Logo design is something that most companies, even new ones, take seriously. Logos offer a visual identifier for consumers, and every element of the logo design is usually considered very carefully. Changing a logo design isn’t done lightly, and when a company does change its logo, the differences between the finished product and the original logo design can seem downright subliminal. So, when Squarespace announced its online logo design tool last week, graphic designers took note.
What’s in a logo design?
The Squarespace logo design tool offers visitors the opportunity to design their own company logo, and for a small fee, the user can purchase a high-resolution version of his or her logo design. The logo design tool is based on a collection of icons rendered by professional graphic designers, and allows users to choose their own icons, colors and text.
As of now, the tool doesn’t allow the user to choose more than one icon, and the number of available icons is, well, limited. The storm and fury surrounding the Squarespace tool is larger than the tool itself. While some designers argue that the tool purports to replace the services of a professional graphic designer, the reality is that the tool neatly illustrates why it’s probably best to work with a graphic design professional to create a company logo.
The limitations of the logo design tool are immediately obvious, even to novice users. Logos made using the tool include only a single icon from a very small collection of possibilities, and users may choose only a single number of icons. The tool also offers a limited number of fonts. These limitations alone open the door to a host of problems for companies who might consider using the tool, not the least of which is that someone else has already “designed” a logo using the same or similar elements, fonts and colors.
By itself, that defeats the purpose of using a logo in the first place. Company identity is exceptionally important, especially in the first stages of building a brand. Further down the road, a company using a “generated” logo may be put in the position of either defending a relatively generic logo in court, or having to adopt a new logo, if another company can successfully defend the mark. It also raises questions of whether or not the product of a logo generator can even be defended in court, since it’s not likely to be uniquely associated with a specific company.
Squarespace isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon. The company has purchased Super Bowl advertising set to air this weekend, but the value that the company brings to small businesses probably won’t materialize in the way the company (or its customers) hope.
If you would like more information about high-quality, affordable and completely unique logo design, branding and marketing, please contact our creative director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation. Grantstreet Creative specializes in creating highly affordable brand identities for businesses of all sizes.
