Hmmm….How does that idiom go again?
When I first moved into my home, Home Depot was my go-to resource for every appliance, fixture, hardware, and tool I needed. We knew enough not to buy super cheap, so we invested one or two tiers up…mid-ranged cheap.
Living in New England, we knew we needed a snow blower. So I bought a model at Home Depot for around $250. It wasn’t super cheap, but it wasn’t expensive either. That snow blower lasted about two seasons. Then I bought another, this time investing $400. Surely this would last, I thought. Sadly, I was wrong again. I bought one more snow blower, again at $400, hoping that it was just bad luck and third time’s a charm.
Boy, how wrong I was. I finally had enough. I needed a good snow blower that would last. So, I did my homework, talked with some neighbors, and shelled out $1200 at a shop specializing in tractors, mowers, and snow blowers. You know what? That was 10 years ago, and that same snow blower still works as well today as it did when I first purchased it.
I learned a valuable lesson with snow blowers, grills, faucets, vacuum cleaners, appliances, and just about everything else I’ve purchased over the years: you really do get what you pay for.
The same idiom applies in business—you get what you pay for. Businesses have many options when it comes to investing in their brand identity. You don’t want to end up with an option that breaks after two years. This article will explore those options and more.
Contests may be ideal for hot dog eating. But not for logos.
The concept behind crowdsourcing websites like 99designs that offer logo contests is simple. You submit your request to a crowd of designers who compete with one another to design a logo for your business. And you only need to pay for the logo that you like. As for the other designers who entered the contest, well, they don’t get paid. This may sound like a good deal for the business, but as you’ll later learn in this article, the reverse is actually true. The entire idea is absurd.
Imagine you walked into a restaurant and ordered 20 items off the menu, but only agreed to pay for the food you liked. As for the other 19 food items, well, you won’t pay for those. No restaurant would ever consider this. So, why should professional designers? In fact, there is no credible professional service, from lawyers, doctors, accountants and more, that would ever consider this as a viable source of income. And neither do credible professional designers.
Logo Design: More Than Just a Symbol Decoration
Let’s examine the definition of “Logo Design” by starting with the word “Logo.” According to the Oxford Languages dictionary provided by Google, a logo is defined as “a symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc.” This definition uses the singular “an organization,” indicating that a logo is intended to be unique to a single entity. Also, the use of the word “identify” indicates that a logo must serve as a distinctive mark that distinguishes one entity from others. Moving on to “design,” Merriam-Webster describes it as “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan,” which implies a process involving thought, intent, and purpose.
Returning to crowdsourcing platforms, since freelancers are often unpaid for their work, they are not professionals by definition. Instead, these contests are often filled with amateurs who, at best, put the least amount of thought or effort into your logo and end up creating stylized decorations rather than true design. At worst, these amateurs offer plagiarized logos or vectors downloaded from royalty-free resources instead of providing a logo that is uniquely your own. In both scenarios, the services offered on crowdsourcing sites are contrary to the definition of logo design. Therefore, crowdsourcing platforms are not a viable solution for this article, which focuses on authentic logo design and brand identity.
Viable Low-end Solutions ($1000-$2500)
Since we’ve eliminated logo contests as a viable option, there are other freelance marketplaces, such as Fivver, Upwork, and others, that allow you to place any budget that you would like. If using one of those online marketplaces, I offer these words of advice “tread very carefully.” If you set your budget between $100 – $750, you’ll likely end up with the same pool of designers who won’t invest much time in your brand and may offer plagiarized logos.
To avoid this aim to spend at least $1000–$2500 and ask about the designer’s process. Your logo design may be in good hands if the designer’s process includes a discovery session, research, ideation, and options in the first draft. Ensure the designer follows a process that involves getting to know you and your brand before diving into design. This low-end solution is probably best for less complex business models like plumbers, dentists, personal trainers, auto repair shops, cleaning services, realtors, and small restaurants.
Mid-range options ($2,500-$15,000)
Experienced freelance businesses and small, solo-owned, and operated design agencies make up the mid-range pricing options. These small businesses often seek the help of junior-level or international freelance designers. They follow a thorough process, which may include multiple sessions with you and your stakeholders. The more experienced the designer and the more time and thought they spend with your logo, the more you should expect to pay. Additionally, the more exposure the logo will have, the higher the price should be. This is original artwork after all with copyright laws favoring the artist, unless copyrights are transferred through a contract. So national or global clients with a broader reach should expect to pay more than regional/local clients with a smaller audience. This logic has been supported for decades by the Graphic Artist’s Guild and AIGA (American Institute for Graphic Arts), two professional organizations for graphic design.
Your cost would likely start at $2500 and could be upwards of $7000 for just a logo. For this spend, you should also expect to receive final files that include vector EPS files, transparent PNG files, as well as different layouts such as square, horizontal, or vertical. These are very important for sending your logo to other vendors. The individuals or small teams in this group are typically quite adept at taking complex ideas or concepts and transforming them into a simplified mark. For a brand identity that includes colors, typography, and other elements, as well as simplified brand guidelines, your cost could range from $5000–$15,000.
High-End Pricing ($50,000 +)
Branding and renowned design agencies round out the high-end pricing options. Typically these agencies won’t design just a logo. Expect to pay between $50,000-$150,000 for an extensive brand discovery process and a complete brand identity package, including colors, typography, and elements. For national or global brand identity packages, including comprehensive brand strategy by an experienced strategy team and a full brand book, costs can range from $150,000–$500,000+. If you’re lucky enough to work with a firm like Pentagram, Landor or MetaDesign, they don’t disclose their prices anywhere and you’re probably not reading this article anyway.
Where does Creative Chain fit?
Creative Chain bridges the significant gap between experienced freelancers and branding agencies, covering the spectrum from mid-range and high-end solutions. We price our projects based on scope and offer a range of brand identity services. Our process starts with understanding your goals, and we can collaborate with fully-vetted brand strategist partners for extensive brand immersion and detailed guidelines. Our experience includes interviewing internal stakeholders and external customers, converting these discussions into meaningful briefs, and deploying the right minds and skill sets to meet your project’s needs.
Want to learn more? Reach out today.