Has anyone heard on any (good) do-it-yourself logo kits for a website? Apparently Photoshop is for photos and so is Paint Shop Pro. For just one website, hiring a designer may be the way to go but I could end up with several websites within the next year or so... all of different flavors. I don't want logos to become a big expense.

If none exist... would someone recommend a studio?

I know some professional development studios use Corel Draw, however I have never used it myself. If you want to work with pre-made logos which can be easily modified with photoshop try a site like templatemonster http://www.templatemonster.com. You pay per logo. Hoep this helps.

I've heard use of CorelDraw too, but Photoshop is more well-used.

Thanks fellas... but as for Photoshop being able to create logos, nowhere on their website do they mention it. Further, everything seems based on photos (as the brand-name implies). I checked all their software and not even Adobe Photoshop CS2 mentions logos. One could, I suppose, bend and twist around a photo to make it look 'logoish'. Also, without the need to invest in a bunch of photo gadgetry (digital cameras, etc.), their are plenty of stock photos around.

If it is possible, then does one just look around for a photo (of some particular object) and then 'contort' it? Or will anyone here admit to creating their own logos? In a way, it's like not wanting to admit you cut your own hair or pull your own teeth. Yet, in a recent survey, 43% of all website developers do that.

I know exactly what your saying about Photoshop. If my clients request a custom logo I will usually outsource it since it's cheaper timewise. Otherwise, I will just use a stock image and manipulate it into a logo. So I guess i fall into that 43% However, The ones I outsource always come back to me in the source file of Corel Draw (They export it to PSD format as well, but that doesn't allow you to modify the actual image. Usually just the text). So I would take a look at Corel Draw as see what they say about logo support. I might do that myself. I just didn't think it was popular enough to use.

Allen, you'll want to use Adobe Illustrator. If you have Illustrator CS2 and a photo you wish to make a logo, you can do it quickly with the new 'live trace' feature, however I would recommend editing a bit after that. Illustrator is a diffrent ballgame than Photoshop and Corel being it's vector based and not pixel based. It'll take a bit to learn, but once you get the hang of it you'll literally swear off everything else (including photoshop)

Thanks fellas... I'll also check out Adobe Illustrator. While I'd like to view their demo video, I can't... on most websites my Flash software doesn't work. It will either partially load, stutter, or hang up my computer whereby my Internet Explorer shuts me down. I think the problem is my (super slow) dial-up speed (28 kbps). Nobody cares about us country folks .

BTW... if anyone would like to contact me about creating a logo, or creating something to fill the top border area of my website, my email is allen@matrixbookstore.com

The problem is, I don't know what I want exactly... I only know beauty when I see it. I can only say I want something discrete (nothing fancy). An example might be http://www.ggu.edu/ (the most beautifully-done website I've ever seen).

I'll post something here when I'm no longer looking (to that effect).

(28 kbps)??? What 'country' are you in?

I'm living in the former Aztec Empire of Aztlán, more commonly known today as Arizona... see http://www.matrixbookstore.biz/montezuma.htm

Actually 28 kbps is on a good day, normally it's 26.4 kbps.

Allen! You're back ol buddy!!!

Hiya Bobum!!

Rats... I just posted a cool response for you and when I clicked 'preview', it made me log-in again and, as a result, my whole message was lost. Anyway, I need to consult with you wizards once in awhile!

I'd write it again except nowadays I'm only able to be cool for about 15 minutes a day.

PS... I finally found me a logo maker

With your connection speed how long does it take for a letter to show up on the screen after you've typed it. 10 seconds?

That's providing my computer doesn't crash in 10 seconds.

For any pro-quality graphic design, I'd have to suggest Illustrator with touchup work in photoshop. Illustrator lets you to a lot of nice layout work and it's vector-based so it's completely scalable (nice for putting logos on your website that won't pixelate with you print them).

If it's web only, you certainly can just use Photoshop. I usually do.

Please, don't go crazy with effects and filters. Keep it subtle. You don't want the first thought of a potential customer to be, "Wow, they used the Photoshop 'Texturize' filter"