When you’re looking to uplevel your business with a bangin’ visual brand and graphcis, there are a LOT of DIY branding myths that are simply holding you back from taking the       plunge.

I get it. When you don’t know anything about something, or HOW to do it… it seems pretty far out of reach.

I often think back to the first year or so of running my business. HOLY COW, there was a lot to learn!

You know the quote “You learn something new every day?” 

Well, that was quite an understatement.

There were a lot of things that could have held me back, but instead, the entrepreneur inside me knew that I could figure it all out.

It’s what we do to reach our big goals, right?!

There’s a lot of things that can hold you back when learning how to do something… Things you hear, things you believe, and things you actually feel can all pop-up and keep you from moving forward.

DIY Branding + Design Myths that AREN’T TRUE

  1. You aren’t creative enough to DIY your brand + professional-looking graphics
  2. You need to hire an expensive designer
  3. I just need a logo
  4. You need an art or design background
  5. I don’t have time to create a DIY brand and learn to design
  6. Once you create your brand, it’s set in stone forever

Read on to find out the truth about these DIY branding myths!

If you’d rather watch than read, this video is for you!👇

Are your Brand + Graphics Holding Your Business Back?

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you probably feel like your inconsistent brand (or no brand at all!) and amateur graphics are holding you back from stepping into the business owner you’re meant to be.

It’s not a great feeling. You may even be ashamed and embarrassed to really put yourself out there because you don’t have a professional-looking brand and your graphics look like a 7-year old created them.

The problem is, is that these two things are some of the most powerful assets you can have for your business.​

There are a ton of DIY branding myths and beliefs about designing graphics that you likely have taking up space in your head. I’m gonna debunk the heck out of them so you can finally stop letting them hold you back from taking your business to the next level!

DIY Branding Myth #1: You aren’t creative enough to DIY your brand + professional-looking graphics

I’m just gonna cut to the chase here.

YOU ARE CREATIVE! If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be brave enough to go on this entrepreneurial journey!

You might think that you have no eye for design, but that’s because you don’t yet know what you’re looking for.

I believe that creativity is something that we all have within us. You have magical ideas inside your head, and with a little bit of inspiration and a step-by-step process, you can turn them into something visual. You just need to understand HOW to do that.

Myth #2: You need to hire an expensive designer

While hiring a pro to design your brand is totally an option, it’s by far, the most expensive route. Honestly, you probably don’t have the money for this when you’re just getting started with your business. A good brand designer costs thousands of dollars, and a cheap brand designer… whelp you get what you pay for.

Here’s the good news! You can create a pretty good-looking brand for yourself with the right tools and instructions!

There’s a step-by-step process and all kinds of online resources available that make this something you absolutely can tackle yourself. Sure, it may take you a little time upfront, but the process can actually be quite fun. And as you go through it, you will connect with your business on an entirely new level! You know your business best!

Even if you hire a brand designer, you’re still going to be stuck when it comes to actually creating branded graphics needed to market your business. You don’t want to be paying a designer every single time you need a new graphic created.

DIY Branding Myth #3: I just need a logo

I get it. A fancy logo can really make your business feel “real”, and it’s usually one of the first priorities when starting a business.

But a logo is just a tiny piece of the branding pie. So you have a logo, now what are you going to do with it?

You can add it to your website and put it on your graphics, but THEN what? Your logo is a tiny snapshot of your business as a whole, but your visual brand is what makes you totally unique, attracts just the right people, and truly carries your message into the world in a professional way.

Your brand image should get people excited and curious about what you have to offer. The real magic happens when you combine an entire suite of strategically chosen design elements to create a cohesive experience for your viewers. It will speak to your viewers much more than “just a logo”.

Myth #4: You need an art or design background

My designer friends will probably cringe when I say this, but you don’t need a degree in art or design to create a professional-looking brand and graphics.

It would be helpful, but it’s totally not necessary.

I believe we all have the ability to discover our inner creative abilities. They are there somewhere inside you! You wouldn’t be on your entrepreneurial journey if you weren’t creative!

And because you know your business better than anybody else, YOU are the best person for the job.

Think about this….When you were little, you didn’t know all of the letters of the alphabet, right? You learned them. All 26 of them! Your parents and teachers were able to teach them to you, likely through a song and making visual connections with each letter.

Branding + design is not much different. It’s absolutely something you can learn, especially when you have a process to follow and know what things are going to make the biggest impact in your business.

DIY Branding Myth #5  I don’t have time to create a DIY brand and learn to design

I get it! Making the decision to DIY your brand can feel really overwhelming and like such a time commitment.

DIY Branding isn’t a quick process, but what I can promise you, is that once your visual brand is complete and you have everything in your toolkit ready to implement, the time you’ll save long term is incredible.

So while it may seem like a HUGE time investment upfront, it will pay for itself time and time again for the life of your business.

Here’s the thing, if you sit back and wait for the right time, DIYing your brand is something you’re going to keep putting off.

And that won’t do your business any good at all. In fact, it could actually hinder your success.

BONUS Myth: Once you create your brand, it’s set in stone forever

Ohhh commitment issues, anyone?! Part of the stress about DIYing your brand and applying it to all of your marketing goodies, are the decisions that need to be made.

Choose colors, choose fonts, choose imagery. Create a logo.

Well, what if you make the wrong choice?

Here’s the thing: there’s an intentional way to make these choices and it’s done in a very strategic manner.

So when you think about choosing fonts and creating a color palette without knowing WHY you’re choosing what you’re choosing – of course, you’re not going to feel confident about your choices!

But when you do it strategically, you can be confident that the choices you make do represent your brand and are something that your audience will connect with.

Oh, and I should also add-in, that your brand is a living, growing thing, just like your business. Over time, you can change things, add things, and do away with things if they aren’t doing their job anymore.

Your visual brand is NOT concrete. It WILL change and evolve over time and it’s okay to tweak things along the way. (just don’t go changing things up ALL the time!)

There Are a lot of Myths About Branding + Design, But They Simply Aren’t True

There are a few paths you could take:

You can continue hacking your way through creating inconsistent graphics that don’t represent your own unique brand and look totally unprofessional…making every.single business-building task less effective and more time-consuming… Feeling stuck. Frustrated. Unseen and unheard.

You can hire a designer with a hefty price tag ($2,000 and up!) who will create a beautiful brand for you. Opt for a designer that charges less and… well, you get what you pay for.

Or you can take the DIY route, which is the most fun and most affordable option. You can take charge, amplify all of your marketing efforts and connect with your business on a deeper level. The end result is an affordable brand and the ability to create consistent and professional-looking graphics to market your business! You’ll feel confident, empowered, and unstoppable. It’s next-level YOU. (To take this route – you gotta believe that everything I’ve talked about in this article are all DIY branding myths!)

Think about where you want your business to LOOK like six from now. Heck, think of how you want to look just ONE month from now.

For a step-by-step plan to get there, Download my free Brand + Design Roadmap where I’ll show you a peek into a 4-part branding + design system you can follow to create a recognizable brand that attracts your dream viewers, increases credibility, and makes growing your business through graphics design something that’s totally possible!

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