The $50 Fix That Cost Thousands: Why Food Founders Must Control Their Art Files

When you’re building a food business, branding often feels like the fun part — designing your logo, picking your colors, seeing your product come to life on the shelf. But behind the excitement, there’s a hidden trap that can cost you thousands of dollars and months of frustration if you’re not careful. 

Lucky, there's a very easy fix -- own the rights to the original design files. It’s one of the most painful lessons we’ve seen founders learn the hard way: if you don’t own your original design files, you don’t really own your brand.

The Costly Mistake

We once worked with a food company that had beautiful packaging and strong early momentum. The founder had hired a designer to create their logo, color palette, and product packaging. Everything looked great — until they needed to make a simple change.

A few months after launching in market, the team decided to update some copy on their packaging — just one word on the back panel. But there was a problem: they didn’t have access to the editable art files. Their designer did.

Each time they needed an update, the designer charged $50 per hour for revisions. What started as a quick change turned into a recurring expense. Over time, the brand spent thousands of dollars on small edits — adjusting flavor names, adding a barcode, tweaking layout spacing — things that should have taken minutes.

Even worse, because they didn’t have control of their files, they couldn’t easily work with new designers or printers. Every update required going back to the original designer, slowing down production, delaying launches, and eating into their profitability.

The founder later told us, “We thought we were saving money upfront by letting the designer manage everything. It ended up costing us more than we ever imagined. We didn't think about the importance of actually owning the rights to the files.”

💡 Pro Tip: If you're part of the Union Kitchen Accelerator, ask us for recommended designers who are pre-vetted.

Why This Happens So Often

When you’re new to the food industry, it’s easy to focus on the creative side — getting your product on the shelf, creating something beautiful, and celebrating the launch. The fine print of file formats and ownership rarely comes up until it’s too late.

Most founders don’t realize that unless it’s clearly stated in your agreement, your designer owns the copyright to your creative files — not you. That means you may only receive flat images (like .jpg or .png files) that you can’t edit, resize, or adapt.

Without the original vector files (such as .AI, .EPS, or .SVG), you lose the ability to:

• Make small text or design changes

• Resize your logo for new packaging or signage

• Update your design for new products or retailers

• Work with new designers, printers, or agencies

You’ve essentially rented your brand — not built it.

How to Avoid the Same Painful Mistake

1. Work with Union Kitchen! Our designer partners are all pre-vetted to avoid exactly these types of mistakes. 

2. Ask for your editable art files up front.
   Make sure your contract or agreement specifies that you will receive — and own — the original design files upon project completion.

3. Understand what to request.
   You need scalable, editable formats like .AI (Adobe Illustrator), .EPS, or .SVG files for logos and design layouts. These allow you to make updates without losing quality or resolution.

4. Keep them organized and backed up.
   Store your art files in a secure, cloud-based system like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Notion. Clearly label them by product and version.

5. Use AI tools to help manage updates.
   Today’s founders can use tools like ChatGPT, Figma AI, or Canva’s Magic Design to generate quick mockups, create new label variations, and tag files for better search and collaboration. AI doesn’t replace your designer — it helps you move faster between revisions and maintain consistency as you grow.

6. Treat design as an investment in flexibility.
   Your brand will evolve. Owning your files lets you iterate quickly and affordably, whether you’re adding a new flavor, scaling to a new market, or refreshing your look entirely.

Why It Matters for Growth

As your company grows, your packaging and marketing will change. You’ll learn what customers respond to and refine your brand accordingly. Having your art files on hand makes this process faster, cheaper, and more consistent.

At Union Kitchen, we’ve seen this play out across hundreds of brands. Founders who own their design assets can adapt instantly. Those who don’t often get stuck — paying extra for small edits, losing creative control, or scrambling when they need to pivot.