You see them all the time, the ads that say “logo design, $49” and so forth. But is that the best route to create your brand’s image?
Your logo is the visual identity of your business
It is your visual identity that separates you from your competitors and allows you to build long-lasting customer relationships.
Your logo is a simple image that tells the story of your business. Creating one is a big thing to trust someone else to handle. A designer would need to understand your business vision and be willing to work with you to get it right. On top of that, they would need to be talented, trustworthy, and, of course, fit your budget. In short, your logo is vital, and the creation of it should be taken seriously as you will use your logo on your website, your social media venues, and many other marketing platforms. It plays an essential step in representing yourself and your business.
As start-up business owners, we need a logo to introduce ourselves to potential customers, clients, and partners, make them a promise, and show them what to expect and the cost of logo designs can fluctuate greatly depending on various factors.
Since a logo is an important factor in the branding of any new business venture, it’s essential to know a few basics regarding the creation of your logo.
Your logo is the heart of your branding.
Because your logo is the heart of your branding, a professional designer will think about how the choices for the logo relate to your overall brand, vision, and personality. These choices will affect your web design choices and even your brick-and-mortar store design decisions down the road.
A “choose this design” logo is more than likely used by other companies and therefore, the colors may vary, but the overall design is not unique to your business or brand.
Experience often affects the quality
Of course, you could design your logo in Canva or Looka, AI sites, or other platforms or hire someone cheaply through Fiverr or Upwork but when it comes to logo design, an experienced graphic designer can make a world of difference in the quality of your logo.
Because logos are meant to be simple designs, many business owners attempt to create a logo for themselves, but the truth is, that a simple design, done well, is very advanced.
When creating a logo, one needs to think about color choices for the brand, implement them in the logo, and understand the types of moods a color sets. The colors you choose for a daycare center will be very different from the color choices for a party planner. We need to understand precisely what customers in your industry expect to see.
When you hire an expert designer, they have specialized skills and training and spend hundreds of hours dedicated to that trade acquiring that skill. You are not just paying for a design. You are paying for training, experience, education, and talent.
A professional looks to the future
When a professional designer creates a logo, they aren’t just looking at a design to put on a business card or storefront today, but where your company will be years from now. Good ones ask detailed questions so they can zero in on exactly what it is you need to target your audience and will also take the time to learn about your competition, so you stand apart. For example, will your logo print well on different colored products when you want to place the logo on t-shirts, posters, or key chains? Experts know how logos are used, so they think ahead to these future obstacles.
Hiring a graphic designer saves time
As a business owner, there is nothing more precious than your time. There are decisions to be made, the day-to-day business to handle, and goals for the future. Even if you can carve out the time, there are other important tasks to be accomplished that may go undone as you are trying to create your own logo. At the same time, you will spend hours studying designs, choosing templates, and attempting to create an exclusive logo that might not really stand out for YOUR business.
Your logo should stand out and make an impression
How your clients view your logo plays a huge part in how they see your company. Usually, when you are first starting, you are too close to your work to tell if the design is working for you or against you.
What you want is a logo that makes your customers pay attention. A logo that impresses your customer and says you have a professional business. A logo that says what you do without saying a word, that tells the story of what your business is about.
Most people remember graphics more than printed words. It is the responsibility of the designer to create a logo design that is strong and memorable.
When you hire a professional graphic designer to create your logo, your customers get that impression, and you gain the confidence of knowing your business has a professional image you believe in and can stand behind.
How to choose your designer
Professional designers have the knowledge and experience to provide you with a logo that targets your audience and conveys to them that your business is stable and reputable.
When selecting a logo designer, look at their portfolio. Do all the designs have a similar style or technique? Is it clear what type of company the logo represents? As you scroll through their portfolio, there should be vast differences in designs, styles, and appearances. You can also read their testimonials and see what other clients say about their work.
When looking to hire a professional logo designer, you might ask if they know Dieter Ram’s ten principles for good design. Experienced designers will use these ten principles to guide their clients into a logo design that is functional and memorable. Dieter says that all designs need to be:
- Innovative: A design should be original, creative, and develop as technology does
- Useful: The design should satisfy specific criteria, both functional, psychological, and aesthetic
- Aesthetic: A good design must be well-executed and beautiful
- Understandable: The design should be self-explanatory, make the product talk
- Discreet: The design needs to fulfill a purpose
- Honest: Good designs don’t manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept
- Long-lasting: A good design is beyond fashionable; it is never antiquated and lasts years
- Thorough: A good design doesn’t leave anything to chance and shows respect towards the consumer
- Environmentally friendly: Conserves resources and minimizes visual pollution.
- As Little as Possible: Less is always more regarding design. Back to purity, back to simplicity, the products are not burdened with non-essentials
A reputable designer is there for you
Logos have a symbolic connection to a human’s memory, so you want your logo to be unique. As mentioned, it is the symbol of your small business, and it represents the heart and soul of your website, your marketing materials, your social media posts, and so much more. A good designer does more than help you with colors, typography, and aesthetics. A good designer is there for you when you need updates to your logo or new file formats.
