Creating a Logo
Companies can easily spend $10K+ on identity and brand consultants while creating the company’s logo and related identity materials (letterhead, business cards, etc.). However, you typically only have access to the ideas and creativity of a handful of designers. Logo creation is much more art than science, so there is a good chance that you actually limit the process by working with an expensive consultant.
I spent $200 on a Sitepoint Design Contest to produce a logo for a new venture I’m working on. I received over 50 entries from ~20 designers. Some of the entries were definitely amateurish, however others were really well done.
The diverse ideas submitted by the designers were extraordinarily useful. I was able to look at many different ideas and would reinforce themes that I liked.
Logos are personal decisions
I solicited input from a handful of friends and colleagues. There was zero overlap on the designs - each person selected a completely different design or two as their favorites. The selection of a logo is always going to be a highly personal decision that reflects the unique likes/dislikes of the person running the process.
Which leads me to my final point:
The exact logo you use is one of the least important aspects of your business and you don’t want to spend a lot of time or money creating it. Find something that works and get back to creating value.