Buying a cheap logo is a popular way to save a buck when you’re starting your small business. It’s just a logo, right? A simple image that doesn’t do anything but represent my brand.
Right?
The statement answered the question. It represents your brand. It represents who you are, what you mean, do, trustworthiness, etc.
Do you want to be represented by something that was cheap? It may say something about you and the last thing you want is to be seen as cheap. It devalues your brand, makes you look less trustworthy, and can turn a customer away instantly.
You won’t want your logo to say that about you. Your logo is more than that. It should instantly say who you are and what you’re about. Cheap isn’t what you want people to think even though you may be cheaper than others.
Value is what you want to convey, not cheap.
Considering A Cheap Logo
You may have considered a cheap logo for your small business already. Perhaps that’s why you’re reading this!
Finding a cheap logo is easy in our global economy. There are websites such as Fiverr you can log into, give some basic instructions and have a cheap logo in a few days. It’s obvious when a logo comes from Fiverr, though.
There are also other problems that come along with using cheap logo websites, though, especially ones like Fiverr. I’ll cover those problems in the dangers section below.
Your logo is an important part of who your company is. A cheap logo looks cheap so consider the brand you’re trying to portray to customers. Do you want to command a premium in your industry or do you want to be cheap?
Do It Yourself
There are websites that let you create your own logo also. Some of them have proprietary material you can create a logo with. They’re usually pretty basic logos and can be a challenge (or impossible) to have a real person do any updates or changes for you.
If you buy a cheap logo, at least make sure you get a vector file with it. Click To TweetIf you do decide to get a cheap logo, make sure you at least end up with a vector version of your logo. The vector will allow you to create different size logos for different mediums in the future.
When you consider a cheap logo, ask yourself if you’re aiming for stagnation or growth. If growth is your answer, it may be best to get a more professionally created logo.
There’s one positive to a cheap logo, it’s cheap. There are a lot of negatives, though, and you have to weigh those with how cheap it is. When you consider the price, always consider the true cost of a cheap logo.
Weigh The True Costs
Cheap logos sound good because the price is so low. You can end up with a logo for only $6. That’s a pretty amazing price if you ended up with an amazing logo. You won’t end up with an amazing logo, though.
You’ll try to convince yourself it’s an amazing logo because it was so cheap, though. You may even personally love the logo, though, but you’re running a business for others too, not just yourself. You’re looking at it through money colored glasses where money is the only weighing factor. If the creator of your logo didn’t spend the time getting to know your brand, you, or what’s behind you, then you didn’t get a good logo that portrays your brand good to the public.
A cheap logo is based on the obvious and only the obvious. It will be based on the name of your company or even just a generic icon, your industry, or your product. That’s the depth and meaning of it and that’s not fully representative of your brand. You probably have a lot more depth than that.
So what’s the true cost of a cheap logo?
How recognizable your brand is from others in your industry says a lot about how much your logo is worth. Does your logo separate you visually from the competition or do you blend in?
Worse, you might not just blend in with your competition, you may blend in with everyone else too. To make up for the price of a cheap logo, those designers are doing a huge quantity of logos every day. Those logos all look very similar so you’re becoming just another brand in an ocean of brands.
How much is blending in costing your brand? Potentially a lot.
Personally Branding Your Business
If your business is just you or you’re aiming for a personal brand only, you may be better off representing your business with your face than a logo. You can use some simple text with your name and a professional photo of yourself. That can define you well and make you instantly recognizable.
People connect instantly with faces, too, that could be a huge benefit to your brand.
Your public facing brand that people will see should get a larger part of your initial investment budget than many things. Your online brand will set the stage for your business for many years. You want to be seen as professional, valuable, and trustworthy. A logo can say all those things about you.
If you do go the cheap logo route, there are some dangers to be aware of.
Dangers of Cheap Logos
There are potentially a lot of hidden dangers in getting a cheap logo. Not all places you can buy a cheap logo have the same worries, though.
With websites like Fiverr, you’re at the mercy of the designer. While Fiverr does have policies discouraging copyright infringement by designers, it can’t prevent it.
Be careful of legal issues with a cheap logo, the designer might not know about US copyright laws. Click To TweetAdmittedly copyright issues can arise from any designer but they are less likely working with a designer from your country because they will be aware of copyright laws there.
Because you hired a designer to do your logo it doesn’t make you immune to a legal problem arising from it so be very careful.
When working with a cheap logo designer, it’s sometimes not clear who you’re working with in many cases and they usually come from other countries.
Copyright with images is always an issue and especially so when you’re dealing with people from countries that don’t have very stringent copyright laws. You could find yourself in trouble with a company or person who owns the copyright to an image in your logo. That means you can’t rule out a costly lawsuit claiming you profited from their work. That’s not good.
You wouldn’t steal something then drive around with it on the top of your car, would you?
That’s pretty much what you could be doing and not even know it. You’re just as responsible, though.
Summing It Up
Your logo is the most visible part of your brand online and offline too. By purchasing a cheap logo, you risk representing your brand as cheap also.
There’s a balance between buying cheap and getting value for your money. Cheap often doesn’t have lasting value where a professional logo does. Also, a professional company takes the time to understand your business goals, what your business is all about, and how they can help you meet your goals.
You will get more for your brand out of a $750 logo than you will out of a $5 logo if you work with someone who wants to learn about your brand. Spending more than $1,000 may have diminishing returns for a small business, though.
Large brands have spent upwards of 200 million for a redesign of their logo while others have spent $0. Twitter picked up their original bird logo from iStockPhoto for a minuscule $15. That’s unusual but it can happen. Most large companies spend in the thousands to million dollars for logo design.
You ultimately have to weigh going cheap on a logo vs spending some money up front. A logo should feel like your small business and represent it in some way.
If you’re not sure how well your business is represented online, it’s time to get a free personalized Online Presence Report. I will analyze your brand online and let you know ways you can help grow your brand presence and recognizability online.