A word of caution…before considering the use of any imagery from a stock site for a logo, be sure to read the license agreement and terms of use on the site your searching. iStockphoto, for example, prohibits the use of their imagery in any logo or trademark…under both the standard and extended license.
http://www.istockphoto.com/license_comparison.php
(see bottom of page under License Restrictions)
(see part 4, Standard License Prohibitions)
Nice catch agarcia831. I wonder if all of the stock sites are like this. Furthermore, I wonder if iStockphoto ever proceeded with the logo branch I heard about them doing last year.
License agreements vary from site to site. Of the few sites I’ve ever used or seen so far, stock.xchng is the only other one that I’ve seen that specifically mentions not using images for logos.
Only very recently heard about iStockphoto logos…kind of curious about that myself. I don’t think they’ve proceeded yet. checked their forums, but didn’t see any info regarding when it would go live.
My wife did our logo for a daycare. It’s cute with personality! Dog walking could be the same type - fun with some personality. Draw it, scan it, remove the background, and done.
Nice one, joebert. iStockphoto and the others are great. I should have mentioned that.
I’ve done several logos for several companies and they have paid me very well for it. Why? Logos are CRUCIAL. They define your business in such a quick and memorable way that often times companies only display their logo instead of getting complicated advertising (look at Apple, Nike, McDonald’s, etc.). I would look online at some stock photo websites or look online for clipart that can be used for a logo. Another source are free web templates. Often, they have a logo on the website template that you can pluck out using a program like Illustrator or Photoshop (though I wouldn’t use Photoshop to create your logo, as said in earlier posts). If you still don’t find what you need, give me a call and I’ll get it done in no time flat!
I cannot even draw a stick figure, I do a little better with a box. I do all kinds of logo’s for people. I use Adobe Illustrator and I love that program.
I like the idea of having someone take a picture of you and using photoshop to turn it into art or some other effect. It is very simple and then typing your company name below, using any text you like.
You don’t need a professional person to do your logo, I look through the web to get ideas, I have purchased books on brochures and such, to get ideas. I wish I could draw, but I cannot. Sometimes I use my CAD program to draw something. It is all math CAD is,and I continue to do kitchen designs for a contractor, he draws then and gives me dimensions and I draw it out in CAD.
But in the end, like I said, I cannot even draw a good stick figure.
I was in the same boat. I’ve created some logos but I’m more adapt at simple graphics and touching up photos. I decided to hire someone to recreate me a business logo. I went to Marketplace here at Sitepoint and hired the folks at www.ypson.com and I have never regretted it. I have used them three times since. It costs me $60.00 and I consider it money well spent.
Logo = is what you need for your business to have some sort of an identity.
Brand = is what you need for your business to be remembered and noticed by people.
Bad Logo = bad identity.
Bad identity = bad branding.
Bad branding = bad impression.
Bad impression = bad for business.
Conclusion?
Get somebody who knows what they are doing to do it for you. You are not “saving” money by going the cheap route (cheap logos, stock art, crowdsourcing contests, etc.). Your are actually losing potential income.
Remember: YOU might think it looks fine, BUT you are not your market. YOU are not 100, or 1000, or 10,000, or 1,000,000 people.
Proper designers don’t design for you, they design for your Market. There is a hell of difference there.
www.logoinstant.com keeps giving me inspiration. Luckily I do backend work, and leave design work to others.
I have to jump in here, and mention 99designs as a great place to run a “design contest” starting at $204.
If that’s too much, we’re also about to launch our ready-made logo store: http://99designs.com/readymade
Heh heh, I meant to mention that above but forgot. Sorry Matt. 
I seriously don’t think a logo is that important. Sure its a big part of your brand, but I’d rather my brand be remembered for its great products than its logo. Microsoft’s logo is hardly complicated, nor is Google’s logo.
You’re comparing MS and Google, two once-in-a-lifetime industry pioneers, to 99% of other businesses. Their success isn’t something that can, nor should, be included in a discussion of averages.
The majority of average businesses, and even some above-average businesses, are not the pioneers in their industry. And while nobody in their right mind will say that a logo is more important than the product, visually communicating the USP’s of your product on every level can be as much a factor when it comes to closing the sale as a good price package would.
After all,
“Good Design is Good Business”
Thomas Watson Jr., IBM.
you can make use of Google Images to conduct a search but then you MUST check with the owner of the image copyright for permission to use it. This has an advantage in that if you see one you like, you can possibly negotiate with the copyright holder to create one just for you. is it the right direction?
In the context of the OP, who wants to promote his local dog walking business, I agree with aaronfalloon that the logo is not important, and certainly not worth paying a few hundred dollars for.
Potential customers are not going to expect cutting edge professional graphic design for a friendly local dog walking service, and it’s not necessarily going to improve sales and conversions. So from a business point of view it’s a waste of time and money in this case.
I would say to the OP just do what you can, yourself, and keep it very simple.
Paul
Wouldn’t this be all the more reason that the OP should invest the time and money in a good logo? It’s not expected that a dog walking service would have a great logo, so having one would make them stand out in the crowd. And I’m sure it’s a very crowded market. There’s not exactly a huge barrier of entry into the dog walking profession, and competition must be plentiful. Having a good, memorable logo to brand the business might be the difference between failure and success.
It is certainly interesting to read all your replies here. There are a wide degree of varying opinions. I think I will at least try and get something up there. ralph.m offered to do it for me for free if I can get a picture for him. He will make a silhouette of a picture of me and my dog walking. I have not taken the picture yet. Here is my new website BTW: NKDogWalking.com. I’m going to see if I can do the logo myself first before asking ralph to do it. It would be a good learning experience. If anyone knows of a really good silhouette tutorial please let me know.
Well, ‘might’ is the operative word here.
Given the choice between spending (say) $300 on leaflets, local adverts in shop windows, on notice boards etc, and spending $300 on a logo, I know which expenditure will result in the greater return for a local dog walking business.
Also, there are some kinds of businesses that can look - in a way - almost too slick if they’re over-designed. Sometimes ‘homely’ and even slightly amateurish design can give a better, more honest and straightforward impression that is very appealing to the target audience. I believe a local dog walking business fits this category quite nicely.
How nice to own a business that doesn’t need an expensive logo!
Paul
Now that I have seen you site I do agree that you do not need a professional logo for there. It is simple and “homemade” enough that a professional logo would look out of place. Good luck to you.