The other day, a friend told me that there’s a company selling logos online for $5 a pop. Five dollars! I can’t beat that price. Should I be worried? Are cheap online logo makers destroying the market for quality graphic design in Vancouver?

I don’t think so. Because people who’d buy a logo for $5 are not my market. People in my market know that you get what you pay for.

And if you pay $5, what kind of a logo will you get? Will it look okay? Maybe. But a logo shouldn’t just look okay. It’s your identity. It should help tell your story.

1. Your Logo is Your Identity

Is a $5 logo going to help tell your story? No. A company that charges $5 doesn’t have the time to create that kind of logo (or the time to find out what your story is, for that matter).

2. A Logo Without Branding is Just a Picture

Even if you did get that kind of logo for $5, then what? You’d still need to make it work from a branding perspective. In other words, you’d still need to decide how to use the logo to tell your story.

3. No Training on How to Use It

So where should the logo appear on your posters or your packaging or your website? How should the logo connect to other parts of your story, like your slogan? Your brand is the story that makes your logo mean something beyond its shape and colour.

4. Many Cheap Logo Makers Aren’t Cheap

A big reason that cheap logo makers are a bad idea is that they’re not cheap. Many design options will be labelled as “Premium”, and your end result may be trapped behind a paywall that renders all of your customizations useless.

5. Poor Customer Support

You’re not going to get help with branding from a company that sells logos for $5. And without a brand, even a great logo won’t do much for you. It’s like having a great actor but no script.