A logo can these days cost from £25 to £25,000 and even higher all depending on who and what type the client is. And who designs it.
Logo design projects range from the small start-ups and one-man-bands in need of an identity to the big rebranding projects of the large multi-nationals. And those somewhere in between. The costs vary equally from the tiniest beer mat budgets (or promises based on future earnings!) to eye-watering sums.
Let us for now forget about the huge, corporate branding projects and rather concentrate on what most of us may at times get involved in. It will inevitably affect a small business: Your identity. Branding is for some a fancy word but in simple terms, your brand is how your company is perceived by your audience. It is everything from how your staff (or yourself) answer the phone to the visual appearance of what you do. I am concerned with the visual side, starting with the logo.
A logo is more than a logo
Your logo will almost always sit together with something, applied in many ways; from your business card and stationery, to marketing and sales material, website and signage etc. A toolbox for your identity is necessary and it consists of things like a colour scheme, typography, styles, graphic and decorative elements, grids and rules of application. All this needs to be consistent and uniform across the board. It may be rigidly or more loosely interpreted depending on your organisation; a large manufacturer of precision instruments probably needs a stricter rule-book than a punk band!
A logo is not just for Christmas
When you go to the expense of having a logo and identity designed you want it to last a while. It is fair to say that as you change your wardrobe now and again, it is good to revisit your identity too from time to time. But you want it to last a few years. How long depends and you need to be aware of the subtle and sometimes abrupt changes which take place in your company, your products, your market, your competition and in society. As opposed to an exhibition flyer, a tweet or a Christmas greeting, a logo will be used again and again over a considerable time span. This last sentence is worth bearing in mind when you consider:
The cost
It is easy and common to fall into the trap of thinking that the logo should cost the time it takes to make it. That is not a fair assumption. I'll explain: It is possible that a designer comes up with an idea for a truly great logo in half an hour and spends another hour to artwork it (ok, it doesn't happen often). Should that logo cost less than £100? Another job can take a lot of thinking, back an forth – trying out a range of ideas and concepts – and after several days of work and consulting frequently with the client resulting in a perfectly good logo. Should that logo cost £1000 or £2000?
This is where value comes in. What is the value of the logo? Consider that the logo will be used on all your stationery, your signage, your brochures and leaflets, on your website (every page), on your social media pages, on livery and so on and so on. And for several years. How many impressions of the logo in a life time? Countless. Now, pitch this against the time it took to create the logo. Never mind that it is impossible to say how long time it will take before one starts. If you get a good quality logo for £100, £300 or £500, then you have truly got a superb deal and great value for your investment!
But what about small budgets? You are a small start-up, a one-person-band or have been going for a while but struggle a bit and simply don't have a big stash of cash for a logo. Well, you can come to someone like kobolt. The bigger agencies need bigger fees but with my small overheads and hands-on approach – and long experience – I should be able to help.
If you as a business owner or manager consider £300–£400 for a quality logo to be too expensive, then I cannot help you. But if that is a reasonable starting point for you, then please get in touch and we can discuss your project. However, If you represent a bigger organisation, then we are talking about a different fee level. Either way, I would be happy to assist.