Running your own business or website, you quickly learn the different types of marketing and advertising needed to bring in leads. There is everything from funnels to advertisement campaigns, social media campaigns, and anything else that could be put along with this.

Can you make an impact on branding mockups? Yes, you can make a difference in branding mockups. This is where you make the utmost effort to express your purpose and your message in your branding. If you support a cause, now is the time to incorporate that. If you have a special connection with something, incorporate it. No matter how big your group or business is, remember to stay true to your purpose and mission. Never falter from that.

Most businesses and groups hire people who can produce a mockup of whatever area they are experienced in. Other companies have a combination of people who are experts in these types of areas that can do all of it for you as well; however, it can be expensive. So, when you have the opportunity to do the planning for yourself and set the plan, you can save your money and know exactly where you are going.

Branding

Branding consists of details, from the minutiae to the big picture of your business and every other aspect of your business. It helps spread the message about your business. Branding is more than just putting something out there to make it known. It is the aspect of building everything from scratch and giving your business a story, a reason, and a purpose.

The greatest companies have a story, a detailed building of themselves in the branding process. Think of your favorite brands. What colors do you remember when you think of this brand? What style? What connects with you. It is more than a name, a color, and a font.

Importance of Branding in Your Business

Branding creates a relationship between you and your target audience. You want to do everything you can to connect with them, but also to create your story and purpose. Do not stray away from who you are. Always stay true to your roots. Decide on colors that have meaning that connects with what your message is supposed to be.

Colors and Meaning

With a little bit of research, you can find the colors you want to incorporate in your messages if your business or even needs it. Every color now days has a colored ribbon or something connecting that color to a meaning. Even designers design homes per how they want their clients to feel in that area. If they want an energetic feel or if they wish to a feeling of passion, they’ll use warm colors like red. For a Zen-like, calm experience, cooler tones like blue or lavender work best. Cultural differences also can be taken into consideration if you are going international.

What Are Mockups?

Mockups are pictures that are digitally made to figure out the design of a product without having to make the product and then try it on and check it out. This saves time and money by using programs that have already open pictures that can be customized with certain aspects that need to be added, such as text, logos, colors, and pictures that display the message that an individual or company is trying to convey. The #1 website for making mockups is Placeit (they have the largest library of templates).

Importance of Mockups

Mockups help give you a plan in action. This provides you with a dream board of what you want to see and how you want to execute it. You can put everything together and have a plan and change things if it does not quite look right or portray the right view. Just as if you are painting a picture and one shade of color does not quite sound right to everything. Typically, things such as mockups and color numbers are included in a marketing strategy report.

Mockups provide content layouts of how you want your information displayed, whether it is on your website, social media, or promotional products. It also provides the type of fonts, sizes, and styles that you want. Placeit.com helps bring all of your mockup needs in one place without all of the extra complications.  This helps not only make known your business but bring in customers and leads into your business.

What is Most Critical to Your Company?

Whatever your message is, you need to be sure that your mockups are matching up to that as well. You want to choose things that are going to benefit your company while also helping your customers. Take in mind, if you went to a fair or pop up event, where you had a booth for your business, what would you like to see there? What would you use more? Remember, the more use an item has, the more possibilities of it being seen.

Must-Haves Help Growth

Do not get things that will wind up in the trash and not be used. Get things that will be used. Remember, the more use that someone has of something, the more your name and message is seen. So whatever mockups you choose, make sure it benefits in whatever way you can.

1. Anything Free
   In the world of business, if you can get something for free, take advantage of it. Do not forget to give credit where credit is due, though. Providing love to businesses who have helped you grow relationships as well and can help in the future if ever needed.
2. Banner Maker
   Placeit.com has a banner maker for the advertisement of your business on website pages. Anything of this sort is beneficial to your business or your organization. This way, you can know what your advertisement will look like on a webpage. You can also have a plan for what is needed in future advertisement pieces.
3. Car Decals
   Car decals are so very important, and you see them everywhere you go. Having your business or group advertised on your car or other cars can bring in more leads to your business. It is like having a billboard on wheels. You may see them many places, and you may see them as useless, but I am here to tell you, some individual just walked behind your car and took a picture of your vehicle decal to call you later.
4. Coffee Mug
   There is an extensive community of coffee lovers. Coffee at work, coffee on the go, and coffee at home. There are social media pictures of coffee mugs that are an essential mockup to have. They serve for promotional products and giveaway products for your company that can be used daily.   
5. Hoodie
   Hoodies have come to be a part of many homes, from children to adults. Hoodies are the perfect comfort item for most individuals. Some wear hoodies just as a cover, some because they are a little cold. Either way, they are used because they are not too heavy or bulky and still provide a feeling of warmth and comfort. Hoodies are a must-have for mockups and as a plan for your business or group. They will not only come perfect for giveaways but also as an advertisement for your people to wear.
6. T-Shirts
   T-shirts are almost the best promotional product to have, so to have a mockup for that is also needed. This is a definite way for an advertisement to happen for your business or group. Be sure that it is matching and stylish across the whole board. You do not want something that people look at and do not want to wear. Take some real time in figuring out what it is that you wish to but that others would wish to as well. They want to wear the shirt and for others to want to participate in your giveaways is very important. Remember, this is your future leads.
7. Packaging
   If you are providing products, you need to make sure that your packaging also has mockups. One of the best advertisement pieces is your packaging on your products. Labels not only tell the purchaser who the product comes from but if the purchaser is around friends and friends as the product, they are going to look at that label to find out who made it. This brings you yet another lead.
8. Coupons
   Coupons are so significant, especially when you are trying to get more people in. Not only does it serve as an advertisement, but it also serves as a call to action on paper. The individual wants to save money when they spend money, and the more money they can save, the more they will come and visit your business.
9. Special Offers or Sales
   If you are freshly opening or doing a “renewal” process, if you have products, chances are you are having a special sale. What batter way to show about the deal than to have a sale advertisement video. Typically, you can share this through anywhere. From your website to social media, or anywhere else that you think would be beneficial to your business.
10. Flyers
    It is so much easier to have flyers done in a mockup first. It takes not only time and resources but also aggravation when you go through, make one, prints it, for it not to look right, or serve the correct purpose it is meant to do. Then you have to redo it all. With Placeit.net, you can design your flyer with every bit of detail that is possible.
11. Apps
    So many companies now have cellphone apps, and if your business or group needs an app, get a mockup for it. That way, you know what direction you are going in with your app. It is challenging to order something or build something with no plans in place of what you want. Make sure that the app is going to be user friendly and if it is going to be for all carriers.
12. Business Stationery
    Business stationery is a must-have in most businesses, so it is essential to know what exactly you want. This can range from envelopes and letterheads to business cards and pens. Make sure it is things that you will use as well. This way, you can advertise without speaking a word or having to throw a pitch. This includes everything from business cards, to pens, paper, and more.
13. Billboard
    If you are looking to get a billboard, you must have a mockup made of that so that you know what to show the individual that is in control of setting all of that up. It is essential to know the size that you are wanting and exactly how you want to set it up. If you want a small one on the inside of or outside of a small building or a large one like the ones you see on the side of the road, there are many options to choose from, so choose wisely.

Social Media

It is imperative to have social media plans for all platforms. While most platforms are linked, you still need a plan of action concerning your social media accounts. Social media can be very overwhelming when you are trying to run your business on those platforms. You will need every bit of help that you can get.

1. Social Media Videos
   It is vital to see that you have mockups of what your social media videos should look like. You want to have a plan of what direction you want your videos to go, especially when you are advertising specials or anything of that sort. Promo videos are perfect for social media and other areas, so it is essential to have those mockups and plans for these areas.
2. Social Media Posts
   Social media posts are critical, just like everything else. With the social media world nowadays, most things and places are seen on social media. It is essential to post at least once a day or more. However, do not display too much; it can cause you to be “shadowed” and not seen. You must also be always sticking with your message in your posts. Make sure your pictures, your sayings, anything that you do is the tone of you and your business or group.

Do Not Rush It

Whatever you put out for everyone to see, you want the message to be seen, understood, and action to be taken. Do not just throw something together, or your message will be unstable and not understood very well. You want to make an impact, in some way, shape or form, and with time and effort, you can do precisely that.

Mockups Make Life Easier

When you are looking at hiring someone to do your work, it helps in getting quotes right then and there instead of waiting if you have mockups on hand. You can go ahead and hand them over to the individual doing the work you are looking for and gain a price. Some people will charge to do mockups.  

Questions to Ask Yourself

We get so caught up sometimes in understanding our business out to be seen that we forget the most important things that benefit our business. Being smart about your money is very important. You do not want to spend money on things that are not going to benefit you and your business or group truly. So, make sure that whatever you choose that you want, it will help you in the long run.

Promotional Products

It is advised that you buy promotional products that are in tune with what you are promoting. For example, if you are promoting health and wellness, then work out gear, water bottles, and things like that would work great as a promotional product. However, if you are promoting something such as makeup, you do not want to work out gear as your promotional items.

The One-Stop-Shop

Placeit.net has pretty much everything you need in one place. No matter what you are promoting or starting, they have what you need to begin. If you are a gamer looking to start a channel or thinking of starting a YouTube channel, this is where you need to start. They provide overlays, logos, banners, thumbnails, and more.

Create Your Logo

Did you know you can also create a logo as well if you do not have what you want in mind or any idea of what to go for? They provide similar graphics that fit along with your business, brand, or group name and purpose. They also provide colors that can be placed in the logo, make sure they match the colors you want throughout everything. Again, this is the defining piece of your business.

There is No Limit

There is no limit to what your vision entails. You can have everything branded that you could want to brand. You can have notebooks, stickers, phone cases, literally everything in one spot branded to your business or group. You can have your advertisement everywhere for a lower cost if you do things just right.

It used to be that when you needed a website, you contact website designers. Then Wordpress and other content management services came around, and you no longer have to learn HTML or call on your website administrator to add a page. For mockups, it used to involve Adobe Photoshop and a lot of frustration on your part, or you would have to call a graphic designer to work on it for you. The whole process used to be time-consuming and expensive, which is why mockup generators are a godsend.

Two of the best mockup generators are PlaceIt and SmartMockups. But which one is better?

After trying out both services, PlaceIt is better than SmartMockups for three main reasons:

1. It is very flexible and gives you a greater degree of control for your mockups.
2. It went beyond just mockups.
3. It is more affordable than the competitor.

PlaceIt might be the better option, but is it the perfect mockup generator for you? Read on and find out.

PlaceIt vs. SmartMockups: What You Need to Know

While it’s easy to say that PlaceIt is better than SmartMockups, this doesn’t mean that you should just ignore SmartMockups. Before deciding on PlaceIt, you should first explore its competition.

SmartMockups

The service offers a seven-day free trial that allows you to create your own mockups. The company offers more than 3,550 images that you can use. You can also use your own videos and images.

The beauty of using SmartMockups is that they allow you to use your images, or you can choose any one of their more than 3,500 stock images. The images are arranged by categories, including:

• Technology, featuring TVs, smartphones, desktops, laptops, and other devices.
• Print, with mockups of business and greeting cards, branding sets, magazines, brochures, vehicles, billboards, and others.
• Packaging, which gives you ideas on how to design packages and labels for food, beverages, vitamin supplements, and cosmetics, as well as boxes and bags that you can customize.
• Apparel, for those who want customers to see how their designs would look like to sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, tank tops, accessories, and face masks.
• Home and decor, allows you to touch up pillows, mugs, and other decorations and accents you find at home.
• Social media, where you can create mockups of how your business page will show up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and others.

The free trial also allows you to customize your mockups all you want. Further, you can download your mockups in the following sizes:

• Low – 600 by 400 pixels
• Medium – 1,280 by 853 pixels
• High – 1,920 by 1,280 pixels
• Super high – 5,000 by 3,333 pixels

SmartMockups is very easy to use. Just choose the template you want to work on, and with a few tweaks, you can create an attractive mockup.

Pricing

If you do like how SmartMockups work, you can pay for a plan. The company offers three different plans.

Premium

The premium plan is an excellent choice for individual users who like to have access to all free and premium mockups. They will also have access to all the new mockups that are released weekly.

Premium users can enjoy URL screenshots, wherein they only have to type a URL for the site to show up on their mockups. They also have unlimited exports and customization capabilities.

Further, you can connect your account to other apps such as Marvel, Canva, or Dropbox. The premium plan costs $14 billable monthly, or $9 per month billed yearly.

Pro

Pro users get everything that premium users get plus a few extras. For instance, they get custom mockups where they can use their own photos and images in the mockups that they use. They can also use their own videos.

Pro users also have several features that can make branding a whole lot easier. For example, you can use your company’s logo to watermark your mockups. You can also save your branding’s colors to make it easier to select from the color picker. Plus, you don’t have to worry about losing changes to your mockups because of the automatic saving features.

The pro plan costs $24 per month, or $19 per month when billed yearly.

Team

If you are a company that does a lot of mockups, you can sign up for the team account, where up to five employees can use the SmartMockups interface. You get all the features you get in the pro plan, but you will have team-based features such as a team library, priority customer support, and user management features.

With this plan, you get mockups with absolutely no need for third-party image manipulation software such as Photoshop. This plan costs $84 per month, or $69 per month billed yearly.

Advantages of Using SmartMockups

SmartMockups is an excellent way to present your new products, branding, and corporate identity to the world. It’s easy to use and has several features that allow you to create mockups fast, such as the URL screenshot feature, the alignment tools, and others.

The good news is that you can use your own images and just upload it to the site. What’s more, being able to capture a screenshot that the program will automatically fit into the mockup means saving a lot of time capturing and manipulating that screenshot yourself.

It also helps that the monthly fees are affordable. If you have some ideas on how to make things easier for you and other users, you can use the user forums and suggest a feature that you like. You can also ask questions there.

Disadvantages of Using This Mockup Service

One of the things that might turn you off is that it only has around 3,550 mockups that are ready to use, which is quite low. It also only works online and does not allow you to customize the mockups using text.

The Skinny on SmartMockups

SmartMockups allow you to create beautiful markups without spending too much time on it. You don’t even have to be a graphic designer or a Photoshop expert to do this. Everything is easy to use, and you can figure things out with no problems. You get professional looking and realistic mockups.

What’s more, SmartMockups can be used by graphic designers because of the quality of the images it offers. But it is easy to use that even beginners and ordinary users will be able to use it.

