The expensive cost of cheap stock logos

Should you buy a cheap stock logo?

Cheap budget logos? You say yes? We say no, and here’s why…

So, you started a company and came up with a name that’s so clever you would make Steven Hawkins proud! Great! Now what?

At this point you now need to build a brand.  Your brilliant new company is going to take the world by storm, and you need a logo! Your budget is limited so you look for low budget:

Looking for a cheap, budget logo design

Option 1: Search for cheap budget logos and choose a website that advertises that they can do a logo for you for $5. Give yourself a fist pump, click your heels and shebang it’s sorted.

Option 2: Sign up to a stock website and download a stock logo that catches your eye and for the same $5. You download it and customise it in Microsoft Paint or PowerPoint and you’re in business.

Option 3: you get a whole bunch of quotes from design agencies to design you a logo. You’re willing to spend a little more than options 1 & 2 as you realise you’re untrained in this department and would prefer to spend your time playing to your skills. The quotes vary greatly from one company to the next. You choose the cheapest one because you’re someone who always likes a good deal.

So what’s wrong with any of these? After all you have limited time and budget and every business is all about increasing the bottom line and getting things done as quickly as possible. Right?

From the outset we want to make it clear that our intension of this article is not to make anyone feel bad or offend, but to inform and to allow you to make a wise decision.

Over the many years of working in this industry we have the luxury of experience and the responsibility to share important facts that will help you and your business and reduce the risks of mistakes that can impact on both your company and bottom line. Halo Media is and always will be focused on return on investment and ensuring best “bang for buck.”

To start with your logo is going to appear on just about everything you do from your website, business cards, letterheads and stationery, vehicles and in some cases ships and planes.

With this in mind we need to ask you an important question: “Is it wise to skimp on such a vital part of your company?”

So let’s have a closer look at option A and B together as the questions are very similar.

OPTION 1 – You commission a logo from a designer on a popular website for $5.
OPTION 2 – You buy a stock logo off the shelf from one of the stock websites. You then edit it in non-design software to achieve your final result.

Important questions to ask your self before commissioning your logo:

1. Are you a trained graphic designer?
2. Do you understand typography and able to make informed decisions on leading, kerning, typeface (font) and colour psychology choices?
3. Have you considered the future use of your logo and how well it will reproduce as embroidery, screen-printed on glass or corporate wear and gifting or cut out of vinyl for signage?
4. How well will your logo reproduce in black & white?
5. Will your logo reduce to the size of a business card and expand to the size of a billboard equally as well?
6. Are you able to compile a logo pack in various formats in CMYK, Pantone, RGB and Hexadecimal for production purposes (Printing, signage companies etc)?
7. As USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is one of the most important parts of marketing, will your logo be unique or look similar to your competitors or other companies?
8. Etc.

When hiring the right professional graphic design team the answer to all these answers will be a resounding “Yes!”

Ask Yourself: “What will it cost you to have to rebrand your whole company after you have printed your stationery, done your signage and then find out you have made a mistake with your logo?”

Over the many years in this business we have heard countless heart wrenching stories that started out with what seemed to be the bargain of a lifetime but turned out to be a very expensive crippling mistake.

When it comes to branding and marketing two of the most important values are USP and consistency.

When we look at other people or companies from the outside, sometimes it appears that success came overnight! However the opposite is often true. Most successful people will tell you that it took colossal effort, time and perseverance to achieve their dreams.

When it comes to starting a new company or reviving an old one, it makes absolute sense to value your time enough to stick to your skill set and allow skilled people to do what they do best.

If you are not a trained Graphic Designer and you are tempted to buy a stock logo or manage the design online yourself, our advice is RUN…!!!

When it comes to design studios who buy a stock logo for $5 and then sell it to you as their own (often for a very handsome profit) our advice is the same…RUN FOR YOUR LIFE..!!!

Are you ready to choose to work with a company who puts YOUR brand first? Get in touch today!

We are recognized as a Top 25 Enterprise Logo Design & Branding Agency on DesignRush