If you’re new in business then you might have thought about DIY branding design. On the surface, branding is an easy thing to create yourself for your business. Put some colours together, create a logo on Canva and you’re away, right? I don’t doubt that you are capable of creating your branding yourself, but it’s important to realise that branding designers are out there for a reason.
Branding is so much more than just a logo as I mention in a previous blog post, and when creating branding it’s so important to do so strategically and with your ideal customers in mind.
In this blog post, I’ll take a look at the pros and cons of diy branding so you can weigh them up and see whether it’s worth you making the investment in a pro or not. Of course, we’ll cover:
- The pros of DIY branding design
- The cons of DIY branding design
- The pros of hiring a pro
- The cons of hiring a pro
Hopefully by the end of reading this blog post you’ll be able to make an informed decision and also realise why creating a brand isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
The pros of DIY branding design
Maybe you have an eye for design and you’d like to take up the challenge of creating your own branding. It might be where your interests lie and you might even be a designer yourself so this is an obvious decision.
You might be just starting out in which case hiring a designer might feel like a massive expense. Even if your business has been going a while, you still might not have the budget to hire a pro or perhaps this simply isn’t a priority for you.
There are a lot of amazing tools out there that you can use to help you create your branding, so you don’t even have to be a wizard on Adobe Suite. Canva is an amazing resource that you can use for free to create a brand.
The cons of DIY branding design
Creating your branding can be extremely time consuming, especially if it’s not a skill you currently have. You might need to learn how to use new tools and bits of software and you might not be well practiced. It can also be really tricky to make final decisions when designing for yourself if you’re a perfectionist!
It’s likely that you’re creating branding for you, not for your ideal clients. Hiring a designer will ensure that you have another pair of eyes on your business and a strategic look into creating your branding.
Bad design can cost you money in the long run if you create a brand that isn’t aligned with your ideal clients and your mission and goals. If you create a shoddy looking brand that’s an idea half baked, you could potentially be sending the wrong signals out to potential customers and attracting the wrong kind of clients that don’t ‘get you or your business’.
The pros of hiring a pro
A branding designer will have taken the time to work on and perfect their skill. They’ll work with you collaboratively to create a brand that will speak directly to your dream customers and help you stand out in your niche.
Choosing a strategic branding designer means they will take a deep dive into your business, and create a sustainable brand that will start converting leads into clients.
If you hire the right strategic branding designer they will help you in the long term with your business strategy. When you start working with them, they’ll take a deep dive into your business mission, goals and who your dream customers are. These might be things you’ll learn for yourself if you haven’t worked them out already. You’ll learn new skills that you can use to help carry your business forward in the future.
The cons of hiring a pro
The cost aspect, of course, is one of the biggest downsides. As with any investment in your business, paying a designer to create your branding is a risk. This is why it’s important to make sure to do your research and choose the right designer for you who specialises in branding for businesses like yours.
Working with a branding designer is a collaboration between you and them, so you will still need to provide information to your designer. Most branding designers will ask you to complete a brand questionnaire and provide details on your ideal clients, your goals, brand values and your aims. They will also ask that you are in constant contact with them throughout the design process as they will need input and feedback from you at certain stages of the process. It’s important to remember that a designer can’t just go off and create the perfect branding for you without your help and the knowledge that only you have about your industry and business.
So, perhaps by now you have more info on which to base your decision on whether or not to hire a designer for your branding. Or are you ready to take the plunge and DIY your branding design? If you’re still on the fence, why not drop me a line and we can chat about how I can help you create a bold brand that will turn the heads of your dream customers.
