I am looking at having my logo redesigned. But there are so many shapes. What are the common shapes I should be requesting for? For eg 125x125, 728x80 etc etc? Thanks in advance for your advice.
In all honesty there is no standard for size. It really depends on how you will be using it. For example on a website its usually better to have an icon with text next to it, giving you a rectangular shape, ex. 350px X 75px. This is ideal so that it will fit nicely in a header. However if the logo is to be used on a shirt, or business card, album cover, or other material it can be in a more square shape. Many people including myself opt to use both layouts. A square and a more rectangular shape. This way you have maximum usability of your logo. Also make sure you either have a high resolution file of your logo, or make certain that you have a vector format.
Instead of specifying a pixel size, have your logo created in Illustrator or Freehand and saved as an .eps or .ai file. That will result in a vector art file that can be resized up or down without loss of quality.
I absolutely agree. I think that rectangular shape is not only useful but it's also very universal. In my opinion, a good and well-designed logo is a classic one. You don't want your logo to look ridiculous in several years. It becomes your business identity so its design should definitely stand the test of time.