Here’s why Cheaping out on your branding is costing you
Cheaping out on your branding is holding you back. Not putting effort into your creative foundation which is your brand identity is costly in the long run. Here’s why:
1.) Money wasted on items that don’t align with the brand:
IF YOU ONLY HAVE A RUSHED, CHEAP LOGO AND ARE IN A HURRY TO GET BRANDED MATERIALS (SUCH AS APPAREL, SIGNAGE ETC) WITH NO BRAND GUIDE, THE ITEMS ARE LIKELY TO NOT BE ON BRAND FOR A FEW REASONS.
THE APPAREL ITEMS COLOR SHOULD IDEALLY ALIGN WITH YOUR BRAND COLORS OR AT LEAST BE COMPLIMENTARY. JUST RANDOM SELECTING ITEMS ISN’T A COHESIVE WAY TO KEEP YOUR BRANDING CONSISTENT ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE SELLING MERCH TO THE PUBLIC.
SAME GOES FOR MARKETING MATERIALS. LARGE SCALE, TRADE SHOW MATERIALS CAN BE VERY COSTLY AND ARE MEANT TO BE INVESTMENTS THAT SHOULD LAST YOU YEARS TO COME WHEN CARED FOR. RUSHING THESE ITEMS WITHOUT PROPER BRAND IDENTITY ESTABLISHED IS A TERRIBLE IDEA SINCE YOUR BRAND WILL LIKELY CHANGE IN THE NEAR FUTURE WITHOUT A PROPER FOUNDATION.
2.) lack of trust amongst customers:
In a world where AI has everyone second guessing just about anything they see, this is an important one.
Having shoddy branding that appears different in different places (one way on the website, a different logo on signage, another on social) screams unprofessional. In some people’s mind (depending on industry) this also could scream scam. That’s a great people to drive potential consumers away unfortunately.
3.) Loss of potential customers from poor first impression:
So on the flip side of the last post, you’ll have some who don’t trust your half baked branding and think you’re scammy/unprofessional but you’ll have others who just don’t like it. There are absolutely some people who may be in your target market but if they dislike or don’t understand your branding they won’t purchase from you.
4.) time wasted reinventing the brand every creative project:
Whew, this one is a doozy. Without a proper brand style guide many business owners will just pick a random template or design from anywhere. Random icons, colors, imagery; none of it will align with their brand but they’ll still use it. And then wonder why they dislike their branding and are dissatisfied with it. It’s because they look like a different brand with every promo. this consumes so much time when it doesn’t have to!
5.) potential legal woes from not having a logo you actually own:
People don’t really like to hear this one but it’s cheaper to find out early. Making a logo on canva isn’t legally yours (read your fine print!).
That may change in the future but currently this is a reality. Anything that is template based on any platform (etsy is another) that hasn’t been customized to your brand by a professional logo artist is something that could potentially get you sued in the future.
The thing about lawsuits is, they don’t come in the beginning. They come once you have something to take so protect yourself early and make sure you get a custom branding by a professional in the beginning of your business formation!