Logo On Work

[Shaunread]

At the moment im trying to finish a few simple products I hope to sell in the future but I look at them and think they look better without my logo on it. The leather and the quality of my pieces should do all the talking but im worried that if I dont 'brand' my products then people will struggle to remember who made their item and wont be able to pass on through word of mouth as easily, among other things. I only have this struggle in my mind with my smaller pieces (e.g. Phone cases, card wallets etc...) as with my larger pieces (e.g. Belts and Clutches) I can stamp my pieces in less obvious place than right in the middle which I feel would put people off my products...

What are your views on marking your products as your own with a logo? What are the pros and cons of having/not having branding on the items? Do any of you brand or not brand your items and why?

Any helpful opinion on this would be great

Edited February 24, 2015 by Shaunread

[King's X]

It will not matter about those copying your products, but marking your products should be done whenever possible. When I deliver a gift, I give them a business card and key fob for them to remember the giver. I have a friend to made a rubber stamp and wrapped the product with the stamped logo on the wrapping. If you have a small maker's mark, mark it!

Good luck and sell out!

[Shaunread]

I like the key rob and business card idea! It may serve as a better replacement as marking on a product can be offputting for some people... I already stamp my logo on packaging too so hopefully that will be enough!

I just hate the idea of making the centre of attention on my products my logo rather than the actual product. Do you mark all of your pieces King's X or do you rely on the business card/keyfob and the customers memory to remember you?

[Avgvstvs]

Just a thought:

You could put your maker's mark on the inside of some of your items (like in the bill compartment of a wallet), although some designs might not allow to do that.

Also, to complement the business card idea, I once bought an item from a prominent leathercrafter and it came with a hand written thank you note that really gave the transaction a nice personal touch (I actually kept it).

[Nuttish]

I hate obvious branding and agree on concealing it. But you have to mark your pieces somehow, especially since they're consistent with the EDC ethic — those people put up pictures on Instagram, forums, and show their pieces to anyone who will look. I don't see any identify branding on your site at all. That's a grave oversight. You're launching a fashion accessories brand! The typesetting for your brand name in the header is fine, but you've got to come up with a simple visual branding element that is distinctive and interesting to look at. People expect it.

I looked at some of your pieces. Your wallets and belts totally lend themselves to concealed branding like hot foil stamping the flesh side of interiors! It would make a strong statement that your work is about materials, construction, and simple functional design, not branding.

[Shaunread]

I've been fiddling with my logo for a while now and I really dont want to 'overdo' the icon on my items so ive decided upon this:

(Not the best quality image) but do you think this is a reasonable sized/designed icon I could use on my wallets/smaller items? I want to keep it small but like you said I definitely need to have it clear somewhere. I feel that wallets are often over-branded by using huge stamps which seem to take some of the charm away from the piece. I think this stamp/position/size looks alright so Im going to transfer it over to the rest of my products as long as feedback is the same as my thoughts!

[Nuttish]

it's cool but you need to have your brand name somewhere on the piece, even if it's on the inside.

[Aidanforsyth0]

I brand my products with an ink stamp. I mainly sell wallets and it works great to stick my logo (1" x 2") on the flesh side of the leather. I figure it helps remind people where their product came from.

[MonicaJacobson]

I like the bird, I think it's cool.

I haven't really put anything on my work, so far. First, I didn't want to drop money on a stamp. Last month, two or three years later, my husband made one for me:

Nice of him, huh? I just finished a bag and completely forgot to use the stamp. Duh. If I can remember... I'm going to start stamping an inside pocket when I make a bag. I like the idea of an ink stamp on the flesh side of a wallet, though.

[Wicked Welts]

To keep it small and simple I'm working on something similar to Monica's, my initials stylized to be my basic brand mark. Larger pieces, stationary, signage etc would include this mark in the design along with the larger more identifiable trademark logo, which for you might include the bird. I think of it like McDonalds, at a glance all you need to see is the 'M' that is their 'golden arches' brand mark to know what you're looking at without even seeing their other identifiers such as their red/yellow color combo, or Ronald himself.