Do you think it's wise to just go with text rather than a banner or logo design? I feel at times it's best to just have original text without a background. Simple and I believe, very effective. What do you think though?
It depends on the site and style of it. I personally don't mind text only logo's/banners, but sometimes having some spicy logo or banner can help interest users even more.
I would also go with a nice little logo, over just plain text. Helps draw users in to your website.