If you're starting a new business, whether it be a restaurant, a coaching or accounting service, or even a small storefront, you might feel a bit overwhelmed with all of the startup costs.

One of those first considerations is your brand. How you'll visually show the world what your business is and why you're different. Having a beautiful new brand identity is exciting, but can also be overwhelming, and the costs can add up quickly.

We often hear clients asking if they really need to spend $$$ on a brand when they're starting. Of course there are benefits to a full brand package (comprehensiveness and consistency from the start, saved time when launching new initiatives).

But those benefits usually only benefit new companies that are launching with significant initial funding, entering highly competitive markets where brand differentiation is crucial from day one, or businesses with multiple planned touchpoints at launch (like retail locations, product packaging, and digital platforms simultaneously).

On the other hand, there are a lot of benefits starting smaller, with a more focused logo, and evolving your brand over the first two years.

Benefits of starting small

Instead of spending a larger budget all at once, start small to get a solid foundational logo created — something that will evolve with you.

At this point, fonts, colors, and design elements are less needed. What your brand goes on (the touchpoints) will change quickly. You'll be making print-outs for things you didn't even think of. Your website content will change. Your ideal customer might even be different than what you expected. You may not know what your day to day needs are yet. But over the course of a few months, you'll start to see where you need help — perhaps a printed form here, or a specific webpage explaining this service.

You'll also start to feel more confident in what your business is, and what that story may be visually.

With every one of these new needs comes a new opportunity to push and expand your brand. Designing a new touchpoint means taking a look at the work has been done and adding and changing what's needed. Perhaps a color choice in the last printed piece didn't quite work — it's time to shift it. Maybe there's space here for a pattern or a new icon. Over the course of a year, these decisions add up, leading to a tested and proven suite of brand elements. All the while, the brand was developed touchpoint by touchpoint, breaking the cost down along the way and ensuring you get the elements you need when you need them.

What's right for your brand?