A prominent part of your Brand Identity is your logo. A great logo determines if you blend in or stand out (check out our other blog about this here). New business owners often think they have to spend thousands of dollars on a custom logo; thus, they buy a pre-made logo online or attempt a DIY. This simply isn’t true.

Here are the three reasons you shouldn’t do that:

1. Poor Quality
2. Legal Issues
3. Generic Icon

Poor Quality
“The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten” – Benjamin Franklin
You get out, what you put in. Research, development, and creation of a logo take time. Otherwise, the result is equivalent to clipart in a PowerPoint. Your business logo should be developed around a clear vision of what your business is now, and what it will be in the future.

A pre-made logo is not always fit to be used in every instance.

Ex.
-A white logo on a black background, or vice versa.
-A complicated logo that cannot be resized.

A logo should have enough versions that you can use it on the web, in print, as icons and on the packaging of your product(s). We’ve all see the logos that are stretched, squashed and occasionally, cropped horribly. Some of these are so distorted they are illegible, which is the opposite purpose of a logo.

Legal Issues

Marketing and advertising are heavily regulated. A pre-made logo may cost you more than a custom logo ever will in legal fees and copyright infringement. Be careful!
Overuse of similar fonts, icons, and colors is another concern. Pre-made logos are overused in housing, roofing, finance, and medical professions.
Pre-made logos are mass produced. Meaning everyone in your industry, hundreds and thousands of other businesses, are using a logo or brand identity that is nearly identical to yours!

Generic Icon

A generic logo detracts from your Why or your story. This is what makes your business iconic and the reason why consumers should choose you over a competitor.
Many business owners pick a pre-made logo because they “like” the icon. Personal preference does not mean this is an accurate representation of your company.  Unless you are the perfect example of your ideal client, personal preference should not be a consideration.
Remember we talked about quality? Well, an icon exactly like every other business in your industry sends a message. Not a positive one. Presentation is paramount. You are, hopefully, not running around talking to clients, banks and other professionals in ripped jeans and see-through shirts. Treat your Brand Identity the same.

This is What’s Missing:
Original Logomark

Your logo is not just an image. Branding is a science that requires market research, strategy and an understanding of your target audience. You need multiple versions of your logo: black, white, vector, png, greyscale, full-color, CMYK, and RGB to name a few.

Strategic Color Palette

Colors play a powerful role, they affect our emotions and moods. Used properly, color influences consumer perceptions.

Typography

This is the style and appearance of the fonts chosen for your brand. Much like color, typography alters the viewer’s perception of your brand. An attorney wouldn’t use a cursive script font to convey trust and knowledge.

Guidelines

These are essential for all of the visual elements of your brand to align. This way you logo colors are the same as your website and the same on printed materials. No matter the size of your organization, everyone can refer to this framework to be sure they are using your logo (and brand) properly. We know your business, your identity, your brand is worth more than $20. Do not do yourself the disservice of approaching logos and brand haphazardly. Novae Design Group will help you slow down, to speed up your business growth. Give us a call today for a free consultation: 910 – 725- 2175