No, I couldn't do a logo for $85 because this is what you get when you hire me

I recently read a post on DeviantART where someone offered "up to $85" for the creation of a logo design for his business. I had written back that $85 is not a lot and "you get what you pay for". The poster said that he was trying to concentrate on the packaging and just wanted a "decent" logo. I had informed the poster of the following:

The problem is that the logo is probably the MOST important aspect of your business. When you are branding, you are using your logo and your company to produce a positive impact on the audience's perception. If your logo doesn't work, everything else is going to fall apart. Re-branding is an expensive process and is not always successful (Tropicana recently had to revert to their old packaging after thousands of complaints and a 20% downfall in profit) so what you choose needs to able to hold itself up for the long-term. When it comes to advertising, people will judge a "book" by its "cover".

Get a loan, see if someone would be able to trade product for service, or do a payment plan. There are options out there.

Then the poster admitted that he was 16. There is a major issue here. As a 16 year old you can't enter into a contract and having it be legally binding on its own. You would need a guardian (adult) to "co-sign" as a responsible party. Any business that this minor does, he could easily drop out of. When I posted this another designer (albeight one 2 years my senior) implied I wasn't taking the poster seriously. How could I? The designer said she thought that $85 was very generous. I'm sorry but a professional designer does not do a couple quick designs on the computer and say "here you go that's it."

This is what you get with me: Someone who has over 6 years of professional experience plus a degree in design, the logo in color/bw, 3-6 concepts, ability for revision, final artwork, copyright transfer, EPS, TIFF, JPG, and transparent PNG. I also offer additional services such as a branding (style) guideline, stationary kits, applying the logo to other materials, etc at an additional cost.

I don't know what clients this designer had been working with but obviously that didn't take care in making sure they got something that wouldn't need refinement or fixing in the future. I've done work with several design firms/printers and this is my full-time job. I do design for life. It's not a hobby. I take it seriously which is why I want to inform people of the hazards involved. When you don't have proper training or experience then you can easily fall into traps caused by naivety. The world is cut-throat. You have to watch who you deal with. If people aren't sure of me there are plenty of references I can give. Don't fall victim to what might seem an easy penny. It could be laced with poison.

On a side note, the designer condemned someone for offering to design a logo for $12-30. I had to be a smart butt and say "I would think that would be right in your range if you think that $85 is generous."