Pros

• URL screenshot feature
• Easy to use alignment tools
• Responsive developers and open to feedback
• Discounted rates if you commit to a longer contract
• Integration with third-party services

Cons

• Only works online
• No text-based customization
• Mockups done during the free trial have watermarks.

PlaceIt: Everything You Need to Know

PlaceIt allows business owners to say goodbye to Adobe Photoshop or graphic designers. PlaceIt helps you by providing mockups that are so photo-realistic that people will think you conceptualized it yourself in a studio with a top-notch photographer at the helm.

But what makes PlaceIt different from other mockup services is that it also offers other stuff such as:

• Logos
• Design templates
• Animated videos
• Flyers
• Social media graphics

Logos

Logos are a big part of your corporate identity, so you must get it right. PlaceIt makes it easy for you to have the right logo. All you need to do is to enter your company name, and the industry you’re in. PlaceIt will make suggest templates for you.

All you need to do is to customize everything: from the logo graphic, font used, and the text you want. Some logos for a fictional bakery as suggested by PlaceIt.

Social Media Graphics

PlaceIt can help you create the best banners, Facebook ads, Facebook covers, posts, Instagram stories, Pinterest templates, Twitch banners, YouTube thumbnails, YouTube banners, and just about anything you need to make your social media accounts pop.

Animated Videos

This service allows you to easily make slideshows, intros, Instagram stories, product videos, and more. You can customize everything from product names, images, effects, and even the audio track. You can also feature multiple products or images for each video. Or even splice two videos together.

Flyers

Easily advertise your events or even get your products moving with easy to do flyers and posters from PlaceIt.

Customization

You may not be a graphic designer, nor know a thing about Adobe Photoshop or any other image manipulation software.

Working with PlaceIt, however, you can take a template and modify everything on it, from the colors of the clipart, the lines, the fonts, the color of the text, and even add another graphic or element to the customized product.

Mockups by PlaceIt

But the star of the show is PlaceIt’s mockups. For instance, for t-shirts, you only need to choose the template and then upload your design.  Then select the shirt color and other modifications and presto–you have a t-shirt mockup ready for printing.

Pricing and Plans

PlaceIt gives you a chance to get an unlimited subscription for only $14.95 per month or $99.95 per year. If you get the yearly subscription, the monthly rate is reduced to only $8.33 per month.

BONUS: All Free Mockups users get 15% off any plan!

Or you can choose to buy only a single mockup, logo, or other designs. There are different single purchase prices, depending on what you want to buy:

• Mockups: $7
• Videos: $9
• Logo: $39
• Design template: $2

Getting Started with PlaceIt

It’s easy to use this service. You only need to visit the site and click on the signup button and then fill out the form. You will need to agree to their privacy policy, terms, and conditions before you can sign up. After that, you will get to try every feature on the site so you can evaluate their service.

Templates

PlaceIt currently has more than 43,900 templates for you to choose from, and more are added regularly.

Free Tools

Apart from these, PlaceIt also has several free tools that will help you manipulate images without having to open Photoshop or other image editors.

Image Cropper allows you to crop images online. Just upload your photo and then crop and resize it. Download the cropped images or share them. This helps you resize your images to get the right size and proportions. It can also help you create easy banners and take out parts of an image that you don’t want to use with your mockups.

The Video Cropper works the same way, only that it works with your videos rather than images. Meanwhile, the video to GIF converter allows you to create GIF files from your movies. You can crop your videos before converting it, ensuring that you have the perfectly-sized and great looking GIFs.

What You Will Like About PlaceIt

PlaceIt makes it very easy for you to create logos, flyers, mockups, and videos. It’s also straightforward to customize things as the site allows you to use text and images.

Also, the PlaceIt site is easy to navigate. On top of services (mockups, designs, logos, videos, and gaming), you can choose subcategories as well. For instance, for mockups, you can easily click on free mockups, t-shirts, apparel videos, hoodies, tank tops, mugs, tote bags, hats, and others.

Once you find the template you like, customizing it is easy. This service also allows you to customize everything, colors, fonts, text, images, and even add images.

Mockups now take only minutes instead of the hours that they once did. Can’t find what you’re looking for? You can suggest content and features to the team.

What Can Be Better About PlaceIt

One of the biggest disadvantages of PlaceIt is that they do not have a large library of images and templates. Some of these templates are also quite dated. What’s more, the subscription is set to auto-renew, so you need to cancel your subscription before the next payment cycle starts.

Some of the templates here feature some old devices such as iPhone 6. It would have been a lot better if the company removed these templates, instead of keeping them on to pad the 13,000+ library.

The Last Word on PlaceIt

PlaceIt is aimed at business owners and individuals who may not have the graphic design skills to create compelling graphics for their use. It is easy to use, and you can quickly create images that are professional looking.

What’s more, this service is not limited to mockups. You can create logos and other marketing and branding collaterals using PlaceIt. But the biggest wow factor is that you can create your own branded videos with this service.

Why is this a big deal?

Video is an excellent way to engage customers or visitors to your site. According to HubSpot research, 54 percent of consumers in four countries wanted brands to release videos, beating out emails and newsletters, as well as images. Meanwhile, 34 percent said they want to see more social videos from their favorite brands.

Videos are an excellent way to attract your target market and convert your audience from potential customers to buyers. You can use them to connect with consumers or audience. If your product needs explaining, a video does that better than an ad. 

Pros

• Can be used not only for mockups, but also logos, videos, and other visual content.
• It allows you to customize using text and images.
• Very easy to use
• Professional-looking mockups, logos, and videos.

Cons

• Image library can be quite limited, with some templates looking dated.
• No refunds and the subscription auto-renews

PlaceIt vs. SmartMockups: How We Evaluated and What Features Should You Consider

When you’re comparing two services, it always helps to have a set of criteria that you can use to evaluate each.  For this comparison, we took note of these:

• Image quality
• Cost
• Size of image quality
• Other features such as export and import technologies and integration with third party services.

Image Quality

You will be using mockups for your business, so it has to be compelling. Consumers prefer high-quality images when they are choosing or buying a product: two out of three say that it is very important in their purchasing decisions.

In fact, 63 percent of consumers say that product image quality is more important than product information, and 54 percent prefer images to long product descriptions. Meanwhile, more than half, or 53 percent, say that images are more important than product reviews.

Cost

You can use free mockup software, but you get what you pay for. Some deliver unrealistic images, while others put their watermarks on the mockup that you create.

Next to image quality, a mockup service should also provide value for money. Consider how the cost compares to the image quality you get, as well as other deals such as discounts for higher levels of usage.

Large Image Library

Your chosen mockup service should also have a large collection of templates that you can use. These images should come in a variety of file formats as well. More importantly, the images used should be royalty-free. You don’t want to run into copyright-related legal troubles!

Conversely, the image library should be easily searchable. Not having a useful search function means that you will be spending minutes or even hours looking for the perfect image for your mockup.

Other Features You Should Consider

Which between SmartMockups and PlaceIt have it better when it comes to:

• Export options, or being able to download the finished mockup in the file format you wanted.
• Customization options, or how much flexibility do you have when it comes to manipulating the image so that you can create the perfect mockup.
• Import options, or how easy it is to upload the image you want to use for your mockups.
• Integrations, or how well does the mockup service work with other software such as Adobe Photoshop.

The Power of Images: Why It’s Important to Know Which Service Is the Best

Why should you include mockups? Images, in general, help you get more eyeballs and helps you engage your audience. According to top social marketing guru Jeff Bullas:

• Articles that contain images get 94 percent more views.
• Press releases that have photos and videos have more than 45 percent more views.
• Around six out of 10 consumers say that they are more likely to contact a business if they have a photo in local search results.
• Articles that contain images get 94 percent more views.
• Facebook engagement rates are higher for posts with photos than those with only text.

As such, using a mockup will help you engage your own audience. It’s a great way to hook them to your content, and even help you sell more.  For instance, it’s challenging to describe t-shirt designs, which is why top brands have catalogs wherein models wear the company’s clothes. But not every business can afford this, so mockups are necessary for them.

SmartMockups vs. PlaceIt: Which Service Is Better?

Let’s take a more in-depth look at these two services:

Image Quality

When it comes to image quality, SmartMockups have some of the highest resolutions in this space. You can get resolutions of up to 5,000 by 3,333 pixels.

However, both SmartMockups and PlaceIt give you high resolutions that are Web-ready. This means that your mockups done on PlaceIt will probably look as good as the ones you create with SmartMockups.

Cost

At its lowest rates, SmartMockups charge $9 per month, while PlaceIt charges only $8.33. What’s more, PlaceIt allows you to buy single mockups if you don’t have plans to use images and videos as part of your marketing.

PLUS: All Free Mockups users get 15% off any PlaceIt plan!

Image Library

Both SmartMockups and PlaceIt have thousands of images and templates that you can choose from. However, there are complaints that PlaceIt has dated designs.

Integrations

SmartMockups work with Canva, Marvel, and Dropbox, which means that images that you store on these third-party services can be used for your mockups, without needing to upload it to the service. SmartMockups also have agreements with other companies that allow you to use their content for your projects. For instance, you can use Unsplash photos as backgrounds for your mockups.

PlaceIt does not offer any integrations. However, you can easily import photos from your own computer and use them.

Customization

When it comes to customization, both of these services do an excellent job of making this entire process easier. Both services allow you to upload a photo, and you can work with that and create the best mockups.

However, SmartMockups only lets you upload images for your mockups, unlike PlaceIt, which also allows for text-only changes.

PlaceIt also has more powerful tools for personalizing your mockups, logos, and other projects.

So, Which One Should You Get?

Taken together, it’s easy to see where each service excels and which one is better than the other.

Get PlaceIt, if you:

• Want an easy time creating logos, mockups, flyers, social media images, videos
• Want a greater degree of control when it comes to your projects
• Want to save money on a yearly subscription

Get SmartMockups, if you:

• Plan to focus on creating only mockups
• Need the highest resolution images for your mockups
• Are an experienced graphic designer that wants to have an easy way to work with images you have stored in Canva, Dropbox, and Marvel.

Other Services You Should Try

Of course, SmartMockups and PlaceIt are not the only ones that offer mockup generation services. Here are two that are worth checking out:

• Mediamodifier is well-known for having lots of templates and easy to use. It also stands out for offering PSD downloads. This service costs $19 per month, or $9 a month if billed yearly.

SmartMockups vs. PlaceIt: The Final Word

Mockup generators free you from having to spend time in front of your computer, trying to figure out which icon to press in Adobe Photoshop.  Instead of spending hours and suffering through agony and confusion, you only need a few seconds or minutes to come up with a mockup you have in mind.

For most people, PlaceIt is the better option for this comparison. Businesses will be able to engage their customers and sell more with the mockups, videos, and other types of images that they can create with this service. SmartMockups is somewhat limited to its offerings. What’s more, PlaceIt allows businesses to create their own logos and other branding materials. Plus, it also offers free tools that guarantee you may completely ignore image editing tools.

This is not to say that SmartMockups is a slacker. It’s also an easy to use service that gives you great mockups. However, that’s all it does: mockups. If you need something else like a social video greeting for your business page on Facebook or a flyer for an upcoming rave party, you will need to look for and pay for another service.

It takes a lot of courage to form a start-up. Not only do you need a sellable product, but you’ll also need to establish a brand to individualize your market. You spend many late nights perfecting your brand. You even have a gorgeous logo to showcase. Nothing is stopping you from taking the market by storm. Except it doesn’t go according to plan. A week after posting your brand’s logo, you receive a letter from another business, stating that you’re infringing on their logo’s design.

So, your logo is similar to another: now what? While it may be easy to go into full panic mode over this fact, you’re not without options to salvage the situation. There are some simple design loopholes you can utilize to avoid these claims while retaining the identity of your business.

We acknowledge how logo designs have become oversaturated in recent years. This is due to the assortment of free graphic design programs available for most amateurs. Even so, a brand is only as good as its marketability, logo included. If you feel so strongly about retaining your newly induced logo, then let’s find ways to keep it, shall we?

» MORE: Can You Use The Same Logo As Another Company?

What if Your Logo Looks like Someone Else’s?

As stated previously, the global marketplace is littered with similar logos belonging to companies, both new and old. It’s a huge surprise that we don’t spot these similarities more often. Case in point is the Airbnb symbol. Established in 2014, the logo has raised an eyebrow or two for being comparable to a laundry list of different corporations. Yet, the logo has remained the same all these years.

Now, you find yourself facing a similar predicament: are the logo similarities an innocent mistake of designer oversaturation, or is it a byproduct of corporate plagiarism? Either way, some steps can be taken to remedy this misconception.   

To emphasize, this means you don’t have to completely scrap your initial logo. In most instances, a small patch-job is enough to silence the complaints. Trashing your logo is often seen as the worst-case scenario.

The untrained eye of your average consumer can jeopardize your logo by putting you in the crossfires of an established brand. In these instances, it’s easy for the start-up to get destroyed by their seniors. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, after all. Yet, we love narratives where the underdog triumphs in the end. With that sentiment in mind, let’s look at some ways to pinpoint potential similarities before a complaint is issued.

» MORE: A Complete Guide to Copyrighting or Trademarking Your Logo

Fact-Checking Your Logo

Plagiarism checkers are a wonderful tool that allows writers to ensure that their works are an unquestionable a product of their talents. Nothing is more demeaning than being accused of stealing the works of another person. This mentality can be applied to any sort of creative work. We know the intensive labor poured over our products, why can’t anyone else realize that?

Fortunately, there are many available methods for fact-checking your logo. This is vital if you want to spot any similarities between your logo and the designs of other companies. To begin, we can use a method known as Reverse Image Search.

As the name implies, a reverse image search is when the user uploads an image for a search engine to retrieve information based on that image. The common one we use in our daily lives is Google. This universal search engine can not only pull up information based on keywords but images as well. By going into the images tab of Google, you’re able to upload images, and Google will retrieve information on the image.

I’ll be remised to state that you should solely use Google to search for logo similarities. As one of the leading search engines, it can easily swamp you with information that’s both relevant and useless. We would only recommend it as a starting point for spotting similarities.

For search engines specifically tailored for corporate images/logos, TinEye is a popular search engine in the community. TinEye has become a staple search engine for companies to identify the illegal use of copyrighted images. While the paid version has plenty of search filters to narrow down the results, sticking with the base version will offer plenty of options to identify any potential similarities.

» MORE: A Guide to Choosing the Best Colors for Your Logo

Persisting Against Resistance: Do You Stand A Chance?

