Something that seems to be popping up a lot on Etsy these days are Corjl Logo templates, where you purchase a logo template from an Etsy seller and edit it yourself on a website called Corjl. If you have purchased one of these “instant download logos” and plan to use it for your blog or business, unfortunately you may need to reconsider it and I thought I’d give a quick review on why that is.

There are several reasons why editing a Corjl Logo Template to create your own logo is a bad idea. It may be a convenient and very affordable way to get a logo for your blog or business and to be able to say you “did it yourself”, however in the long run you’re likely to end up in more trouble than it’s worth. Here’s why:

1. You don’t have the license to use the fonts

Most often, the fonts used in these templates aren’t “free for commercial use”. They are sold under a specific license on websites such as Creative Market, a license which prohibits print-on-demand / use-on-demand / editable app usage. The seller who has sold you this template would have had to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a custom license to use the fonts in this way, and do you think they did? Probably not.

You as a customer don’t have the license to use the fonts in the templates, only the Etsy seller who sold you this template does. And even then, they don’t have the rights to put it into editable templates, neither does the Corjl website. This is a huge copyright issue where they can definitely end up in a legal dispute with the creator of the font.

If you don’t have the proof to show that you have a license for the font, or that you purchased the logo from a reputable business who created the logo for you with their license, you can end up in trouble as well.

2. You don’t have the license to use the graphics

It’s the same with the graphics in the templates, whether clipart or watercolor splashes or anything as such. Once again, if the Etsy seller didn’t draw or create the graphics them self, then they don’t have the rights to re-distribute these graphics in editable templates, which means you don’t have the rights to their use either for your business.

If the original creator of these graphics spots their graphic in your branding, Pinterest posts or on your product packaging in future and they know that they haven’t had a sale from your name, you will be questioned about it and if you can’t show proof that you own the license to use the graphic commercially, you’ll once again end up in trouble.

3. You’re unable to brand yourself any further than the logo

When you purchase one of these Corjl logo templates, what happens if in future you want other branding material for your brand? You don’t know what fonts are used in your logo, you don’t own the fonts so you’re not able to create anything further.

If you purchase a logo from a designer who creates the logo for you, then you have the option to buy more branding materials for your business in future, as you know exactly where to go and who has the font you need.

Another option is purchasing the fonts yourself, so that you own them and you 100% have the license to use them. If you can’t afford Photoshop, a Canva Pro account allows you to use your own installed fonts as well so you could whip up the logo yourself the right way. If you’re on a really tight budget, check out these free fonts for commercial use.

4. Your logo won’t have that designer touch

It’s all very well to buy a logo template that looks like it’s been designed really well and you think it’s going to make your own business name look great… that is, until you start putting your business name into it and it doesn’t look that great anymore.

This is where having a designer make your logo for you, even with a pre-made design, helps. They’re able to arrange the words of your business name in the right way so it looks as good as possible, something not everyone can easily do themselves.

Sometimes it’s not worth wasting your money on DIY when you can pay around the same price for someone to do it for you.

5. Do you really want to start your business this way?

I guess a question you need to ask yourself is if you want to start your blog or business off on the wrong foot? Would you feel a whole lot better if you know you’ve done everything the right way, and you’ve got no chance of any legal issues down the road? Copyright disputes can be costly and I assume as a new blog or small business owner, you don’t have the money to go throwing at such things. Personally, I wouldn’t want the stress.

How To Spot / Avoid Them

The following points will indicate if you should avoid a logo design (or definitely ask the seller questions first before buying). It’s likely to be a dodgy seller if you see this on Etsy:

• It’s labelled as “Instant Download Template” or “Instant Download Logo”
• It’s stated in the product description that you can edit it yourself in Corjl
• It looks too good to be true for the price (eg. premium graphics/fonts in a $5 – $10 DIY template)

If you have purchased a Corjl logo template, I would highly recommend contacting the seller you purchased from to show you the license they hold for the fonts and graphics within your logo or proof that they are the original designer of the font/graphic used. No license available on Creative Market allows re-distribution of fonts or graphics in editable templates, or use in websites such as Corjl. Something to keep in mind.

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