The words logo and brand get thrown around interchangeably a lot. While a logo is part of your branding, they don’t mean the same thing. A logo is a single graphic that represents your company. It can have words, shapes, or icons. It has high potential to become the foundation of your visual brand. A brand is the cohesive deployment of the pieces of your logo (colours, fonts, shapes, style), across multiple touch points like your signage, product labels, and even parking signs. It looks professional, consistent, and it is deployed strategically.
Depending on the stage of business you are in, you may be prepared to make an investment to reach that next level or you may just need something to slap on your first business card. You may just need a quick logo to achieve MVP or you may now need to consider brand architecture as you develop multiple products.
No matter the stage of business you are in, it’s important to understand what you are getting when you are buying.
A Logo
A Brand
Colour
- You probably chose colours that you liked
- You may know the HEX code for your colours
- You may only have 1-2 colours
- You leverage colour psychology to accurately convey your company vibe
- You know the 4 colour values needed to be successful across digital and print (HEX, RBG, CMYK, Pantone)
- You have a palette of 3-5 colours that look good together
Fonts
- You probably chose a font that you liked
- You font may be available in Canva
- You may only have 1 font
- You leverage font psychology to accurately convey your company vibe
- Your fonts are available across everywhere you want to use it (Canva, website, Google Slides etc)
- You have 2 fonts that pair well together
Brand Guide
- You may have your HEX code and your font written down on a post it note on your desk
- You have a robust guide that sets constraints for colours and fonts to be used, text styles defined, notes about shape & style, and is sharable
Usability
- You were able to put your logo on your business card, website and social posts but it’s always easy to work with
- You were given one logo file
- You may or may not have been given a vector file
- It’s super easy to place your logo anywhere you need it and the elements are easy to work with
- You have at least three versions of your logo, full colour, straight black, and straight white
- You have a vector file ready for SWAG and other complex use cases
The Designer
- You found someone on website somewhere
- They may or may not match your communicate style
- They may have 1-5 years of experience
- They are focused on the logo design only
- You asked your network for recommendations
- They match your communicate style
- They may have 5-10+ years of experience
- They consider the logo but also the brand architecture
Time
- Can be completed in a week
- It will take several weeks
Cost
- $500 on sites like Fivrr
- $5000 for a good freelancer
- $50,000+ for a full service agency
How you feel
- The relationship felt transactional
- You may not have felt heard or understood
- You don’t know what to do after the project is over
- It’s a check box
- You’ve developed a relationship with someone who cares about you and your business
- You felt heard & understood
- You feel empowered and want to show off your branding at every opportunity
- You feel professional, legitimate, and that you belong in your business community
