Building a Strong Brand Identity: DIY vs. Professional Branding

“People don’t buy products, they buy brands and what the brands stand for,” as Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, famously stated. And he’s right, spending decisions are significantly influenced by the customer’s perception of a brand. If a customer can relate to the brand’s value and story, it helps them to connect to the brand and they are more likely to buy. Branding plays a huge role in creating an identity for your brand and is one of the foundations of your business’s marketing. As we discussed in our previous article: Branding and why it’s so important for your business, branding helps increase your brand awareness and recognition, improves your relationships with customers and inspires their loyalty, it enhances your authority and your credibility in the industry, plus it can motivate your staff and help attract top talent to your business. That’s why it’s so important to have a well-developed brand.

In recent years, the rise of the “startup hustle” mentality has seen founders wanting to do everything themselves. Not content to create their own products and services, and with a mindset of wanting instant gratification, they set to work designing their own logos for their business. But is DIY branding a good idea or is it best left to the professionals? – this is the topic we’ll be discussing in today’s article.

Should you DIY your branding?

There was a time, where if you wanted to create your own branding, your options were limited. When creating a brand identity often meant two choices: cobbled-together designs using basic clip art in office suite software like Word or Publisher, or tackling complex and expensive professional software like InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop.

Today, a plethora of user-friendly design tools and AI platforms like Canva and Adobe Express have emerged. These platforms promise to make the design process much easier and more accessible for everyone, with drag-and-drop functionalities and readily available templates. Understandably, the allure of these tools is strong. The ability to create professional-looking results without needing extensive design experience is certainly appealing. However, the question remains: are DIY design tools the right move for a professional brand?

The advantages of using DIY Design Tools for your brand:

  • Cost-Effective: These platforms and tools are often free or offer affordable subscription plans, making professional-looking designs accessible to any budget.
  • Beginner-Friendly: No design expertise is required. Pre-made templates and intuitive drag-and-drop functionalities make it easy to create designs, even for beginners who have no design experience.
  • Faster Creation: Gone are the days of starting from scratch. Pre-designed templates and readily available design elements allow you to swiftly bring your brand vision to life, saving valuable time.
  • Collaborative Features: Many design tools enable seamless collaboration allowing you to share your designs with team members and receive feedback in real-time.
  • Accessibility Anywhere: Cloud-based design tools allow you to access and edit your projects from any device with an internet connection, offering incredible flexibility.

The disadvantages of using DIY Design Tools for your brand

  • Difficulty Standing Out from the Crowd: With so many businesses using the same template library, it can be challenging to create a truly unique brand identity. The sheer volume of similar designs makes it harder for your brand to stand out and capture attention.
  • Copyright Concerns: When using stock photos and design elements, it’s crucial to be aware of licensing restrictions and copyright ownership. If you don’t have the proper rights this could put you at risk of legal wranglings.
  • Limited Export Options: Some design tools offer limited export formats and resolutions. This can restrict your ability to use the designs in different contexts or print at high-quality.
  • Design Limitations: While templates offer a starting point, extensively customising them or crafting designs from scratch can be challenging without design knowledge. This can lead to amateurish-looking visuals that could potentially damage your brand image.
  • Restricted Typography Options: The selection of typography available within a design tool might be limited. This could restrict your ability to create a brand identity with a strong and consistent typographic style.
  • Technical Shortcomings: A lack of design knowledge can lead to technical issues. For example, using a raster format like JPG instead of a vector format like SVG can result in pixelated graphics when scaled, compromising the professional look of your brand.
  • Reliance on Stock Elements: Design tools rely heavily on pre-existing stock photos and design elements. This can limit the originality and impact of your brand visuals, especially if competitors are using the same elements.
  • Content Removal Risk: There’s always a chance that stock photos or design elements might be withdrawn from the platform’s library. This could pose a problem if your logo or key branding materials rely on such elements.

Why choose professional branding by Glued?

Whilst you can choose to create your own branding using the tools widely available, the limitations mentioned above can hinder your ability to create a truly impactful and strategic brand identity. Your branding reflects who the business is, what it stands for and where it sits within the market. Customers are also used to seeing branding on a daily basis, they have expectations and pre-conceived notions based on how a business presents itself to the world. Weak branding could therefore be costing you money so designing your own logo could be the most expensive free thing you ever do!  With so much depending on your branding, it’s important to get it right which is why you should consider outsourcing to a professional. After all if you want a professional result, you need to hire a professional to create it and that’s where we come in.

