Written by Beth Downey
Below you will see two logos. They’re remarkably similar. I have no idea which logo was produced first so I have no idea who copied whom. But to use the exact same fonts and everything – that’s super blatant.
This is an example of why you should know your logo designer as well as why he/she should show you preliminary sketches of the initial design concepts. Sure, there are a host of websites that give the option to buy a logo for the alarming low price of $5, but the reality is if a logo is being sold for five bucks, odds are that designer is in no way spending enough time on a project to provide a client with an original piece of art. That old adage “you get what you pay for” applies.
The legal ramifications
Once you hire a logo designer to create an “original” mark for you, and they rip off someone else’s work – if that work is copyrighted – and you place it on your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, web property, etc. you (or your company) could be the one named in the lawsuit because you purchased it and you own it.
“Let the buyer beware”
This is sound consumer advice that applies to digital goods as much as it applies to physical products. And the irony is not lost that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a part of this.