Even using a universal search engine like Google will demonstrate logos similar to your proposed design. This leaves you with this ultimatum: restart the logo from scratch or persist against potential legal action. No one likes an ultimatum, but when it comes to making a profit, the gloves will come off.

Before we make any rash decisions, we have to align our mindset to that of the other corporations. If an established company were to look at our logo, what would they think about it? Would they believe that the similarities will cause confusion and undermine their services? Threats of this nature will not be taken likely. This will always lead to legal action being taken against this infringement.

There are two questions to keep in mind if you decide on the path of persistence:

• Are the two logos associated with the same business? If operating under different domains, a similar logo design would not deliver a devastating blow to another company. Take, for example, the similarities between the logo for SEGA and CNN. Both logos utilize the same font but a different color scheme. This isn’t an issue as both companies are trademarked under different services. Either company cannot infringe on the domain of the other, decreasing the risk of confusion to the consumer.
• If the first question is yes, are the companies operating in the same country? Many believe that the issue of logo similarities is often mitigated if the companies are located in different regions. A motorcycle company based in Italy won’t take legal action against an American company if they share a similar logo, as long as they don’t attempt to sell in their region. This type of lawsuit was demonstrated back in 2007 between Starbucks and Starpreya. Starbucks attempted to shut-down Starpreya’s trademark in Korea. They lost this case as Starbucks was not as well-known in that region.

In these two instances, you may feel a bit hopeful knowing that there may be a fighting chance to retain your logo. While this is true, both involved massive corporations that can go toe to toe with each other. As a start-up, you won’t have the assets and brand loyalty to back up your originality. In any case, it’s best to consult with a legal firm. Even better if you can consult with them before publishing your logo. They will notify you if your logo infringes on another company as well as protect your trademark once it goes public.

Pressing Restart: How to Avoid Repeating This Scenario

Even if you decide to exercise transparency with your logo and associated business practices, you may find yourself scrambling for a redesign. If the current logo has similarities, what’s to say that the redesign won’t face similar issues?

As stated previously, you don’t necessarily have to restart from scratch. A small redesign or how we like to describe it, “damage control” can be sufficient enough.

When it comes to redesigning your work, the best advice that can be shared is to avoid using established images from the internet. If you’re designing the logo yourself or outsourcing to another designer, you must create every component by hand. The internet is filled with templates, fonts, images, etc. You’re not the first person to base their logo on established assets, and you certainly won’t be the last.

We highly recommend using a design template website like Placeit.net because they have one of the largest library of templates. Further, they add new templates daily so you are unlikely to find someone else using your same logo template.

Placeit has also been kind enough to extend a 15% discount to All Free Mockups readers. The coupon link can be found here.

By using a design website with a massive library of templates, you’re able to dig deep and express your creativity like never seen before. Remember, your logo is an expression of your brand. Instead of examining what works for others, focus on what will work for your identity.

You’ll receive the added benefit of owning every aspect of the newly redesigned logo. Once the logo is good enough to publish, you can immediately turn the tide in your favor by trademarking your intellectual property (I.P.). In essence, taking a risk and breaking graphic designing 101 will label your logo as a trendsetter for others to imitate. If it all plays out, you may find imitation to be the greatest form of flattery once you see success.

Either option, restarting or demonstrating persistence with the logo, will require having a lawyer assist you before going public. Not to sound like a broken record, but your brand is an I.P., brought together by creativity and hard work. No one wants to see the fruits of their labor fall under the weight of their ambitions. By having the assistance of a lawyer, you can guarantee that whatever logo design you stick with will be protected by imitators and opposers alike. 

» MORE: The Power Of Symmetry: 13 Lessons From Famous Logos

What are the Potential Legal Issues?

Plagiarism will always be seen as a serious offense in our lives. Our earliest experience with plagiarism harkens back to our years of being a student. Our teachers would constantly reprimand any sort of plagiarism in classrooms with the threat of expulsion. This threat continues into our adult lives as any attempt at plagiarism can lead to job loss and endanger your marketability as an employee.

This threat is especially terrifying with any start-up business. The whole agenda is to establish a brand that allows you to stand-out against others in your field. The last thing you want is to lose your assets over the unfair use of another company’s property. Let’s take the time to look at the legal ramifications of infringement and what that could mean for your company’s future.

Trademark Laws and Infringement Penalties

Trademarking an I.P. is a legal method towards protecting a creator’s work; logos, acronyms, slogans, all are considered protected under the federal government. You may have noticed this yourself with brands such as Nike or Coca-Cola having a tiny T.M. symbol next to their label. This mark is proof that the brand name is federally protected. If another brand causes disruption or confusion with its logo, this is a clear violation of the creator’s I.P. This is punishable under what is known as trademark law.  

There are some exceptions to these penalties, such as the principle of Fair Use. This principle allows specific loopholes towards the I.P. use of another company. These loopholes include instances where the work is used as a parody or reported in the news. The use should be noted as okay as long as you don’t earn a profit off their work or cause a disruption to their brand.

Do not confuse trademarks with other forms of I.P. protection such as copyrights and patents. Copyright is focused on works based on literacy or the arts, while patents are based on inventions.

Once you reach this stage, filing for a U.S. Trademark is a pretty simplistic process. Here is the basic outline towards filing for a trademark:

1. Search for your Trademark Name in Advance: Most would recommend you start with this approach to avoid issues during the application process. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) contains all the necessary features to apply. This includes a search engine to check beforehand if your name infringes on any registered brand.
2. Fill out the paperwork through USPTO: The application process is also readily available at their offices. By filling out the essential information and the necessary fees, you should hear back within three months. Any errors in the application process will only prolong the decision.
3. Respond to any issues presented by the USPTO attorney: Every application must be reviewed by a USPTO attorney. If they spot any problems, they will send you a letter called “Office Action.” This letter will detail every issue and gives you a chance to resolve them. Failure to respond to these complaints, as we mentioned, will delay the process or cause your application to be nulled.

What are the Legal Consequences?

If you find yourself infringing on another company’s trademark, there will be a cost to pay. Unfortunately, even if your actions were not intentional, ignorance is not a defensible stance to take in court. Many companies will take legal action if any form of their I.P., logos included, are remotely taken without their knowledge.

In these cases, the trademark owner can file a cease and desist order against you. This is not only an attempt to stop your use of their mark but also to collect damages from your use. The amount varies. It’s either based on the profit you gain from the infringement or the loss in profit from the owner of the trademark. We have seen some cases where the lost profit was seen in the $100,000s.

If the defendant refuses to comply, the court has free reign to hold the individual for civil contempt. The infringer would be forced to pay additional fines to the court, even paying the attorney fees towards the plaintiff. Depending on the severity and extent of the infringement, the court may deem necessary to impose prison time on top of all the expenses.

We can both agree: the risk is not worth the reward. Any monetary credit you receive from your work will only sustain you for so long. Either unintentional or by mistake, you have to take the precautionary steps to avoid receiving legal complaints from another company. Once the truth comes out, prepare to start looking for another career. No one wants to work with a business that couldn’t hit the ground running without a cheat.  

» MORE: 41 Hidden Messages In Famous Logos

Final Thoughts

In the age of digital creativity, the barrier of entree for graphic designing has never been easier. Creativity, effects programming, and a bit of patience are all someone needs to create a logo for their company. But it’s this ease of access that has also dampened creative uniqueness in the marketplace. Every animal, shape, color scheme has been used by thousands of other companies. Who’s to blame you if your “unique” logo turns out to be eerily similar to another company.

As we have demonstrated, there are numerous outlooks to either retain your logo or to “tweak” it to avoid any copyright conflicts. Either stance, it’s highly recommended to seek consultation from a legal firm to protect your intellectual property.

We have the utmost faith that your original logo is a product of your creativity. Unfortunately, your creativity can also be emulated by other graphic designers with the same mindset. Creativity is sometimes seen as a dying breed with the oversaturation of designer logos in the marketplace. As long as the logo doesn’t infringe on the business of an already established company, you should be safe.

All we expect from you is to take all the necessary precautions to avoid legal issues from your competitors. Your logo is the lifeblood of your brand. We should look at it and instantly associate it with your product. If your brand is attacked legally, it will only decrease your marketability. With today’s market, that’s a misstep that’s well-worth avoiding at all costs.

A logo is a combination of graphics and text used to symbolize a business and a brand. The ideal logo will reveal to consumers what brand stands for, offer an idea as to what the company is about, and even hint and the people behind it and what they stand for. You’ll know a logo is successful if you notice the targeted demographic is responding to the brand, demonstrating the simple design concept is serving its purpose as a marketing tool.

Should Logos Have Taglines? The short answer is not always. A good logo design will accomplish what a brand sets out to achieve on the various mediums such as business cards and letterheads on its own. A tagline, regardless of length, can potentially diminish the impact of the logo and make brand recognition as well as recall challenging for the audience when added to the concept.

The only reason a business should use a tagline in creating the logo is if it somehow speaks additional critical information to the demographic concerning the brand and the company. Otherwise, the logo alone needs to have the primary spotlight. 

Logo Design With A Tagline Attached

A tagline seen as redundant to your target audience or that provides the demographic with nothing useful concerning the brand can potentially prove harmful with its impact and how the company is viewed.

For all intents and purposes, if you don’t have a powerful line, don’t include it in the concept until you’re able to develop a strong alternative. You’ll know when it’s right.

The perfect one will be catchy, brief and simple, but descriptive. It should bring instant recall for consumers. There are a multitude of brands with popular logos offering impactful taglines, ensuring a memorable response if you genuinely think about it. This is where you want your brand to be. 

Understanding The Tagline Concept

A tagline, also called a ‘slogan,’ speaks critical facts about a brand or products and services by way of a phrase that catches consumers’ attention. These don’t need to be specific to what you represent as a company but would instead spark a particular feeling associating it with the brand. An often-used example is Nike’s “Just Do It” – very simple, short, draws attention, and is powerful with its audience. 

Logos are fantastic in identifying a company to the public. But they don’t translate to radio ads or offer as much impact in television commercials and even digital ads without the addition of an audible tagline radiating with those engaging.

But a weak slogan will do the opposite and can detract from not only the logo but the brand and the feeling it denotes. If the slogan is not offering a consumer insight into the company or what it offers, there is no need for it. The idea overall is to not only draw in the targeted audience but to stand out from competitors in the industry.

• Differentiating factors. Though you may be in a similar business as the next person, each company takes a unique approach with their particular products and services. In saying that, a slogan or tagline needs to distinguish this. It’s vital in the design phase of your logo to take appropriate time and effort in considering what sets you apart.

The differences between you and your counterparts are elements to implement in catchphrases for taglines. And that’s how the infamous and memorable slogans came to be.

• Intrigue. As with anything in business, you don’t want to show all your cards in just this one line. A bit of mystery, as opposed to a message divulging all of your secrets, is going to interest your customer, enticing them to come to see for themselves. The only requirement is that the intended emotion comes across in a short message that leaves a little to the imagination. 

• Brief and powerful. Text that is too long, over three or four words, will cause the logo and brand to be lost and decrease customer recall. These mean to grab attention instantly using some kind of hook in the form of humor potentially, which can’t happen if it requires the customer time to take it in.

The most powerful, memorable taglines in existence today comprise only three words that everyone in the entire world knows. And this is what a brand’s goal should be. Ironically, these slogans, “I’m Lovin’ It” and “Just Do It” don’t honestly say anything to the customer about the business at all. But you do instantly feel something when you hear the line.

Less Is More

When you create a logo design attaching a slogan with only three words, there is a natural balance between the two, whereas a long line will take away from what should be the primary focus.

If you feel that more words need to be incorporated, this may be something that you should use in another aspect of your marketing concept as opposed to setting up a potential issue with the logo.

Don’t Waste the Concepts You Didn’t Use

These would be beneficial in places where the consumer may spend more time engaging like within the company voicemail, on the storefront window, applied on business clothing, within digital advertising, marketing flyers or business cards, and perhaps the website.

In most of these cases, the tagline will likely have a more significant effect by itself instead of being designed into the logo creation.

The takeaway when you’re considering the notion of a tagline attached to your logo is to incorporate careful thought and sufficient time in finding an impactful phrase to emphasize the logo and bring an adequate sense of emotion to your brand.

If the idea you develop doesn’t succeed in doing this but is ideal for your marketing needs, it should not be used in combination with your logo. Instead, it needs to be incorporated into other marketing collateral.

The Importance Of The Logo For A Brand’s Image

It’s critical to research whether a tagline is beneficial in combination with a logo for a business or whether the logo should remain separate because the logo is a primary component contributing to the image of a brand.

The logo design will ultimately serve as unique recognition for the consumer of a business and its brand. This is the element that shows a company’s specialty in an industry where there may be considerable competition. It appears to be a tiny element of an overall strategy, but it is, in fact, a giant component for which everyone will come to know and define your specific brand. 

Creating the symbol representing the products and services produced by your business should not be taken lightly. It’s crucial that it be effective in promoting the vision you have for what you manufacture and that those seeing it receive the message you’re relaying to them.

You don’t want it to be an ‘inside joke’ for just a specific in-crowd – it needs to be a universal concept to draw in consumers who you may not have anticipated. You’ll know the design is okay if you say the company name and the symbol are immediately recognized. This is a sign that the logo is a genuine representation of who you are and what your goals are.

The concept for good design translates to logos that are done poorly as well. A bad logo is memorable to the public and associates itself with the business steering people away from engaging with that company.

Good or bad, these symbols serve as the most often viewed and displayed ‘advertisement’ for products and services, meaning the impact that it has is significant. If that impact is negative, the business will indeed suffer those consequences because each time the consumer views that symbol, they will likely pass it up.

Logo Types

There are a variety of ways that a company can design a logo. The ideal logo should be simplistic so that the consumer has the capability of identifying it instantly.

The process of choosing the design can prove daunting, with some business owners seeing it as a challenge in conjunction with everyday company operations. It will take considerable time and attention to create an adequate symbol to represent your products and services and one that will speak for the business as to what it stands for and who you are as the owner.

This one component of your business will have a booming voice. And you need to be a part of the development process even if you decide to outsource the creation.

1. The use of text to comprise the logo relies on ‘font’ to bring power to the design concept. With these, the business name and a tagline are incorporated in simple font styling. These type symbols are typical if you want the company name to be a prominent element, such as with Microsoft or Google.

• If you opt for a symbol to represent the values of your company, it needs to be a symbol that consumers can readily associate with your business along with those values and the items that you produce. Just using a symbol is tricky if your preferred audience doesn’t recognize it or understand the association.

