The Nike swoosh.

Lots o’ logos

Target’s red bullseye.

The Apple apple (complete with a bite taken out of it).

All of those are good examples of recognizable company logos.

And what’s the point of having a logo? According to Ask.com, “The primary purpose of a logo is to give a visual identity to a company or brand.”

Ask.com has a logo too, by the way, it’s a red oval with the word “Ask” inside.

You see a logo and immediately think of a brand. At least that’s the idea.

Heck, logos are kinda cool. I recently launched up my independent production company “Rabid Badger Entertainment” and one of the first things I did to help establish its identity was to get a logo created.

I worked with a company that specializes in logo design and branding to help craft one for my company. Using my concepts as a starting point, and after numerous rounds of revisions, we arrived on a logo that I now proudly display at the tail of narrative/documentary content I create, as well as on my website, business cards and letterhead.

And while I was in a logo making mood, I thought maybe I should create one for “Tripping The Kenyans.” Since TTK is first and foremost a fun site, it’s a little harder to justify spending the “branding bucks” I did for Rabid Badger. Instead I turned to a much more economical route: Fiverr.com.

For those of you who don’t know Fiverr, it’s a pretty cool website where you can find people (most outside of the US of A) to take care of a wide variety of basic creative tasks (like simple graphics work) starting at a bargain basement price tag of $5. Check ’em out to learn more.

Now a big “caveat emptor” to those thinking of using Fiverr. Be sure to be cautious when getting work done there. Like using Craig’s List, things are not always what they seem. Just because someone is saying they’ll create something original for you, doesn’t mean they aren’t just “borrowing” (aka copying) it from somewhere else. Be sure to cover your butt. And some artists are definitely better than others. Do some research.

I personally think of Fiverr as an internet equivalent to the local dollar store. A great bargain for some disposable items, but you do get what you pay for.

That said, I found a designer who took direction fairly well (and I also liked the other designs in his portfolio). After a few misfires and a couple rounds of notes, he managed to put together a logo that I thought worked pretty well. Take a gander.

Wearing das logo.

What do you think?

I even decided to go one step further and used the TTK logo at Vistaprint, where I got a t-shirt made as a way to make people aware of Tripping The Kenyans (I’ve gotten a good response so far). Since some people think I already wear my heart on my sleeve, I might as well wear my logo on my chest.

Or something like that.

Be branded… and Run on!

Oh, and if you’re interested in a professionally created logo, drop me a note and I’ll give you the 411 on the company that made my badger rabid.