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How will your shop or blog make its mark on the world? Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned veteran, branding your product is really important to your identity.
I’ve had my Etsy Shop for almost 3 years, and I can tell you that in the beginning I tried to brand myself and my product and I had no clue what I was doing. I researched and took classes on how to do it, but nothing really stuck and it was probably because I wasn’t making many sales.
At the time I opened my Etsy Shop, I was selling at craft fairs and festivals and trying to incorporate my brand into both my shop and street image and it was really tough. I was selling, but I wasn’t recognized for any one thing. I was too diverse and needed a niche.
Six months after opening my Etsy Shop, I stopped going to craft fairs and sold exclusively online. It was difficult to make that decision, but it was a choice that ultimately was the best for my brand.
A year later, I decided that Etsy was the best venue to sell my products. I took a step back from the creative process and took some time to determine what it was that was really selling, what I enjoyed making, and how I could put that all into a tidy package that was my brand.
After a steady holiday season which continued into the New Year, it was time to develop a logo. I hired someone to create the design I envisioned and I couldn’t be happier.
Since getting my logo, I have been advertising a whole lot more. Finding monthly spots on blogs to share my work has been lots of fun. I really want my logo to be seen and since I know it is something I am going to hang onto forever, I’m ready to share it as much as possible.
I’d like to focus a little on what you should exclude when designing a logo. Please, please, please step away from the owls. It is overdone and I have no idea what your shop is selling. If you sell owls or bird products I get why this may be a feature of your logo, but if you are selling darling headbands or gemstone earrings or even printed cards, I’m not getting why you have an owl as your logo or header.
I purchase from Etsy Shops a lot and at least once a month I get a business card with an owl on it. Yes, it is cute, but it in no way distinguishes you from the shop I bought from last month and I am always left to wonder, now which shop did I buy that from?? I am confused and have to go into my records to actually get a name on that shop.
It’s time-consuming and sometimes, I’d rather not go back into my records to find that shop name and that person ends up losing out on an additional sale. Think of how important repeat sales are to your business. Brand your shop with an image that is worth remembering, that sets you apart from all the other who’s out there. Give me a reason to keep your business card, not toss it in the trash with the other owls.
Font is also of supreme importance when designing your logo or shop header. It needs to be legible. Cutesy little curly cues just aren’t going to cut it if you want your shop logo to stand out.
As crafters and handmade artists we want to be taken seriously, yet we portray our image to be something less than what it is. We get upset when we don’t earn what we think we should at craft shows or in our online shops. We under price and undersell because well we get a lot of people who say, I could do that, all I have to do is put an owl on it.
Let’s be real, a lot of people can’t do it and by establishing your brand with a logo that stands out from the crowd, it makes people take notice. They search your card for details and think, I’m going to keep this card just in case I need it in the future.
Look, I love Calvin Klein and while I would love to buy from him every day, I’m just not. Maybe every six months, maybe even once a year, but I’m not going to lose his card. I’d know the CK anywhere and I’d know him if his logo were an owl but I don’t know Brand A Owl from Brand B Owl in a sea of handmade shops.
Please tell me I’m getting through to you??
Mr. Owl, you are not one in a million. Which is the place you want to take your shop, your brand, your business.
We as handmade artists need to say to ourselves, this is my brand, this is what makes me unique, this is why I charge these prices, and this is why you should buy from me and not the next table over. I have an established identity and I am going places.
Begin with a pen and a sheet of notebook paper and sketch out a design. Sketch some more, and take some time to really think about what that image truly portrays. After a few weeks, if it still resonates with you, there is a good chance it will resonate with someone else, even if they don’t get it.
Take that sketch to a designer and have it professionally made. The cost can run from $50-$250 dollars but it is an investment in the future of your business.
My dad thought my logo was the Boy Scouts of America hand when they say their boy scout oath. Yikes!! Well, it’s not and I had to explain to him that it was a sign language W, for Whatsername and the three things that go into a custom piece from my shop; spell it, stamp it, style it.
I have the postal workers asking me what my logo is because it is my return address label and I have a magnet with my logo on my car. Think globally, act locally…that may not have been the intention for that phrase, but it fits.
I just ordered t-shirts with my logo on the front and the hope is that the more people see the logo, the more interested in the product they become which equals more visits to my shop with more sales.
My logo isn’t cookie cutter and it isn’t an owl.
Once you’ve got your logo, use it and share it without throwing any caution to the wind. This is the new and improved you. Your shop, your blog, your brand and it is time to expand.