it for search engines in the Logo Geek Podcast Interview with Ryan Robinson.
Social Media Platforms
There are so many social platforms these days, all with their own unique opportunities for connecting with potential clients. But what have been the most successful for logo designers? Lets take a look…
Using social media may seem pretty obvious, but how exactly can one use it to really drive potential clients?
Instagram in particular can be a little tricky in that sense, so let’s have a bit more detailed look at it with Connor Fowler who’s made it his number one resource for gaining new clients.
As he says, it definitely requires a great amount of dedication.
“I’ve found Instagram to be a great tool for finding new clients since it focuses on visual content. However, these techniques require dedication, time and patience and they are not for everyone but, those that do take them on will be able to grow an audience.”
There are four elements that will determine your success on Instagram: Consistency, Quality, the use of Hashtags and Engagement.
But what exactly does it mean?
First you need to create content and a posting schedule.
“If you can post every single day great but for most people that isn’t practical. No matter how many posts you can create in a week be sure to stick to a schedule. That way your audience will know when new content is coming.”
If you are using Instagram for your business, quality of your content is absolutely essential.
“It needs to look professional or at least provide an aesthetic that appeals to the people you’re hoping to turn into clients. Typically for a design business that means you need sleek clear content that explains your process. Your Instagram posts need to be presentable and up to a high standard. This means taking excellent pictures and editing them well or creating digital compositions that you’d want to hang on your wall like a painting. Aim for the highest standard you can.”
You’ve probably been using Hashtags for your personal accounts on daily basis, without really thinking twice, but how exactly can you make the most of them when your business is concerned?
“Always use 25-30 hashtags on your posts if you don’t you’re limiting the reach of your own account. Creating a set of hashtags that suits your business and niche can be tricky but, look for other accounts in your space and curate a list of hashtags based on what you see working around you and what makes you unique.”
Engagement may seem unimportant but it’s actually one of the most important aspects for gaining following (and therefore potential clients) on any social media. Therefore, you absolutely need to get involved with your community.
“Respond to comments. Go and look at the top posts on a hashtag you use and leave a thoughtful comment – an opinion or feedback, don’t just say ‘nice one’ or ‘omg love this’. Remember you’re building your brand image and people are coming to see your opinion and content not just a generic ‘so cool’ comment.
Of course, success does not happen over night, however, when you master these techniques, you can 4x your audience within 6-7 months as Connor did, therefore reaching far wider number of people and potential clients.
On top of Connors fantastic advice, you can learn more about using Instagram in the Logo Geek Podcast interview with Jonathan Rudolph, the founder of Logo Inspirations, an Instagram page with over 600,000 followers…
Facebook Groups
Facebook is another logical option with hundreds of business Groups associating designers from all around the world, offering professional advice, creative discussion and more, but most importantly groups where you can find your potential clients.
Jen Wilson has definitely made Facebook a success for her and her business…
“Facebook has hundreds of business groups, both local, and international and I’ve found they’re an absolute gold mine for finding new clients. There are groups to suit every niche so its easy to join groups where you believe your target market will hang out. Some will allow you to directly advertise what you do others don’t so you need to be aware of the rules for each group. Members usually put out feelers for designers when they need work done so its just a matter of letting them know who you are and what you do. 90% of my clients have come this way and its been great”
Referrals & Word of Mouth
Finding clients through the above mentioned online platforms is great, but if you do good work, and your clients have a good experience with you, you’ll start to attract referrals by word of mouth.
Liam Jackson believes referrals and word of mouth are successful because when people seek a designer they would much rather work with and invest in someone they can trust.
“If you’ve been recommended by an existing client the potential client will gain an insight into the experience of working with you, and hopefully be put at ease, therefore making you a stronger more obvious choice to work with. If you build up good relationships with your clients they will naturally recommend you in their circles if someone they know mentions they’re looking for a designer. This can create a snowball effect and if things go well you can spend less time marketing yourself and more time designing.”
Networking Events
Attending meetups and networking events is one of the best ways to build your connections, and to meet real business owners and solopreneurs who can turn into clients.
Unlike digital networking, real-world connections create a level of trust beyond any relationship you’ll ever develop online.
Stef Hamerlinck agrees that ‘real world’ connecions are important, and are more significant than any of the online plaforms.
“Building your local network is so important. I’ve helped people out and years later they call me back to work together. Talking to people, giving feedback and being honest goes a long way (and having a beer from time to time). Also, if you have a client that was great working with, ask them if they know other clients that need your help. Chances are, these are the kind of networks you want to go all in on.”
If you’ve never attended a networking event, do a Google search to find events in your area. They can be daunting at first, so before you attend made sure to take note of these 19 networking tips to make the most of the session. Get some business cards printed, and start meeting your potential customers!
Focus & Dedication to Attract New Logo Design Clients
As you can see, there are many ways you can showcase your work and build your network to attract potential clients, but each approach requires hard work, focus, and a great amount of dedication.
Success never happens overnight, but hopefully, with these success stories and advice from the designers coming from the Logo Geek Community, you can better decide which options will work for you.