LOGO DESIGN BLOG   LOGO DESIGN REVIEW

Get your logo vector file ready. Ever wonder what your company logo would look like as a 200 foot image? Some companies are putting their logo on the roofs of buildings to use the space for advertising. Advertising to whom, you ask? Some claim the images can be seen from picture-taking satellites that can be viewed from the Internet—think Google Earth—but there is still speculation about whether these companies’ logos can actually be seen using the tool.

Companies that put logos on rooftops have been around for a while now, and don’t claim the images are visible on Google Earth, but their sales pitch has some logic. RoofAds.com’s claim is as follows:

“Each day, millions of commuters gaze out of their airplane windows upon takeoff and landing from airports around the world. These commuters see mountains, rivers, cities, and white rooftops of large buildings.”

So maybe Google hasn’t found another advertising revenue stream yet, but it may just be a matter of time before you and I will be tempted to sell shingle space on our homes to Starbucks.

Few things are as frustrating to small business owners as needing marketing or design materials but not having the means to hire a graphic designer. Some entrepreneurs can’t even afford a few hundred dollars to dedicate to design. And it’s pretty tough starting a business without a logo, website, brochures or advertising designs. Obviously, hiring a designer is the best way to go, but when that’s not an option, it’s good to know there are some alternatives available.

In the past couple of years, a number of useful do-it-yourself (DIY) tools have emerged for just this type of business owner, including services for logos, websites, brochures and more.

Web Design
There are a number of companies online that offer pre-designed, semi-customizable website design templates small business owners can use. Normally there is a one-time fee for downloading the template, which customers can then take and customize. Some services, such as Homestead.com, have a vast array of templates and will even host your site for a reasonable monthly fee. It’s easy to use and a good way to get some real estate online.

Logo Design
Many small business owners with nearly empty pocketbooks try to design their own company logo, often with disastrous results. That’s when a service like Logo Maker.com can come in handy. For just $99, you can design a custom logo and give your business a professional appearance.

Logo Maker.com has also rolled out with a new business card maker tool, which let’s you put your logo on business cards and even get them shipped to you right away.

Brochure Design
Brochures are still best designed by a professional, but there are even DIY brochure design templates out there. The best is MyBrochureMaker.com, which, like the other DIY tools here, uses a Flash application to help you build your brochure. MyBrochureMaker.com still lacks a good variety of templates, but it’s still worth checking out if you have no design skills because the service appears to be free.

There are other websites out there such as makestickers.com, that allow you to do other marketing as well. Of course, there is no substitute for hiring a graphic design company or freelancer, but when it comes down to choosing between a graphic absurdity in Microsoft Paint or getting something nice using one of these services, I’d recommend the latter.