Does a DIY logo really save you money?

Picture it, you’ve decided to take the leap and set up your own business, after years of dreaming up ideas and concepts. It’s finally the right time to take this step. You have your name chosen and registered, website domain bought, and maybe you’re already testing out your market. Now, you have a big decision to make. Do you design the logo yourself or hire a professional designer to build a brand for you?

A lot of new business owners choose to DIY their logo, and sometimes that’s the right option. However, there are a number of things to consider when weighing up the DIY or professional route;

1. Budget
   Of course this is a big consideration, but I would encourage you to think long term. For example, if you are a product based business and you have decided to  spend a significant amount of budget on large quantities of packaging (so mailer boxes, tissue paper, thank you cards and stickers with your DIY logo printed on everything). But a few months later, you start to second guess the logo and if it feels right for your business. Now you are stuck with a huge amount of packaging with a logo on everything that doesn’t represent your brand. I would argue that this was money wasted, rather than invested.

2. Target Market
   This one is relatively straight forward; if you are selling high end luxury products, or an elite service, your branding cannot look amateur. Your clients won’t buy it, literally and figuratively. This is also true in the sense of your vision for your brand. Perhaps you see your product selling on the shelves in department stores. Without a professionally designed brand and packaging, you are unlikely to attract the attention of store buyers. 

3. Time
   Your time as an entrepreneur is precious, particularly when establishing your business. There are countless decisions to make and the to-do list feels endless. Something quick and simple seems like it would save you time. However, if you find yourself down a Pinterest rabbit hole, spending hours pinning different ideas, and changing your mind on what you want each week, it might be wise to allocate this task to someone who is professionally trained to do this, i.e. hire a professional designer to filter through your ideas and pinpoint your vision.

So, the question remains; should you DIY your logo? Every business and brand is different, and only you can make that decision. If you truly believe that this business is going to be successful (which it is!) then I would encourage you to think about the long term impact. To sum up, you should DIY your brand if:

• You are confident enough in your design skills

• You have no budget to hire a designer

• You aren’t sure who your target market is yet

• Your logo won’t appear on anything too costly yet (think signage, packaging or adverts)

Alternatively, you should hire a designer if:

• You don’t feel confident in your design skills

• You are targeting a premium market or you want to offer a luxury experience 

• You have a budget to invest in your branding (there are also lots of grants available to you through your LEO, so I would encourage you to make contact with your local enterprise office if you haven’t already)

• You want to see faster growth for your business

• You want to avoid having to rebrand at a later date

Hopefully this post has helped you to answer a few of those many questions and decisions you have to make as an entrepreneur. Only you can make the right decision for your business, so good luck! 

If you have decided to hire a professional designer, be sure to have a look at my previous work here or contact me here and we can chat about all things branding.