In my experience, someone local you can go to their office and discuss ideas with is always better than any big-name firm off in the horizon. Big firms generall

In my experience, someone local you can go to their office and discuss ideas with is always better than any big-name firm off in the horizon. Big firms generally have less time for you than for their bigger clients. If you do decide to go local, do a bit of research first. Find a designer people say good things about. Look through portfolios. Pick a designer who's work you really connect with, and see if when you talk to them that they have a good understanding of where you are and where you're trying to get. You may also want to post your location, people on here may be from the same area and could have good recommendations.