Glued: Unveiling Your Brand’s Hidden Potential

At Glued, we believe that every business is different. We don’t believe in using the same marketing approach with every organisation we work with. Instead, we delve deep to get under the skin of your business to uncover its essence. Why? Because it’s very difficult to build a powerful brand without truly knowing your business so we need to understand:

  • Who you are: Your core values, mission, and what makes you tick.
  • What you do: The specific products or services you offer and how they make a difference.
  • Why you do it: The driving force behind your business, your passion, and purpose.
  • What sets you apart: What makes you valuably different and helps you to distinguish yourself from your competitors.

Our Process:

To achieve this, we conduct in depth research into your business which includes:

  • Deep Dives: We analyse your business, your ideal client, and in some cases your competitors.
  • Uncovering Passions: Through workshops and interviews with members of your organisation, we discover their shared vision and passion.
  • Research: We conduct brand audits, audience research, and discussions with senior figures to build a comprehensive picture of the business.

Because every business is unique, our approach is flexible. Some clients need a brand refresh, while others seek a total overhaul. Whatever the project, our research will uncover the essence of your organisation as one of our clients, Walker Institute, discovered when we worked with them.

CASE STUDY: Walker Institute

The Foundation for Success

The insights we gather become the foundation of your brand’s marketing strategy and we use this to create brand guidelines upon which marketing materials can be developed. These marketing materials allow us to:

  • Bring Your Brand to Life: Craft compelling messaging that resonates with your staff, existing clients, and future prospects.
  • Develop a Powerful Brand: Build a strong and memorable identity that encourages connection.
  • Elevate your Brand: Create a distinct brand that helps you stand out from your competitors.

Our mission is to reveal a 360 degree interpretation of your brand to the world, that unlocks your business’s inherent value and expresses it in an engaging and compelling way. In this way, we provide you with the foundation your business needs to grow and develop, paving the way to long term success.

The team at Glued don’t just create your branding and walk away. We can become a long-term partner providing you with ongoing support and advice when you need it. In time you might find that your business evolves and you want your branding to evolve with it. Glued can help you adapt and refine your brand, keeping you at the forefront of your industry as University of Warwick Science Park discovered:

CASE STUDY: University of Warwick Science Park

University of Warwick Science Park

Moving on From DIY Branding

While DIY branding tools offer a seemingly easy solution, achieving a truly impactful and strategic brand identity requires expertise, creativity, and a deep understanding of branding principles and that’s where professional branding comes in.

At Glued, we appreciate that when starting out, businesses and organisations don’t always have the budget to outsource their branding leading many to create their own until they are in a position to hire a professional. This was the case for one local charity partner we worked with, Helping Hands:

CASE STUDY: Helping Hands

Helping Hands is a local Midlands based community project which works with the homeless, victims of domestic abuse, and those with drug and alcohol addictions. The community group was started by volunteers in the community who collected donations and promoted their cause on social media. 

Initially, everything was done by volunteers including the creation of logos, flyers, posters, social media graphics etc. The organisation started to grow and evolve and the volunteers developed plans to open a new shop and hub in Leamington.

Realising the shop would be competing with other charity shops on the high street, it was decided that a professional rebrand would be required to give them an edge, making them recognisable and stand out from their competitors.

The team at Glued created fresh and flexible branding for the charity shop with similar branding for the new hub – the Lighthouse – providing the facility with its own personality while also recognising the connection between both. The shift to professional branding quickly had an effect on the organisation boosting brand awareness and recognition making them more accessible for those that require its services. It has also inspired and empowered the team, increasing their confidence to seek further donations, funding, and grants from other agencies. 

Branding – a worthy investment

The story of Helping Hands is a perfect example of the transformative power of professional branding. Building a strong brand isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic tool shaping how your audience sees you. This can feel like a big investment, especially for startups and charities. While a DIY approach can be used initially to establish a basic brand identity, be aware of the limitations discussed earlier, such as time commitment and design expertise.

Ultimately, your brand is one of your most valuable assets making it worth the investment. A professional agency like ourselves can guide you through the branding process, creating a strategic brand identity that resonates with your ideal client and fuels your long-term success.

When you choose to partner with Glued, you gain a team of experts dedicated to understanding your brand’s valuable difference and crafting a visual identity that reflects your values and aspirations. We can help you create a brand that stands out, attracts the right customers, and positions you for sustainable growth.

So, is professional branding a must-have for every business? While the decision ultimately lies with you, understanding the advantages and limitations of DIY branding versus professional services can help you make an informed choice. For businesses seeking to build a strong and lasting brand identity, partnering with a professional agency is an investment worth considering.

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