Let's Talk About DIY Logos

First, let’s talk about the difference between a logo and a brand. A logo is a singular graphic, like a single ingredient in a meal where the brand is the whole meal. Every ingredient works together to create the beautiful flavour profile of the meal. If you create a logo and start making other graphics without considering a branding system, it’s like taking all kinds of random ingredients that don’t combine well and creating a muddy mix. This muddy mix will likely be off-putting and taste weird. Brands based off of DIY logos can so easily turn into muddy mixes like this! 

I understand why startup companies don’t believe they have the budget to invest in a fully refined and aligned branding. They want to focus on more immediate concerns like organizing their business, making the right connections and trying to reach their audience for instance. The thing is, a professional and aligned brand identity will greatly help you achieve all of those things. Having a brand system will help you organize and align all the moving parts of your business for everything from the language you use to the way you market your product/service to informing big business decisions. Branding is framed as a luxury in the eyes of some, but if you are serious about elevating and expanding your business, it can’t be overlooked.

An organized brand system will create a framework that will inform how you structure many parts of your business; the language you use, how you market to your customers and so on. Here is another analogy: not having a brand system is like trying to bake something amazing—but you don’t have a recipe. If you don’t have a recipe, you don’t know what ingredients you need and you don’t know how to consistently achieve the flavour you are going for. You can throw ingredients into a pan, but the final product will likely come out lacking in flavour (muddy mix!). A brand system is like the recipe or series of recipes within that flavour profile and the final refined baked goods are the brand. So for this analogy, let’s say your brand flavour is “blueberry lemon”—your brand could play out in the form of blueberry lemon muffins, blueberry lemon loaf, blueberry lemon doughnuts etc. you get the picture. All brand elements are consistent, feel part of the whole and are carefully crafted to deliver an exceptional (and specific) flavour.

Your brand will also determine what audience you attract to your business. It’s important to know who your target is so you can market and structure your ‘flavour’ accordingly. For example, (continuing with this baking analogy) if the flavour of your business is bubblegum you will likely be attracting a very young audience vs. if the flavour of your business is rum raisin which tends to attract an older audience with an acquired taste. The experience of what your brand looks like and feels like will attract a specific audience to you.

Lastly, as the rule of karma states: what you give is what you get. The type of branding content you put out is the type of customers and connections you attract. So if you put out a muddy mix of content, that is what you are going to attract for your business. We live in a world of short attention spans and we have a small window of opportunity to catch the attention of someone. It is vital that we approach this small window with clear intentions, relevant material and an engaging experience.

If you want your business to stand out among competitors and feel professional and credible, then a branding system is not a luxury, its a necessity. With a refined, organized and relevant brand system you will know exactly how to position your marketing, attract your target and grow your business. There are so many amazing products and services out there hiding behind branding that isn’t aligned. It is my passion to help these companies connect with their audience and be recognized at their full potential. I offer full branding packages to elevate your brand and set you up for success in the long run. My branding packages also include a brand guidelines document that will tell you exactly how to use and implement your brand moving forward.

If you are just starting your business and looking to create a brand identity or you are already established and are looking for a brand identity refresh, reach out to chat about how I can assist you in upgrading your business. You can email me at contact@hayleybarile.com or visit my services page.

♥ Best, Hayley