Debate: Does showing client logos in your portfolio actually help or hurt?

I found that when I put 3 well-known client logos in my portfolio, I got more inquiries, but the clients I landed were mostly looking for cheap work. When I took them out and just showed the design process, I got fewer but better paying clients. Is it better to chase visibility with big names or filter people out with niche work?

3 comments

3 Comments

sullivan.john14d ago

That's a good way to put it with the free beer sign. Your buddy's story about Google and the lemonade stand is pretty funny but also kind of sad. I'm curious though, what was the actual quality of the work he did for Google? Was it a high end project or was he just a small cog in a big machine? Because my gut tells me that putting up a logo from a real long term partnership with a big client is different than slapping up a logo from a quick one off job. Seems like clients who only see the logo and not the depth of the work are the ones who think they can get a deal. Does he still have the Google logo up or did he take it down after all those cheap requests rolled in?

reeseanderson14d agoTop Commenter

Honestly, if the work was solid then the logo is earned regardless of how big or small the project was. Those cheap clients would find a reason to lowball you no matter what, so might as well keep the cred and filter them out faster.

shah.evan15d ago

Oh man, that's like putting a "free beer" sign out front and being mad when only broke college kids show up. You're basically telling people "hey I'm fancy but I'll take whatever you're offering." Big logos are like a siren song but for bottom-feeders who think a famous client means you'll work for peanuts to add their name to your list too. I had a buddy who put "Worked with Google" on his site and got emails from people wanting him to design their nephew's lemonade stand logo for fifty bucks. Maybe those big names just attract the kinds of clients who think a famous logo is a coupon code for cheap labor.