Cheap branding mistakes – aka why Fiverr or hiring your cousin sucks as a branding plan, and why hiring a pro is worth the investment

You need a logo, so you make one in Canva. Or your cousin is “good at art.” Or you hire someone on Fiverr for $20 and hope for the best. "We need a logo, here's a logo. Done, check, moving on."

And honestly? I get it.

When you’re starting out, you just need something. A placeholder logo. A basic website. Proof that your idea exists. But what people think they’re buying when they hire a designer is “ just a logo.”

But what they’re actually buying is strategy, positioning, clarity, and a professional brand that helps customers trust and love you, a potentially life-long investment. I've had lightbulb moment discussions with clients during our branding work that have changed the entire direction of the company and the product. And figuring that out before ordering 50k worth of product... INVALUABLE.

A few of the most common branding mistakes I see from clients:
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“We made it ourselves.”​
No shame there. Most founders start this way. But DIY logos often miss the subtle details that make a brand feel polished: typography, spacing, color, proportions, scalability. Plus, files made in Canva, PowerPoint, or online generators are often not usable for print, packaging, signage, or trademarking later on. And they're often a bit ... BASIC.

→ There's benefit in having a professional creative brain to lean on. I love your ideas, and we can work together to create something truly unique! I will work with you, not against you.

“My friend is an artist and made it for me.”​
Custom artwork is wonderful. But branding is not the same thing as art. A logo has to work strategically, communicate to the right audience, reproduce across every format, and still be legible at a tiny size. A beautiful hand-drawn illustration can become a technical nightmare when it’s time to put it on packaging, shirts, trade show booths, or signage.

→ Your friend can absolutely create custom art we can use – just not in the logo. Custom illustrations for the website and socials, or to use on packaging. It can create a lovely, personality-filled look (without the headaches of trying to make a watercolor illustration to work as a logo).

“We hired someone cheap online.”​
Those five-dollar crowdsourcing websites may feel like a good deal. But for something as important as your logo and brand identity, you usually get what you pay for: generic concepts, stolen ideas, poor file quality, or worse, designs that are too close to someone else’s trademark that'll get you sued.

→ Overseas designers can be great resources for ongoing small tasks once you already have brand guidelines in place.

“We used AI.”​
AI can be helpful for brainstorming or collecting inspiration. But AI-generated logos tend to be generic, hard to trademark, and often full of weird design issues once you look closely. More importantly, AI doesn’t know your audience, your positioning, or what makes your business different, it is literally regurgitating existing ideas. It can generate visuals, but it can’t create a real brand strategy.

→ I'm not a complete AI hater, but branding is too important to leave to AI. It's a tool, but not a replacement for a weird and wonderful human brain, at least not yet.

So what's the solution? (shameless self promo plug)

Wherever you’re at right now, or where you’re going next, my range of service offerings are designed to support your big moves. I offer two levels of branding work, to meet you where you're at:

BRANDING BASIC // LOGO ONLY

Best for those who are just starting out, who need a brand identity they can launch quickly but with confidence.

INCLUDES:

• Creative direction + moodboard
• Two designs, limited revisions
• Logo files
• Color palette (print+digital)
• Typography + Fonts
• Short brand guidelines document

Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks from kickoff​
Pricing: $2,500, split to two installments
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BRANDING // Full Brand Strategy + Suite

A more in-depth project, for a full brand universe system including logo suite, visuals, and strategy. Designed to help you look awesome everywhere.

INCLUDES:

• Creative direction + moodboard
• Multiple concepts, sketches, ideas
• Brand strategy and design thinking
• Logo files
• Color palette (including Pantone)
• Typography system
• Icons, design elements, patterns
• Full strategic brand guidelines document including photography styling, visual design guidelines, and mockup examples

Timeline: 6 to 8 weeks from kickoff
​Pricing: $6,000, split to four installments​
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www.linkedin.com/in/lillikeinaenen

www.changemakercreative.com

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