Free Logo for Your Small Business?! Why That’s Not a Good Idea
Why?
Because a logo is so vitally important for your business. It’s the visual representation of your brand. It becomes synonymous with who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
For example:
When you see this…
Photo by Nheyob (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons
…you know you’re going to be able to walk in, order a junior bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a frosty, and receive those things quickly.
When you see this…
…you know you’re buying a shoe that’s good for athletic wear, whether that’s sports or other exercise.
When you see this…
…you know you’re ordering something that’s probably priced cheaper than you get it at your local retail store, and—assuming you have Prime—that it’s going to be delivered to your door in about two days.
Why do you know these things when you see these images? Because these organizations have branded themselves. Wendy’s is a fast food chain, Nike is a signature shoe brand for athletes, and Amazon is the place to go online to find everything from A-Z. And each of these companies has a logo that represents these truths about the company to their customers.
So, no, your brand is not your logo. But the two go hand-in-hand. And I know all those examples I used are of huge companies, and you’re just a small business owner, and you don’t have the budget of Amazon and Nike to get the perfect logo.
I understand that. But just keep in mind that as you build your small business, whatever logo you are putting out there on your website and business cards and social media will—for better or for worse—start becoming the representation of who you are and what your business does in your community.
ONLINE LOGO GENERATOR: THE TEST
Just for kicks, I decided to check out one of those free online logo generators.
The one I tried has you type in your company name then a choose a category from a drop down list of about 35, covering a wide range of industries. Then it gives you some starter templates that you can click on and edit (or not). I typed in my business name just to see what kind of templates it would give me.
(Warning: these are all really low resolution. I didn’t want to go through the process of registering to be able to download them. But hopefully it still gets the point across.)
The Pacman logo.
The flying email logo.
The hippy kaleidoscope logo.
The upside down Chevron logo.
The strange silhouette lady logo.
Note: I did not alter the above logos. However, you could alter these, playing around with the fonts, sizing, shapes, colors, etc. But of course, you are limited by the choices that the program offers.
Speaking of the fonts that are available…Don’t even get me started. “Eater,” “Nosifer,” “Caesar Dressing?!” What? I’m doubtful there’s ever a logo that these would be appropriate for. In fact, some of these should be outlawed! (That’s another blog post for another day).
So, as a small business owner, do you want your business represented by something similar to the above options? Do you want that to become synonymous with your business, your services, and ultimately with you and your employees?
Here are some reasons I think you might want to instead consider making the investment in a custom logo for your small business:
WHY A CUSTOM LOGO IS A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS
1. Your Logo Will Be Custom
This may seem obvious but I think it’s worth stating anyways. If you use one of these online logo generators, you’re not getting a custom logo. It’s not unique to your company. For all you know, there could be hundreds of other companies out there that chose the same template as you. Maybe there would be slight variations in the color or font, but it’s going to look very similar overall. Do you really want to stand out from your competitors? Or do you want to be logo-matching buddies?
By working with a graphic designer for a logo, you will get custom. You’re going to have a one-of-a-kind representation of your brand that’s unique to your business.
2. Your Logo Will Represent Your Brand
When you use a logo generator, you’re not necessarily getting a product that is an accurate and professional representation of you, your brand, and your business. Let’s say you’re the owner of a construction company that values very high quality work. If you’re just going in to this logo generator and picking the first template you see with a hammer, while that does relate to your business, it doesn’t fully convey your brand. It probably doesn’t convey your commitment to quality.
On the other hand, when you work with a designer to create a custom logo, this person usually starts out with a questionnaire or meeting to learn about your business and brand. Personally, I start off with an interview (in person or by phone) to ask questions that get to the heart of your brand. I want to know and understand your organization and why you do what you do before I ever start the design process.
Your designer then takes all of the information they learned and incorporates that into your logo design. If they’ve done their job right, you end up with a final product that reflects your business, your personality, and your business’ values. Hopefully it’s something you’re proud to show the world!
3. Your Logo Will Be in the Right Resolution and Formats
What these “free” online logo generators don’t tell you (well, they do eventually) is that you’re not going to be able to get all the formats you need for free. The one I checked out offered a low-res PNG version (for use on websites and online platforms) for free. For a higher resolution version in other formats (PNG, PDF, EPS, SVG) you would have to pay (anywhere from $19 to $199.99, depending on the site and all the format options and extras you select).
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I have no clue the difference between a PNG or EPS or where I would use these different formats,” I understand. It can be confusing. But the short of it is that different file formats are better for certain types of settings. For instance, you can get away with lower resolution PNGs on your website and online, but you need something much higher resolution, such as an EPS, for anything printed out, or else it will be pixelated and blurry. So the free version of this logo you can get online will not be suitable for all your business needs. You can’t use a low-resolution version of a logo for your business signage or even your business cards.
When you work with a designer, they will provide you with your final logo in all the formats you need. And if they’re nice, they’ll probably even give you a quick rundown of which formats to use in which settings.
Most custom logo packages from designers include more than just the logo too. Many include an alternate logo (so if the main logo is rectangular, you get a version that works for use in square or round settings, or vice versa). Some also include a whole brand package, such as your color palette and your brand fonts. This ensures your business can look uniform and professional across all of your marketing platforms.
Some of these logo packages even include the design of some print or digital pieces (such as business cards, letterhead, social media banners, etc.) featuring your new logo. My logo package includes three such pieces, as well as all of the things I mentioned above.
4. You’ll Be Working With Someone Who Has Knowledge of Design
Yes, you could use a logo generator and get a much cheaper logo. Yes, you could end up with something halfway decent looking—if you know how to use the program, and, I would argue, if you have some sense for and knowledge of good design principles. And let’s face it, not everyone has that sense for design. If you need proof, just ask the guy that designed this:
(Ok, that was me. I couldn’t help but try to create as bad a logo as possible with this online generator thing.) But a quick Google search for “bad logo design” will show you that there are definitely some out there besides this fake one I just whipped up in about 5 minutes.
And be warned, you too could end up with something like this with a logo generator, if you don’t try to first learn some basic design principles about colors, fonts, etc.
For instance, did you know that there is psychology behind color selections? Different colors convey different emotions and cause certain perceptions. So, you may love green, but is that actually a good color for your industry? Is that the best choice based on who your target customer is and what you are trying to get them to do?
Same thing goes for shapes and fonts. All these elements of your logo can make its viewers feel a certain way, and therefore, communicate a lot about your business.
Working with a designer takes all the guesswork out of this. Your designer has a sense of what color palettes and font selections and illustrations will look good together and what those things will convey to your customers.
For these reasons and more, I think every small business should make the investment in a custom, professionally designed logo. As someone who is passionate about good design, you could say that I’m biased. But in this day and age we live in, I firmly believe that if it doesn’t look professional, it’s not going to sell.
Whether your business is just starting out or you’ve been around for decades, you need to be able to effectively communicate what your brand stands for and what sets it apart in order to attract the clients you want to serve. And as the visual representation of your brand, your logo is a big part of making that happen.
So what do you think? Want a custom logo for your business? Or do you prefer the Pacman logo? 😉
If you’re interested in starting the process to get a custom logo for your small business, check out more information on my custom logo design package.