Let’s reiterate what a logo stands for, a logo is the identity of YOUR business and the face of your brand. It should represent your businesses values, message, style and services. A logo should also be timeless, memorable and designed to attract your ideal target market.

Now let’s discuss what a pre-made “logo” is. A pre-made logo can usually be found on sites like Etsy, creative market, and other freelance sites. Its font can be tweaked to spell your business name and the colors can be altered to fit your style.

Here are the three primary reasons people choose pre-made logos:

• Low Cost ($3 – $20)

• Quick & Easy

• Pretty

If you’re on a tight budget those reasons sure do seem appealing BUT it might not be the best choice for your business.

We are all familiar with the legendary Starbucks logo. You know this logo so well you probably don’t even consider the fact that it’s the face of a billion dollar brand. But what if that logo became available to the public for $20? That means your local coffee shop could use that same logo with a few tweaks, so could a yoga studio, and so could any other business.

You would start seeing it everywhere ! You would see it so much that you forget what it truly means. It is no longer unique, timeless, or an accurate representation of one brand. It is just an image that is used by a lot of different businesses. The brand it once was becomes “faceless” and unidentifiable.

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Let’s say a female owned dentistry chooses to purchase the Starbucks logo. The owner chooses this logo because she thinks its cute and she can’t afford to spend any money on her branding since she is just starting out.

Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with that but what in the world does a girl in a circle (resembling a coffee cup) have anything to do with a dentist? Potential customers who are in need of a dentist are going to pass right by her facility because the logo doesn’t reflect her businesses services, style, message, or values, and it definitely doesn’t attract her ideal target market.

Her customers might even get her logo confused with the other 10 businesses that bought the same logo. They will also have a hard time identifying her businesses advertisements, emails, and announcements because the logo isn’t uniquely designed for her brand.

STOP THINKING YOUR BRAND IS A PURCHASE AND START THINKING IT AS AN INVESTMENT

Branding Specialists spend a lot of time creating a brand that is unique to your business and catered towards your audience, that’s why it is an investment in your businesses future. In the end your brand is going to attract far more clients than the business that purchased a pre-made “logo” (this statement does not mean businesses with a pre-made logo can’t be successful).

So, are pre-made logos really logos? The answer is for you to decide.