LogoSnap Review: Create a Logo In a…Well, You Know

This logo for datingsitesxo.com was created for free with LogoSnap

I have to be upfront with you: I’ve had it up to here with the do-it-yourself logo makers that tell you about how free they are without actually being free, and I might take a little bit of that anger out on LogoSnap. Is that fair? Well, tell me if you think this is a little misleading, as per LogoSnap’s title tags: “FREE Logo Design…”

Free, eh? When you tell Google and all its search engine buddies that you’re a free service, I expect you to be free from beginning to end. If you’re in any way not free at some point during the process, it kind of eliminates the “free” idea as a whole, doesn’t it?

The truth is that LogoSnap actually forces you to give a “donation” upon downloading the do-it-yourself logo you’ve created. But if you’re like most Americans, you would probably see right through the “donation” stuff and realize that if you have to pay for your logo – no matter what you call the payment – then that logo ain’t exactly free.

Even with that in mind, we’ll still have to be honest in this LogoSnap review and judge it on its own merits. And when it comes to the do-it-yourself logo makers, this is actually not the worst service in the world. Hey, coming from me, that can be high praise indeed. So let’s take a look.

Logos in a Snap? Sounds Good

You can’t deny that the initial sales pitch of these do-it-yourself sites is pretty enticing. Say you’ve been looking around the Internet, Googling phrases like “cheap logo design” or even “free logo design.” You’re in the market to get a logo on your site and you don’t want to pay through the nose – or at least, into the triple digits – to make that logo happen.

You come across a site like LogoSnap and get excited. Free logo design? I do it myself? All these great features, fonts, and templates? Sign me up?

Then you get far enough in the process where you see LogoSnap’s prompt to donate. And it’s not really a “prompt” – it’s more of a requirement. Either you can save the progress you’ve made on your logo and sign up to their site for free, or you can download a clean version of the logo by giving LogoSnap a donation.

Aw, shucks.

It’s happened a million times before, to be sure, but it’s no less heart-sinking when you’ve loved and lost again. So what do you do?

Well, in the case of LogoSnap, you may actually want to consider the donation. At a price of about $39 for the basic package, you’re looking at a do-it-yourself logo that’s actually cheaper than much of the competition – and in some cases, significantly cheaper.

Still, $39 is 39 more than you actually wanted to spend if you clicked on “FREE Logo Design…” thinking you’d actually get some free logo design. It’s a built-in flaw when it comees to these do-it-yourself logo makers, and it’s a misleading way of doing business I can’t let slide in any of their reviews.

But let’s move on to some good news, shall we?

Nice Add-Ons, LogoSnap

One feature I really like about LogoSnap is that they make it easy for you to incorporate your logo into business cards, stationary, and the like. In fact, once you’ve created your logo, these free – yes! free! – options are presented to you along with the overall purchasing package. I guess they’re not technically free since you’ll have to buy the package to acquire these additional features, but hey, it’s more than some companies are willing to offer. It definitely sweetens the deal.

By the way, here’s the technical list of the ways you can use your logo with their added features:

• Business cards
• Letterhead
• Envelope

Not too shabby, and certainly more variety there then the other cheap logo designers on the web. Heck, even the ones who design your logo customized for you won’t give you all of these integrations right up front – they’ll make you pay more.

And we’ll also have to focus on the actual quality of LogoSnap’s designs. Like other do-it-yourselfers, it forces you to conform to pre-set fonts and clip art in order to craft your logo. No major news there. There are a variety of color options as well, but overall it’s just as stale and cookie-cutter as most of the do-it-yourself logo design sites you’ll find. In the end, my main reaction is just a big ol’ yawn.

Is There More to the Story?

But hold on a minute! There’s conflicting information on the pricing of LogoSnap. According to its own site:

Well, we can’t get much more affordable than free, right? And if you need another logo, just donate a small amount that you can afford. We are the first “free” logo design website on the internet, and hope that our efforts, and your generous donations will help us continue to create really cool branding tools to help small businesses look big.

What exactly does that mean – is this a pay-as-you-go system, bypassing the $39 package price I was able to find in my other research? Is there an option to donate “zero”?

What’s going on here?!

There’s nothing like a bit of confusion to end a review like this, so let’s put it in terms we all can understand: LogoSnap is, at the very least, flexible when it comes to pricing. That gives it another star in my book, even if it makes you “donate” upon downloading the logo that you’ve created. And since I’ve given the other do-it-yourself logo sites two stars, that makes LogoSnap an overall three-star service.

It’s not the worst review I’ve ever given, but there are certainly other ways you can explore logo creation online. Checking out freelancing and crowd sourcing sites should definitely be on your to-do list if they aren’t already. But if you do decide to go the “do-it-yourself” route, at least I have one place to point you: LogoSnap. They might ask for a donation, but hey, at least donations don’t usually cost a lot of money.

Rating:

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