How to get a logo, colors and images for your website and pitch deck.
There was a day when you could pitch your new business idea, or even launch a new product without putting any time and attention into the look and feel of your brand. However that's no longer true; even pitch decks are starting to resemble curated magazines. If you want to be taken seriously, then you will need to put a little energy into developing some essential brand assets.
For the next few minutes, we are going to walk you through some different ways that you can create the basic brand assets that you need at the lowest cost possible. We will also give you some tips and tricks to help you avoid some common pitfalls that founders and startups often run into when it comes to early-stage brand development.
Let's define the brand: Your brand is the real estate that you are on in the minds of the people you serve.
Now most people wouldn't use that definition of a brand. Brand is often thought of as the look and feel of your business or organization. This usually means that your brand is thought of as the logo, colors, imagery, and words that your company uses. But the ultimate goal of a brand is to create an impression in the minds of the people you serve. And ultimately, the greatest test of a brand is whether or not people think of your company the way you want them to. That's why we define a brand the way that we do.
It's not your baby! Well, your business is kind of your baby, but early-stage brand development is an area where it's important to step back and be objective. And the best way to be objective is to start by asking this question: what does my business need to look like to be taken seriously?
As a startup, one of the greatest hurdles will face is credibility. Do your customers believe that you can do what you say you can do, not to mention investors and potential partners. So the first hurdle in early-stage brand development is determining what you need to do to ensure that your company looks and feels credible. For now, we're focusing on your logo and other basic brand assets.
The logo you use right now does not need to be the one you use for the next ten years. It's important to think of your business growth in stages. All you're looking for is a logo that will help you communicate credibility and get through the first stage of your business launch. Once you have the excess cash flow, you can begin messing around with the perfect logo for your company.
You have two options, you can license a premade logo, or you can have a logo made. But before you make any decision about your logo, it's important to do some research. At StackDeck, we love the phrase popularized by Austin Kleon "Steal like an artist." Your first job is to look around at comparable companies whose logos you like. Pull together as many screenshots as you can for inspiration. Once you think you have a general idea of what you're looking for, you can move on to the next step.
This is by far the simplest approach and the most cost-effective. We have a number of sites listed below or you can go and shop for a premade logo.
Logo is us - Get unique pre-designed logos and own them forever.
Logomood - Search by category and choose between exclusive and non-exclusive logos.
Envato Market - Envato sells way more than just logos, so they are a great place to look for any graphic, web or video templates you need. We will tell you more about leveraging marketplaces like Envato later.
Etsy - Etsy is not known for logo templates since they are a makers marketplace and sell virtually everything creative people can make. Most of the logos on Etsy seem to cater more to creative professionals and smaller boutique businesses but usually, you are dealing directly with the logo creator, which can make customization easier.
There are lots of other sites to look at, and a simple google search will provide you with more options for buying premade logos. Most of the stock photo sites now sell premade logos as well. Be aware that not all sites are selling their own logos (like stock photo sites); this means that the logos they are selling will likely appear on other sites for sale.
Suppose you feel like you have a clear vision and direction for the type of logo that you want, and you aren't able to find that on the premade logo marketplaces. In that case, it might be a good idea to consider hiring a designer. But hiring a professional designer does not have to be expensive. In general, getting a custom logo can range anywhere from $50-$50,000, depending on who you work with. So it's important to decide how much you're willing to spend before you get started. Once you've decided on a budget, it's time to start looking for a designer. Below are three of our favorite options when it comes to finding new creative talent.
Fiverr - A freelance services marketplace.
Dribbble - Portfolios and contact info for top talent designers. Be aware that you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to access designer catalogs and contact info. If money is no object and you need the perfect logo, then Dribbble is a great place to start.
Upwork - Find and work with an independent talent for virtually any skill, yes, even creating logos.
One advantage to get a custom logo made through working with a designer, Is that as you need additional graphics in the future you can easily go back to your original designer. They should have your logo on file and easily be able to create other graphics that match the brand style of your logo. Most designers will also help you in choosing your brand's primary colors and font(s). Suppose that's not included in your final logo delivery. In that case, it's worth asking for and possibly paying a little bit more to get.
And that brings us to type face and colors. Don't spend too much time and energy at this point in getting the perfect color palette and typeface. If you didn't hire a designer and therefore can't ask them to provide you with recommended colors and typeface, then the next best option is to "steal like an artist. While you can't use another brand's logo, it's fine to use similar colors and typeface to another company. However, you should only do this so long as that company is not a direct competitor in the same field as you.