Prominent logo examples include Adidas and Nike. But in all reality, in just using a symbol and nothing more, considering Nike, in the initiation of this logo and the startup process of this business, how many people saw this logo and knew it was for a sports shoe immediately?

Yes, now it is absolutely the icon of Nike, speaks volumes by itself, and is a design inspiration as far as logos. But initially, there was more marketing work required alongside the logo to make this symbol gain traction. Nike needed marketing and advertising for the logo in order for the logo to work as a valuable marketing tool to represent the brand effectively. Right? 

• This leads us to our next type, which deems to likely be the most advantageous of the three because it gives the preferred demographic a lot of information in a simplistic format using both an image and text.

You can see these examples with several popular designs, such as Dropbox. With a logo of this sort, you can implement a company name with a symbol denoting what that business represents, who they are, what they stand for, making it a strong statement for the brand.

The type that you choose will determine the message you send to your customers. Each has the potential for equal impact, depending on the quality of your design. With text, a tagline will bring attention. For those who choose a simple symbol design, most likely, there will be a need for other marketing and advertising to bring insight into the meaning behind the symbol. And with the combination type, it’s all-inclusive. 

Initiating The Design Process

Once you decide on the type that you want to employ for your logo, ensure while strategizing the design concept key elements consumers can take away that will stick with them for future recall and recognition in association with what you’re selling with clarity and simplicity.

The idea is to think outside the box as if you’re in an original and unique sector even though you have similar products as your competition. But do so in a universal, functional language for the public at large and not just your preferred demographic. You never want to limit yourself strictly to a target audience when you have the potential to branch out to people you may not have considered. Use your marketing tools to target your audience while reaching out and speaking to everyone.

Logo design has the potential for going wrong, which can be detrimental for the company and, more importantly, the brand. Once the public associates a symbol with products and services in a negative light, that brand will have the perception as an inferior product. And in most instances, it’s not something that can repair quickly once the association is established.

Do Your Research – and Be Patient

You want to take special care when researching your logotype creation. It’s not anything that should be rushed or chosen impulsively. Don’t presume, though, just because you don’t have the instant success you hope for; it means the symbol is not well-received. Patience is key, and it takes time for the demographic as a whole to make the identification and run with it.

The market is full of companies that engage in the same types of goods and services. That doesn’t mean the individual companies need to follow each other’s marketing leads, pathways, or design their business materials in the same likeness. It’s critical to a company’s success in standing out apart from all competition rather than follow in their footsteps. In doing so, you need to find your niche or specialty in the field and highlight it in your logo and tagline. 

The symbol represents your opportunity to showcase the uniqueness that your business offers within the field. It represents the reasons consumers choose to follow your brand as opposed to all the others on the market. It may seem like using such a small marketing component to voice your strengths, deeming you the standout is impossible, but it’s a matter of betraying the norm.

There are a plethora of favorites loved by the public who took this stance and enjoyed the success of having done so. It’s not a matter of using lengthy-expression or a ton of special effects to make your point, quite the opposite. It’s a more in-your-face blunt, bold punch that those who view it can’t shake.

If you’re a DIY kind of person, you can use a logo design maker like Placeit to create your logo from templates.

Finding Help With The Design Process

There’s no room in advertising for annoying clichés or plays on words. That’s all been done to death, and the typical customer is too smart for that ploy today. In saying that, frequently, it takes a professional designer to evoke creativity. Sometimes, an expert can take a concept and shape it into the perfect representation for which you would have never been able to imagine.

A good design team has the capability of understanding when a tagline would work better as a standalone tool or if it’s impactful in combination with the logo. They can also take your idea and expand on it so that the symbol represents the brand in a unique, individualistic way or let you know that what you’ve come up with is much too complicated but help you in an attempt to notch it down for better execution. 

The Benefits of Expert Help

It’s not always easy for a business to outsource any scope of business or marketing, but there are instances where the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. In getting opinions from a third party not involved in everyday production, you have the benefit of their having a unique perspective meaning their contribution to your design will be different from any other business in the industry.

And as we’ve been saying all along, the idea in a competitive industry is standing out in the crowd. The best way to do that is to implement advice and assistance from a design team in conjunction with the natural, unusual spin that your company provides as compared to the competitors for the people who make up the preferred demographic. The result coming from this decision is an optimal logo and overall business success. Win-Win.

Our eyes are attracted to symmetry. There is something about the natural elements of it that appeals to the primitive aspects of our brains. This is one of the many reasons why companies have traditionally tried to incorporate symmetry into their logos. If you want to have a logo that appeals to the eye, symmetry is a quick and easy way to accomplish this goal.

Should logos be symmetrical? It all depends on what you are trying to convey with your logo. Symmetry is a shorthand that you can use to communicate certain messages to your audience without them necessarily being conscience of that message. Symmetry suggests balance, craftsmanship, and engineering. It also gives an audience a feeling of comfort and stability. If this is what your product is about, your logo should use symmetry.

There are many ways that you can effectively use symmetry in your logo, depending on the message you want to send. You can make your whole logo symmetrical, or you could just make a portion symmetrical. When you understand what symmetry is and take a look at how it has been used in other famous logos, you will be ready to develop the perfect symmetrical logo for your needs.

» MORE: 41 Hidden Messages In Famous Logos

What Is Symmetry and Why You Want It In Your Logo

Symmetry is when both sides of an object are exactly the same. If you draw a line down the middle of a logo and both sides are mirror images of each other, then the logo is symmetrical. When most of us think of symmetry, we think of reflection symmetry, but there are actually four types of symmetry. Which type of symmetry you use communicates different messages to your audience.

Understanding these types of symmetry by looking at famous brand logos is the first set of lessons we can learn about the power of symmetry.

» MORE: A Guide to Creating a Perfect Logo

1. McDonald’s

Reflection symmetry is the most basic form of symmetry, and the one most people think of when they think of symmetry. It is when two sides of a logo are identical. If you fold the logo in half, the two sides will match each other completely. It is also sometimes referred to as mirror symmetry.

One of the most famous examples of reflection symmetry is the McDonald’s golden arches. It is a perfect example of the power and simplicity of reflection symmetry. The logo is two arches that connect in the middle to form an M. It was meant to represent both the two golden arches that adorned the original restaurant’s roof and the M that starts off the chain’s name.

This simple design has gone on to become a worldwide symbol of globalization, capitalism, and the American way. Part of what makes it so iconic is the simple symmetry of its design.

Other examples of reflection symmetry are:

• Airbnb
• Toyota
• Chevy

» MORE: So, Your Logo is Similar to Another: Now What?

2. Walmart

With rotational symmetry, the symmetry of the logo will remain the same no matter how you turn it. Shapes like stars, circles, and hexagons work great as rotationally symmetrical logos.

A great example of a famous logo that uses rotational symmetry is the Walmart spark logo. It is said that the spark stands for the spark of inspiration Sam Walton had when he opened his first store, but the rotational symmetry of the logo’s design also suggests that the spark is in all of us.

Other examples of rotational symmetry are…

• BP Oil
• Mercedes-Benz
• Sun Microsystems

» MORE: Should Logos Have Taglines?

3. Audi

Translation in design speak means to move an object from one position to another. In logo design, translational symmetry is when a designer can move an element of the logo without compromising its symmetric properties. This usually means that the logo contains a repeating element in its design.

The four interlocking rings of Audi’s logo is an example of translational symmetry. Each ring looks identical and can be moved anywhere in the logo, and the logo will not change. The four rings represent four German auto companies that decided to join together during the Great Depression in order to save their business. The translational symmetry of the rings suggests the power of union. Today, the rings are also silver to suggest luxury and technological discovery.

Other examples of translation symmetry are…

• Mitsubishi
• The Olympics
• NBC Peacock

» MORE: 10 Ways to Make a Logo For Free

4. BMW

The least-common form of symmetry in logo design is glide-reflectional symmetry. This consists of taking an image that shows reflection symmetry and moving one side of the image above or below the other side.

To visualize this, spread the fingers of each handout in front of yourself and touch the tips of the thumbs. That is reflectional symmetry. Now, if you move your left hand up, so your thumb is level with your pointer finger, it is glide-reflectional.

BMW uses this technique in their logo. The two blue squares and the two white squares are reflections of each other yet are not on the same plane. Again, the logo is very simple and widely recognizable. The glide-reflectional symmetry stems from the company’s desire to include the colors of its home state of Bavaria yet comply with local laws that said you couldn’t use state coats of arms. The logo is the reverse order of the Bavarian coat of arms.

» MORE: These Are The Best 67 Fonts To Use For A Logo

Examples of the Effects Of Logo Symmetry

When you add symmetry to your logo, there are many effects that it can have on your audience and your business. Symmetry can bring many things to your logo that will help you and your business reach a wide audience. Here are some examples of logos and the elements they bring to logo design.

5. Starbucks

Balance and proportion are important to any logo. It is the balance of colors, shapes, and fonts that make a logo appealing, unique, and memorable, all things you should want in your logo. If there is an imbalance, focusing on the design will become difficult, and your message may get lost.

Symmetry will help you create balance in your logo by distributing the elements, color, shapes, and fonts, evenly.

Starbucks is a great example of symmetry creating balance. The two sides of the Starbucks mermaid contain all the same elements and match each other like mirror images. The mermaid seems to be a detailed, intricate drawing but is nothing more than a well-balanced mirror image. Having elements like the tail appear on both sides of the mermaid add balance that makes the logo so appealing.

» MORE: Are Logos Considered Public Domain? The Facts Explained

6. Batman

If you want your logo to reach a wide audience, you are going to want it to be aesthetically pleasing. There is a natural aesthetic to symmetry that appeals to the human eye. By using symmetry, you will be using a design construct that almost ensures that you are creating an aesthetically pleasing logo.

With Marvel movies reigning supreme at the box office, it should come at some surprise that there is no comic book logo more iconic than the DC Batman logo.

While the DC brand struggles to keep up with its Marvel counterpart, the symmetrical bat encased in a yellow circle remains more popular than any other comic logo. This is in part to the aesthetics that the bat symbol contains.

» MORE: Can You Use The Same Logo As Another Company?

7. Volkswagen

Simplicity is effective is design. The easier a logo is to recreate, the more appeal it seems to have. For one, with fewer elements, there is less clutter. Less clutter is going to make your logo more appealing to the eye.

If you use reflection symmetry, you are limiting the elements since one side is just a mirror image of the other. All you have to do is design half of a logo and then just create a mirror image either next to or above or below what you have created.

The Volkswagen logo is a great example of how effective the simplicity of reflection symmetry can be. The famous VW sitting one on top of the other is maddeningly simple, yet so pleasing to look at and so incredibly simple to recreate. Three Vs. in a circle are all the design that was required to create a world-famous logo.

» MORE: Why is Logo Design So Hard? What You Need to Know

8. PBS

Gestalt Theory tells us that the mind looks to organize objects so it can make sense of visual stimuli. Our minds are naturally looking to make order, so when objects are symmetrical, that order has already been created for us, and we tend to be drawn to it more. In this way, a symmetrical logo is going to naturally draw more people to it.

PBS uses translation symmetry to help organize the visual of multiple heads. This nationally famous logo is able to convey deep meaning while creating a logo that draws attention to itself. PBS is the network of the people, and the repeating image of heads tells us that we are all part of the organization.

» MORE: Can You Use Any Font For a Business Logo?

9. The Hartford Whalers

If done right, symmetry can add many layers to a logo. These layers can hide images that our sub-conscience recognizes, but we do not notice until we study the design more. People tend to think of simplicity when they think of symmetry, but there can be complex to symmetry as well.

Twenty-three years after the team stopped existing, the Hartford Whalers are still one of the top merchandise sellers in the NHL. Why does a team that could not hold on to a big enough fanbase to remain in the NHL continue to sell tons of merchandise? It’s simple. They have one of the greatest team logos in the history of professional sports.

The key to the logo’s success is the way symmetry and negative space create complexity. The logo is a perfectly symmetrical W topped by a symmetrical whale tale. But, if you look into the negative space between the two, you will also see a hidden symmetrical H.

» MORE: Is Fiverr a Good Place to Have a Logo Designed?

10. Shell and Target

It is possible to create a logo so iconic that you don’t have to include the company name. Symmetry helps create simple images that do all the talking and remove the need for words. Of course, it helps if the company name can be conveyed in an image. Pairing a great name with a symmetrical logo is a quick and easy way to start a brand that will resonate with people visually.

Shell gas uses a simple yellow and red shell that is an example of reflection symmetry and completely removes the need for words. When you see the iconic image, you know it’s time to pull over and refuel. The natural symmetry of the shell shape makes the logo aesthetically pleasing and draws your attention as you drive down the street.

Target uses a logo that is an example of rotational symmetry. It utilizes the familiar image of a bullseye to pull the viewer in and a color scheme that suggests passion and purity. When you find yourself in a new town and in need of basic living items, it’s easy to find the comfort of the red and white rings surrounding a red dot on the horizon.

» MORE: Is GIMP Good for Logo Design? The Facts Explained

11. Adidas

In recent years, a lot of companies have been moving away from symmetrical logos in favor of more edgy asymmetrical designs. Asymmetry in logos has come to represent high-performance and excitement. Which means symmetry has come to represent the opposite.

Symmetry has come to stand for stability and classic ways. That is not to say symmetry is old fashioned, it is still stylish but in a classic way, like a 1956 Corvette.

One can see this difference in the way that Adidas has handled their recent rebranding. For many years Adidas used a trefoil logo, broken up by their identifying three lines, that was bilaterally symmetrical. They recently switched to a more modern asymmetrical logo that takes the famous three lines and shapes them into the shape of a rising mountain.

The interesting thing about Adidas’ use of their logo and the lesson to be learned is that they still use the old logo, They have a line of product that they call their classic line, and they use the old logo on this product while using the new logo on their newer high-performance wear. This supports the idea that symmetry represents the old stable style.

» MORE: Why Are So Many Logos Becoming Oversimplified?

12. Nintendo Switch

We are told by almost every adult as we grow up to pay attention to rules and follow them or else, but one of my college professors taught me that you have to know the rules, so you know when and how to break them.

One of the most important lessons to learn from famous logos about the power of symmetry is when and how NOT to use it. Many companies, like Pepsi and Adidas, have moved from their iconic symmetrical logos to new modern asymmetrical ones. The key is understanding what made the old logos so powerful and incorporating that element in new ways.

