I have been working with cute brands for the last few years, having studied a lot to improve my skills in this field, and every here and now someone reaches me asking for my help with a business that doesn’t fit my style. Very often, I need to explain that I’m not a generalist designer, that I only work with my own cute style and of course, I also explain the targets/products/business that matches better with my specific design style. With all that said, let’s start with the basics: What is a logo? What should I expect from my brand?
A logo should connect your product to your audience, and you should expect that clients will be lured to your business based on your logo, in other words: the suitable logo will communicate with potential customers and bring them to you.
Can you imagine a lion walking on the North Pole? No, right? It will not survive the cold weather. This is the same thing when developing a brand. It needs to be done right, it needs to be the right style, and it needs to communicate with your audience. Or, it will not survive, and a store that doesn’t sell goes bankrupt.
My style is focused on cute, kawaii, and colorful elements. Because of my round edges, fun color palettes, and cute drawings, my style is perfect for products related to kids, babies, moms and dads, pets, cute and fluffy products, etc… and perfect for a target of kids, women, girls, new parents, etc… So, let’s have an example: Patricia has a pub, where she sells beer and has football every Wednesday on the big screen. The primary audience is men over 40. Can you imagine Patricia using a logo made by me displayed in the pub? Do you think my cute logo will communicate with their customers? NOPE. My style is too cute and for a younger audience. For Patricia, the best should be to look for a designer that is minimalist, clean, has strong lines, and good with calligraphy to do an amazing logo for Patricia’s business.
Now, let’s talk about Edward.
Edward has a business on Amazon where he sells products to help new moms and dads with their babies. Products like the right baby bottle accordingly to baby stage, baby carrier kangaroo style, informative books, etc… Do you think my style would be the right one? Yes, because my style would be so cute and communicates so well with this type of product and target, it will be an amazing match.
A brand is the most important element of the business, is what should draw people to you in the first place, to meet your business and products. There’s a common phrase that says: the first impression is the last impression. Ans this makes all sense when talking about your brand, this is the first contact a potential client will have before contacting you or accessing your social media and deciding to buy a product.
Don’t do things in a rush, take the time to choose the right designer for your project, ask for the portfolios, ask questions, etc… If the designer is good they will say it is a project that matches their style or not.
You as a client also should do your homework like: search for references, gather information, meet your target, look for some competitors to see how their logo is, etc… You should be thinking right now “Why should I spend my time gathering information like this? Is this not work for the designer?” – NO. A designer uses a digital tablet or iPad to work not a crystal ball. We do not guess what your technical information is. The most you know, the most accurate the work from the designer will be. The right is to both work together, not apart.
Also, is always good to learn new things, and if you are looking for some extra content, like knowing the most common terms in graphic design you can click here, I have exclusive content for people that wants to understand better the graphic design world. But I also have several free posts with some hints and information about graphic design here on the blog like this post about types of logos or this one about the difference between PNG and JPG 😉
I had spent a lot of time (and money on courses) to improve my skills and deliver the best result to my clients. And like to be honest with my clients, if it is not a project for me I’ll decline, because I know that a logo needs to be more than just pretty, it needs to be bound with the target, and if I’m sure my style is not the right one, I’ll be clear about it. I do not do what I do focusing on the money, I do because I love to see ideas coming to life in a cute way, I love when people say that my designs bring smiles. I love when people say that the new brand made by me is a success. I want your new brand to be a success, so I decline some projects when I know my style doesn’t fit the audience.
Well, see you in the next post or project perhaps 😀
