It seems odd that you would redesign the logo and homepage of an online store without considering any quantitative measurement. For example, how does changing the background to purple and showing less content "above the fold" affect conversion rates? Instead, the only criterion for success this author mentions is that "the client loved it".
Here's an alternative... rather than hiring one expensive artist who will make something pretty, get several cheap logos from a site like 99designs, and A/B test to see what actually works.
Here's an alternative... rather than hiring one expensive artist who will make something pretty, get several cheap logos from a site like 99designs, and A/B test to see what actually works.