Bespoke over trends: Why custom brand design will always be better for your business

Friday 14 March 2025

By Leanne Mallinshaw, Leanne’s Co.

For anyone that doesn’t know or is unsure, I’ll start by explaining what a trend is. When a movement or idea becomes popular or unpopular for a relatively short time, it would be called a trend. It doesn’t matter what your business is or what sector you work in, trends will have impacted you, either personally or professionally, at one point or another.

There’s always more discussions about trends around New Year – what’s been popular, what’s flopped and what we should look out for over the following year. Within the design sector alone, I’ve seen many articles on trends, from branding to packaging, fonts and colour palettes. There’s a trend for everything!

Trends, by their very nature, are fleeting. While they can feel exciting and modern, they often don’t stand the test of time. This is where bespoke brand design offers your business real value, with a unique, timeless, and authentic identity.

Maybe your business is starting out, or you’ve grown a bit bored of your current brand. It’s easy to see the appeal of following a trend, especially when platforms like Canva or Adobe Express make it easy for you to create a “brand” yourself.

But ask yourself: should your business go after what’s trendy, or strive for something unique? Will that trend still be working for your business in a year or two? Or will it be holding your business back?

Imagine this, for example. Your local café decides it’s time for a change inspired by something else they’ve seen. Soon they notice the same style starts being used by other shops and businesses in the area. They come to realise they’ve replaced their once-unique identity with one that now feels generic and now blends in rather than standing out.

So before you hitch your business to the latest trend brandwagon (pun intended), here are three reasons why a bespoke brand design will be a smarter move for your business:

1. Trends date

It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter what the trend is – hipster jeans, the “Rachel bob” (yes, I’m showing my age here!) – it will come and go. If your branding is tied to a passing trend, it risks appearing dated and struggling for relevance in a year, or less.

2. A sea of same

Like the local café, when you pursue a trend, you risk blending into the crowd rather than telling your audience why they should choose you over your competition. Worse still, if the trend doesn’t align with your business’s values or offering, it can feel disingenuous, impacting on your authenticity.

3. It will cost you money

When you create your identity around a passing trend it will date quicker, pushing you to rebrand sooner than you had planned.

The value of bespoke design

Your brand’s visual identity is more than just your logo; it’s the combined representation of your business’s values, offering and interactions with your audience. When done right it’s an investment that will last your business years – helping you to build a loyal customer base, while allowing you to focus on running and growing your business.

Here’s what professionally designed bespoke branding can do for your business:

1. Tell your story

Audiences engage with businesses that have a story – why they started, what they stand for, and what they aim to achieve. A well designed brand will tell that story visually, building authenticity into the brand which creates trust between you and your audience.

2. Build brand recognition

A bespoke brand will enable you to stand out from that sea of same, showcasing why people should buy from you. When that brand is applied consistently and cohesively it builds recognition with your audience until every piece of brand collateral across all your touch points become instantly recognisable. Which can’t be said when you follow the crowd!

3. Supports long-term growth

When you invest in a bespoke brand design the end result will be designed around your business’s unique values, offering, target audience and future goals – adapting and evolving as your business develops without the need for frequent rebrands, which will give you a greater return on your investment.

Set trends rather than follow them

Think about some of the world’s most recognisable brands – Apple, Coca-Cola, or Nike. Their designs may have changed slightly over the decades, but you’ll agree their core identity has remained timeless and instantly recognisable. They don’t follow trends; they set them.

While your business may not be a global giant (yet!), the same principle applies. Bespoke branding is not just creating a logo or marketing materials, it’s developing a cohesive, long-term strategy that supports your business’s growth.

Ready to create a brand that’s as unique as your business?

Get in touch and we can have a chat about how a bespoke design can support your business today, tomorrow, and in the years to come. Whether you’re looking to refresh your branding, or elevate your marketing materials, I can help you stand out and grow with confidence.

And if you’re not quite ready to start your project yet, why not subscribe to my fortnightly mailing list for branding tips,insights into how I help businesses like yours stand out and the occasional offer you won’t want to miss. You’ll also receive a copy of Your Brand Checklist – my free guide to helping to prepare for having a brand designed! Sign up here.

Friday 14 March 2025