The Standard of Branding in the Highland’s Is Embarrassing..

Amber King
Nov 28
5 min read

Let’s stop pretending the Highlands is “full of good branding”. It’s not.

Right now, the Scottish Highlands is flooded with AI logos, £40 “brand packages” and generic visuals that all look like they’ve been spat out of the same template. Businesses that are genuinely brilliant at what they do are wrapping themselves in branding that looks cheap, confused and forgettable.

That’s not a lack of designers (because I exist in the Highlands) - it is a pure lack of standards.

And with the rise of AI tools, it’s getting worse – fast.

Scotland Isn’t Short of New Business Ideas - It’s Short of Investing in Good Branding…

First, some context.

Scotland is not standing still when it comes to business. According to the UK government’s Business Population Estimates, the number of private sector businesses in Scotland jumped by around 57,000 in just one year – a 19% increase between the start of 2023 and the start of 2024. (GOV.UK)

So, the Highlands isn’t “quiet”. New businesses are appearing constantly – cafés, trades, beauty studios, e-com brands, agencies, gyms, you name it.

The problem is what happens next:

They launch fast - no prep, no planning.
They grab an AI logo or a £20 “brand kit” - no substance, no style.
They throw it on a Canva website and call it done - no shits given.

And now we’ve got a region filled with businesses that don’t look remotely as good as they actually are.

The AI Branding Boom: Cheap, Fast…and Completely Soulless…

AI in itself isn’t evil. I literally use it as a tool in my business.

But we need to be realistic about how quickly it’s taking over the “first draft” stage of branding and marketing – especially for small businesses trying to cut costs.

UK research found that the share of marketers actively using at least one generative AI use case quadrupled from 9% to 41% between April 2024 and July 2025. (Marketing Week)
Another study found UK marketers expect nearly half (48%) of their branded social content to be AI-generated by 2026. (Capterra)
Market reports describe AI logo-maker tools as experiencing “exponential growth”, driven by small businesses wanting fast, cheap branding instead of hiring designers. (Data Insights Market)

Put that together and it’s obvious what’s happening:

More Scottish businesses + more AI logo tools + more “AI branding agencies” = a tidal wave of near-identical brands.

Same fonts. Same fake “minimalist” icons. Same gold and black colour palettes. Same meaningless taglines.

And then everyone wonders why their brand doesn’t stand out at the local networking events or on Instagram.

I can’t fix it if your brand position is shite.

This is BRANDING by Amber, not Fixing Ai by Amber.

Why AI Brands Are Failing

Highland Businesses…

Here’s the hard truth: AI can’t see the Highlands the way a human can.

The difference between Inverness, Elgin and Ullapool markets.
The way locals actually talk, buy, recommend and trust.
The legacy of family businesses, trades and communities that have been here for decades.
The nuance of Scottish humour, attitude and directness. 
AI can remix what already exists - but it can’t create a positioned, strategic, region-aware brand for your business. (I can by the way)

So when a Highland business leans on AI for branding, three things usually happen:

1. You look like everyone else… Because the model is literally trained on everyone else.

2. You communicate nothing unique… AI can’t interview your customers, interrogate your service and pull out what genuinely sets you apart.

3. You set a low ceiling for your growth… When your brand looks cheap, people subconsciously assume your service is too. You attract the wrong clients and limit what you can charge.

That’s the part nobody selling £40 “AI brands” will tell you - Ai made it for them and they charged you, and Ai is free.

What Real Branding Actually Does (And Why It Still Matters)

Real branding isn’t just a nicer logo. It’s the work that happens before the visuals:

Understanding your audience and what actually makes them choose one business over another in a rural, word-of-mouth heavy market.
Figuring out your position – are you the premium option, the specialist, the approachable one, the rebel, the safe pair of hands?
Deciding how you talk, what you stand for, and what you absolutely will not do.
Building visuals that match that personality and market position, so people get an accurate read on you within seconds.

That’s the difference between: “We got a logo made.” and “We have a brand people remember, trust and happily recommend.”

In a place like the Highlands – where reputation travels faster than paid ads – that difference is everything.

The Highlands Isn’t Saturated – It’s Underserved…

Here’s the twist.

Everyone keeps saying, “There are so many designers up here now” or “The market’s saturated.” But if you look around:

How many businesses actually have consistent, intentional branding across their website, socials, print and signage?
How many can clearly explain what makes them different from every other joiner, landscaper, salon or studio?
How many don’t just “look nice”, but actually look professional enough to compete beyond their own postcode?

We’re not overrun with good branding. We’re overrun with placeholders – visuals that were only ever meant to be temporary, but ended up sticking around for years.

That’s why I call Highland branding “embarrassing”.

Not because I don’t care – but because I do.

We can do so much better than this.

If You’re a Highland Business Owner, Read This Part….

If any of this has made you feel slightly called out… good.

That’s your sign that your brand isn’t where it could be.

You don’t have to love design. You don’t have to understand typography or colour theory. You do have to respect your own business enough to stop letting it show up like an AI afterthought.

Here’s what “having standards” looks like:

You invest in a brand that genuinely reflects what you do and who you are.
You build a visual system that works across your van, signage, socials, proposals, website and packaging.
You stop changing your logo every six months because you’re bored or chasing trends.
You make decisions based on strategy – not on what Canva template popped up first.

That’s when your brand stops being embarrassing and starts being an asset.

Want a Brand with Backbone – Not a Bot?

I’m not against AI. I’m against lazy branding.

If you’re a Scottish or Highland business that’s ready to: