DIY Branding: Where to Draw the Line
We’ve all been there. You need a logo, and you need it fast. You fire up Canva, pick a font, tweak a colour, and boom! You’ve got something that kind of works. Or at least it did... for a while.
There’s nothing wrong with doing what you need to get your business off the ground. But when it comes to branding, there’s a point where DIY can quietly start costing you more than it’s saving.
So, where’s the line?
The real cost of DIY branding
Let’s be honest, DIY branding is usually born from one of three places: budget constraints, impatience, or just not knowing what else to do.
And at first, it seems fine. But over time, the cracks start to show:
You use a different font on every document.
Your colours don’t match across platforms.
Your Instagram grid looks like it’s from three different businesses.
Your logo doesn’t work well on anything larger than a business card.
Worse still, you start to feel self-conscious about your brand. You hesitate to send people to your website. You cringe a little when your name is tagged online. You spend hours trying to "fix" things with quick hacks instead of confidently putting yourself out there.
That hesitation? It’s costing you - in visibility, in professionalism, and in opportunities.
What you can DIY
I’m not here to say you shouldn’t do anything yourself, but it’s important to know where DIY works and where it doesn’t. Some things you can confidently DIY (especially with good brand foundations in place) include:
Social media templates using pre-designed brand assets
Reposting branded content
Updating basic website text or images
Designing simple internal docs or presentations
If you’ve got a strong brand identity already created, these DIY tasks can actually help you stay agile and consistent.
What you shouldn’t DIY (long-term)
These are the parts of your brand that should never be left to guesswork:
Logo design and visual identity: This isn’t just about aesthetics - it’s about strategy, scalability, and cohesion.
Brand strategy: Without a clear understanding of your audience, values, and positioning, you’re just decorating.
Website design: Your website should convert, not just exist. A professionally designed site is built with user experience, SEO, and long-term goals in mind.
Messaging and tone of voice: Words matter. Especially when they’re doing the heavy lifting online or in proposals.
Recognising when you’ve reached the limits of what you can DIY is a good thing. It means you’ve grown, and your visuals should too, but your time and energy are better spent on what you do best.
And when you finally hand the reins over to a professional? You get clarity, cohesion, confidence and more time to focus on running your business.
DIY can only take you so far, and your business deserves more than a Canva logo and crossed fingers.