The most famous recent example of knowing when and how to break the rules of symmetry is the logo for the Nintendo Switch. At first glance, the logo appears to be a brilliant example of

reflection and glide-reflection symmetry, but as you look closer, you should notice that it is not symmetrical at all:

• The left side is bigger than the right.
• The right dot is further from the bottom than the left dot is from the top
• One side has a border
• The other doesn’t.  

To be able to create a logo that tricks the viewer into thinking its symmetrical while maintaining asymmetry, you have to know the rules of symmetry and how to break them without losing symmetry’s benefits.

» MORE: Does Every Logo Have A Hidden Meaning Behind It? [Not What You Think]

13. UPS

The last lesson that should be learned about symmetry from looking at famous logos is that you don’t have to just use symmetry in your logo. Your logo can be a combination of both symmetrical and asymmetrical elements. If you are trying to send a message that your company is both a rock of stability and on the cutting edge of your industry, the use of both may be what you need.

A great example of a logo that uses both symmetry and asymmetry to deliver a message about what their company is and what it stands for is UPS.

The UPS logo is an asymmetrical brown shield surrounded by a symmetrical yellow shield. The outside shield stands for sophistication and efficiency, important qualities for customers who want their packages on time. The internal, slightly asymmetrical shield, however, shows a more human side to the company, reminding the customers that UPS is not just about efficiency but people too.

» MORE: Does a Business Card Need to Include a Logo?

Use the Power of Symmetry for Your Logo

Now that you have looked back at these famous logos and better understand the power of symmetry and how you can use that power to make your logo, you are all set to design the next great logo. Maybe someday we will be looking at your creation to understand how symmetry draws in the customer and defines the company.

Ready to create your own logo? Start with these thousands of logo templates.

A company’s logo is the face of its identity to the public. There is a vast variety of logos; however, most of us are familiar with pictorial logos such as the logo for Target or the Twitter bird and may not have considered other ways of creating a logo or other sorts of logo designs. Some logos are designed entirely from scratch by graphic designers, using different symbols that could represent the company or the name of the company. Yet, some are made from pictures and then edited to suit the needs of the brand.

But, can a photo be used as a logo? Yes, a photo can be used as a logo. But, it is more efficient to first run the picture through an image editing software and apply changes to it, depending on what a company is looking for. Usually, a graphic designer may use a photo as a base in the design of a logo and then alter it to fit the ideas that a company wants to convey through their logo.

Whether a photo is good to use or not depends on several factors, namely: the ownership rights of the picture (where is it sourced from), the appearance of the photo, the photo’s file type, the ease of using it, what kind of message the photo conveys, the individualism of the picture, and the suitability of the photo to the company’s underlying message.

Peak ahead: Consider using a Logo Maker to create your own logo. This will be far more practical and keep you, and your business, out of potential legal issues in the future.

7 Pros and Cons to Using a Picture as a Logo

The pros and cons of both using a photo outright or using a photo as a part of your logo design are explained through these categories in greater detail below:

1. Ownership (Where the Picture is Sourced From)

PROS:

If the photo you are using in creating your logo is one that is privately sourced, chances are you already own the rights to use and alter that picture as you please. This situation comes with several advantages. Firstly, no conflict occurs in copyrighting the logo after it is completed; this applies to both using a picture outright or editing the image a little before using it in a logo design.

Secondly, the image, even if it is an image of a public place, will likely not be available to other companies to use, ensuring that your logo design will be specific to your company and tailored to your needs.

CONS:

The same is not true for most publicly sourced photos. As a company, you cannot trademark or copyright your logo in the long run if you use a publicly sourced photo because whether you have paid for the image or not, you do not have ownership rights on the image to prevent anyone else from using it. Another company can even use it in the same manner that it was used for your company’s logo and make small changes to it.

Often you will find out that you were not the first to think that a picture you found online was suitable to set your company apart. Copy-pasting the image’s URL into a Google search will reveal that several other companies out there have used the same image, altering it to fit their needs.

» MORE: The Power Of Symmetry: 13 Lessons From Famous Logos

2. Appearance

PROS:

When a photo is used in a logo, it has a professional and aesthetically pleasing undertone that will become a first impression for the customer. Photos can be processed in many different file formats so that editing does not affect the integrity of the photo.

CONS:

But logos must be reproduced to very small sizes at times. If it’s at a tiny size, people cannot make your logo out, and then it is not serving its purpose correctly; this can happen with many photos and make it undesirable to use them as logos.

Sometimes also, a logo must be blown up to a very large size. In this case, a photo again could end up losing its resolution, color, or even structure because it is raster-based. The term raster-based here is simply referring to the nature of photos to have a limit for being resized that when bypassed, ends up with pixelated looking pictures.

You also need to be able to reproduce your logo in different color variations such as grayscale, full color, or monotone to fit a certain mood. So, if an image does not have the right contrast and exposure, the end product will not be pleasing to the eye.

» MORE: A Guide to Choosing the Best Colors for Your Logo

3. Conveying a Message

PROS:

The phrase “a picture tells a thousand words” applies well here. When the right picture is used, the logo of a company tells a whole story about the company. In this sense, using an image for a logo can help make the logo design more personal to the business, and its message to consumers or its ideals can be expressed better.

Maybe, you aim at saying something about the location where your product is produced and sourced from, for example. It is possible to convey this feeling to an audience of the place in reference by creating a logo that features a picture of that landscape. Werther’s Original, for example,  a brand of European caramel candies, features a drawing of a farmhouse’s barn and the open field in front of it to convey the message that their candies originated in a small, quaint European village of the name “Werther.”

CONS:

But the pendulum swings in the other direction for a picture that is poorly chosen. Let us say, for example, you decide to use a stock photo of a campsite for a brand of vegan camping snacks. Even though the picture may be conveying the message that your product has something to do with camping and snacking, it is not able to fully home in on the emotional response and the message you are trying to give your consumers.

» MORE: 41 Hidden Messages In Famous Logos

4. Individualism

PROS:

The right photo can really show the individualism of a company to the world. A famous example is the bust of Colonel Sanders that is superimposed in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) logo. The Colonel was a notable and boisterous character, but beyond this, he also played a strong role in developing his brand, and so his appearance is tied to the brand and the brand name.

Using a portrait picture of an individual of significance, maybe the owner of the company, is feasible. This type of logo is called a “mascot logo,” and it features the face of an individual or a character that holds significance to the company.

CONS:

A logo is meant to represent an idea and not necessarily a person. So, to put a person on a logo means that the person is the embodiment of the idea; this can be problematic in the sense that a good company is supposed to outlive its owner.

Sometimes, this legacy is not lived out because the company is unable to move beyond the face of a notable individual. It could have been problematic, for example, if instead of its iconic apple with a bite in it, the company Apple had used Steve Jobs’ portrait as its logo. After he passed away, the company may have struggled to pivot with the idea that it could maintain its competitiveness in the absence of Mr. Jobs.

» MORE: These Are The Best 67 Fonts To Use For A Logo

5. File Type and Size

PROS:

JPEGs (file extension .jpg) is the most used type of file format for images. Most photos are in the JPEG file format from the offset. This file format is ideal for compressing and sharing your logo and is easy to use across websites and in emails and printing.

CONS:

But a disadvantage of the JPEG is that quality is compromised if the logo size is too far compressed or too much enlarged, and the image will end up distorted. The standard size of a logo depends on the platform that it will be uploaded to so it could be resized a frequent number of times.

Usually, a logo will be uploaded to numerous different platforms and will need to be resized for each of these platforms. For example, there may be an ideal dimension for uploading your logo to Facebook, but a completely different dimension needed for YouTube.

The best type of file to use as a master file for a logo is a Vector file ( with the file extension .svg). Vector files can be resized without the image becoming pixelated. PNG files are also useful because they have “lossless compression,” meaning they can also be resized without the picture, or the logo losing its quality. With these two file types, your logo will display seamlessly across websites.

As mentioned earlier, attempting to do this on a JPEG could cause you to lose the integrity of the image. Hence, JPEGs are not very versatile for a logo. Luckily, JPEGS can be converted into vector files

But, before the image can be converted to a vector image, it must be “traced” inside of editing software such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop; this can quickly become a cumbersome process. You need one understanding to edit the photo and a different understanding of a different process to convert the picture to a vector image.

Otherwise, if you choose to keep the image as a JPEG, you must deal with the problem of rasterization, resizing, and the possibility of your image distorting.

We could avoid all the file conversion issues if the logo were created as a vector image from the onset, which is possible if a picture is not the base of the logo design, and it was formed from scratch.

» MORE: Vector Logo vs. Raster Logo vs. JPEG: Why Does it Matter

6. Editing and Graphic Design

PROS:

Starting with a picture as your base for a logo can make creating the logo design easier than starting from scratch for an amateur. With a basic knowledge of certain editing software, it is easy to tweak a picture to the style you want for the overall logo. But a beginner can even do something after watching a couple of tutorials on YouTube.

CONS:

This can also go both ways, without the proper editing software, a photo can be frustrating to work with. Even with the right software, if you do not have a basic understanding of how to use the software, you may end up on YouTube for hours trying to figure out where to start in the first place. You may need to remove the background or alter the colors in a certain place to match the color theme you have picked out. You could end up spending hours editing a photo just to end up not using it because putting some basic shapes, and a well-planned out typography was easier at the end of the day.

» MORE: The Ultimate List of The Best Online Design Makers

7. Stock Images

PROS:

Many new businesses may temporarily choose to rely on the use of stock photos to create their logos because stock images are free. However, they cannot be used beyond a temporary basis.

The public commonly sees most stock images. This makes it such that, when a stock image is used for a logo, a person can easily identify what a company is about; this is also good for new businesses because customers will be attracted to your business based on the product that it offers, and there is a higher chance of catching folks who are scrolling through the net looking for new options to give your company a try.

CONS:

In the long term, stock images end up harming your business in diverse ways.

A company puts itself in the vulnerable position of being liable to copyright infringement laws, or fines for the misuse of a stock photo. Most companies that sell stock photos state contractually in their user agreements that these photos are not to be used for a logo or a trademark, and it is easy to run into copyright infringement technicalities when going this route.

The owner of the stock photo could take legal action against the individual who uses their picture as a part of their logo if it goes contrary to their user licensing agreement. (This does not discount, however, that some publicly sourced images may be usable in the design of a company’s logo.)

Many royalty-free stock photos have huge watermarks across the middle of them that can require hours of editing to remove. Even after removing these watermarks, pictures may be negatively altered and difficult to use.

As a company you also cannot trademark or copyright your logo in the long run. Whether you have paid for the image or not, you do not have ownership rights on the image to prevent anyone else from using it and another company can use it in the same manner that it was used for your company’s logo.

» MORE: A Complete Guide to Copyrighting or Trademarking Your Logo

Notes on Editing Photos for Logos

There are a variety of different types of photos that can be used in the making of a logo for a company. We briefly looked at portrait photos and pictures of landscapes in the examples above. An image of an object can also be altered and used in creating a logo.

The object could be anything, even an animal. After capturing the object, the picture can be converted into a vector image, which will then be used for the logo. If you are familiar with the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), then you have seen their logo before: a black and white panda on all fours staring straight ahead; this is a good example of a kind of logo that can be made from a picture.

Also mentioned above, JPEGS are a raster-based image file format; resizing them can become a problem that leads to pixilation or an indiscernible image. However, it is possible to resize a JPEG in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom Classic to either huge proportions or tiny ones without losing the integrity of the photo.

This same applies to contrast and exposure. If the coloration of an image needs to be edited to suit a certain look for a printout or faded to adjust the logo as a watermark, this can also be done in Photoshop. You only need to select the image you are working with, click on the “image” tab, and select the “adjustments” option.

In Summary

To conclude, it is possible to use a photo as a logo for your company, but it is more efficient if the picture is rather incorporated into a logo design.

Consider using a Logo Maker to create your own logo. This will be far more practical and keep you, and your business, out of potential legal issues in the future.

The pros and cons of using a photo in logos were broken down categorically into these categories: the ownership rights of the photo (where is it sourced from), the appearance of the picture, the photo’s file type, the ease of using it, what kind of message the photo conveys, the individualism of the photo, and the suitability of the picture to the company’s underlying message.

If you are a designer, or even a wanna-be, you have probably heard of Placeit. Placeit is one of the best known “mockup” companies currently online. However, they are not the only choice. With other options out there, we decided to do an in-depth review of Placeit and provide you with the most objective review possible as to its overall ease of use, image library, pricing, customer service and quality.

The Ultimate Review of Placeit. Placeit has a huge image library, offers competitive mockup pricing and is fairly easy to use. However, it lacks easy to find tutorials for the new user and some of the graphics are dated.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Reasonably intuitive	Tutorials hard to find
Large image library	Some graphics look dated
Large portfolio of preset options	Some uploaded images look grainy
Subscription fairly inexpensive	By the piece charges add up fast

Welcome to the digital age, my friend.  Back in the “old” days, when we wanted a logo, business card designed, any other form of “custom” image, we hired a graphic designer, hoped they understood our needs and vision and then paid out the wazoo. Then came Photoshop and many people began making their own.  Placeit, among other companies like it, is 17^th generation (I exaggerate) from that beginning.

What is Placeit?

Placeit is a “mockup” company that has been in business since 2013. Basically, it allows you to make your own logos, designs and artwork.  It offers a library of images and templates as well as giving you the option to upload your own.

In addition, Placeit allows you to design animated video, slideshows, images for T-shirts and other hard goods, e-designs and just about any other type of graphic design you can think of.

To continue clarifying for the uninitiated, a “mockup” is a preset merchandise template.  You can add your own logo or image to this template to customize for your personal or business use.

Placeit has a free version, which has a limited number of mockups available, a “pay-as-you-go” version, where you pay only for the services you utilize and a subscription that you can pay monthly or annually which offers unlimited downloads and mockups.

What it lacks, to start with, is a clearly understandable tutorial on its use.  If you’re new to mockups in general, this can become frustrating really quick. 

Sure, you could probably research tutorials on YouTube, but you’d think a company that can help you make your own slideshow and animated video could at least offer an easy to locate tutorial or two.

After over 8 hours, I finally found a few video tutorials under the FAQ section.  To be honest, a completely different site directed me to this area. I probably wouldn’t have looked here for video tutorials, personally.

Lacking that tutorial, I decided to be a typical user and try out everything I could.

Services Offered and Ease of Use

As I indicated, Placeit offers multiple services to its users. Let’s delve deeper into each and see what exactly they are offering.