Another approach is to hire a designer to help you select your colors and typeface. Just remember that not all designers are masters of typography, so be sure that they specialize in this type of work before you go with them. Designers also have distinct styles, so it's important to look at the designer's work's style and ensure it's in line with the style you want your brand to have.
Once you have a brand style guide, it's important to stick with it. Everything from your website to your pitch deck and marketing material will have the same look and feel to create a cohesive brand experience.
Nowadays, your brand needs pictures; whether for social media, your website, or your marketing material, pictures make everything better. And fortunately, high-quality Brand images are easier and cheaper than ever to get. "Stock photos" have improved dramatically over the last five years in large part thanks to companies like Unsplash. Now you can license for free professional photographs taken by photographers from around the world. The important thing to avoid when dealing with stock photos is the "over perfected" look that comes from studio photography. Your business needs to feel like it exists in the real world, serving real people. Fortunately, sites like Unsplash feature very little of the "over perfected" studio- style photography that corporate marketing has made us all hate. Below are some free stock images sites.
Unsplash - Our favorite source for freely-usable images
Pexels - A great source for free stock photos.
Burst - Free photos for websites and commercial use.
Stocksnap.io - Another great option for free photos.
Now just because Unsplash is the new leader, it doesn't mean that there's not a time and place to pay for stock images. If you can't find what you need, then it's a great idea to check out some of the leading pay-to-license sites. Just be careful not to get images that feel like they belong on a corporate website ten years ago. Below is a list of the site you can look for images on.
Adobe Stock - Has one of the largest libraries to choose from.
Shutterstock - Is one of the biggest premium stock image sites.
iStockPhoto - One of the longest-running websites for buying premium stock images.
EyeEm - Great solution if you want to actually own the image, but be aware this will cost you much more per image than licensing the photo.
If you're planning to use social media as a part of your business, then free stock photos will be an invaluable resource. Whether you need photos for an ad or your regular posts, free images are a God-sent. You might not be aware that many businesses and content creators regularly use stock images (and videos) in their social media, website, and promotional material. Nowadays, the demand for content is so high that it has created an abundance of free images. So you should definitely take advantage of this to give your brand a great look.
How to get a logo, colors and images for your website and pitch deck.
There was a day when you could pitch your new business idea, or even launch a new product without putting any time and attention into the look and feel of your brand. However that's no longer true; even pitch decks are starting to resemble curated magazines. If you want to be taken seriously, then you will need to put a little energy into developing some essential brand assets.
For the next few minutes, we are going to walk you through some different ways that you can create the basic brand assets that you need at the lowest cost possible. We will also give you some tips and tricks to help you avoid some common pitfalls that founders and startups often run into when it comes to early-stage brand development.
Let's define the brand: Your brand is the real estate that you are on in the minds of the people you serve.
Now most people wouldn't use that definition of a brand. Brand is often thought of as the look and feel of your business or organization. This usually means that your brand is thought of as the logo, colors, imagery, and words that your company uses. But the ultimate goal of a brand is to create an impression in the minds of the people you serve. And ultimately, the greatest test of a brand is whether or not people think of your company the way you want them to. That's why we define a brand the way that we do.
It's not your baby! Well, your business is kind of your baby, but early-stage brand development is an area where it's important to step back and be objective. And the best way to be objective is to start by asking this question: what does my business need to look like to be taken seriously?
As a startup, one of the greatest hurdles will face is credibility. Do your customers believe that you can do what you say you can do, not to mention investors and potential partners. So the first hurdle in early-stage brand development is determining what you need to do to ensure that your company looks and feels credible. For now, we're focusing on your logo and other basic brand assets.
The logo you use right now does not need to be the one you use for the next ten years. It's important to think of your business growth in stages. All you're looking for is a logo that will help you communicate credibility and get through the first stage of your business launch. Once you have the excess cash flow, you can begin messing around with the perfect logo for your company.
You have two options, you can license a premade logo, or you can have a logo made. But before you make any decision about your logo, it's important to do some research. At StackDeck, we love the phrase popularized by Austin Kleon "Steal like an artist." Your first job is to look around at comparable companies whose logos you like. Pull together as many screenshots as you can for inspiration. Once you think you have a general idea of what you're looking for, you can move on to the next step.
This is by far the simplest approach and the most cost-effective. We have a number of sites listed below or you can go and shop for a premade logo.