A professional knows what file types you need for your logo
Logos are used in a variety of situations, and a professional logo designer will make sure you have a file type that will work for every scenario, whether it be a billboard, a website, a business card, or even a bus wrap, so whatever the occasion, your logo must look spectacular. We always provide our clients with a color and black-white logo file in at least JPG, PNG, and TIF formats.
Not all designers are for everyone
Designers deliver a lot of value and charge accordingly. However, seeing and hearing people spending time or money on branding or design work only for it to backfire is frustrating. So, I wanted to explain some common reasons why your branding efforts may fail. Let’s examine some reasons why your branding efforts may be making no difference.
Reason #1 – You are looking for the free (or cheap) option:
I see them often, posts of people asking others for recommendations of free book cover designs, logo creations, DIY websites/whatever resources, and I hate to say, you DO get what you pay for. So, if you want to use the same photos/layouts/templates / whatever as everyone else, be aware that it will then require even more energy and creativity to make yourself stand out in the marketplace.
Reason #2 – You are seeking advice from the wrong people:
I also see many business owners asking their peers to vote on which shade of green they should use in their DIY logo or which book cover template they like best. Though well-meaning, the opinions are usually amateur, and the comments are entirely useless from a business and design perspective. In fact, putting your logo options out to a vote is the pretty much like asking, “Does this blouse make me look frumpy?” But, if you aim to gain attention briefly, then you’re on the right track.
Please know though, that no matter how you ask the question, you will never get a meaningful response. It depends on who you ask, their perspective, and what answer you secretly want. It’s no different than asking both your husband and best friend, “Does this blouse make me look frumpy?”
At some point, you need to decide whose opinion matters most. Why are you taking the advice of many associates struggling with the same things you are? Why are you not trusting your own vision and instinct?
Reason #3 – You are wasting time designing things yourself:
Unless you are a trained and experienced graphic designer, please do not design your logo or website yourself. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Remember, you started this business to do ‘something’ you are great at, that you love. What impression would you give if you cheapen the value of what you do by cutting corners on how you let your audience know what you do? Not to mention all the wasted time you spent on it when you could have put all that focus on what you do best and actually earn some money. Why waste your time and energy on something that isn’t your primary skill?
Designing your logo is like trying to represent yourself in a court.
You may have the right and opportunity to represent yourself. But you will get much better results working with someone who understands the language required to present your case effectively. Yes, you may have the aptitude to learn those things, but is it really the best use of your time when you are trying to grow your business? Believe in yourself and your business enough to make the investment. Just make the investment and hire a real designer!
I know this sounds harsh to those thinking, ‘But I have no money to hire a designer.’
But the absolute truth of the matter is that you can’t expect other people to invest in you if you aren’t ready to invest in yourself. Just please, refrain from being miffed when no one buys or notices what you offer.
However, if you are reconsidering utilizing a “logo mill” or DIY logo design, consider this:
Reason #4 – Stop wasting money hiring someone ‘just’ to design your logo
A logo (award winning design or DIY) is not going to save your brand or business. Yes, a well-designed logo can raise your credibility, but it is only one small part of what people see when they encounter your business.
The overall impression people have of your business is made up of things like colors, imagery, words, typography, and stories. So, if these aren’t all part of your big picture or strategy, you give the impression of someone who is disorganized and unable to make a decision. You need to decide what you are trying to make people feel and ensure ALL of your communications consistently and purposefully contribute to that feeling.
In other words, hiring someone to “design your logo” when you have no clear brand strategy is the business equivalent of cleaning your kitchen while the sink is overflowing with water.
Perhaps you’re still saying, “But I have no money to hire someone to design my logo, and I definitely don’t have money to hire someone to create a brand strategy”. I would never suggest that you forego paying the rent or feeding your kids for the sake of your brand, but while you are being realistic about what you can invest, you need to be realistic about what you can achieve.
It goes back to the age-old adage, ‘If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.’ It is unlikely that you will sign 100 people up for your $1,000 product if you’ve spent less than $1,000 building it, and your potential customers will see that.
In closing, I want to encourage you. Whatever you do, please don’t become one of these people who waste money hiring a designer on a cheap or DIY platform, only to end up with something that doesn’t truly represent your brand and further your goals and then overlook the importance of the design because you spent money on it and it didn’t work.
Don’t be frustrated or overwhelmed. We have the solution. Fabulous Business Solutions. So, if you need a logo, website, or book cover design that truly represents your brand, we have the skills, experience, team, portfolio, and recommendations to provide pragmatic and cost-effective services to help you wherever you are in your business journey.
Schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation at: www.fabulousbizsolutions.com/calendar
