It’s a question that is asked countless times, and one which is pretty tricky to answer due to the sheer amount of variables: How much does logo design cost?
I’m going to try and answer this for you now. There are going to have to be a few assumptions and generalisations in this post though. After all, design, and it’s cost, is VERY subjective.
Before we dive into ‘How much does logo design cost?’ we first need to ask ‘What is logo design worth?’.
You should value your logo design
Your logo is, more often than not, the first thing that springs to mind when people think of your business or organisation. It’s the visual representation of who you are and what you stand for.
It’s also on literally every piece of advertising, clothing and merchandise that your business has.
You can be fairly certain of the fact that any hugely successful multi-national company has a decent logo up-front representing it. Why shouldn’t your business?
Now, you may be thinking ‘Well that’s all well and good, but I don’t have £50,000 to spend on my logo”, and that’s probably true. But is that really the cost of a professional logo design? It’s easy to think so because so much of the press we see of logo design is about these high price rebrands.
Whilst I am very much an advocate of investing time and money into your logo design, and your brand overall, I am not saying that a budget of tens of thousands is required.
All I am saying is that you should value your logo the same way you would value your products, or your premises. Cheap, poor quality products or an ageing, run down shop front do not paint your business in the best light. The same is true of your logo. Value it as such.
Simple isn’t easy
Great design follows the same principles as other problem solving situations, the simplest solution is often the best. We’re all probably familiar with the term KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
There is a bit of an issue with following the KISS principle though. Your finished product can often be so simple and effective that it almost makes it look like it has no value.
The majority of famous global brand logos you see are incredibly simple in their design.
In my opinion this what you want from your logo design, and it’s exactly why you should be hiring a professional design in the first place. It’s not easy to create a logo so simple and effective it looks like anyone could have created it. (There is a brilliant little story about Picasso on this very matter, have a read here: Picasso and pricing your work)
Why is it a difficult task to create a simple, effective logo design?
Designer experience
As with many things in life, there is no substitute for experience. We all learn from our past, whether it be from past mistakes or successes. Many of the lessons we learn from doing what we do cannot be taught.
This is equally true for logo designers. I’ve been designing logos for a decade and I still learn something from pretty much every project I undertake. It’s this experience that now puts me in a position where I can create a logo that’s incredibly simple, but at the same time incredibly effective.
I haven’t always been able to do this, and it wasn’t something I was magically taught to do at university. It’s taken years of a practice, research and commitment to get to a point where I can get my brain to work and visualise concepts the way I do. Experience is something that cannot be undervalued, in any scenario.
In depth research
Along with the know how that comes with experience, the other key aspect to creating a great logo design is research. Research plays a huge role in answering ‘How much does logo design cost?’.
To start with, it’s time consuming. There are numerous avenues of research that you have to go down in order to fully understand a project.
When I start on a logo design project the first thing I do is try to get to know my clients business as well as I can. This isn’t just asking them to fill in a quick questionnaire covering the basics. It’s having, whenever possible, a sit down together over a drink and just talking about their business.
A friendly, free-flowing conversation that allows them to open up and talk about what they’re passionate about. This gives me a real insight into what they believe in and what their business means to them. As a result of this, it gives me a much clearer idea of what kind of logo is going to best represent them.
Once I’ve completed my initial research into the business the next part is the competition. There’s no point creating a brilliant logo design for someone if one of their direct competitors has something really similar.
I also like to carry out research outside of my clients competition just to make sure that what I’m giving them is as unique as possible. Obviously sometimes there may be similarities to a logo of another company. This is unavoidable at times. However, if it’s a company in a totally different sector, in a totally different area the chances are it’s not really going to affect anyone too much.
Research is the biggest part of any logo design project and it’s a time consuming process. It’s so important though. Every business is different and without proper research a truly effective solution just isn’t possible.
There is no ‘one size fits all’
What all that research will tell is that every business is different, and in the world of logo design, one size definitely does not fit all.
A quick Google of ‘photographer logo’ shows how repetitive designs can get within a sector.
Every business needs to be treated as unique. Bespoke is the only way to go if you want a logo that is going to represent you for years to come. What works for one business in a sector may not work for another and that’s why I take the time to get to know my clients.
I took the time to get to know what Pete wanted from his photography logo and made sure it was something that differed from the crowd.
‘Logo factories’ and other such places simply do not offer this service. The price of hiring such places is reflected in the logo design cost. Or you could always take a stab at designing your own logo. It’s up to you how much value you put on your company logo design, I know how I feel on the matter though.
One thing is for certain – your logo is worth a lot
Hopefully this article so far has outlined that your logo design has considerable worth to your business. But how does this worth relate back to how much does logo design cost?
Well to me the two are directly related. If you truly value your business, and in turn the logo that represents it, then logo design costs will be higher. That’s not to say that you need to be budgeting thousands of pounds for your logo design, but it’s not going to cost a tenner either.
Let’s see what others have to say
It’s all well and good me explaining my views on how much logo design should cost, but I’m just one person. I asked around a few other people, some fellow logo designers, some business owners outside of the design field.
I’d suggest £500 as a starting figure. In my experience it can take ages to develop a set of good quality ideas. But you have to also gauge the size of the business. A large organisation will produce more assets than a startup. So the cost and value to that business will be more.
For me logo design doesn’t have a set value. While logo design sits alongside branding and as part of the larger brand image of a company; logos form a base for consistency and brand recognisability. This is somethings that’s incredibly important for a young business such as ours. With any new business, you must build trust with new and prospective clients. This can be a difficult task for a company that is new to a saturated market.
A well designed logo not only helps set the tone of our business but also helps ensure our company’s ethos and persona is conveyed in visual form. So for us at Black Lodge Cabins we value logo design as much as our products. It is a key and necessary part of our business and one we see as a worthy investment.
Dale Wilson – Black Lodge Cabins
You can’t put a precise figure on a bespoke service like logo design there are many factors that go into creating a company’s visual identity so it all depends on the scope of the project and deliverables that are required.
Most clients don’t take in to account the process involved in creating a logo including research into the business their competitors and target market, mood boards, concept sketching, presenting and iterate on initial ideas,
Logo exploration including icons, typefaces, colour pallets, Lockups, revisions and presenting final designs with mock-up’s then organising the final deliverables for the clients and creating logo guidelines.
A logo rate should never be the same for every client we as designers need to determine the value we provide to the particular business its size and revenue, exposure the logo will get and potential profit they will make from it. The bigger the client the bigger the risk which means more time is needed in the overall process.
Budgets should be taken into consideration and a project fee negotiated and anything out of the scope of the project should incur either a project extension or hourly fee depending on the additional requirements.
We have to be able to work comfortably to achieve the best results for the client.
Andrew Marriott – The Logo Creative
How much does logo design cost?
So, after a bit of rambling and hopefully a bit of explaining we come back round to the initial point of this article: ‘How much does logo design cost?’
My answer to this is simple. Logo design costs whatever you want it to cost. I personally would recommend a minimum budget of £500 to get going. In an ideal world you’re going to probably want to double that amount though.
If you don’t really value what a well thought out and well designed logo can do for you business then I’m probably not the guy you need to be hiring. If however you do understand that the cost of logo is an investment in your business, please get in touch and see how I can help.