Logo is us - Get unique pre-designed logos and own them forever.
Logomood - Search by category and choose between exclusive and non-exclusive logos.
Envato Market - Envato sells way more than just logos, so they are a great place to look for any graphic, web or video templates you need. We will tell you more about leveraging marketplaces like Envato later.
Etsy - Etsy is not known for logo templates since they are a makers marketplace and sell virtually everything creative people can make. Most of the logos on Etsy seem to cater more to creative professionals and smaller boutique businesses but usually, you are dealing directly with the logo creator, which can make customization easier.
There are lots of other sites to look at, and a simple google search will provide you with more options for buying premade logos. Most of the stock photo sites now sell premade logos as well. Be aware that not all sites are selling their own logos (like stock photo sites); this means that the logos they are selling will likely appear on other sites for sale.
Suppose you feel like you have a clear vision and direction for the type of logo that you want, and you aren't able to find that on the premade logo marketplaces. In that case, it might be a good idea to consider hiring a designer. But hiring a professional designer does not have to be expensive. In general, getting a custom logo can range anywhere from $50-$50,000, depending on who you work with. So it's important to decide how much you're willing to spend before you get started. Once you've decided on a budget, it's time to start looking for a designer. Below are three of our favorite options when it comes to finding new creative talent.
Fiverr - A freelance services marketplace.
Dribbble - Portfolios and contact info for top talent designers. Be aware that you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to access designer catalogs and contact info. If money is no object and you need the perfect logo, then Dribbble is a great place to start.
Upwork - Find and work with an independent talent for virtually any skill, yes, even creating logos.
One advantage to get a custom logo made through working with a designer, Is that as you need additional graphics in the future you can easily go back to your original designer. They should have your logo on file and easily be able to create other graphics that match the brand style of your logo. Most designers will also help you in choosing your brand's primary colors and font(s). Suppose that's not included in your final logo delivery. In that case, it's worth asking for and possibly paying a little bit more to get.
And that brings us to type face and colors. Don't spend too much time and energy at this point in getting the perfect color palette and typeface. If you didn't hire a designer and therefore can't ask them to provide you with recommended colors and typeface, then the next best option is to "steal like an artist. While you can't use another brand's logo, it's fine to use similar colors and typeface to another company. However, you should only do this so long as that company is not a direct competitor in the same field as you.
Another approach is to hire a designer to help you select your colors and typeface. Just remember that not all designers are masters of typography, so be sure that they specialize in this type of work before you go with them. Designers also have distinct styles, so it's important to look at the designer's work's style and ensure it's in line with the style you want your brand to have.
Once you have a brand style guide, it's important to stick with it. Everything from your website to your pitch deck and marketing material will have the same look and feel to create a cohesive brand experience.
Nowadays, your brand needs pictures; whether for social media, your website, or your marketing material, pictures make everything better. And fortunately, high-quality Brand images are easier and cheaper than ever to get. "Stock photos" have improved dramatically over the last five years in large part thanks to companies like Unsplash. Now you can license for free professional photographs taken by photographers from around the world. The important thing to avoid when dealing with stock photos is the "over perfected" look that comes from studio photography. Your business needs to feel like it exists in the real world, serving real people. Fortunately, sites like Unsplash feature very little of the "over perfected" studio- style photography that corporate marketing has made us all hate. Below are some free stock images sites.
Unsplash - Our favorite source for freely-usable images
Pexels - A great source for free stock photos.
Burst - Free photos for websites and commercial use.
Stocksnap.io - Another great option for free photos.
Now just because Unsplash is the new leader, it doesn't mean that there's not a time and place to pay for stock images. If you can't find what you need, then it's a great idea to check out some of the leading pay-to-license sites. Just be careful not to get images that feel like they belong on a corporate website ten years ago. Below is a list of the site you can look for images on.
Adobe Stock - Has one of the largest libraries to choose from.
Shutterstock - Is one of the biggest premium stock image sites.
iStockPhoto - One of the longest-running websites for buying premium stock images.
EyeEm - Great solution if you want to actually own the image, but be aware this will cost you much more per image than licensing the photo.
If you're planning to use social media as a part of your business, then free stock photos will be an invaluable resource. Whether you need photos for an ad or your regular posts, free images are a God-sent. You might not be aware that many businesses and content creators regularly use stock images (and videos) in their social media, website, and promotional material. Nowadays, the demand for content is so high that it has created an abundance of free images. So you should definitely take advantage of this to give your brand a great look.
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