We are choosing our name and getting ready to do our website and business cards. How do we get an image for our logo? Can we just use clipart that we find online? I'd like a cute font as well. Where could I find something like that?

Ask the developer who is creating your website to come up with a logo for your business card/site. It's worth it to create something that really identifies/represents who you are, clip art just doesn't do the job. You'll be surprised at what your developer comes up with. I know I was.

You can definitely use "free" clipart that you find online if it is designated as such; I'd check the website's fine print to determine if it is legal for you to use in all applications. Keep in mind that clip art can look...well...clip-arty and unprofessional, so be very selective in what you choose. I would recommend looking for clean, crisp black and white line-drawings, nothing too detailed or busy. I say BW because then if you are using some sort of photo/paint software you can add your own colors.

Also remember, if it is 100% free, no-strings-attached, someone else can use it too so it detracts from the "logo-ness" of your logo since the whole point of logos is to create an identity. I know this is not usually too big of an issue for local bakers, since it's not that big a deal if someone 3000 miles away used the same clip art...although with the internet it does make it easier to many others come across this stuff. I do like the PP's suggestion of having your website developer come up with a graphic image for you to use. It can give you 100% originality at a much lower cost than having a designer do one.

I believe fonts from websites are generally considered ok to use and free, again check the sites. Are you having the cards professionally printed or printing them at home? Some internet/free fonts can be kind of buggy and might wreak havoc at a professional printer. Stick to Postscript (.eps) or Opentype (.otf) fonts, not True Type (.ttf), for anything you might want printed by a pro shop. True Type fonts are generally ok for home use, certainly for web use...your laser printer might not be able to read them. Most of the free fonts are TT in my experience. If it were me I'd look into buying a font that I like, some can be found for really cheap (again, if your developer cannot come up with something using his/her font database). Check out myfonts.com, fontpool.com or fonts.com...among others!

That's just a few thoughts from me as a graphic designer. As a customer, I have to admit, a nice, professional-looking logo and website gives me a lot more confidence than something that looks thrown-together and clip-arty, especially with a business that I'm entrusting to provide me with something to eat.

Okay, maybe clipart isn't even the term I'm looking for, lol. I guess I just mean images. We are starting out on a small budget and having a friend do our website, and then we're going to upgrade later. Do we even need a logo right away?

I think we're all talking about the same thing, maybe not clip art per se, but you're talking about stock images. Images pre-made for general use, either for free or for a fee. There are sites that have nice "clip art" for a relatively low fee, too. Nice, graphic images, not just cartoony artwork.

But yes, you know a nice looking typeface is always fine too IMHO. Check out those sites; I already forgot which site, but one of them had some fonts for as low as $5, might be worth a look!

Go on craigslist. There are always plenty of starving web/graphic designers who will do it for next to nothing to build their portfolios / compete with 10 year olds