One of the panels I attended at the SXSW Interactive festival focused on the importance... or actually the lack of importance... of logos. The argument of the panelists, who seemed to really just want to fuel a debate, was that logos can be pretty useless, especially when just starting out your business. The basic idea behind this was that your time is much better spent working on your portfolio and finding clients than branding a new company. Also, it is likely that a new design company's focus will change over time, so it may turn out to be a waste of time developing a logo that sticks you in a niche that will eventually not be your niche at all.

I certainly appreciate the importance of establishing a brand, but I do agree that branding yourself can take a long time, and there are probably better ways to spend that time when just starting out. Over time, however, a recognizable logo can certainly benefit a business. What do you think?