No one wants a poorly-made pair of shoes.
You may have seen ads online promoting creative services for $5 or around that price range, logo design being one of the popular services offered.
Some time ago, I saw one of those ads offering identity development for just under 10 dollars. I tried the service to see how it works and if it’s really worth the small price tag. I did this because I am curious, I was curious about how to approach start-ups and other small businesses that may not be able to afford the high-end costs of agencies and other professional services. Needless to say, the results of my experiment were not impressive. They were not offering full development, but rather amateurish identity systems; a standardized and easy-as-1–2–3 logo of sorts which they can then apply to social platforms and print.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for innovation and giving smaller businesses the ability to at least brand themselves to build the 4 points of brand building— Awareness, Knowledge, Commitment, and Supply Chain Management — Businesses can always spend more money later when they have the capital for such an undertaking. Besides, the brand has to form itself over time, so I do see the benefits of cheaper services, as an idea/intent.
My assumption is these on-demand services get a lot of business from people who are just setting up small start-ups or Mom and Pop shops who need some kind of quick identity under which to start selling their services. These one-stop services found a gap and filled it, they found a way to make quick money. I say to each their own, and we can say, this gap shouldn’t be there in the first place, but I think these gaps are default results, there will never be enough services to actor to everyone…my only focus is always on the value exchange.
‘5’ and ‘5000’ are simply made up of 1s, one has more than the other numerically. It is not the numeric value that counts, only what you get out of spending $5 or $5000.
Value and Quality
The misconception is that many don’t understand the purpose of brand development. I disagree with that, I disagree because if people did not understand the importance of brand development then they would not even spend $5 on it. What people lack is understanding the value of the development process and how to go about it the right way.
I like to use real-life examples to show value and quality, such as buying a car or a pair of shoes. Quality shoes are not so much about the price tag they’re about how well they are made. Likewise, cheap shoes may not be as well made but are easier on your pocket. The final price is just a variable.
A savvy buyer will most likely look at how the shoes are made and compare them to a major brand that may be out of their budget. They would love to spend $5, who wouldn’t, but the better shoes are for $100 and that’s the shoe they want. As far as shoes go, some may say, “you need a pair of shoes so who cares about the price?”
Unfortunately, money does not grow on trees. If you buy cheaper shoes for $5 you may have to buy another pair sooner than you planned, but if you buy a $100 pair of shoes there’s a chance you will have it longer (again these are just examples). If you have the right cash flow you can buy a pair of shoes from a major brand for more money, but the brand has given you a guarantee of quality, reputation — a world-renowned name, and years of experience in shoe-making — and most importantly, a benefit.
All markets need to be catered to, there will naturally be a lower-priced shoe company, and they are still trying to give you a good few rounds in their shoes before you buy another, the point is, we are looking at value, not price, or to say whether luxury items are better than the lower-priced items. Quality is a result of proper manufacturing, price is something else, cheap is a waste of money.
I do not perceive things as inexpensive or expensive. Both are based on budget, but expensive is perceived as not being worth the price. When it comes to good ideas and design, it’s mostly budget.
A smart buyer first looks at the quality of the product. Then they check their budget. They don’t automatically go for the cheapest price, because that price has no guarantee. It is ultimately less money being spent, but that’s a mind thinking about an expense, not an investment. Likewise, we buy cars for similar reasons, we are making an investment in this product so we want it to last and be worth the money. We look for the best car, then we check our budget, not the other way around.
Always max out the idea then cut it down by the real-life budget, if you think small then you will never know what is actually possible.
Quality could be defined by how well things are made, ultimately determining their value. This can be translated to monetary worth compared to other things that are either less or the same in quality.
The Investment
Did you get results from the $5 identity? How much value can you equate to that $5? How much more money did you have to spend to market your product or services after you paid $5 for a logo?
The same questions apply to a $5000 identity. Don’t get me wrong, I know not everyone can afford full brand development in the beginning. However, investing in your brand shows you care about it and the service provider will also see that you’re making an investment and not just paying money for the creation of aesthetics and other deliverables. The $5000 dollar price point has more value, not because it’s more expensive, but because the investment and potential are larger, therefore the service and results must match that value.
In other words, if something costs $5 then pay that, but if the investment is not right then it won’t produce good results. Not enough attention to detail, experience, and care may be applied in order to create a high-quality product/identity. When going about brand development look for the value in what you charge as designers or in what you spend as clients. Shopping by price does not always work because you won’t see what you’re getting or not getting, and no one wants a poorly-made pair of shoes.
That being said, anyone can pay what they wish wherever they wish, but don’t expect or demand the same price from other professionals because it may have cost you $5 at some point.
There are many ways to work with professional services as a small business or start-up. I often advise clients to save some money and dedicate at least 5–15% of their budget to brand development. Oftentimes you need to develop the product or service further before you start. Make some money from a quality product while working towards developing the brand.
“Design can’t rescue failed content” — Edward R. Tufte
Everyone has different models of working within the creative industry, creative services need not be about $5 vs $5000. It needs to always be about value, and the only way to do this is to understand the business side.
Creative professionals need to understand how business and marketing works so they know how to price a project properly and know how to help clients to solve their problems instead of buying “logos in a jar”. This will damn the desperation back to hell. There will be no need to accept projects that only continue to devalue themselves and the industry.
Yes, this process may be harder and take longer but it will be worth it in the long run. Knowledge is always power and the more you know, the more confident you will become. Show clients how to invest in their businesses so they understand the value of proper brand development.
That’s my take on the subject.
