When I was eleven, my mum bought me the most amazing pair of jeans. They were flared patchwork denim and I thought they were freakin’ awesome.

Cut to: the boy I fancied snidely asking me if my mum had made those for me? and then walking away laughing with his friends.

I. Was. GUTTED.

When I told my mum what happened she chuckled and said “But pet, you’ve got an original style.”

I looked up at her tearfully. “Is that a good thing?!” I asked.

Over twenty years later I can say for absolute certain that YES. That is a VERY good thing.

The Business of Originality

Being true to your originality takes guts because it means being different and standing out from the crowd. As a shy teenager, that’s difficult and uncomfortable. As a small business, it’s a necessity.

If, like me, you’ve read hunners of small business books and blogs you’ll be familiar with the question: “What makes your business unique?” I struggled with this for a long time!

There are thousands of graphic designers out there. There are hundreds who offer logos, branding and print design, and some who also offer illustration services. And a good percentage promise to deliver deadlines on time. What makes me stand out from them?

It took nearly three years, but I finally figured out what it was: my design style.

My style is all about incorporating texture to create depth and ignite the senses in a digital world. I use traditional mediums like watercolour and knitting to create intriguing illustrations that come to life on screen and on paper. Most importantly, I stay away from design trends as a rule, and utilise my instincts and years of experience to inform and craft designs for my clients.

This is what makes me stand out from all the other logo-designing, deadline-meeting graphic designers out there: my point of view.

Show the World Your Point of View

Similarly, there are probably other businesses out there who offer or sell the same thing as you. But they don’t do it with your experience, your passion and your point of view.

We small business owners do this business thing because we are passionate about the products we create or the services we offer. And the luxury of being our own boss is we get to decide how our business is communicated to the world: through our marketing, website and branding.

Going through a branding design process is an incredible opportunity to delve deep inside yourself and draw out things you might not have known, like why you started your business and what happened in your past to truly inspire you to do it. The process has been likened to design therapy (and is just as cathartic!) These engrained passions, values and motivations make up who you are, weaving a complex and exciting pattern of a person and a business owner. And they can be utilised to design a truly unique brand identity that celebrates your point of view.

“Nobody in the history of mankind – past, present or future – will be as good as you, at being you.”
Cory Wong, Companion Pass

Recently I watched an episode of Making the Cut, and the fashion designers had to show the judges two pieces that epitomised their brand.

There was one lovely chap whose designs were… fine. They were beautifully made and looked great – but they also looked like you could pick them up from any H&M shop. They didn’t stand out or make a statement, and the judges were not impressed.

Another less experienced designer was also not a favourite of the judges – they described his pieces as “80s clown”.

However, although the 80s clown aesthetic wasn’t to their tastes, they appreciated that they were being shown a point of view, and felt like Mr Clown Man had something to say – something they didn’t get from Mr H&M’s work.

Mr H&M was sent home.

The same principle applies to branding. It’s so much better to dig into your originality and use your point of view to brand and position your small business, even if some folks don’t like it.

It’s better to say something to the right people, than say nothing to everyone with a generic, trend-led brand.

Why Design Trends Suck for Logo Design

There, I said it. Design trends suck when it comes to logos and branding.

There are two reasons for this:

They don’t last: when the next trendy style comes rolling into town your branding will quickly look outdated, and you’ll need to spend more time and money rebranding.
You won’t stand out from all the other businesses that also utilise that trend, making it more difficult to set your business apart.

Don’t get me wrong, trendy designs look good – I mean, they trend for a reason! But just because they look good doesn’t mean you should use them.

Logo Criteria #1: To Stand the Test of Time

Your logo is supposed to last you a long time. A LONG, long time.

Think about the Coca-Cola logo: it has evolved over time, but it hasn’t substantially changed in over 100 years. It’s now embedded in popular culture and people recognise it immediately.

You won’t get that kind of longevity with a trendy logo design. If your logo is based on one of the Hottest Logo Design Trends of 2022, then it will start to look out of date by 2023, and you’ll have to call in the designer for a rebrand.

Over-saturation will play a part too. Nowadays design trends spread like wildfire, with websites like Canva and Creative Market selling pre-made design templates – making beautiful, trendy designs easily accessible (which, in certain cases, is not a bad thing).

The downside is that seeing the same design style over and over again can become repetitive and a tad boring – two feelings you don’t want associated with your logo or your small business.

If you’re in your business for the long game, your logo needs to be along for the ride.

About ten years ago vintage and retro style badges were all the rage. I’ll admit I designed a good number of logos in this style back in the day.

Logo Criteria #2: To Stand Out From the Others

How can a logo stand out if it looks like hundreds, if not thousands, of other logos?

Because with design trends, it’s not just businesses within your industry you have to worry about: a trendy logo will blend in with businesses from a myriad of other sectors.

Take the current Boho design trend. This celestial and mystical style boasts soft pinks and rich brown colour palettes, featuring stars, suns, moons and delicate hand illustrations, often enclosed in a window-shaped frame and finished with modern art-nouveau style fonts. It’s ethereal, calm, elegant, stylish and beautiful – and I totally get why it’s a popular trend.

Now Boho is having a moment - lots of sun and celestial inspired imagery in delicate fine lines.

However.

This design style could apply to a design studio, a yoga studio, a jewelery brand, a clothing brand, a cafe, a bakery, a beauty salon, a coach, a hairdresser, a fashion brand, a make up artist, a stylist, a marketing company – you get the idea.

In summary: a trendy logo has to work 1000x harder to catch people’s attention.

Your Small Business Deserves a Uniquely Crafted Logo and Brand

Branding your badass biz with a uniquely tailored logo will not only make it visually stand out from others, it will also immediately communicate a sense of originality, and that you have something different and worth hearing to say.

Spending the time and money on a tailored brand identity ensures longevity, and gives you a better return on investment every year you have it. This longevity also builds on your authority and strength of your brand: consistency and recognisability are two key components of a solid brand identity, and every year you have that branding the stronger customer recognition will be.

A logo and brand that is designed around your offering, your values and your point of view, will be deeply rooted in authenticity and will long outlive any design trend that comes along.

Also, you’re an awesome small business owner with a ideas, passion and drive. Why would you want to look like anyone else?

Why Originality is SO Important for Logos and Branding