stalled...

genspur

New Member
hi, just wanted to post a short note to garner some inspiration to get past this little 'slump' i seem to have hit lately...

i think i just have too many disparate things 'started' and i'm lacking the focus to push-on in any one direction, kwim? i think i'd like to work on my logo next, but i'm procrastinating a little bit... not sure why... i think i'm putting too much pressure on myself to produce the "perfect" logo... i must get used to the dynamic nature of webdesign soon... everything can and does change... sorry if this sounds too dramatic... this is likely yet one more way to procrastinate on the work that i must do...

has anyone else here experienced 'lulls' in this design/development process? i'm hoping this is 'normal' and not a sign that i'm getting into something i have no business doing... i've read previous threads here about some of the frustrations others have experienced and i guess i'm just looking for some variation on that same theme here... i'm also hoping that it will give me a chance to get to know some of u a little better...

in other words... i just need a kick in the butt! :D
 

StephanieCordray

New Member
Well, hmmm... I may not be the best one to answer this but I'll give it a shot. Perhaps what you're looking for isn't the perfect logo so much as one that fits you completely. Logos are more permanent than any other part of graphical and web design. You can have a website without a logo, most people do. Headers and other graphics can change at will or when needed but a logo becomes your company over time. So, why worry about having one right this minute or even next week, next month, or next year? When you find it, you'll know it. Concentrate on the other parts until inspiration strikes.
 

ian

Administrator
Staff member
With websites, I just get something/anything up, and then look towards making improvements.
 

genspur

New Member
You can have a website without a logo, most people do.

hmmm.... i actually did not know this... this site was the first one i'd seen without one and i thought it was ingenious of ian to have a contest about making the site logo. it did make me think that i cud create my own logo and not worry about paying a graphic design company several hundred $$$'s to create mine... but for some reason i thought this approach wud only appeal to other webdesigners.

ok, i'm thinking a little more about this now, and i believe that part of my desire to have a logo right away is that i'm in a "traditional advertising mindset"... ie. i picture having to handout business cards at parent & tot groups as well as to businesses who may want to place ads on my site... but i'm starting to think that this may not be the way i shud be looking at this issue. "my people" will already be online, right? so focusing on getting the right terms to use in metatags shud really be my main focus even tho it is a local audience. And since i don't want to have to do a really hard "sell" to advertisers, i shud be focusing on "my people" and let word-of-mouth do most of the work for me... hmmmm... and finally, i have already picked a very (IMHO) logical domain name for my site and therefore it shud be easy to remember or at the very least easy to find in a simple search....

With websites, I just get something/anything up, and then look towards making improvements.
well if that approach works for u ian, then i really shud try that too! :)

and just as an aside, i am really impressed with the ease and efficiency with which i am able to navigate and post on this site! i thought that going from a quick reply to advanced mode wud mean i wud lose what i had already typed - but not so! therefore, when i get to the stage of needing/wanting a bb on my site i hope you'll be available to share some of your secrets :D
 

ian

Administrator
Staff member
If you wait for something to be perfect before you do it, you will hardly ever get anything done in my opinion. I do however think it is very important to spend a lot of time in choosing a company name and domain, as this is something that will stay with you for the long haul, or at least you would want it to. Get the company/domain right first time, unlike a design which can be improved upon, you dont want to go through the process of creating a new company name/domain name, as that means a large percentage of your hard effort is lost.
 

genspur

New Member
thx ian, i hear what u r saying... i do feel very confident about my choice of comp/domain name actually - and i appreciate u breaking down that issue into 2 important parts for me. i believe that i am a little fearful :eek: to actually get something online... i'm assuming it is because it is the first one i'll have done and it's a little of that "fear of the unknown" stuff...

do most people register their company name even tho they don't have a logo/trademark yet to go with it?
 

ian

Administrator
Staff member
do most people register their company name even tho they don't have a logo/trademark yet to go with it?
I believe the answer to that is yes, in most countries you need to register a business name to conduct business if you are not using your personal name. Trademarking can be quite costly and is usually just optional, well that is the case in australia, though things do vary depending on what country you live in.
 

StephanieCordray

New Member
It's costly here as well but most business especially small businesses don't have a registered trademark for quite some time after they have been in business. To be a viable business here, all you have to have is a business license. In some US states you don't even need that for business is totally internet related.

Logos are not necessarily considered a trademark, although if you come up with a nice unique one that you'll be happy with into perpetuity, at some point when you're ready it can become your trademark through branding and later your registered trademark.
 

StephanieCordray

New Member
Oh, one more thing. The simpler your logo is, the easier people will remember it. I know that makes it harder to come up with something unique but if people have difficulty remembering it, what would be the point of having one?
 

genspur

New Member
hmmm... the plot thickens... i imagine i will have to register "a" company name, but i don't think it actually has to be the name of my website... i already have my own name registered as a business, now that i think about it, for some consulting work i've done in years past... it has to do with all of that lovely "GST"-tax business we have here in (some parts of (!)) canada... oy!... however that is actually under my maiden name... (does this never end?)... so i guess i'll have to visit the gov't site and see what i can find out. it's precisely these little things that i find distracts me from the creative stuff i need to do... i know, i know, quit the whining and get on with it woman! geez! :p

i do thk u both for all yr past (and future) input tho... this is really helping me to discover things i need to do, as well as how to approach getting them done! :)
 
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