Finding an identity for a startup is like creating a work of art. Everyone starts at the same point - a blank canvas, some take shortcuts or buy something off-the-shelf, while others try to create something that is truly unique and helps define a brand.
You have 99 problems and 99 designs is one of them
Some people claim they can't afford to spend time and money on branding at the beginning of a startup project because "money is always tight", and they "want to be first to market". When you think of how much is riding on your branding though you really can't afford to be cheap with it. The lifetime value of an investment in branding is hard to measure but it can be huge.
But most logos are so simple
Some people might look at the Nike 'swoosh' or the Apple logo say "I could have drawn that". Yeah you could have, but you didn't.
Coming up with something so simple, yet also iconic and original, is much harder than coming up with something complicated. A good rule of thumb for branding is that simplicity always wins. It's also the core tenet of our company and why we call ourselves 'condensed'. Distilling ideas and visuals down to something iconic and timeless is an artform.
everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler - Albert Einstein
You have to start somewhere
Going back to the blank canvas idea, you might wonder how do you go from having nothing to making the right decisions, are there right decisions? How do you know when you are done or if you are on the right track even?
For us, this always comes down to PROCESS. After years of working on brands we've come up with a process that we follow. Not every artist can clearly define or even talk about their process but for us we feel it's the most important part of being able to consistently do great work. You can read a little more about our process for creating startup branding here.
