Your small business journey often begins with the heart of your brand – the logo. The right logo can be your North Star, guiding customers to your door. While a good logo looks nice and hints at what you do, a great logo speaks volumes about who you are, what you stand for, and what you offer.
Welcome to the Start of Your Brand Journey
Before you start designing a logo, understand what you want your overall brand to say about you. This is the starting point of the creative process. Answering these questions in detail will be invaluable, whether you design the logo yourself or hire a professional.
You can also download Elise Lola Design’s fillable questionaire.
1. Company Background
- Briefly describe your company.
- What products or services do you offer?
- Do you have a mission or values that need to be expressed in your logo and brand?
2. Target Audience
- Who is your ideal customer?
- Understand their key demographics, characteristics, and hobbies.
- How does your product or service help them? Are there specific pain points you address?
3. Brand Personality
- How do you want to look and sound?
- How should your customers feel when interacting with you?
- Some examples: Are you professional and modern, fun and playful, or minimalistic and classy?
4. Colour
- What colours best suit your brand?
- Consider industry norms, the emotions you want to evoke, and colours to avoid.
- Don’t only consider colours you ‘like’.
5. Typography
- What fonts best suit your brand and tone?
- Serif fonts can be seen as both classical or old-fashioned
- Sans-Serif can be seen as both modern or boring.
- Prioritise legibility. Handwritten or script fonts can be elegant but hard to read in long sentences.
6. Design Preferences
- Research elements, designs, fonts and images that resonate with you
- Create a mood board for them, see what works well together or doesn’t.
7. Competitors
- Who are they?
- What is working for them?
- How will you stand apart? Describe your unique strengths and weaknesses.
Pros and Cons of Designing a Logo Yourself vs. Hiring a Professional
Now that you have some conceptual background, let’s dive into the pros and cons of designing a logo yourself versus hiring a professional. This will help you make an informed decision about shaping your brand identity.
Do It Yourself
PROS
Cost saving: A logo generator can be budget-friendly.
Creative Control: You have complete control over all design choices.
Learning Experience: Creating your own logo can be a valuable learning opportunity.
Personal Connection: Your DIY logo can foster a deeper personal connection.
CONS
Limited Experience: Without design experience, your logo may lack professionalism.
Lookalikes: Logo generators may produce common designs used extensively in the past.
Time Consuming: Designing a logo, and by extension a brand, can take time away from other important business tasks.
Inconsistent Quality: DIY logos can vary in quality, potentially undermining your brand’s credibility.
Lack of Objectivity: It’s challenging to view your brand objectively, leading to biassed design choices.
Hiring a Designer
PROS
Expertise: Professional designers (like me) have the skills to create a unique and on-brand logo.
Customisation: A designer tailors the logo to your specific needs, industry, and audience.
Originality: A designer crafts something that stands out, especially for you.
Consistency: A designer ensures your logo aligns with your brand identity and creates cohesive brand guidelines.
Efficiency: Save time and effort by focusing on other areas of your business while an expert handles the logo and branding.
CONS
Cost: Hiring a designer might seem pricey, but it’s an investment in your business’s long-term success.
Communication Challenges: Clear communication with your designer is crucial to ensure they understand your vision. This is where the Logo & Branding Questionnaire comes in handy.
Dependency: Ongoing creative services may be needed to keep your brand consistent. However, with a comprehensive branding style guide, it becomes much easier for you to take control of the design process.
Time Constraints: Logo and branding design is a process that takes time. Allow plenty of time for the design process.
Creative Differences: Finding a designer who understands and empathises with your vision is key, even if differences in opinion occur.
Wrapping Up
Designing a logo is more than just creating a pretty picture; it’s about capturing the essence of your brand and connecting with your audience. Whether you choose to design your logo yourself or hire a professional, understanding the thought and effort that goes into this process is crucial.
Click the download button to find the perfect branding package to suits your needs.