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So I recently learned the basics of illustrator. My end goal is to provide my services as a logo designer online.

However, I don't feel I am anywhere need skilled enough yet to begin working for others, and feel I would just end up getting a bad reputation.

Therefore, I would like to locate a service that gives me real situations. As if a client told me themselves, and asked me to design a logo. A little instruction would be nice but the practice is what I feel I need most.

Thanks for your time!

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    Not an answer to your specific ask for a service, but an exercise I would do when I was in school was make up short creative briefs for myself to work off of. (Sometimes I'd ask my sister or friends to make them up as well, if I felt like I was being too easy on myself). I'd make up a list of these things: client name, the industry they were in, what style logo they were looking for (friendly, clean, classic, etc), and I would run with it. Sometimes I'd add restrictions (must be 2-color, must look good when also translated into Russian, whatever). Having someone critique them was important.
    – Vicki
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:56

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Learn on the little guys

Small businesses don't have the budget for experienced designers. Some will try to get their nephew's dog to do it for free, but others will realize the need for someone more skilled than that. That's where you come in ;-)

You'll have to work cheap, but that's better than working for nothing while you experiment in your basement, right? Build some confidence and experience and start looking for better gigs. You should also look for professional critique wherever you can find it — don't just rely on the praise of under-paying business owners.

Some great places to start are locally owned restaurants, clothing shops, small manufacturers, fashion companies, etc. You'll also find lots of low-paid freelance jobs around the web. The thing I like about local businesses is the face-time — you're forced to learn how to present.

Study while you have time

While you're working yourself to the bone and living off pizza, do some reading too. You need to learn the basics of design and conceptual problem solving. There are plenty of questions around here addressing good resources, so dig around while you're waiting to find your first big project.

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  • +1 for facetime. Most of the people online looking for cheap logos aren't really looking for designers as much as someone to just "draw their idea". The facetime aspect is where real design happens...where you are able to actually figure out the real business requirements and objectives.
    – DA01
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:35
  • The thing is I feel like I should do some practice problems before I start doing that. That way I could learn the basic process, and be more conformable when I have a real client. Additionally, I was going to start on Fiverr, so that's pretty much as cheap as it gets.
    – Allen F.
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:42
  • That's pretty cheap ... too cheap if you ask me. If you want to practice in a vacuum, go find some project requests and solve them without actually applying for the job. Go through the motions a few times then go get some real experience.
    – plainclothes
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:50
  • I think its not that bad considering you could sell the vector as an extra. Plus it gets a ton of traffic.
    – Allen F.
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:52
  • If nothing else, you might just want to get used to tracing some source drawings and making clean curves. Getting to know the tools to the extent that it becomes second nature is a big part of the process.
    – plainclothes
    Commented Nov 20, 2015 at 23:52
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Lynda.com has excellent tutorials on every aspect of graphic design including logo design. I'm a grad student in Media Design and I'm currently working on an assignment that includes one of Lynda.com tutorials called Designing a Logo for a Media Company with Nigel French which is completed using Illustrator.

Lynda.com does require a subscription (for a fee) but I have often seen links to their tutorials that can be viewed at no charge. But Lynda.com is one of many tutorials available online; just search for something like "logo design tutorials using Illustrator" and I'm sure you'll find plenty of options.

I don't know what your circumstances are, but have you considered attending college for graphic design? Earning your degree will give you confidence and can't hurt your professional reputation. ~ Torie

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  • I do not do logo design professionally. It is a hobby that I enjoy and plan to use to make a little money on the side during college. However, I'm not planning on becoming a professional graphic designer.
    – Allen F.
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 16:43

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