Seth points out that great logos are about the meaning derived, not from the logo itself, but from the company behind it. While that's certainly true, it underestimates the role of design in a good logo. There is no doubt that creating a great logo won't make your business succeed. Instead, think of it like this: creating a bad logo will hinder your business's success. Logos are not (as Seth suggests) just mere stand-ins for the company. They are not just ciphers. Done well, the logo helps position the company properly. It helps start the conversation. This doesn't mean that the apple made Apple succeed. To be sure, there could have been many successful logos that would have worked equally well. And this is why you don't need to pay $800,000 for one. But, you do need to pay at least $10,000. Because if you don't, you will get a design that starts to erect barriers between you and your customer. Barriers that you will first have to climb over before you can engage them.