Your Logo is Worth More than a Fiverr

Why Good Logos Seem Expensive

(This is also a LinkedIn Article)

Lots of companies struggle to understand why a cheap Fiverr logo is a problem. Why should they pay more to hire a designer, or brand consultant? It all gets down to values and perception…and your ability to trademark your logo (more on that last one later).

By the way, links to a great example of the super-distilled process (which shows how much work is involved) and other information are at the bottom of this post.

How Valuable is Your Company?

What is the value of your company? Why is it valuable? Could I just start a company that does something similar and be just as good as you? I’m guessing the answer is “no.” If that’s true, how would you convince someone who has never done business with either of us that your company is better than my copycat company?

If they could talk to both of us, they’d quickly figure out that you are the right choice. You have the time in the market. You have a track record of happy clients. You have built trust. That took time and work on your part. You’ve built a brand.

Where Do Babies Logos Come From?

Brands don’t spring from the air in spontaneous creation. When a company and the market love each other very much in a special way, the company, its employees, customers, and partners create a special meaning that becomes a brand. A logo is simply a representation of that brand.

Just like good companies don’t start without a ton of hard work, a good brand doesn’t start by sketching up a logo. Heck, good logos don’t even start with a sketch pad.

Good logos start with questions.

What do you do?
What value do you provide the marketplace?
What sets you apart in the marketplace?
What is your brand personality? Are you bold or demure, friendly or efficient, chill or energetic, innovative or traditional?
Who is your audience?
Where will your message be broadcast?

Those questions lead to a creative brief, which the designer uses to create a branding package (including a logo) that speaks to all of these points. The package will give you more than a logo. You’ll know how to use the logo in different mediums and for different purposes.

Want to see a branding package develop? Check out the link below for an amazing Adobe Live broadcast where the always-interesting Jacob Cass 🦩 reviews the process for creating the new branding package for San Francisco Travel Association. The Miles agency provided the creative brief that Jacob used to create the logo, but it was all based on a distillation of the brand.

As you watch the video, note how he considered how the logo would be used in context, how the brand’s personality informed the logo, and how much time, creativity, and plain old work was involved in making this happen.

Of course, Jacob is a top-tier guy and a top-tier designer. He gets a top-tier billing rate; but don’t think that anyone who is any good takes this stuff less seriously. All good designers pour a lot of thought, work, and experience into creating a logo that:

You can build a brand around.
Matches your company, it’s personality, ideals, and difference.
Doesn’t look like everyone else.
You can trademark.

Don’t sleep on that last one. Imagine that your wildest dreams come true and you find that your brand is a pixel-for-pixel, point-for-point, and curve-for-curve exact match for thousands of other companies, some of which do exactly what you do—all because you bought your logo off Fiverr which sells thousands of logos to hundreds-of-thousands of companies.

You’re not just paying for the time it takes to make a logo, you’re paying for the talent, creativity, and experience that combine to create a great logo that will work in many contexts for a long time to come.

Another example?

Check out the redesign for The Macallan by David Carsonand his team (link below). The organic shapes of a new distillery building are worked into timeless letterforms to improve on the established brand with a distinct-but-familiar logo, that can be animated to make an even greater impression.

But maybe you’re not the City of San Fransisco or The Macallan. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend the time and resources to make something great.

Pick a Strategist and Designer That You Trust

There are tons of designers on LinkedIn, so either pick someone who knows the process well or pick a strategist who can be your translation layer; but for the love of your brand, stay off the untrademarkable cheapo logo sites.

Great logos don’t have to be unaffordable, but a well-thought-out one will be more than a cheap-o version, and you’ll be better off for it in the long run.

Tag in someone like me if you have questions. I can help you scout talent, and think strategically. Your idea, your company, and your brand deserve better than a cookie-cutter Fiverr logo.