What is a Logo Release Form?
If you are paying for a custom logo design, you are within your rights to request a logo release form. This is a standard form in which the designer (1) attests that the logo is original work and (2) that releases to you all rights to the logo.
What is a Derivative Logo?
What’s the opposite of a custom logo? One term for it is derivative logos. It means your logo was not created from scratch for you. Instead, your logo is a customized version of something that the designer will sell multiple times to many different businesses. A logo could also be a derivative work if a graphic designer is starting with a stock image and customizing it for you. This is not necessarily a bad thing, if the business knows what it is buying.
Improperly Licensed Logos
The first thing about derivative logos is to know if your designer licensed it properly. We recently had a case where a new home care agency let a major national sign company franchise design their logo. The sign company gave them a direct rip off of the Assisting Hands Home Care logo – a national franchise that has a registered trademark on their logo. This was a major national sign company leading them toward a costly error. It’s hard to know whom to trust. Luckily for the home care agency, Brazzell Marketing Agency caught the error immediately. They ultimately used an original logo we designed for them. Obviously, using another company’s registered trademark can land you in court.
A more subtle version of this exists in the details of stock image licensing. Some people think that if they purchase a stock image, they are then licensed to use it in a logo. Not so fast. Most stock photography houses specifically state in their terms, the images are not for logos. If a graphic designer did this on your behalf, even with the best of intentions, your logo may be a copyright violation.
Pros and Cons of Derivative Logos
That being said, many derivative logos are perfectly legal. It’s not hard to find websites selling their own stock of logo designs to anyone who will pay a nominal fee. The advantages to this approach are the low price, and you know what you are getting upfront. Here are some pitfalls to this approach.
Get the Right File Types:
Some of these companies deliberately block you from ever getting a good digital file of the logo. This means you can only print with them – usually at inflated prices. Make sure to know the file types you will be receiving at the outset. Others give you a file, but only one file type. Different projects a business will want in the future require a variety of file types revolving around issues such as vector versus rasterized, full color versus one color, and transparent backing.
Anyone Can Use the Same Logo:
If you bought your logo for $40 or less, that usually means any other company can buy the exact same logo. The good news is that friendly local businesses will usually try to avoid buying the same logo as you. Nevertheless, accidents happen. You may find an exterminator, home security company, or some other business driving down your street with your logo printed on their trucks!
Help with Professional Logos
Brazzell Marketing Agency can provide logo help that is flexible to your exact needs. We have a standard professional logo package, with deep discounts built in. This is ideal for businesses that want consultation, multiple options, and the various file types the business will need in the future. Alternatively, some clients already know exactly what they want, they just want us to redraw it as a clean logo file. Or you may have a good logo but not all the file types you need. In these instances, we can do time-fee work and get you exactly what you want with nothing extra.