Are founders too obsessed with branding before they have a product?
I’ve seen founders spend weeks (sometimes months) polishing logos, color palettes, and taglines before they’ve written a single line of code or spoken to a customer.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen startups whose brand presence got them credibility, early press, and investor meetings even before launch.
Personally, I like good optics. The visual promise, even before interacting with the product, says a lot. You can tell in my case from our website. A well-chosen color scheme can signal personality. A clear tone of voice can show they understand their audience. These things can build trust before anyone ever clicks “Sign up.” But things shouldn't just look good. They should be Good.
So where’s the line?
Is obsessing over branding early on just procrastination disguised as productivity? Or is it a strategic move to position yourself in a crowded market from day one?
If you’re building now, how much time are you putting into branding versus the product itself? And if you’ve launched, would you do it differently?
Replies
Interesting haha, I’ve been the literal opposite. Not anymore but I've usually gone all-in on the product and barely touch branding early, while a lot of folks I know are the other way around. That said, you’re right, good optics can absolutely open doors before launch.
I guess the trick is walking that line without letting either side starve.
For new founders, brand-wise I would suggest starting with these 3 thoughts:
Branding is great but please don't stay stuck here. Have a simple logo and clear enough website so people can easily find you and also your product can look 'professional'. Use it to build launch day momentum if you like. BUT DON'T go spending so much money and time here at the start, people rebrand all the time as they grow so you better not die on the perfection hill. I've been bitten by this myself as a founder.
Focus even first, on validating your product and service by seeing if people will buy your stuff. This is where your go to market strategy comes in. But hey listen again! Things don't always go according to plan and asides all these jargon words, millions of founders (past and present) make up things and adapt quickly as they go. Ah the grants and all are nice. But when they disappear do you still have a business and are people buying?
As a personal opinion, what do you want people to feel when they see your brand or product? Some of the best brands hinge on stories, psychological triggers beyond features, to build 'loyal' customers.
p.s nobody's really loyal. They're just loyal to their needs. I've been asked 3 times in maybe 2 months to become a founding team member in a few startups, to build the initial brand and marketing pathway. I run my own studio so this is simply from my personal opinion and experience.
I'm a little concerned that someone offering services that include a "brand audit" and "web & brand design" seems to think that branding is just picking out a color scheme and the tone of voice to use for the website's copy. That aside, you'll still need to actually talk with potential customers as it's their opinions that matter, not yours. Ask for feedback on your logo, tagline, website, etc. in addition to your product and plan to update your branding on a continuing basis as you better define and understand your target market.
Should you spend a significant amount of effort on branding pre-launch? It depends. What do your customers expect? Your company's name and contact information on the top of a sales sheet is all that is needed in some B2B industries. Alternatively, spending a significant amount of resources on branding and marketing is likely required if your B2C product's success is heavily dependent upon having a coolness factor or you are charging a significant premium for your product.
Funny you mentioned branding obsession—one founder I know spent so long picking colors, their MVP was basically a mood board! Sometimes it feels like designing beats doing.