Custom websites, branding, and ongoing support in Greenville SC since 1993.
Before I design anything, I need to understand who you are.
What does your business do?
Who are you trying to reach?
What kind of customer are you trying to attract?
What should someone feel when they encounter your company for the first time?
Those questions matter because I’m not designing a logo for me. I’m designing a visual identity that needs to represent your business to the people you want to reach.
I start by understanding the personality of your business and the personality of your target audience. Then I begin developing an idea that can connect the two.
You’re hiring me to solve that problem.
Of course, I’ll listen to your ideas, preferences, history, and anything else that helps me understand your business. But I don’t expect you to walk into the process already knowing what your logo should be.
That’s my job.
I take what I’ve learned about your company, your audience, and the way you want to position the business and begin exploring visual ideas.
Some ideas work.
Some don’t.
Most you’ll never see.
That work happens behind the scenes until I’ve developed something I believe is strong enough to represent your business.
I may explore twenty different concepts before presenting anything to you.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to show you twenty logos.
I may show you one.
I may show you two or three.
It depends entirely on how many ideas I believe are genuinely worth considering.
I don’t believe giving a client dozens of mediocre choices makes the design process better. It creates confusion and puts the responsibility for solving the design problem back on the client.
We’re not looking for the most options. We’re looking for the best solution.
Once I have a concept I believe works, I’ll present it to you. Then we’ll talk.
You may love it immediately. You may see the direction and want something adjusted. Or your reaction may tell me that we need to explore another direction.
That’s part of the process.
One of the principles I’ve developed over more than 30 years of design work is that a logo needs a clear focal point.
I don’t want two different ideas competing for your attention.
And I certainly don’t want three.
One strong idea is usually more memorable than several ideas fighting to be noticed.
I also generally design logos so they can work in a single color, even when the final identity uses two or more colors.
That’s intentional.
A logo may look great in full color on a large computer screen, but that’s only one place it has to work.
It may eventually appear on a business card, shirt, sign, document, social media profile, promotional item, or something neither of us has thought about yet.
A good logo needs to remain recognizable when it’s large, small, in color, or in one color.
It needs to work in the real world.
Design trends come and go.
Your business shouldn’t need a new identity every few years because its logo was designed around whatever happened to be fashionable at the time.
I look for something appropriate for your business, your audience, and your industry without making the identity unnecessarily complicated or trendy.
For a professional organization, that may mean something restrained and sophisticated.
Another business may call for something friendlier, bolder, more energetic, or more traditional.
There isn’t one visual style that works for every company.
The objective is to create an identity that feels like it belongs to your business and can continue representing it for years.
A logo doesn’t exist in isolation.
Before we finish, I’ll show you how the identity can look in real-world applications so you aren’t trying to imagine what a small graphic on a white screen might look like once it’s actually being used.
Depending on the business, that could mean showing the logo on signage, stationery, apparel, marketing materials, vehicles, packaging, or other appropriate applications.
Seeing the logo in context can make a tremendous difference.
You’re not simply choosing artwork.
You’re choosing the visual identity people will associate with your business.
If you come to me specifically for a standalone logo, logo design typically ranges from $100 to $500, depending on what needs to be created.
But there’s an important difference for my web design clients.
If I’m building your website and your business needs a logo, I create the logo as part of the project at no additional charge.
That allows us to develop the website and visual identity together rather than treating them as unrelated pieces.
Your logo, typography, colors, website, and other branding elements can begin working together from the start.
When the logo is finished, it’s yours.
I don’t retain ownership rights to your custom logo and hold them over your head later.
The finished identity is created for your business.
I create the artwork as vector graphics so it can be reproduced at different sizes without losing quality, and I can provide the files in the common formats you need, including:
You probably won’t need every possible format on the day the logo is finished.
That’s okay.
If you’re an ongoing client and someone later asks you for another standard file format or size, contact me. I’ll generate what you need at no additional charge.
For clients with a larger collection of branding materials, I can create a password-protected media collateral page where approved files can be stored and downloaded.
That can include logos, graphics, photographs, print materials, and other branding assets I’ve created for your business.
Instead of searching old emails for a logo file from three years ago, you or an approved vendor can access the appropriate files when they’re needed.
It’s particularly useful when you’re working with printers, sign companies, marketing vendors, or other professionals who need access to your branding.
Formal brand guidelines are available when they’re useful.
For larger organizations, guidelines can be especially valuable because multiple employees, departments, designers, printers, and outside vendors may be working with the identity.
A brand guidelines document can establish things such as proper logo usage, colors, typography, spacing, and other standards that help maintain a consistent identity.
For many small businesses, that level of documentation simply isn’t necessary.
I don’t believe in creating something merely so I can charge you for it.
If your organization needs formal brand guidelines, I can create them as an additional service. For a typical logo project, a basic brand guidelines PDF is generally $100.
Most logo projects can be completed anywhere from one business day to one business week, depending on the business, the concept, and the amount of refinement required.
I don’t rush an idea simply to say it’s finished.
But I also don’t believe a small business should spend months waiting for a logo.
The time is spent where it matters: understanding the business, developing ideas, eliminating the ones that don’t work, refining the strongest direction, and producing a finished identity that I’m comfortable putting my name behind.
Your logo may eventually appear almost everywhere your company does.
On your website.
On a business card.
On a sign.
On a proposal.
On a shirt.
On social media.
On something as small as an icon or as large as the side of a building.
That’s why I don’t begin by decorating your company name.
I begin by understanding your business.
From there, we create something simple, distinctive, useful, and appropriate for the people you’re trying to reach.
If you need a new logo, you’re starting a new business, or your existing identity no longer represents the company you’ve become, let’s talk about it.
And if you’re planning a new website as well, we can develop the logo and website together as part of one cohesive project.
Back when Tim Simmons Design was known as TrueZeal, I was honored with the SCFPA President’s Award in 2018. This video highlights the services I provided then—many of which I still proudly offer today. I created all of their branding collateral and streamlined intricate processes into intuitive, user-friendly designs for their South Carolina, state wide software.
We’ll discuss your business, your goals, your current website (if you have one), and identify opportunities to improve your online presence. There’s no obligation.
Yes. Many of my clients have trusted me for years. I offer ongoing hosting, maintenance, updates, security, and support to help keep your website secure, current, and performing at its best.
Every project is different. During your free strategy session, we’ll discuss your goals and provide a clear estimate based on your needs.
For Fees & More
+Complete Website Care
Most business websites are completed within a few weeks, depending on the size of the project and how quickly content is provided.
Yes. Every website is designed to be fully responsive so it looks and functions great on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Every website is built with SEO best practices from the start, giving search engines the foundation they need to properly index your site.
Absolutely! When you work with me, it’s not just about the website. I offer logo design, business card layouts, and other branding essentials as part of the ongoing relationship. Once you’re a client, I’m your go-to partner for all those needs—and it’s included in the package. Just let me know when you’re ready!
View this page for more about what’s included.
+Complete Website Care
Yes. While we’re based in Upstate South Carolina, we work with businesses and organizations throughout the United States.
Absolutely. Whether your current site needs a complete redesign or just a fresh modern look, I can help.
Yes. If you’d like to make your own changes, we’ll build your website so it’s easy to update and provide guidance when needed.
Learn more about updates here:
+Complete Website Care
Yes. Ongoing maintenance, updates, backups, security, and hosting are available through our Website Care+ plans.
View this page for more about what’s included.
+Complete Website Care
Simply click Book Your Free Session, choose a convenient time, and we’ll take it from there.
No pressure. No obligation. Just practical advice for your business.
