Disclosure: Before I go into this, I want to make clear that I do contract for Envato and I have been aware of Envato Studio for a while. I purchased the service featured in this article in April 2016, independently without prompting, with my own money for my own purposes.
If you’re looking to have a development or design job completed in less than a week by a selection of recommended freelancers, then Envato Studio may be the service for you.
Why Envato Studio?
This year I wanted to redo my website and personal brand for as little as possible. The first step was to get a logotype.
I’m a designer, but I can’t do hand lettering and I don’t design logos. As much as I’d love to do all the graphics and design for myself, I don’t have the skill set and to be frank, I really don’t have the time.
I’ve been aware of Envato Studio for a while but never actually used their services before. It would be possible to use the service to cover as many of the areas of this process as possible, from the logo and branding to website design and development to print design templates—all designed and customised to my needs.
Why did I pick Envato Studio? The turnaround for many of the jobs was less than a week and offered many stages for you to see drafts in the process and ask for tweaks here and there. There are many different freelancers for each different service, meaning you can find the right designer or developer for the budget you have.
Where to Look
When you go to the Envato Studio website, there are several sections available. As I was looking for a more graphical looking style, I headed for the Design & Graphics section and then on to Lettering & Calligraphy.
From this section, you’re presented with many different service providers. You can see how many jobs people have done, what price they offer, their turnaround time, how many people recommend their services… and if you click on specific people, you can find out what work they’ve actually done so you can see if their style is what you want.
Hand Lettering & Calligraphy Providers
I’d like to show you some of the providers available as of July 2016 that caught my eye.
Custom Hand Lettering by Venimo
Venimo offers custom hand lettering for logotype and phrases for t-shirts, greeting cards, and more. With a turnaround of 2 days with 2 revisions, this service is available for $150 USD.
Here’s an example of Venimo’s work.
Hand Lettered Unique Designs by Lusikkolbaskin
Lusikkolbaskin has completed over 54 jobs on Envato Studio and has a 100% recommendation rating. They create hand-lettered work based on the latest trends and of the highest quality. They also have a 2-day turnaround with 2 revisions and will cost $120 USD.
Here’s an example of Lusikkolbaskin’s work.
Custom Hand Lettering by Yip87
Yip87 offers a 4-day turnaround with 3 revisions for $90 USD for his custom hand lettering. He’s done 14 jobs with 100% recommendations… and is the provider I personally went for (and recommend!).
Here’s an example of Yip87’s work.
Tips on Getting Custom Hand Lettering
Let me share with you some tips on making the most out of your experience purchasing any freelance design services, no matter if it’s from Envato Studio or anyone else.
- Look at as many designers as possible. Look at their past work and recommendations. If in doubt, contact the designer with any questions on the service you may have.
- Designers can’t read your mind. Be as specific as possible with your order. Do you like a specific design from their portfolio? Several different designs? What about colours? File formats? What about the dimensions of the lettering—does it have to fit a certain ratio?
- It can be hard to tell a designer what you like because there is so much to choose from… so don’t be afraid to tell the designer what you don’t like.
- You’re paying for the service, and you are allowed to be as picky as you want. A designer wants you to be happy with the final product.
- Always leave reviews and recommendations for others. This isn’t a tip, but it sure helps others who are as indecisive.
The Process for My Logotype
I went for Yip87 as he’s done 337 jobs on Envato Studio and overall has a 99% recommendation rating. His style is exactly what I’m looking for, and with three revisions, I get to be picky!
Revision 1
After ordering the service and explaining what I wanted, based on what he had previously done, it was the first stage of revisions. Let me share with you how many versions I got to pick from!
I found there were several I liked, a few I didn’t like, and elements from several I’d like included in my final design. So I annotated the graphic and explained to Yip what I liked and didn’t like.
Revision 2
Yip put my comments into action straight away and was able to put together another selection of designs for me to drool over!
Based on this, I knew exactly what I wanted… it was a matter of swapping the R in one design to another design.
The Final Design
I didn’t need the third revision as Yip was able to create the logotype I wanted so quickly. I would highly recommend Envato Studio and of course the hand lettering services of Yip.
It’s my pleasure to share with you my final logotype.
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