Strategic branding for your business should equip you with the clarity, purpose, and poise needed to carve out your own unique space in the market.
Good branding is essential to building brand recognition, trust and connection with the right clientele. But knowing where to start can be a challenge, right?
Should you go for a custom brand design or a semi-custom approach? Or, is the DIY solution the right choice? Bottom line, you want to create a powerful brand design that will help your business grow and thrive. This guide will help you understand the pros and cons of each option, so you can make an informed decision about which type of branding is right for your business.
Branding Option 1: DIY
What is DIY branding?
DIY branding is a “do it yourself” option. This means choosing a design platform like Canva to create your logo and branding collateral, then saving the appropriate file types to use in print and on the web.
What should I expect to invest in DIY branding?
DIY Branding for your business is the most inexpensive option for those with a lower budget who aren’t quite ready to invest in custom brand design. If you have the design skills and are familiar with best practices for designing a logo, this may be a cost-effective way to begin your branding. Adobe Illustrator is the standard when it comes to professional logo design. However, there are simpler tools available (such as Canva) for those wanting to dip their toes into the design world.
Although designing your brand yourself may save you money, it won’t save you time! Expect to put forth a significant amount of time and effort, especially if you aren’t familiar with design best practices or using design software. As with many other tasks needed to run your own business, there’s a learning curve involved with logo design and effective brand strategy too. Ultimately, how quickly you finish your branding depends solely on you!
What do I need to know about DIY branding?
Branding your business can be exciting and fun for those who enjoy letting their creative juices flow. However, it’s vital to remember that creating a compelling brand identity may be more challenging than you think. Honestly, nothing is worse than pouring hours of hard work into a brand identity that doesn’t reflect your brand personality or attract your ideal customer. So before you DIY your logo design, do this first!
There’s A LOT to consider when it comes to branding for your business. Beyond the logo design, you’ll want to choose a color palette and font pairings that strategically reflect your brand values and the emotions you want to evoke. You may also want to design a logo submark or alternative logo to use as a stamp or in your website footer.
Understanding the logo file types
If you don’t have any design experience, understanding file types is a practical first step when creating your logo. Here are the six most common logo formats you will need for your business:
- EPS: A scalable vector file with a transparent background; ideal for high-resolution prints (especially large format printing) and when the logo needs to be scaled up or down without losing quality.
- SVG: A scalable vector file with a transparent background mainly used to display graphics on the web. I use .svg files for logos and submarks on websites as well as to create custom icons.
- JPG: A common raster file type with a white background; 300 dpi resolution is best for print whereas 72 dpi is more commonly used for the web.
- PNG: A raster file type with a transparent background; ideal for displaying graphics on the web, not used for print.
- PDF: This format can be a vector or a raster file; The preferred file type for documents that need to be printed and downloaded easily; best for high-resolution printing.
- INDD or AI: File types that can only be used with Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator respectively to modify documents or logo graphics.
Overall, before you DIY, consider your budget, time constraints, and branding goals when deciding which option is right for your business. Hiring a professional is certainly more expensive, but will likely require less of a time commitment from you, and result in a more polished and effective brand.
Branding Option 2: Semi Custom or Premade Brand Kits
What is Semi Custom Branding?
Semi custom branding is a brand identity that’s designed from a template and is usually non-exclusive, meaning other businesses may purchase the same brand template for their business This is an excellent option for businesses that want a done-for-you, professional look without the higher cost of a fully custom brand design.
With semi custom branding, you choose a pre-designed brand kit that you love and work with a designer who will then customize it to fit your brand. This option allows for some design flexibility while maintaining a cohesive and professional look.
How much should I expect to invest?
Honestly, semi-custom brand kits can vary greatly in cost. You can spend $50 for a premade brand kit on Etsy or invest $1,500 for a more elevated branding experience. This is an excellent option if you aren’t ready to spend hours on branding for your business and instead prefer to hand the design over to a professional.
What should I know about Semi Custom Brand Kits?
Remember that semi custom branding may not be as unique as fully custom branding, but it can still effectively represent your business with a professional designer’s touch. Keep in mind that semi custom brand kits may vary significantly in their exclusivity, what can be included, and how much can be customized. These factors will depend on your chosen premade brand kit and designer.
Our semi-custom brand kits are the perfect mix of affordability and elegance—providing you with all the brand assets you need to elevate your business. We offer a one-week turnaround and 1:1 strategy call to kickstart the project, ensuring that we can tailor the design to appeal to your audience and align with your business goals without you lifting a finger.
Branding Option 3: Custom Brand Design
What is custom branding?
Custom branding involves working with a designer to create a completely unique and tailored brand identity. You can expect a fully customized experience from a professional designer that will immerse themselves in understanding the uniqueness of your business, industry, and audience.
Custom branding usually extends beyond mere design to include messaging strategy as well. Here at The Creative Accent, we don’t design custom brands without first doing a deep dive into the business’s goals, ideal clients, and competitors. This is essential to establishing a creative direction that will draw ideal clients in and position the brand for long-term success.
How much should I expect to invest?
Custom brand design can be more expensive, but it allows for maximum creativity and strategic design that’s completely unique to your business. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere between $2,000 to $5,000 or more with a turnaround time of three to five weeks. Fully custom brand design is ideal for full-time businesses wanting to stand out and scale with a one-of-a-kind brand identity.
What should I know about custom brand design?
With fully custom branding, it’s important to take the time to review the designer’s portfolio and connect with them on a call. You should look for a designer who’s style and aesthetic resonates with you and with whom you feel a personal connection. This is essential and will usually result in a smoother, more enjoyable experience for you overall.
Here at The Creative Accent, we offer branding and website design for ambitious entrepreneurs like yourself. Our custom brand design service includes all the design assets you need for your business to create a cohesive experience across all your client touch points. This all stems from our strategic approach to first understand the distinct position in the market your business seeks to claim and bring that vision to life!
Branding is an investment, not an expense
Branding for your business is an important investment no matter which option you choose. When done right, an intentional brand design will not only breathe new life into your business—it will reinvigorate how you connect with your ideal clients.
Choosing between DIY, semi-custom and custom branding ultimately depends on your budget, time commitment, and long-term business goals.
It’s essential to remember the goals of brand design: Recognition, Positioning, and Confidence. Your brand identity should represent a look and feel that resonates with who you are as a business, speaks to your ideal clients, and helps you stand out from your competitors.
Still not sure which branding option is right for you?
Schedule a no-obligation consultation call with Carrie for professional design advice for your business.