Mockups

The Placeit site indicates they 22,992 mockups available.  That’s a pretty impressive number. (and checking back a few days later, they add new ones almost daily: 24,715 available today)

To test the site out, I chose the T-shirt mockup offered in the mockup generator. It returned 11,741 results.  That’s a bit overwhelming to sort through, however good to know there are plenty of options.

Changing direction, I clicked on T-shirt in the alphabetized left side bar menu. That offered 7,501 options. It also brought up a page consisting of photos of different models wearing different types of T-shirts with the words “upload your image here” on all of them, along with the size of the image in pixels.

Ok, so I pick a picture. Since I’m not really going to make a shirt, I don’t care which one I select. Primarily this is a marketing feature, so what my model looks like is irrelevant.

On the left is a side menu with the options of choosing text and uploading your image. I select image and pickup a copy of a logo I have saved to my and upload it. Bingo! Within less than 2 seconds my logo is placed in the center of the white T-shirt the model is wearing. On the right, I find a button that allows me to change the shirt color.

Have to admit, that was pretty easy and cool. I can also add text and modify text color, background color and font.

I could now purchase this layout, with my customized logoed shirt and custom text for $7.95 or can pay for a subscription for unlimited downloads.

The subscription is $14.95 per month. Or $12.70 per month with the 15% off coupon.

Once downloaded, I would be able to use this in my website for marketing purposes, in advertising or any other digital format. [Full commercial usage rights]

All in all, that wasn’t terribly difficult, even for a non-graphic artist like me.

What I like about it is that it is fairly intuitive, almost immediately visible and straight forward.

What I don’t like is my logo has a white background. This shows up on my shirt if I select a colored shirt.  I could find nowhere to eliminate that issue.  I know there is software available to make a white background transparent, it would be nice that that was an option in this area, as well.

Lunapic.com “transparent” tool is the best free option I’ve found so far to remove the background color of a logo.

Additional mockups available are too numerous to list entirely, but include banners, blankets, business cards, coffee cups, Facebook ads, flyers, letterhead, brochures, bags and iPhone or Samsung covers, to name just a few of the choices provided. Each mockup category has multiple template designs available to choose from.

In case I haven’t been clear…they are NOT selling you the shirt, cup or bag that you have designed. They are allowing you to design the graphic and download the picture. Saw this question in their FAQ page and thought it was worthy of clarifying.

That image can then be added to your business website, Facebook page, Instagram story or integrated into a marketing promotion. The choice is yours.

Designs

Under the “designs” category, you have choices like Instagram posts or stories, YouTube profile pictures, Twitch templates, podcast covers, and Pinterest pins.  In total, I counted 21 separate categories to choose from.

For fun, I select a Facebook post template. I select a picture. The post is to encourage folks to follow my vlog and features a squirrel in a pink frame, with the words “follow me”. I quickly change the image to my own, upload the custom image and in about 2 seconds, my own face is staring back at me rather than the squirrel. Frankly, I liked the squirrel better.

I am beginning to see potential in this. I am able to change text, font, colors and background easily.

What I like…again, it isn’t terribly difficult to figure out how to manipulate the images and change the text.

What I don’t like…text changes take quite a while to render and visualize.  The more changes you make, the longer the image seems to take to modify.

Using Google Chrome internet browser proved to speed things up.

I can download this design for $2.95, or it is included under the subscription.

The monthly subscription includes unlimited downloads of every category on the website, not only mockups.

Logos

Under the “logos” selection, there are 46 industries to select from, including include Chiropractic, Consultants, Painters, Law Firms, Coffee Shops, Designers and Gaming Teams and Avatars, to name just a few.

If none are quite what you’re wanting, there is an abstract option, which digs even deeper into choices.  These choices include things like CBD or Wellness, and several have sub-categories, as well.

I am fairly confident that, given a little time, you can find a pre-made design that works for whatever you are making your logo for.

I chose to select the “Real Estate” industry for this trial. I entered a name, determined two colors and selected an image from the library.

It did take some time, but 25 different layouts that included the components I had selected were generated for my review.

Some of them are pretty good, others not so much.  I picked one and opened it. The logo opened into another edit window that allowed me the opportunity to change font, text color, banner color and so forth.

When finished, I could download for $39.95 or…again….free with my subscription.

What I liked…Very user friendly, even for a relative beginner.

What I didn’t like…It felt a bit limited. Like I had to pick and choose what elements were changeable rather than literally every element being modifiable. Luckily, there were plenty of templates to choose from.

Videos

Next up is the “videos” category.  There are 15 options initially.  Those include product demos, slide shows, YouTube ads, promo videos and Instagram stories, to name a select few.

I decided to try my name at a promo video.  I have nothing to “promo”, but I thought it would be fun to give it a whirl.

I chose a cool looking video with multiple graphics and fonts to really try this out. Added some different pics from my personal library fairly easily. Changed fonts and text with very little problem.

I spent over 5 hours playing with just the video component of Placeit because it was really cool. There is some pretty awesome animation effects, but I think videos have the largest learning curve.

What I like…Lots of impressive features, colors and animations.

What I don’t like…The largest learning curve.

Video was downloadable for $9.95, or free with the subscription.

Gaming

The “gaming” selection has 12 different primary categories. Browse “all gaming templates” and prepare to be overwhelmed and overjoyed. Twitch banners, Starting Soon screens, YouTube Banners and Thumbnails, and the list continues.

I chose to go with a simple social media post.

This is visually comparable to the logo designer and the mockup we discussed earlier.

It is easy to swap out images, change text, change font and colors. There are a host of suggested graphics available, as well as the ability to upload your own, if you choose.

After messing around with video, the gaming feature was a piece of cake.

The Gaming mockup was available for download at $2.95 or…free with subscription.

What I like… Very easy to use and very intuitive.

What I don’t like… Not much. Though I admit I am not an expert in this category, so it may be more limited than I am aware.

Information Resources

Though not specific to their product, Placeit has a nice library of resources available for their users.

Using their blog, there are articles and “how to” information on social media, design and branding, logo design, marketing and several other topics.

For example, I found a really good blog on 8 Essentials to Branding your Business Online. In addition to (obviously) recommending their product, they also explained the “why” behind branding, as well as a basic outline of “how to”.

I like that the included links to their specific products that would help in the “how to” portion of the blog.

For example, if I was reading about posting to social media, there was a link that brought me directly to the social media posts mockup links. That makes it easy to follow and work with.

I will admit, I found more than a few typographical and editorial errors in those blogs, but that doesn’t mean the information isn’t sound or helpful.

Though I’ve been thoroughly frustrated by a lack of information on the use of their product, Placeit has done a nice job of offering supplemental information and resources to its users.

Another nice resource is the categorization of certain media sites.

Perhaps I don’t know what kind of design I want, but I know I want to put something on Pinterest. There is an area that allows me to select for a Pinterest template and options appear that are all designed toward that specific target.

I found this sort of targeted media design for Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitch and Twitter.

Pricing

Placeit has a multiple level pricing structure.

First, there are a few free mockups to choose from. They are simplistic and worth every penny you don’t pay for them.

Second, you can pay as you go.  This is a good option if you’re certain that you’re only going to do 1 or 2 things and the total cost is less than $12.70 for a single month of subscription.

Third, there is a monthly subscription rate. That rate is currently $14.95 per month, or $12.70 per month with the 15% off coupon.

Finally, there is an annual subscription available. That rate is currently $99.95 per year, which is a savings of 44.29% over the monthly subscription rate. The coupon also applies to the annual rate, bringing it down to $84.95 for the year.

All subscriptions may be canceled at any time.  I do NOT see that a refund of the unused portion will be provided.

Placeit ratings run from 2 of 5 stars to 4.2 of 5 stars, depending on the review site. What is consistent, however, is a lack of sufficient reviews to consider.  Each site offered only a handful of commentaries, so 1 or 2 bad or good reviews will obviously skew the average way out of whack.

Customer Service

I have no direct experience with their customer service, so must rely on others to share their concerns.

Trustpilot.com, an independent review location, gives Placeit 2.5 stars out of a 5-star rating.  This rating is based on only 18 reviews. Of those 18, 44% were 5-star and 39% were one star. Clearly, this is a love it or hate it company.

G2.com, another review location, gives Placeit 3.9 stars out of a 5-star rating based on only 4 reviews. Most of the drawbacks on this site relate to Placeit’s cost, rather than quality or customer service issues.

I do want to note here, as I was reviewing customer complaints and comments, I found several areas where the management team at Placeit reached out to the unhappy user and at least tried to make the problem right. For me, that’s a huge green flag.

Marketing Your Business

Placeit could be invaluable in branding and marketing your business.

We all know if you want to get anywhere in business, you have to have a strong Internet presence. You have to grab the attention of potential customers or clients, keep them interested and convert them (ultimately) to paying customers. You then need to be able to retain them as loyal or repeat business.

Placeit has the ability to help with that.

It takes only 0.05 seconds for a user to form an initial opinion about your website. That means you literally have one quick chance to make a great initial impression.

With the attention span of a gnat on crack, how do you get them to stay long enough to see what you have to offer? 

You make your content interesting and “new” (something that Placeit’s library can certainly do).

You could design an opening animated video, showcasing what you do or who you are. You could design an animated logo, to grab the eye. You could integrate sound, whether music or a sound bite to involve the user’s audio senses. Honestly, the choices are limited only by your own imagination.

Another interesting statistic. 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business that has a poorly designed website. Part of that overall design is keeping their attention and focusing it. Again, you can use some of the mockup tools in Placeit to do exactly that.

Another key step in marketing your business is branding. You know, getting the user to associate your company with your product or service. Most experts agree that one of the most important steps in doing so is consistency.

You want consistency with color, design, theme and flow throughout your site, through your blogs, and weaving through your promotional materials. If you are using Placeit to design your own graphics, this consistency falls directly within your own control.

You can customize your colors, making certain that the exact shade of blue is the same in every single graphic and promotional item. You can make certain the font styles are consistent throughout. You can even choose to use the same models (if you use models in your marketing designs) to keep a constant feel to your company.

This consistency is absolutely invaluable in the branding of your business to your potential customers.

Another important piece of information is that users average 5.94 seconds looking at a website’s main image. That’s assuming you didn’t lose them initially. 5.94 seconds is a loooong time in Internetland.

You need that main image to pop and really say something about who and what you are.

Placeit can help you with designing exactly what you want. 

Or, it can help you change what you have into something much more AWESOME and reflective of where you want your business to go.

By utilizing the subscription option, you can make or change as many pieces as you need to until you find the perfect feel for that site of yours.

Final Thoughts on Placeit

I spent almost 18 hours playing around with Placeit. I openly admit that I am not a graphic designer by profession or even by habit. I know enough to function, but no more.

During those 18 hours, I was able to figure out how to design a lot of different graphics. I feel confident that I could be proficient within less than 48 hours of good focused time.

If you have the time and patience, Placeit may be one of the best things that could happen to your business and your web presence.

For a comparison, I recently priced graphic designers on Guru.com and Upwork.com. Both are freelance sites that are well known and popular.

An experienced graphic designer charges $50 to $150 per hour, or more. With Placeit charging $15 for an unlimited monthly subscription, the question comes down to how expensive is your time? Will you use custom graphics enough to pay the subscription?  If so, can you become proficient enough at designing your own graphics to make Placeit cost efficient?

If the answer to both is “yes”, Placeit is definitely worth your time and your business dollars.

Even if you chose to buy as you go, a $9.95 animated video as the opening image for your website is a pretty reasonable investment. If you spend 3 hours designing it yourself, you just saved $150 to $500 for your company. That is marketing money that can now be spent on Facebook ads or maybe a latte. Choice is yours.

Overall, I will have to say I did like Placeit. Other than the lack of easy to locate video tutorials, I had very few significant complaints.

From my time learning, I can confidently recommend the $12.70 monthly subscription because it clearly provides the most bang for your buck.

18 hours later, I hope this review helped save you some time 🙂

The design and display of your new book’s cover are important. Before reading the back to discover what your book is about, the potential reader is first drawn in by the visuals on the front cover. So much more than that, in today’s e-book dominated society, the display of your cover is just as important.

To help guide you on your quest, we’ve put together a list of the best 12 book cover mockups to help the promotion and sales for your book. The templates we’ve found and placed here will help you save time in choosing the best options.

1. Woman Reading A Hard Cover Book

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What better way to display your book than with a person reading it? This, of course, suggests to the potential reader that others have enjoyed the contents already.

The model in this template is in a relaxed posture, seeming to enjoy the book a great deal. The background also suggests a calm environment where the book can be enjoyed during “me time.” This is a great suggestion since so many people are living busy lives these days, reminding them to take time out for themselves. It would be ideal for a self-help book.

» MORE: How To Make A Book Cover Mockup Online

2. Little Girl Reading A Book

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This template is targeted to a specific audience. With a child model enjoying your book, it gives the potential reader a much more specific idea of the contents within the cover.

This little girl is in her pajamas, further informing the consumer of what type of book they are considering. Since she is enjoying the book herself and not having an adult read it to her, there is a definite suggestion that it’s not a toddler’s book. It suggests that it likely a fairy tale or a bedtime story, meant to be enjoyed by someone between the ages of 7-12 years old.

» MORE: Does Placeit Have a Free Trial?

3. Kindle Paperwhite And Physical Book

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Since we’ve already touched on the fact that this is the day and age of e-books, what better way to display your cover than on an Amazon Kindle?

Especially perfect for books self-published on Amazon, this template can be used to display any book of any genre. It also suggests the easy portability of your title. Your potential audience will very likely consider this a book you just can’t put down!

» MORE: Is Placeit Worth It? Everything You Need To Know

4. Good Vibes Book, Coffee, Candle, Palm Tree

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This template also suggests alone time and relaxation. What reader wouldn’t love to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while reading your book?

Suggesting this book is either fiction or new age, it gives the potential reader an idea of what lay between the pages. The background is also customizable with a wide variety of different surfaces, including the ability to upload your own.

» MORE: The Complete Placeit.net Review [Read Before Buying]

5. Woman Putting A Book In Her Purse

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Once again, you want to suggest to your reader that your book is a page-turner they just won’t be able to put down! This template does an amazing job of just that!

Featured here is a book being pulled out of an over the shoulder bag. Have you ever been so engrossed in a book that you look for every opportunity to read it? Showing the reader taking the book everywhere they go gives just that impression. Is your title a textbook? The tote bag also suggests a student headed to class.

» MORE: Does Envato Elements Include Placeit?

