No Trees on T's Please!

“How much for a logo?”

I get asked this frequently. It’s usually from someone just starting out, they’ve got a business idea, a name, maybe even a product, and they want a face for it. A mark. A logo. And that sounds reasonable.

But here’s the truth: if you’re building a business and all you want is a logo, you’re skipping 90% of the process. That’s like asking someone to paint the front of a house before it’s been designed, costed, or even structurally sound.

Let’s Break It Down

Here’s how I see branding as a system:

1. The Brand - the umbrella. Everything sits under this.

2. The DNA & Strategy - purpose, values, tone of voice, audience, positioning, and the message behind it all.

3. The Identity – visuals, colours, typography, logo, support graphics.

4. The Logo – a symbol pulled from all of the above. A summary, not a start point.

So when someone asks for “just a logo”, and they haven’t defined any of the above? It’s not really a logo they need. It’s Direction. Strategy. Clarity.

Why Does This Matter?

Because people see your brand before they understand it.

A logo isn’t decoration - it’s a tool. And tools need to be built for the job they’re meant to do. If your audience is confused by what you offer, or if your logo doesn’t carry the weight of your brand’s values, you’ve missed the mark.

I’ve designed for charities, theatres, research orgs - and every time, the logo only worked because the foundation was solid. Because I knew what they stood for, who they were for, and what the logo needed to say without words.

Design Is Not Just “Feeling It”

Here’s the bit that gets to me - there’s this myth that designers just sit there, vibe out, and magically whip up a beautiful logo from thin air. Trust me, gut instinct plays a role. But that instinct has been trained, tested, refined, and built up over years of understanding composition, colour theory, narrative, psychology, and systems thinking.

I design by:

Asking Questions.
Listening.
Understanding
the Client,
the Customer,
and the Context.

Rant Incoming!

Please, I beg, stop turning the first letter of your business into the product you sell.

If I see another “T” turned into a tree for a local tree surgeon, I might actually snap my stylus in half. I get it - it's there, it’s tempting - but it’s lazy. It’s basic. And it’s not branding. Yes, occasionally there’s a clever, subtle use of symbolism that lands just right, but more often than not, it’s just shouting “I use Canva.”

Final Thought

A logo without strategy is just a pretty sticker.

Good branding is earned. It's clarity through design. It’s saying 10,000 words in a single mark. And when done well, it makes a business look like the real deal, even if they’re just getting started.

So no, I don’t just design logos.

I build brand identities with backbone, not just surface polish.

Thanks for reading!

and please…

no more trees on T’s.