You can’t just take things off the internet as they are. 

Let’s be honest—if you kicked off your business journey by grabbing a R500 premade logo off some online marketplace (or worse, a free one), we need to have a chat. That logo? It’s probably not doing what you think it’s doing.

In fact, it could be doing your brand more harm than good.

We get it. The price is right. It’s quick. It looks decent enough. But “decent enough” doesn’t cut it when you’re building something real. When you’re asking people to trust your business, to spend their money with you, to choose you—your brand needs to mean something.

And a premade logo? It’s just not going to carry that weight.

Buying a premade logo is like ordering a Big Mac and thinking you’re serving fine dining. It might satisfy the hunger for now—but if you’re aiming to be the Gordon Ramsay of your industry, you can’t be plating drive-thru designs.

Premade logos are mass-produced, made to suit anyone. Which means they suit no one. They aren’t based on your brand story, your values, or your audience. They’re the graphic design version of “Dear Sir/Madam.”

Do you know how many businesses are out there rocking the same generic hexagon with bold sans-serif initials inside it? Too many. Way too many. And trust me—that’s not the WhatsApp group you want to be in.

Humans make snap judgments in milliseconds. Before someone reads your tagline, clicks your link, or checks out your product—they’ve already seen your logo. That’s your visual handshake.

And if your logo looks like it was designed by a robot who’s never heard of your brand (because, well, it was), you’re starting off with a limp, forgettable grip.

What you want is a logo that’s sticky—not loud for the sake of it, but memorable because it fits you like a glove. It says something about you, your business, your point of view.

A premade logo just isn’t capable of that. It’s like wearing someone else’s school blazer to prizegiving. Weird. Confusing. Not a vibe.

Here’s the thing—when we design a logo at Fort Hartley, we’re not randomly throwing shapes at a canvas and hoping something magical appears. This isn’t MS Paint circa 2002. There’s no “spray can” tool here.

We’re digging deep into your brand strategy. Because a great logo doesn’t come from guesswork—it comes from knowing your business inside out.

• Who are your customers?
  If you don’t know who you’re talking to, how can your branding speak their language? A logo made in a vacuum won’t connect. You might end up with something that looks slick but completely misses the mark for your actual audience. You’ll be marketing bubblegum to retirees or trying to sell wine with a logo that screams “energy drink.”
• What do they care about?
  If you don’t know what matters to your audience—values, aesthetics, lifestyle—you can’t reflect any of it in your brand. Your logo ends up looking disconnected, like it belongs to a completely different business. People won’t feel anything when they see it, and that’s a problem—because brands that don’t spark a feeling don’t stick.
• How do you want them to feel when they interact with your business?
  If you’re aiming for trust, professionalism, or excitement, your logo needs to carry that emotion. If you haven’t defined how you want to be felt, you’ll end up with a logo that’s visually fine but emotionally empty. Think of it like a handshake without eye contact—technically correct, but awkward and forgettable.

Every line, every curve, every colour we choose is deliberate. It all means something. It all supports your bigger brand story. A well-designed logo becomes the launchpad for your entire visual identity—it’s the anchor that holds your brand world together.

A premade logo? It doesn’t know your customers from a bar of soap. It hasn’t met your market, hasn’t heard your goals, and certainly doesn’t care about your vibe. It’s just sitting there, waiting to be downloaded and slapped onto the next unsuspecting business card.

And “looks okay-ish” is not the standard we’re aiming for. Especially not in South Africa’s wild business landscape, where standing out is everything and blending in means getting lost. Let’s not have your brand fade into the background like someone trying to sneak into the Woolies queue without a trolley.

Let me tell you a quick story. I had a client—let’s call him Dave. Dave had just launched his business and was very chuffed with the logo he bought online. It was modern, clean, minimal. Not bad at all… until I showed him five other logos from businesses in the exact same industry that looked almost identical.

Same icon. Same typeface. Slightly different shade of blue.

Poor Dave had unintentionally become a knockoff of other knockoffs.
Within six months, he had to rebrand. His clients were confused. His website had to be redesigned. His packaging needed to be reprinted. His LinkedIn banner? A distant memory.

Moral of the story? Don’t be a Dave.

You didn’t start your business to blend in. You didn’t pour your time, energy, and hard-earned money into this thing just to look like the guy next door. You started it because you saw a gap. You had an idea. You believed you could do something differently—better. Maybe you wanted to challenge the status quo or finally offer people a product or service that actually works.

So why would you dress that kind of ambition in an off-the-rack identity that says, “Ja, this’ll do”?

A premade logo is the equivalent of buying a one-size-fits-all suit and hoping it magically looks tailored. It won’t. And when it doesn’t fit, people notice.

Custom logo design isn’t about slapping your name on a pretty picture. It’s about intention. It’s about showing up in the market with clarity, confidence, and a sense of purpose. It’s knowing who you are and making sure your visuals reflect that—consistently, across every platform, from your email signature to your product packaging.

Because here’s the secret no one tells you: once you have a great logo, everything else gets easier.

Your packaging design suddenly feels cohesive. Your website comes together with less back-and-forth. Your social media looks polished and on-brand. Even the signage outside your office or stall at the weekend market makes a stronger impression. That one, solid logo becomes your foundation—and when the foundation is strong, the brand can grow tall.

And in a market like South Africa’s—where competition is fierce, attention spans are short, and first impressions are everything—you can’t afford to show up looking half-baked.

You built something worth talking about. Make sure your logo does the talking—loudly, clearly, and with all the confidence of someone who knows exactly what they bring to the table.

Their team? Listen, they’re experts – tremendous experts – at caring about other people’s businesses like they’re their own. Nobody cares more. And the designers? Absolutely top-tier. Some say the best. Honestly, people are always saying, “These are the best designers we’ve ever seen.” And you know what? They’re right. Believe me.

– Some guy from America

So let’s get you a logo that actually looks like it belongs to a business going places. Because you are.

1. Premade logos are generic by design. Your brand isn’t.
2. First impressions matter. Make yours unforgettable.
3. Strategy trumps style (but we’ll give you both).
4. Rebranding later costs more than doing it right now.

You’re brand is unique and deserves the attention of a professional brand development team with a designer that wants to give you a design that encapsulates your brand.

So, the next time you’re tempted to scroll through a gallery of premade logos and pick the one that “kinda looks cool,” remember this:

You’re not “kinda” building a business, you are building YOUR BUSINESS.