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Design Your Own Logo, Save a Buck, Send the Wrong Message

Guest post by: Adam Taylor

Article Overview: Most new and small business owners are faced with the plethora of challenges, not the least of which are advertising and marketing. Making the most of their investment dollar is all-important. Too often, however, the corners that get cut can prove very costly down the road. Saving a buck on professional design services can set a bad precedent and create a stigma that is sometimes unable to be undone. Making the investment in professional design services can be a very wise move for many business owners.

Design Your Own Logo, Save a Buck, Send the Wrong Message

Business owners of today are faced with many challenges, two of which are limited time and limited budgets. These restraints can really influence your advertising, marketing and growing of the business. Unfortunately, the impact is not always a positive one.

If you are a small business owner, chances are you have said (or at least thought):

When it comes to marketing your business, and especially when it comes to logo design, taking the cheapest solution can really thwart your efforts. Before you decide to design your own logo, or hire the least expensive professional to do it, think about the message you are sending.

Reality Check: Imagine you need work done at your house; you are renovating your kitchen. You call three local contractors and ask that they come to the house, assess the work to be performed and provide an estimate. Number one shows up in a new contractor's truck with a colorful sign on the side. He is clean and professionally dressed, and he hands you a nicely designed business card and a full-color brochure along with an estimate. Number two arrives later in an unmarked pickup truck with dirty clothes (OK, so he's been working - you respect that!) He wanders through the kitchen and hastily hands you an estimate along with a generic business card. Number three arrives half an hour late in a rattling, dented car, torn clothing and drops a cigarette butt on your driveway as he shuffles up to the house. He tracks dirt around the kitchen and eventually tells you verbally his estimate, then writes down his number on the back of a receipt and hands it to you.

All things being equal (we're talking about price now), whom do you choose? What kind of impression did each of these people make? Whom do you trust to get things done right?

Advertising is all about perception - establishing trust and credibility with your customers, in an effort to convince them to bring you their business. Do you really want to look like you saved money on your logo? Or does it make more sense to make that important investment and present your company and your services in the best light possible?

This is a crossroads that most business owners will come to eventually. And in the real world, tight budgets and time constraints are very real obstacles. But the truth is, trusting your business' image to a professional design team can be one of the best decisions a business owner can make.

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Article Tags: advertising, business, business card, design, logo, marketing, print, website



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