Everybody’s free (to hire a designer) Read with the Baz Luhrmann song ‘sunscreen’ in your head.

Ladies and gentlemen of the business world…

If I could offer you only one tip for your brand,

it would be this:

hire a professional.

You are not as good at design as you think you are.

No, really.

And that’s okay — you’re good at other things.

But if you’re going to do your logo yourself,

please, for the love of your customers,

don’t make it look like you did.

Spend time.

Refine.

Tweak.

Repeat.

The first version is rarely the best —

just like with anything worth doing.

If your instinct is

“let’s just bang something out quickly,”

ask yourself:

what would my customers think if they heard me say that?

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:

your logo, your brand identity —

it is you, when you’re not in the room.

It’s the front door to your business,

the first handshake,

the sign above your shop

even if your shop only exists online.

Get it right.

Look around.

See what others in your industry are doing —

then don’t do that.

Stand out.

Not louder, but smarter.

Make it feel like you.

Make it feel like you give a damn.

Design isn’t easy.

It’s not picking a font and dragging a swoosh next to it.

It’s thinking, listening, questioning,

knowing how colours feel

and how shapes speak

when you’re not there to explain.

Maybe you’ll hire a designer.

Maybe you won’t.

Maybe you’ll DIY it

and absolutely nail it.

But probably not.

And that’s fine.

Still —

if I can offer one piece of advice, it’s this:

hire someone who knows what they’re doing.

They’ll ask the right questions.

They’ll see the blind spots you don’t.

And they’ll do it faster than you ever will.

Also:

Don’t use Comic Sans.

It won’t make your brand feel fun.

It’ll make your audience wonder if you’ve given up.

Don’t pick a typeface just because it’s “bold.”

Don’t use those free logo websites

unless you’re comfortable with

looking exactly like a hundred other businesses

that also didn’t care enough to get it right.

Your logo is not decoration.

It’s communication.

It’s credibility.

It’s your flag in the ground.

So…

Design with care.

Brand with purpose.

And for goodness’ sake,

don’t make your customers feel sad.

Trust me on the typeface.

Want to chat about logo design and branding? Contact me here