Why Free Logo Design Sets You Up To Fail Miserably

The logo design market is very confusing for first business owners, let me tell you why…

The other day I went online to buy an electronic mincer. There were a few brands to choose from… Sunbeam, Kenwood and Phaks.

The first 2 logos I recognised immediately, the last one I had never heard of. The simple logo design of the unknown brand made me feel uncertain.

So I googled the term Phaks mincer and all that came up was the exact listing I was already on …. nothing else. This threw a few red flags in my head, so I decided to go with a brand I knew even though it was more expensive.

Did the logo design of the unknown brand impact my buying decision? ! Did I decide not to buy the product because the brand was unknown?

No. You see the deciding factor for me was the lack of branding presence. There was no website and no backup information anywhere on the web and a substandard logo.

There was nothing the product gave me to engender at least a little trust.

Where it all begins

Do you remember the very first time you decided to open your own business?

So many thoughts rushed through my head when I did. Deciding a name that I liked took multiple discussions with my spouse, it had to perfect… it had to sound right!

Finally, after a few days, I decided on a name which I felt was right and relevant to the industry I was about to enter.

One of the very first questions that new businesses face is “Where do we get a logo from?” and “Who is going to design the logo ?”

Like deciding the name, you get visions of the perfect logo and how great it’s going to look. It has to wow customers and look as good as the best in the industry.

So you set out to find a logo designer and reality sets in …

Sifting through the chaos

I don’t know about you, but the very first place that I turn to look for… well anything new, is the internet. Google has all the answers, right?

Wrong! Sure Google has answers, but it also has a lot of answers and how do we know which ones are right and which ones are wrong?

So you decide to press on and choose a few graphic designers or websites offering logo design. You contact a few companies and ask for logo design quotes to get a feel for the costing.

The answers you get in return surprise you and shock you.

With such a wide range of pricing, how can you know which company to choose?

Yikes, how much

At this point, you sit down and digest all the proposals you have received for designing your logo.

As a new business owner, one of the most pressing thoughts in your mind is cost.

How much is this going to cost me? I have other expenses too in much budget allocated to helping me start my business. To be honest, I never thought a logo would cost me that much.

I thought logo design would only cost a couple of hundred bucks, right?

After thinking it over, a wild idea pops into your head… why don’t I design the logo myself? I mean how hard can it be, right? It’s a fancy font and a pretty icon or picture.

Let me open my word program and get cracking. I will get this sorted in no time, just you wait and see …

Reality starts to set in

After about 5 hours of tinkering, two things start to dawn on you.

First, logo design is a lot harder than anyone told me and second, I am not a logo designer.

In frustration, you give up and decide that whatever you have come with will have to do for now. You pat yourself on the back and say at least I saved some costs.

With your new logo completed you are ready to apply it to all your marketing material. And this is when you run into the next roadblock…

I never knew that

You decide you need flyers, business cards, a website and company t-shirts.

Almost all the providers you ask request your logo in a format other than word. You hear terms like high-resolution, jpeg, png, black and white or vector format.

The different file types baffle you.

Why would I need the logo in black and white and what is high-resolution? Your response is…”I have the logo in word format, would that be okay?”

After listening to an explanation on vector format. You discover that vector format allows your logo scale to any size. The design agency takes your word format logo and says” we will do the best with what you have sent through.

When you receive your marketing material you look back in horror, why is the logo so blurry and ugly.

The response is the same as before ” well sir/ ma’am that is why we request vector format.

The best of a bad outcome

Since you have spent the money already on your marketing materials and you cannot get a refund because you submitted poorly design artwork, you decide …” Well, I may as well use it.”

Every time you hand out a business card or a flyer to market your business, you feel a twinge of sadness.

You want to tell your potential customer ” I know our logo doesn’t look that great, but our service is top notch”.

The outward appearance of a business is a deciding factor for a companies success.

The result is business is slow, and we end up making excuses like… the market is tough or the market is too saturated.

At this point, you have 2 options rebrand or give up.

The moral of the story

The best things in life are free, does not apply to logo design or in business.

Your image and the first impression is everything in business.

Getting new clients and growing a new business is tough. Don’t make it harder by adding substandard design.

You want to make a strong and powerful impression with your brand. One that engenders trust. When your customers start looking for your brand online… get noticed.

Don’t scare customers away.

There is no such thing as free logo design, not if you want a brand that has a lasting impression.

In our next logo design article we will be talking about ” what elements make up a successful logo”. So now that you know the facts about free logo design.

Avoid this expensive pitfall and learn from others mistakes.

Over to you

Have you had a similar experience or would you like to add your thoughts? We would love to hear about your logo design experience.

Your insight could help others avoid mistakes you have made.

Please leave your comment below or share this with someone who could learn from this article.