6. Books And Coffee On Bed

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This is a template that can be especially great for promotional use.

Displaying several copies of your book is a great way to promote a new release. With the backdrop of a bed, it suggests comfort and leisurely reading suited to self-help or casual contents. This is another great way to target a specific audience for your title.

» MORE: The Complete Placeit.net Review [Read Before Buying]

7. Three Books In Custom Color Corner

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Not a first release? We’ve got you covered there too!

Also great for promotional use; this also is fantastic for displaying a trilogy or series. If your potential reader isn’t aware of other books you’ve written, they are now! This is especially useful when releasing a new addition to an existing series. It promotes not only the sale of one of your titles but two others as well!

» MORE: Placeit vs. Canva: The Ultimate Comparison

8. E-Book With Transparent Background

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Looking for a more simplistic way to display your e-book? Look no further.

When your e-book is shown in the marketplace, they display a cover only thumbnail of your work. This is a quick and easy way to do just that. With no background, it puts the focus entirely on your cover.

9. Book Advertisement

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We’ve got all your promotional needs covered, no matter what the occasion.

These two mockups are perfect for a book signing and author tour. Along with your headshot, these are great tools for e-marketing or signage to display at the bookstore to advertise your event.

Many authors promote the release of a new book by touring different bookstores to sign copies and read an excerpt from the book. It’s a great way to get people talking! The first example, the small stack of books, is a great way to encourage multiple sales.

» MORE: Can Placeit Be Used for Commercial Use?

10. Cookbook On Kitchen Table

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It’s always a good idea to make a mockup on a background that tells the potential reader exactly what kind of book this is. An attractive and welcoming setting is the perfect background for promoting your book. This kitchen makes people want to cook!

This mockup displays your cover on a food preparation surface. There’s very little doubt that it is either a cookbook or a healthy eating book. The fruit in the background further removes doubt that it is not a dessert cookbook. With this setup, your potential reader knows exactly what to expect – and feel ready to try out your recipes.

» MORE: How Long Does It Take to Design a Book Cover?

11. Kids Book Surrounded With Girly Items

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Not only do you need to know your audience, but you need to know where they hang out. In the past, magazines would be a great place to do that, but times have changed.

This template is perfect for displaying your new book on Instagram. It targets a specific market as well – teenage girls: a large young-adult reader demographic. Since even when kids are out at the mall, they have their faces buried in their phones scrolling Instagram or other social media platforms, this is the place to advertise. It can not only be used to promote an e-book, but it’s also perfect for physical copy sales as well.

» MORE: Do Graphic Designers Make Book Covers?

12. Paperback Book On Bed Advertisement

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Instagram isn’t the only social network to find readers, so we’ve included one more for you. As always, the more places you advertise, the more people you’re going to reach.

Twitter is a great platform to provide frequent updates to your target audiences. Not only can you give a little blurb about your book, but you can also target specific profiles of people to see your tweets. Where better to provide an advertisement for an e-book than on the internet itself?

» MORE: The Ultimate List of The Best Online Design Makers

Make the Most of Your New Book’s Marketing

We’ve given a lot of ideas on how to make the best mockup for your book as possible. Of course, there are many more templates available to suit your specific book promoting needs.  If you are looking for more specific templates, you can customize these templets to be even more specific.

Although we’ve mentioned two social platforms, there’s also Facebook and Google. Google Adspace will place your book on blogs, specifically targeting your intended audience. Like we said, the more places you advertise, the further the reach!

A simple search can alter the images to a model targeting your exact audience. There are options to make images specific to race, gender, and age. For example, you can search for urban audiences, religion-specific, age groups, and more. Best of luck with your new book!

If those 12 book cover mockups were not exactly what you needed, here are even more book cover mockups.

Placeit is a cost-effective one-stop website that provides virtually any type of mockups or logo design you may need for your small business or brand. Placeit pricing models are worth every penny when compared to the quality and volume of branding and marketing, not to mention the return on investment.

How much does Placeit cost?

• Single Download: From $2.99 per download
• Monthly Unlimited: $14.95 per month
• Annual Unlimited: $89.69 per year

With the thousands and thousands of design options available, you can use these templates with the peace of mind that the end result will be one of a kind for your needs. Just think of all the time and money you can save! In this article, you will learn all of the different options available on Placeit and how to use it to your advantage.

» MORE: Does Placeit Have a Free Trial?

How Does Placeit.net Work?

Placeit offers any type of branding and marketing needs your business has without the hassle of hiring a graphic designer or hours of your valuable time learning design skills. You also can log on and experiment with the options available before you invest a penny. All of the subscription options can be canceled at any time, giving you freedom from commitment.

Once you visit the site, use the menu bar near the top of the site to find the type of branding you need to create. With just a few clicks, you can upload your design and apply it to virtually anything.

Is Placeit Worth It?

Yes, Placeit is worth the cost because it offers the largest library of mockups, designs, and logos.

Further, Placeit was kind enough to extend a 15% off discount to All Free Mockups readers. You can find the coupon here.

If you don’t already have a design or logo for your business, Placeit will generate a personalized logo or design to suit the specific type of products you offer to represent your brand perfectly. No need to hire a design firm and pay for hours of creative time. Placeit covers all of your branding needs in one place.

There are five basic categories available for design and mockup purposes guaranteed to suit your specific needs. Below, we’ll go through all five categories and explore all the options provided.

» MORE: Can Placeit Be Used for Commercial Use?

1. Mockups

A mockup is either a scale or full-sized design of a logo or a product, providing a prototype you can use to test out your design without having to keep a physical product produced.

It also allows you the ability to offer all the different products your brand has to offer without having to keep inventory on hand, saving space, man-hours, and cost. This allows you to offer up all your brand has to offer while freeing up profits to use for other needs your business may have and allow for a larger profit margin.

With Placeit, you can create a wide variety of products and even marketing materials. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, there is an extensive list of options available. We will go through just a few of them here.

Clothing Items

Select a garment type, such as T-shirts, leggings, hoodies, tanks, and more. By uploading any design to Placeit, you will get an exact vision of how the completed garment will appear.

Adding Design and Text

Once the design is placed on the clothing item, you can add any text easily as well. This allows you the option to explore different fonts and font colors. You can experiment with up to 50 characters worth of text to see what looks the best.

Placeit also makes the placement of the text simple. Once entered into the text box, your text will immediately appear on the item with the freedom to change the size and location of your text. Once you’ve made a perfect size, a purple line will appear, marking the exact center of the clothing piece to make the proper placement a snap.

Showcase Your Work

Once you’ve chosen the item you want to mockup, there are a wide variety of ways you can showcase it. You can choose a template with or without a model and customize the exact type of background you want. You can even make an animation (in GIF format) to provide the appearance of the movement in the piece as well.

By using the garment only options, there are hundreds of templates to design a mockup of just the item. You can choose from clothing racks, hangers, even an entire outfit display. The variety of product placement is only limited to your imagination.

Under each mockup option, there is a submenu, including any type of garment you need. You can choose tops, swimsuits, brand label designs, and more. You can create your entire clothing line!

Electronics

If you want to display your design on the screen of an iPad, MacBook, or laptop, this is the place to go. By choosing the type of hardware to display, you are given an abundance of options.

• If you are a software creator, place a still shot of your program on the screen.
• If you are a hardware reseller, you can create a generic image of the item offered up in a variety of backgrounds. You can display them on a tabletop, being used by a model, and more.

The submenu on this option also allows you to select any specific electronic device you can think of. If you are an app designer, you have the option of creating a screenshot from the App Store. It’s also a great way to display a page from your website to direct traffic there from other places.

Marketing and Ad Material

If you aren’t placing ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you are missing out on loads of web traffic from potential new clients. You can generate professional ads for these platforms, even if you have no skills.

Many small business owners are intimidated by advertising on these platforms simply because they aren’t experienced in designing ads. Once more, a mockup gives you the opportunity to view several designs before committing to one.

Miscellaneous Other Mockup Types

Along with the above-mentioned types of mockups, there are a lot more. You can design your own business cards without the expense of ordering an entire box.

If you need to display an entire suite of all your electronic offerings, you can do that. Additional marketing material can be made, such as brochures, posters, flyers, and even banners for placement on your blog or website. All of this is included in the flat-fee subscription.

» MORE: How To Make a Custom YouTube Thumbnail [YouTube Tutorial]

2. Designs

If you don’t already have a design in mind, Placeit makes it effortless to create one specifically to suit your needs. There are loads of options, but we’ll go over some of the most popular ones here

T-shirts

If you’re looking to create novelty shirts and only have a basic idea of what type of design you want to create, Placeit can help. The submenu offers a range of targeted genres for your shirts such as children, adults, politics, social clubs, human interest, comedy, and much more. That’s just the start.

Once you’ve selected the targeted genre or your shirt, you’ll select a tag to further customize design types. For example, you can choose astrology, holidays, funny, decades, amongst others. Once you’ve chosen those options, a list of design ideas will appear. You can even further customize the designs by changing the words, colors, and more to truly create an original design.

YouTube Channel Art

If you want to create a YouTube channel specifically for your brand, Placeit has everything you need. Whether you’re making a vlog or commercial style videos, there are options for you. You can upload images to create all the brand-specific stylings you need.

If you are just starting out, Placeit provides all the tools you need to design your channel. You can create professionally made page banners, profile pictures, end cards, and thumbnails. Placeit will even help you design intro animations and Ads to be placed in other videos.

Facebook

As we already mentioned above, Facebook can be an intimidating platform for a business owner who is not familiar with it. In addition to the advertisement mockup, Placeit will do all the grunt work necessary to design a professional and visually pleasing Facebook page for your business.

To get the most traction out of Facebook, you need to create an eye-catching and interesting page for your brand. This means proper layout, design, and page posts that are interesting and shareable. The more times your immediate audience shares informational or interesting posts, the larger it becomes.

Placeit provides the ability to take your brand to the next level in social network marketing and branch out to a larger audience.

Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

Placeit doesn’t just stop at Facebook. You can generate custom designs for your Twitter and Instagram accounts. This includes posts as well as ads. The biggest asset here is Pinterest.

If you don’t already know, Pinterest is a social media platform where people go to find inspiration for crafts, body art, nail art, and a plethora of other things. By browsing Pinterest, you’ll encounter the things your peers share as well as suggestions for things you might want to see.

For instance, while looking for quotes about survival, you can stumble across one printed on a T-shirt, potentially piquing your interest. Once you click on that post or pin rather, you are given the option to visit the website. This can lead to more and more traffic to your brand’s site. The number of times your pins are shared also expands your audience, just like all of the platforms. Keep in mind; this is all included in the flat rate.

Podcasts and Bands

If you’ve ever listened to a podcast, you’ve seen what the landing pages look like. The most successful podcasts have high-quality images and photos. Placeit can guide you through creating a high-quality cover for your podcast for your branding needs. You can upload any image and make changes to enhance it to suit your audience. There’s also a variety of interest tags to further personalize your images to reflect what you have to offer.

When making an album, the most difficult part aside from production is creating the perfect album cover – whether it is for physical copy or streaming. It’s enough work to write awesome song lyrics and mind-blowing musical accompaniment!

Your album cover gives the potential listener more of an idea of what to expect that the album title does. Once you’ve selected a template, you can customize it with your own visual or use one of the Placeit images provided. You can try out different types of texts, backgrounds, and colors to create the most cutting edge cover even if you’ve never designed anything in your life!

Book Covers

Much like an album cover design, the cover of your book can enhance or kill sales. Images resonate much more than text when it comes to catching your desired audience’s attention. Placeit provides custom templates and genres specific to your target audience, causing them to either pick up a physical copy of click on an e-book to learn more about the contents.

Think about what you do when you browse titles on your Kindle or other devices – If you aren’t already decided about what you want to read, a flashy book cover will quickly generate interest. Of course, more interest leads to more readers.

Other Promotional Items

One of the best ways to advertise and raise brand awareness is to get your designs everywhere. You want to make sure people are exposed to your marketing even if they are participating in activities that have nothing at all to do with your brand.

Placeit will allow you to design coffee mugs, phone cases, grips, and more. While drinking coffee at the office, suddenly, someone participating in some mundane activity is struck by your imaging. While riding the subway or train, a person is exposed to your branding when they see another passenger talking on their phone.

This might not seem like a big deal to most business owners, but it is invaluable. Seeing those items leave the images stuck in the back of their mind, even if they are not paying close attention, perhaps coming to consciousness the next time they have a need for the offerings for your specific brand.

» MORE: Can You Sell Placeit Designs?

3. Logos

Every brand needs a logo that clients can use to identify it. Not only does your logo help in brand recognition, but it can also lead to a better understanding of your brand identity. For example, a High-end clothing line would have an elegant logo, whereas a foodservice brand logo would likely be representative of the food they feature.

Hiring a graphic design professional can cost a great deal of money. Sometimes the picture in your mind can get lost in translation to the artist and lead to additional costs and longer development time.

With Placeit, you can design a custom logo specific to your brand in minutes for a much smaller price tag. There are options for specific industries and logo types available. We’ll touch on just a few here.

Gaming and Sports Teams

Placeit offers a variety of different logo templates for individual gaming and sports teams. Simply type in the name of your team and click apply. This will generate types of images with the name of your team to choose from. Once you click on an image, for example, an animal, you’ll be taken to the customization team.

The customization screens allow you to make changes to personalize your logo in several ways. You can alter colors for text, background, and images as well as try out different text fonts. In the Animal logo example, you can also change the animal image on the logo from the list provided and add a background print.

In the event that you can’t decide on how you want to customize your team logo, Placeit has you covered. Beneath all the customization options, you find a wide variety of preset logos that can be customized to display your team name. Even those preset images can be customized if inspiration should strike.

Clothing Brands

Designing a custom logo to represent your line of clothing and accessories can be really tough. You know what style of clothing you want to make, but how do you summarize that in a single image? Once more, Placeit has you covered.

Type your brand name in the dialogue box at the top of the screen and hit apply. This generates a list of logo options for your line. You’ll see custom options for your brand, no matter what your niche market is. There are logos geared towards streetwear, high-end clothing, alternative fashion, and more. Just like the team logos, you can customize them to your heart’s content or choose one that is preset.

Restaurants

Starting your own sandwich shop? Perhaps a pancake house? Maybe you’re interested in opening a classy craft cocktail bar. As with all things, Placeit has your back. There are even specific categories for specific types of cuisine.

 Starting by entering in the desired establishment name and clicking apply. Once more, a list of options is generated for you to customize. You can even upload an existing image! Play with it, have fun! It’s easy to test out public opinions and reactions by creating multiple different logos before settling on one.

