If you’re starting your own business, you’ll want your company to stand out from the crowd, and to get a unique brand identity. It is important to have an eye-catching logo that represents your business perfectly. Many businesses believe that by getting an existing, pre-made logo they can save money, but this may not be the case—and here’s why you shouldn’t use a pre-made logo for your business.
It looks too generic
All of these logos are made to look professional and impressive. But they also have something in common—they’re boring. They’re all square with a 1:1 aspect ratio. They’re all blue. And they’re not very creative. A logo is an important part of your business identity. So you should treat it as such. A pre-made logo will never be as good as one that you design yourself because it won’t accurately represent your brand or business values. If you want a logo that looks great, use templates as inspiration instead of copying them exactly.
The font isn’t unique: When we see fonts used over and over again, we get sick of them. If your logo uses Times New Roman or Arial (or any other generic font). People will associate it with thousands of other companies who used those same fonts. The best way to make sure your company stands out? Use a unique font that no one else is using. After all, you want your brand to be memorable—and you can only do that if you use something different from everyone else.
The colors aren’t original
Just like with fonts, there are certain colors that are associated with certain things—and if you use one of these standard colors in your logo. People will immediately assume they know what kind of business you have based on its color scheme alone. For example, bright yellow is often used to convey optimism and joy; blue is often used to convey trust and security; red is often used to convey passion and strength. If you want to communicate something specific about your brand. Don’t rely on generic colors or themes. Instead, choose something unique that no one else has done before.
The design isn’t memorable: All of these logos look professional and clean—but they also look similar to hundreds of other logos out there. When your logo is generic, it doesn’t stand out from anything else on its own. Instead, you need something that people will remember when they see it; otherwise, you risk being forgotten or overlooked by customers who don’t care about your brand enough to remember what it looks like.
After all, if someone sees your logo once but can’t remember it later, how effective was that one exposure? How many more exposures do you need before someone actually remembers? And how much time are you wasting trying to make an impression with every single person who walks into your store? If you want people to notice and appreciate your business, choose a unique logo that no one else has used before.
The logo doesn’t match your brand personality
For starters, if you’re getting a logo from an online design marketplace like 99designs, you don’t get to choose your designer. This is a problem because what works for one business might not work for another. Also, it’s likely that there are other businesses out there with similar logos—unless your logo was specially designed. This can make it difficult to stand out and connect with customers on an emotional level.
Unique Brand Personality
And let’s face it: A generic logo will never reflect your unique brand personality. Instead of looking at your logo as a standalone piece of art, look at it as part of a larger brand experience. The best logos have meaning behind them. So try to think about how yours fits into your overall story. Remember: It should be something you feel proud displaying in public!
On top of all that, a pre-made logo doesn’t give you any creative control over your image. Yes, some templates allow you to change colors or fonts, but they aren’t meant for serious design projects—and they show.
At worst, your business could end up with an amateurish look that puts off potential clients and costs you money in lost opportunities. If you want a truly custom logo, pay for it yourself or hire someone who has professional skills. There are plenty of freelance designers out there who can create beautiful, high-quality designs within your budget. Don’t waste time and money by settling for less than perfect.
A pre-made logo doesn’t provide enough professional design flair
If you’re just starting out and aren’t sure how to pick colors or find fonts that fit, opting for an off-the-shelf logo won’t give you enough design flair. Why settle for something that looks generic when you can have a logo that sets your business apart?
Many small businesses like restaurants use pre-made logos and it makes sense. But if you want to be taken seriously as an established company, don’t do it! A good designer will listen to what you need. One of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make is picking a designer based on cost alone. But there are plenty of designers who charge more than others, so don’t assume that cheaper is better.
A professional designer will be able to guide you through all of your options (colors, fonts, styles) in order to help create a logo that matches your brand personality perfectly.
You’ll save money in the long run
While it may seem expensive at first, hiring a professional designer means you’ll never have to pay for another new logo again. So instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars every few years. You can stick with one high-quality design and only pay once.
The quality speaks for itself: Just because a logo costs more doesn’t mean it isn’t worth paying extra for. In fact, some of the best logos we’ve seen were done by highly-talented designers. Who charged thousands for their work. It’s true that they could have made less money designing other things, but they know their value and stand behind their work 100%.
If you get a pre-made logo, no matter how much it costs, you might not feel confident about its quality—and if customers see your logo and question its professionalism, they might not take your business seriously either.
Hiring a professional designer from day one shows that you’re serious about your business and willing to invest in yourself.
You can choose from multiple designs: If you hire a professional designer. You don’t have to worry about whether or not they will actually follow through with what you asked them to do. They’ll ask questions and offer suggestions along the way. Which helps ensure that you end up with a logo that fits your brand personality exactly.
A pre-made logo is too expensive
Pre-made logos start at $50 and go up from there. And while you may feel that’s reasonable, consider what your logo is. It’s just one image on your website, letterhead and business cards. It’s not enough to invest that much money in when you can get a high quality logo made for less.
Pre-made logos are often tacky: When you look at pre-made logos. You’ll see many of them are cheesy or overly simplistic. While that might be fine for some businesses. If you want something more professional looking then pre-made designs aren’t going to cut it. The better option is to hire a graphic designer who can create something custom tailored specifically for your brand. You won’t have as much control over design. Because pre-made logos come with a set price tag, they don’t allow for any changes. This means you don’t have as much control over how your logo looks and feels. If you hire a freelance graphic designer, however, you can provide feedback throughout the process until you’re satisfied with your new logo.
You could end up spending more money than necessary: A pre-made logo usually comes with all sorts of add-ons such as stationery templates and other promotional materials. But if you really think about it, do you need all those extras? Chances are no—and paying extra for them only increases your costs unnecessarily.
Freelance designers will work within your budget
When you work with a freelancer, you can work out an agreement based on your needs and budget. Whether that means coming up with three different concepts before deciding which one works best or offering discounts for bulk orders. Working with a freelancer allows you to customize each aspect of your project. So that it fits within whatever parameters make sense for your company. Pre-made logos are great for small businesses that know exactly what they want their logo to look like and don’t mind paying a premium for convenience.
However, if you’re still figuring out exactly what your business should look like. Why not take advantage of that opportunity by using it as an opportunity to explore several different options instead of settling on just one? As long as you have an idea of what kind of aesthetic you’re going for. Hiring a freelance graphic designer gives you complete control over every aspect of your logo design. Not only does that save time and money. But it also helps ensure that your logo is unique to your brand and conveys everything it needs to convey in order to effectively market your business.