We live in a world of hectic lifestyles and shrinking free time. Sound bites and pie charts are edging out relaxed listening and reading habits. A virtual barrage of flashy television commer-cials and glitzy national magazine and newspaper promotions compete at every turn for your customers' attention. The World Wide Web offers hundreds of sites to soak up even more consumer dollars.

Because of this "at-a-glance'' highly visual atmos-phere, a business, no matter how small, should create and use a company logo. Even those with an established logo need to reconsider its effectiveness.

Don't underestimate the impact - good or bad - a logo conveys. If, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good logo should be worth at least a couple of hundred, making it a potent advertising tool. A logo has so much positive potential to enhance, clarify and identify your business, 24 hours a day, year-round, that it deserves to be more than the afterthought it often is. Whether on a sign, in the Yellow Pages or on the side of your truck, it may be the first, and perhaps only, impression some people will get of your business. Do you want to make it less than the best?

So that we are all on the same page, let me define a logo as "a group of words and/or letters and/or symbols that graphically represent a business." How well a logo achieves this function determines its success or failure.

Where to Start
Begin by determining where your logo will be used - business cards, brochures, newspaper ads, pro-mo-tional items (pencils, mugs, etc.), or, as I mentioned before, signs and the Yellow Pages.

Knowing where a logo will be primarily used will help determine practical shapes and the amount of detail you can include. The smaller the size at which it is to be used, the less detail it can contain.

Look around - not to copy, but to get a feel for how other businesses are presenting themselves. You'll want to check on your competition, of course, but don't stop there. Broaden your scope; good ideas can be found anywhere.

When you see a logo you like, ask yourself what about it appeals to you. Does it tell a story on its own? What is it about other logos that leaves you cold? How would you improve them?

This observational phase is too often skipped or short-changed.  Just as a wine buff can't be considered expert after tasting a few bottles, you need to study lots of logos to get the feel for them.

Don't rush the logo creation process. You're making something you'll live with for years to come. Carry around a small notebook to jot down ideas as they occur. Rough sketches are fine. Start a file folder to collect materials. Keep your eyes open for samples in newspapers, magazines and even restaurant place mats. Add them to the folder. Perhaps you'll find just one element in a logo you like. Make a note of it.

Then thumb through the file every few days. If an idea still looks good, keep it. If you're not happy with it, change it or discard it.; You'll be surprised how this process will begin to distill vague notions into useable ideas.

Getting Design Help
While the proliferation of computers in business has enabled people to set up and print forms, pamphlets, flyers, etc., once the exclusive domain of commercial printing shops, it has also encouraged some to bite off more than they should.

Although logo design isn't brain surgery, it's usually preferable to leave the final creation to a pro - not only from an experience standpoint, but because they have specialized graphic design programs and better printers.

Consult several advertising agencies. Get a ballpark estimate of what you might expect to pay. Start with smaller agencies, which may be more willing to take on this kind of limited project.

Check with local colleges or vocational schools. Talented graphic arts students (or even their instructors, looking for a little extra income) may do free-lance work.

Aside from the cost issue, make sure you see samples of previous work. Learning is a wonderful thing, but not on your time.

Regardless of who you choose, it doesn't mean you need to, or should, turn the entire process over to them. No one knows your business, market or goals like you. A designer, no matter how talented, can't work effectively in a vacuum. Your input is critical. Whether this takes the form of verbal communication or rough sketches, you'll be establishing a starting point.

The results are likely to be better because of your input. And since you'll probably be billed at an hourly rate, it could save a good deal of money. The more wrong roads your designer goes down, the greater the cost and frustration factor.

It's wise at the outset to establish time-frame guidelines as to when you'll get your first and subsequent looks at the work in progress and when the final product will be available.