We all know some “good deals” when it comes to design. I am sure you have heard fivrr.com and logogenie.com. Oh, Right! With the new technology of Artificial Intelligence, we now have $10 ai logo design service too with tailorbrand.com. If you research and compare some of the “cheap designs” with the famous company designs, many of these are not too bad for small business with a budget. However, why is the design work priced so differently in this creative world, from $5 to $1B (yes, the Rebranding of Symantec – Total Cost: $1,280,000,000). There is a magic word called, BRANDING.
For $5, you get a flat image, and for $1B (or less, joking!) you have a full head to toe makeover from signage, business card, to the embroidery on your employee’s polo shirts. How we see branding is very much your personality + your look on daily basis. People will remember you from your appearance and get close to you because of your personality. Same thing in the business world, clients will remember you from your branding look and purchase your services or products because of the quality and function. How branding related to your logo is like how your face looks related to your overall style. The logo is one of the things will be used for thousands of times and for many years. It is a tattoo on your product. Clients will remember the color and the shape of the logo, and every time they see it they will recall the feel and the memory of using the business services or the products.
In the world where every business is finding a live presence, including website, billboard, or business stickers, etc., it is necessary that their presence is well reached out to the right market and get into their memories. From a startup to an established organization, every institution is looking for better ways to attract their target customers. When you visit a business website, you will hold the integrity to stay in a web page if and only if it is well constructed, visually comfortable, and is providing what you are looking for.
Sure! We can get some cheap designs overseas and still in decent condition. While, now think about the communication, time difference, and the un-stoppable revisions that may cause the emotion frustration and stress. Worth it? Many organizations just want a visual presentation of their business and it doesn’t matter for them on how their logo looks like as they probably invest in some low-cost graphic designing. It is the phase of opportunity cost.
Opportunity cost is the phenomenon when one looses other alternatives over the selection of one alternative. The business organizations in choosing low-cost creative work loose all other alternatives that can really help them boost their business. While you are busy enough to focus on serving your clients and producing your product, why would you spend more energy and time on something you are not good at just to pay less? By hiring a local (yes, we advocate the term LOCAL) creative professional, you will save your time to service more clients and making more merchandises. These are the key of business owner’s value.
Here are some of the factors that advocates why investing in low-cost graphic design is not the good choice:
Branding is all about the impression!
You only get one chance to portray yourself as the best. When you present your business in front of others, it should be lucrative how you present your business. People will only notice you if your appeal is great. The presentation is all that matters. If you think that you will invest in some low-cost graphic design to sell your business, you might have walked your business to a cliff. If a designer cannot get his/her life together with a decent financial support, he/she will not likely to treat the design with heart and soul because he/she is struggling with bills. Do you want to pay less to get something made without strategy planning? As you know that a visual presentation is necessary to make communication with the consumers and the consumers will only want the best value, so, if your business look doesn’t intrigue them, then you are at the dead end in your business.
A low-cost design is difficult to translate to a full business identity.
Research shows the more you show up, the more likely people will remember you. After the first impression, it is now about the reminder. With the help of a thoughtful design, you can reach out to your target audience in no time because the creative concept will trigger the subconscious to recall the first impression. Through your business identity, the consumers will know all about the services you sell. With the cheap design sites like Fiverr and logoin30minutes, they offer cheap and quick design works that sound like a great deal to business owners. However, think about it, can you even explain what your business does in 30min to your clients and make a successful deal for $5? Doesn’t make sense. It is important to make sure your logo is recalling the good feeling and good memory. A low-cost logo will very likely to the first thing the target clients don’t like and every time they see it, they remembered the awful feeling. Your clients are looking for that particular product that will help them in their specific needs and with your low-cost business identity; you will definitely fail to attract customer attention. If a business is not well-branded and fails to tell what your company actually does, the visual presentation will make the business have an awful reputation.
Local creative professionals know your market better than others.
One of the interesting new design business online is called designpickle.com. They have an oversea team in Philippine and offer very cheap design to small business $370/month. I personally think it is a way to go for much small business due to the high cost of hiring a full-time designer. The problem is how can you hire someone oversea to dress your look when they don’t know what occasion you are attending? It is always a good idea to hire locally when it comes to branding because it is tightly related to the culture, the community, and the familiarity. The local does not mean a small town or a city, it means more related to the culture and the understanding of the market. Anyone can draw a grape and say it is a logo, but oversea designers would not know deeply what it means to the local market, the people who eat the grape, and the meaning of the business. Also, a local designer could have the connection all ready to help you promote and act as your referral channels. Your logo will be on his/her portfolio and other local business will give credit to both of you right away!
Conclusion
In conclusion, excellent visual aid is as much necessary as the content of the business. A solid graphic design will ensure that the customer will at least spend some time browsing your website, know your product, and remember your logo. The usage of precise colors, imagery and typefaces will help your visual identity look brighter and appealing. Your logo will forever be set in the minds of the user and they will think about it all the time whenever they need it, which will result in increasing the sale of your business and ultimately helps in branding. Low-cost designs will only keep your business away from the customers.