When to Invest in a Brand Designer (And When You Should Actually Hold Off)

I recently worked with Tiffany Khan of Westwind Strategies to up-level her branding that she previously DIY’d. She’s a great example of investing at the right time for her business. Everyone’s situation is different, but in this post I share five rules of thumb for when it is a good idea to invest in a professional brand designer and the top three reasons you might be better off waiting.

Tiffany wrote a blog post (500) Days of Brands that walks readers through the journey of her five brand shifts in the 500 days since launching her business. She shares great perspective on the reality of building a brand as a small business owner who is in the process of establishing a business and inevitably experiencing lots of change and growth along the way.

Initial Westwind Strategies Branding - provided by Tiffany

Westwind Wellness Logo

Westwind Wellness Website Homepage

When to Invest in a Brand Designer

1. You Have a Clear Vision for Your Business
   You’ve spent the time to develop a business plan and understand your goals, target audience, values, and the overall direction that you want to take with your business. You may have been in business for a little while already figuring this out through trial and error or you feel very in tune with your calling, whether you are building a business around a specific skillset or creative craft. A designer can help translate your vision to visuals and a strategy that will help you resonate with your target audience and grow your business.

2. You're Scaling or Rebranding
   You’re past the initial startup and scrapping together whatever you can to validate your business concept and vision. You might be ready to ditch your DIY’d logo and materials or are growing and ready to apply or scale into your next big opportunity. You know that what you’ve done to get to this point won’t necessarily get you to the next level. Whether you are entering new markets, reimagining your business based on your experiences, or experiencing another big change, a designer can elevate your branding to reflect the changes happening.

3. You Want to Stand Out in a Crowded Market
   The success of others in the market might provide validation that your business can succeed. If you’re finding yourself in a competitive space where you need to differentiate yourself and connect deeper with your target audience, a designer can help bridge the gap and raise awareness for your offerings through intentional design.

4. Your Current Branding Feels Inconsistent or Outdated
   At this point, you’ve put in time and energy to your business and things are generally working pretty well. You’re confident that you will keep your business going, but you are feeling like your branding is holding you back. Maybe you’ve evolved or expanded since starting and you realize that your logo and brand aren’t doing your quality of offerings proper justice. A professional designer can help you bring your branding up to speed with the rest of your business and success.

5. You’re Launching a Big Initiative
   You’re going all in on something that you feel confident in and you want visuals and a brand that helps set you apart and build your credibility. While I generally wouldn’t recommend going all in on branding before you launch your actual business, there are some exceptions to this rule of thought, which include receiving grants and external funding for your venture. While branding can be such a huge boost and support for a business, it’s best to validate a business idea before investing beyond the revenue that it is generating. Some good examples of big initiatives are a new product line, big event, or campaigns intended to bring your business to its next level. When you want to focus your energy on these, handing off the design work to a professional will likely serve you well.

Here is a look into the first round of logo concepts for Westwind Strategies:

Round 1 logo concepts

Round 1 logo concepts

The Top Three Reasons You Should Hold Off on Hiring a Brand Designer

1. You're Still Figuring Out Your Business Concept
   You’re truly just getting started, which might mean you don’t know who your target audience is or what exactly you are offering (or what you might offer six months from now). If business models feel like a foreign concept to you, it might be too early to commit to professional branding. Instead, you can start by DIY’ing or even reach out to a professional for a smaller scale service, like a consultation.

2. You Lack the Budget
   Your business deserves the best and sometimes that means having to wait. Quality branding is an investment. One that shouldn’t be taken lightly and shouldn’t compromise the financial health of your business. If you are truly confident that your business will be around longterm yet don’t have the funds just yet, it could be worth exploring payment plans with a designer. The goal of branding is to ultimately increase your bottom line, but investing too soon can put you on a path of higher stress vs. waiting for the timing to be right.

3. You're Not Ready to Commit to the Process
   The reality of quality branding is that it will involve you. Designers require your input and knowledge about your business, offerings, target market, and goals to design something that will serve you well. You have to be ready to provide your input, make key decisions, and carve out time to reflect and engage with the process appropriately. If you’re overwhelmed and unable to commit, you’re likely doing yourself a disservice and may have to redo the process again when the timing is actually right (which will likely have negative financial implications).

Here is a look at the final round of design options for Westwind Strategies:

Round 4 Designs

Custom Pattern Design

Learn more about Tiffany Khan and Westwind Strategies on Instagram @westwindstrategies or at westwindstrategies.com. You can read her post (500) Days of Brands here.

In addition to the Westwind Strategies logo, Tiffany had me create a “Strategize Together” design for her personal brand. It didn’t need to be as refined as the Westwind Strategies brand, so it was a great opportunity to incorporate hand lettering to evoke a more personal, collaborative, and human feel.

Lettering Works specializes in hand-lettered logos and brand graphics to evoke a real, human connection and help brands express themselves more creatively so they can earn the attention of their customers and do better business. We can do more traditional type or illustration-based logo design as well, depending on your unique needs.

Get in touch with Chelsie of Lettering Works to chat about working together!