Logo design is arguably one of the most important aspects of a company's overall branding strategy and marketing operations. A logo is at the forefront of all your products/services, used to make the business unique and distinctive.

A custom logo is the visual representation of your brand and helps establish your identity, communicating who you are and what you offer. In today’s competitive marketplace, your logo is the face of your business. It should help you stand out from the crowd whilst also reflecting your company's culture and values.

man designing a logo on computer software

A good quality logo design is essential for any brand. In fact, according to a study to a recent study conducted by the association of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), over 90% of consumers consider logos to be the most important aspect of a business.

Because of this, many business owners will look to marketing agencies, creative teams or an independent graphic designer to help them out with this essential design process. The head scratcher for a lot of these people is - how much should a logo design cost?

freelancer preparing a quote for a client.

Logo pricing can differ massively, for example, the cost of a logo design project depends upon the desired quality and who you're hiring to create it. Assess your goals and objectives as a business, look at your budget and then decide the max you could spend in order to get the product you need.

This LoudCrowd Blog will hopefully give new business start-ups looking for a brand identity, existing businesses who are rebranding, and others who are just curious an idea of how much you can expect to spend on logo design services.

How are Design Costs Calculated?

calculator on a dark background.

Bespoke branding services like logo design can be very difficult to price - there is no industry standard rate like many other products/services. The is because of the custom nature of design work and how no one job is ever the same. Some designers will charge by the hour - usually freelancers. Branding Agencies are more likely to charge a set fee, with a deposit, which can be paid upfront or via a payment plan.

There are a selection of factors that will impact the cost of this design work.

freelancer working in a cafe

A big factor which will affect professional logo design prices is the logo designer themselves. Will you choose an independent freelance designer? A Marketing Agency? Your little brother who's got some decent photoshop skills from his time as a graphic design student? Your selection will affect the price quite significantly, however, with this kind of work you almost always get what you pay for. It's important not just to go for the cheaper option - as mentioned previously, a logo is the face of your brand, not "just a logo".

The graphic designers are the most important people in the design process. The job is not an easy one. Not only do they need to create a good design but they also have to make sure that it will work well with all types of media and is complimentary to your brand values.

graphic designer looking at a plan for their client

Many people underestimate the work that goes into designing a high quality logo. The process isn't just playing around with fonts and shapes until something decent comes of it, there is a whole multi-step procedure behind nice and effective professional logo style design.

Or at least there should be, in our expert opinion.

There are some logo designers out there who will take on contracts with a very quick turnaround time - within a couple days to a week. Whilst this will be cheaper and they may create something that's serviceable, it's important not to rush something like a logo design for your business. A logo is an investment into the future of your brand and how it will be perceived by the public and your target customer. Professional logo design can take up to a month to complete.

You want a creative strategy behind your design, that you know will stand the test of time as your business continues to grow and your brand exposure increases. Conceptualisation and refinement processes are important to ensuring your product is as close to perfect as possible for your brand.

How to choose the best graphic designer for you

woman thinking with coloured arrows pointing above her head

Independent designers as well as Marketing Agencies will often have a portfolio of their work posted online. This could be on their website, a dedicated social media account or a third-party platform. Pay close attention to this work and assess whether their creations align with the vision you have for your brand in the future.

Before any creative work can happen, the designers must have an initial consultation with the business in order to fully understand their brand identity, culture and values. Knowing as many details as possible will help the logo designer massively, enabling them to create something that is true to the organisation and represents them entirely.

business charts, graphs, and stats under a magnifying glass

Many designers will conduct market research and in-depth competitor analysis to see how other businesses in your industry are operating. This allows them to build a creative strategy to help you stand out from the crowd.

Choose a logo designer based on the discussions you have with them, what they are able to offer and ultimately who you think will be the best option for you to move forward with.

How much should I be looking to pay for logo design?

man paying using a card machine on an orange background

It's important to take into account the size of your company when deciding on how much you are willing to spend on professional logo design.

Essentially, logo design cost and branding pricing is a reflection of the amount of time and resources that were required to make the final products. Depending on the work you need doing, this can be a big deciding factor when it comes to price.

Start-up

graffiti style illustration of a launching rocket with "start up" written underneath

A brand new start-up business with a tight budget should look to spend around £500 on logo designs. This will give you the foundations needed to set yourself up with necessary marketing materials for both print and digital communication channels.

SMEs

female retail entrepreneur photographed in her store

An SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) should be looking for a bigger all-inclusive branding package - the type of service a Marketing and Design Agency or experienced designers are likely to offer. These packages will include not only the creation of a logo but also typefaces, brand assets, images/illustrations and other important brand guidelines. This is to ensure that as your business grows, all messaging to your target audience is consistent. The aim is to make your brand memorable and identifiable. For this kind of package, you'd expect to pay a figure of around £1500-£3000 depending on the work that needs to be done.

Large Companies

logos of some of the world's biggest brands

Even bigger packages for larger companies can cost upwards of £10,000 and more, as they require the constant creation of assets for various forms of advertisement and digital media. These can include social media Ad creatives, pieces for print, and graphics for TV advertising.

How cheap logo design can negatively impact your brand

cheap and expensive check boxes, with cheap checked.

As we mentioned previously, when you pay for graphic design work, you pay for the time and resources spent by the designers. Cheap logo design cost and quick product turnarounds can indicate that minimal effort was put into your design. Ultimately, this means that you could be getting a subpar product for the amount of money that you've spent.

judge's gavel on a brown table

As well as, you might find that you stumble across legal issues in the future, with problems with copyright and expiring royalty free images. These could result in the need to rebrand again in the near future. Not only is this costly, it can also be detrimental to your business' growth, as a change in branding so soon will likely confuse your audience and negatively affect brand awareness and exposure.

It might seem obvious but...under no circumstances should you generate a logo for free using an online tool. That is just a huge no no for a huge variety of reasons.

Investing in a top notch design agency - or hiring an experienced designer - guarantees your brand is in good hands, securing your brand identity for now and the future.

LoudCrowd Branding Services

With a focus on innovation, insight and detail, our design projects - whether in branding, print or digital - work in favour of greater client sales, awareness, engagement and retention. The work our design team produces feeds in many important aspects of web development and digital marketing practice. Secure the attention of your target customer with LoudCrowd.

Reach out today and we'll show you what design can do.

FAQs

question mark in speech bubble.

How much does a freelance designer charge?

The range of the cost for freelance graphic designers is huge. There are many factors which effect prices, including the freelancer’s experience, how long they've been in the industry, where they live, among others. The average range in the UK is likely to be around £15-30 an hour, however can be £30-60 an hour for experienced designers. Those based in London often charge increased rates.

What is included in a full brand design package?

Full branding packages offered by Marketing Agencies encompass all the most important moving parts of design, aiming to help you capture the attention of your target customer. Expect a full creative service including workshops, research, logo design, typography, asset creation, illustrations and set brand guidelines to form a brand identity.

How do I trademark a business logo in the UK?

Firstly, you need to check whether you aren't infringing upon any other existing trademarks. You then file an application for either a UK trademark or a community trademark, with the latter offering protection against 27 other countries in Europe. It can take 6-12 months for your logo to be protected as intellectual property following a successful application, meaning it's save to use without fear of it being stolen.