Medical Professionals

Whether you are starting your own personal practice or a group, you’ll need a logo. Not only does Placeit have the tools you need, but there are even specific categories for doctors, dentists, and psychiatrists.

If holistic health is more your niche, their categories geared towards chiropractic, alternative medicine, and overall wellness centers. There’s certain to be a category specific to your needs.

You can even find related health profession options. If you are into personal training, fitness, or yoga, there’s category specific to your needs as well.

Labor Services

So, you fix cars, but not transmissions. Maybe you do general building maintenance but aren’t a plumber. What if you have a very specific type of service offered? Placeit has categories for them all. There’s even a category for tech services to cover computer repair and programming services.

The Arts

The logo for a floral shop is not going to look anything like an arts and crafts store. If you are a designer, you’re going to want a more simplistic, yet specific logo. Photographers need to be represented differently than any of them. Placeit has custom categories for all of these art genres and more.

There are so many different business types Placeit has special categories. We could go on about them all day, but we have too much to talk about to do that. Suffice it to say, no matter how unusual or one of a kind your business is, There’s a category specific to your needs.

» MORE: The Power Of Symmetry: 13 Lessons From Famous Logos

4. Videos

We’ve touched upon how huge of a reach social media platforms provide, and the different images and designs offered to customize your business page, but Placeit allows you to go one step farther with videos.

Not all of us have a middle schooler or teenager available to give you all the insider info on making and producing your own videos, unfortunately. It’s also very expensive to purchase all the equipment you’d need to make and edit a professional-quality video. There are lots of options to help you there.

Placeit can help you create custom slideshows showcasing your brand. You can produce them to be featured on all types of media: Facebook, Instagram, and many, many more. These videos are essential on social media to drive traffic to your brand’s page. You can create and share inspirational videos, content teasers, or coming attractions. Just like the ads, if the content is interesting and eye-catching, you can count on your audience to share them and expand your reach for you. Think about it: it is effortless and very inexpensive marketing where today’s consumers spend most of their time.

5. Gaming

The gaming community is huge and exceptionally profitable these days. Placeit has a category specifically for gamers and their various platforms. You can create backgrounds gamer specific platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and more.

In addition to all of that, you find amazing templates for all of your video streaming needs as well. Those cool borders and stationary graphics and animations you see when gamers live stream? You can create your own custom one on Placeit. Convert video to GIF animation format, teasers, and more in just a few clicks!

Inspiration For Creation

If you aren’t sure where to begin in the branding of your business, Placeit offers a lot of ideas. At the bottom of each page, you’ll find specific information geared towards the specific needs your business may have.

There are links to how-to articles for boosting clothing sales with mockups that include specific ideas on how to best display your garments. You’ll find information and examples on driving me people to your social media pages by creating great posts and content.

There’s even an entire list of ways you can boost your T-shirt design sales. When Placeit says they are a one-stop-shop for all of your brand’s design and marketing needs, they aren’t joking. You are guaranteed to find exactly what you are looking for and more.

» MORE: The Complete Placeit.net Review [Read Before Buying]

Cost Breakdown

As mentioned previously, Placeit provides several different pricing and subscription options to suit the needs of your brand. In some cases, you may find it more efficient to purchase your needs ala carte, but in most cases, you’ll find the subscription route to be the way to go.

There are two subscription options to choose from. Either you can choose to be billed on a monthly basis for $14.99 monthly or billed yearly for a one-time payment of $99.95 a year, discounting your monthly price to just $8.33. No matter which route to choose, you are free to cancel at any time you wish without penalty. There is absolutely no long term commitment required.

Now let’s look at the value in those prices. Either subscription plan includes access to all mockups, design, logo, and video templets – all with unlimited download capability. Have you ever gone to a designer or printer and be quoted prices like that? Probably not.

Although you can pay for each design individually, usually, the subscriptions are far more cost-efficient. For example, you can pay upwards of $40 for an album cover – or $14.99 for one month and have to ability to download as many as you want.

Plus, All Free Mockups users now get 15% off any plan!

Placeit Is a True ‘All-In-One’ Design Tool

Logon to Placeit today to see all the options available to your brand. No matter what your needs, there’s probably a solution on there somewhere, that will end up saving you tons of money and time, allowing you to invest both into your business instead.

Go to Placeit.net today to see yourself. You won’t pay a penny to try it out – all ala carte pricing if for downloads. You’ll even discover a few options that allow you to create and download images for free.

There are few things in the design world that are more irritating than a pixelated photo—working hard on a design just to have it less than perfect because of subpar photo quality. Why does this happen, and is there really anything that can be done about it?

Is your cover photo pixelated? Let’s fix it. The good news is that there are ways to fix this annoying problem without needing to retake photos. When trying to launch a professional social media presence, high-quality cover and profile pictures, as well as the content that is on your page, are extremely important.

There are a few different ways to fix pixelization, and it will be helpful to take a look at why your image is not high quality on different sites and programs. The fix can be easy, and once you know what you are doing, there will no longer be a pixel problem in your life.

» MORE: How to Make a Facebook Cover with Placeit? 8 Easy Steps

What Is Pixelation?

Pixelation is actually a pretty common problem on social media and cover photos, but few people really know what it is and how to fix it. If you have ever seen a grainy photo that is not very sharp in the precision of the lines, then you have seen a pixelated photo.

Photos are made up of individual smaller image squares referred to as pixels. When a photo is at a size that matches the level of resolution, then you will not see the pixels unless you zoom in very closely.

Pixelation happens when a photo is meant to be viewed as a smaller photo, and it is enlarged or projected on a big screen. When this happens, the individual pixels are easy to see. This decreases the sharpness of the image, making it blurry.

Pixelation is not attractive and can ruin anything your design for social media or any cover photos you do.

» MORE: Can A Facebook Cover Photo Be A Gif? Yes, Here’s How

Why is My Image Pixelated?

There is really only one reason for an image to be pixelated, but it may occur in a different way depending on the program you have put your photo into.

What looks like a quality picture on your phone or camera, may not have the resolution capabilities to be enlarged or put on some kind of branding merchandise. Don’t worry, though; we will get to the part that teaches you how to fix the pixel issues you may be having.

Mockups

When you are working on mockups for any reason, whether it be a social media graphic or cover photo and your photo is grainy or blurry, it is because the image is pixelated. This happens with a mockup because the image becomes too big.

When using the image for these types of uses will not always be possible or easy and may take some effort to produce a quality end product. There are sites that are better for graphic design and merchandise products than others.

One of our favorite mockups site that are amazing with cover photos and graphics of any kind is placeit.net. They have templates for basically everything, and some of the mockups are even free. If you are a newbie to design and need some guidance, go check out that site.

Photoshop

There are some instances in photoshop where getting a pixelated photo is actually normal and part of the program. However, the editing process is not intuitive, unfortunately. The process of uploading and editing photos in this programing requires research, following the instructions that the program provides, and possibly contacting the help desk.

It is possible to fix your pixelation problems using photoshop, and we will get to that later in this post. We did find, however, that pixelated photos in photoshop are common, and sometimes the help desk and forum answers do not help.

Social Media

When social media photos are pixelated such as a Facebook cover photo or profile picture, among other images and posts, it is due to over enlarging a picture that already had poor resolution.

Most of us have had this problem in our social media experience and get frustrated because the photo looks so good on our phone. We just don’t understand why it does that or what to do to fix the problem.

How are Images Made?

Knowing how to fix pixelation will only make sense once we know how exactly images are made and why they have pixels in the first place. Graphic designers have a huge knowledge base for this kind of information, and we really think they must see life as a grouping of pixels.

The rest of us are not like this. We just know there are pictures and whether or not we look good in that particular picture. When the normal human beings of the photo world look at a picture, we just know if we should keep it and share it will all of our social media friends or delete it.

There is so much more to photographs than meets the eye. Graphics you see on the web, as well as everyday photographs, are something called raster images. In lay terms, a raster image is simply an image that has pixels.

Pixels are small parts that make up the image and show what we see with the naked eye. When a photo is saved, we choose a resolution. You may not pay attention to the resolution numbers, and press save. If you do that, you need to know that the more pixels cannot be added. The resolution cannot change.

At this point, we will only be able to fix or smooth the photo using a very helpful online program, software, or app. This may not sound like good news to you, especially if you are having pixel problems with you cover photo or graphics.

The good news is that even if we can’t add more pixels to an already saved program, we can still make the image look good.

How Can I Fix My Pixelated Photo?

Now that we have gone through the process of why images have pixels, what pixels are, and how images get pixelated, it is time to get the main event. How do we fix it?

Pixelated images are, sadly, very common, and some people just take what the photo gives them and live with a less than stellar image for their cover photo. Maybe this is okay for a personal page (we don’t think there should ever be a low-quality photo anywhere online), but it is never okay for a business page.

The professionalism really does start with graphics, and what people see on social media or on your website could be the first impression of you and your business. Do you want their first impression to be a blurry cover photo or subpar pixelated graphic? We don’t want that, so let’s get started.

There are a few different ways to fix a pixelated photo and based on your access and comfort level; you will need to choose a method. You can try a few different options before you find your favorite, and that is perfectly fine.

Photoshop

Photoshop is probably one of the top programs out there for editing programs. There are several different editions of this program and options for people of all skill levels. The only caution I would give is that even the basic program is not that intuitive.

This is not a plug-and-go program. But we are going to walk you through the process of fixing a pixelated photo with this program.

1. Opening your photo in photoshop is the first step you will take in editing your photo.
2. Select “filter” and then select “blur” before selecting the specific type of blurring effect.
3. Go to Gaussian Blur. Once you are here, there will be a slide to control the effect. You get to choose what you think makes your photo look the best. Once you have done this, then you need to click “okay.”
4. Filter and sharpen will be your next step.
5. Go to Unsharp mask and use the slide until you find the preferred image look. Once you approve of the image you will click “okay” one more time.
6. Save the Image

If this does not do enough and you are still not happy with the way the image looks, or it is still too pixelated, then there is another method that can be used with photoshop. This method can be used in addition to the method we just went through or independently.

The second way to reduce pixels basically adds a layer of light to mask the look of the pixels on the photo.

1. Right-click the image and select “layer” and then “create new layer.”
2. Select blending options and go to soft light
3. Click filters and noise
4. Click despeckle until you are satisfied with the photo
5. Select image, adjustments, and brightness/contrast until you are satisfied

These are the two basic ways within photoshop that will allow smoothing of the pixels in the photo.

Online Programs

If you don’t have photoshop and have no desire to own photoshop, then all is not lost. There are many editing programs online, and some of them are free online for a basic version. Depending on the website you use, the steps will be different.

Unlike photoshop, many online programs are somewhat intuitive, and if they are not, there may be instructions in the FAQ section of their website. One site that seems to be pretty good and user-friendly is Pixenate.

Pixenate has literally two steps to follow to smooth an image.

1. Upload the image that you want to fix onto the website.
2. Select the smooth icon in the sidebar where the picture has uploaded to edit. This is all you have to do.

The only downside to websites like this is that the end result is based on the initial quality of the photo. If the photo was only minimally pixelated or even middle of the road in terms of quality, it might help enough to have a decent cover photo. However, if the photo is very pixelated, then this program may not be good enough.

Paint.net

Photoshop can be very expensive, and if you are just starting out and cannot or will not spend that kind of money on a photo editing software program, then there are some viable options on the internet that will save you those valuable dollar bills.

An online program that runs a close second to photoshop and is free is Paint.net. This program is more user friendly than Photoshop and is, of course, budget-friendly. That being said, it is not as powerful as photoshop.

The results will be close to professional quality but won’t quite make it. We would encourage you to give it a try if the other online platforms don’t work as well as you need, but you aren’t ready to commit to photoshop.

1. Upload your image to the platform and prepare for editing.
2. Click effects, blur, and then gaussian blur. This step is similar to photoshop and should show you how close in nature the two programs are.
3. Use the slide until you are happy with the effect.
4. Next click effects, photo, and then sharpen.
5. Use the slide one more time to achieve the effect you want to see.
6. Once you are happy, save the image.

As you can see, if you compare the steps that you use with photoshop and the steps you use with this program, they are nearly the same. But as we said, photoshop is more powerful in reducing and smooth pixelation in your cover photo or graphic design.

Mobile Apps

Who of us is not on our phones all of the time? We take photos with our phone, manage our social media with our phones, check our email. It seems like our whole lives can fit in the palm of our hands and be managed from everywhere. This goes for editing photos as well.

Since most of our photos are taken from our phones, it only makes sense that we would be able to edit them and fix our pixel problems from our phones as well. There are some really great mobile apps that can help us accomplish this.

• Sharpen image is a very specific app. It is only used to sharpen images and nothing else. If the only thing you need to be done to your cover photo is to sharpen it and reduce minor pixelation, then this is your app. You simply get the app from the app store on your phone and get to work.
• Adobe Photoshop Express is the little sibling of the big photoshop we mentioned earlier. This app can do a lot more than Sharpen Image. It is hard to believe that the Adobe app is free, but it is. If you are more serious about editing, then you may want to look into it. There are in-app purchases, so keep that in mind.
• Pixlr is the last app that we want to mention that will help with the pixel problems you may be experiencing. This app is super intuitive and is great for any skill level. This app is also free to download, so there are no risks involved.

Mobile apps are great, especially when they are free because you can download them, try them out, and if you don’t like that particular app, you can delete it. Not everyone will like the same app or program.

Do I Really Need to Fix My Photo?

After reading through this post, you may be overwhelmed by the information and not sure if you really even need to fix your photo. We hope that that is not the case, but if it is, we want to tell you that you really do need to fix your photo.

Even for personal cover photos, graphics, merchandise, and posts, quality photos are important. Many times, we don’t even know the people that see online, and all we get are the photos presented on a social media page or website.

While it is true that it is less important on a personal page, we believe pixelated photos just shouldn’t happen. Business pages should have the highest quality images, or at least they should look high quality. When you see a business page with a grainy cover photo, what do you think? Will you scroll past and look for another business or go to their website?

We tend to be drawn to the quality of the graphics we see online. Photos can elicit emotions and responses. We encourage you to take advantage of that as you edit your photos for your website and social media.

If you don’t think you will have time to edit the photos that will be online, we would encourage you to use a high-quality camera that will be less likely to produce pixelated images. Social media and websites rely heavily on visual advertising and marketing in order to drive traffic and business to sites.