We’ve appreciated the positive comments, but we’re also taking some of the constructive criticism seriously. Reading through the discussions online, it became clear to us that we ought to clarify a few things about the buildabrand service. So here’s a bit more information about how we work.

We’re a small team, based in Soho, London. We’re entrepreneurs ourselves, and what we set out to do with buildabrand was provide access to branding for other entrepreneurs: we want to make branding accessible.

Here are the questions that have been asked, and the comments that have been made, most frequently in the last 24 hours:

Are you trying to replace traditional branding agencies?

We don’t want to replace traditional agencies. We’re looking to open up an entirely new price point for branding and identity solutions. Traditional services aren’t really our competitors.

Buildabrand will allow entrepreneurs and freelancers to acquire branding as a cost, rather than an investment. It will allow them to take a punt on their idea much more easily.

We at buildabrand see ourselves as entrepreneurs, and we’ve built a service we’d like to use ourselves. We see it sitting comfortably alongside traditional design services.

There’s a lot more to branding than a logo.

We know that. But before a company gets to the big umbrella stage, it has to start somewhere. “Buildabrand” is as much a description of what the service will aim to deliver as it is a call to action to our prospective users. To inspire them and to help them build the foundation for a brand.

We are trying to lower the barriers to entry for startups by providing them with accessible and affordable tools. Eventually, we would like to provide branding knowledge and support as well as products.

We will not solve the complex branding problems a large enterprise might face.

Automation will never replace creative thinking.

Of course not. But our algorithm and the way it has been constructed is the result of years of branding experience and a lot of strategic research. All our designs are originated by designers, from the symbols to the colour palettes.

Our goal is to match business ambitions with brand suggestions.

How big is your catalogue?

We’ve done a lot of strategic research into startups and into creating brand symbols that will fulfil a startup’s needs. We’ll have 1,800 difference business / segment types to choose from in total. During beta tests, the number will be smaller, but we’re planning to grow organically.

We’re confident that we can keep feeding new designs into the database fast enough to cope with demand. We also have plans to open up our system as a marketplace for designers to sell their work.

We’d love to hear what you think about the product. Leave a comment below or contact us if you’d like to know more.

Given the level of interest in buildabrand, we’re increasing the number of beta invitations from the original 50 offered by TechCrunch to 200. They will still be dished out on a first come, first served basis. We’ll be in touch if you made the cut.