- Vincent Bissette
HOW MUCH DOES A LOGO COST?
Learn what a logo, logo design and symbol are, what makes a perfect logo design and how it can be created! Logos are extremely important, so you should not use a DIY one and just simply leave it to chance. Originality is the key - the logo of your business should be as unique as you are. But it is hard to come by which is why you should hire professional logo designers. If you are not sure how much a logo could cost you, don't worry, we've got you! Just keep reading!
We thought it would be great to start this post by showing off one of our logo design drawings. Let us know what you think!
WHAT IS A LOGO AND WHAT IS LOGO DESIGN?
Let’s get the technicalities out of the way! According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of a logo is: “a symbol or other small design adopted by an organisation to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc.”
If we’re going to get pedantic about it, the full word is either logotype or logogram. And since the word ‘logo’ derives from the old Greek word for ‘word’, a logo should really be based on recognisable letters or words, rather than just shapes or visual symbols. So, the Nike ‘Swoosh’ isn’t a logo, it’s a symbol (of wings, from Nike, the ancient Greek winged goddess of victory).
WHY IS A SYMBOL IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF LOGO DESIGN?
In very simple terms, it is an element that indicates a story. In the modern world of design, symbols are very important. This is because companies and brands want recognition for what they represent, rather than who they are.
Logo designers create symbols that tell a story. They make sure that the symbols that you are using are not just pretty objects, but also convey a concise message.
LOGO DESIGN EXAMPLES
Whether you call it logo design, design logo, graphic design logo or brand logo design – essentially it is all the same thing. Check out our logo design examples here!
We created this logo design for Chatwins when we rebranded them. Click on the photo if you'd like to see the whole rebrand!
THE PERFECT LOGO DESIGN
In designing logos, what is perfect for one business is probably wrong for another. Indeed, no two logos should be the same or even similar, because one of the principal purposes of a logo is to differentiate a business, product or service from the crowd and make it instantly recognisable wherever and whenever it is seen.
At Propel, we are at pains to stop clients straying into ‘me too’ territory. There’s a terrible temptation to imitate a successful rival, but all you’re doing is reminding people of your competitor and causing confusion. Originality is hard to come by, but it can be done – especially with the help of a professional logo designer – and it is worth the effort. Your logo design should be as individual as you are.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CREATE THE PERFECT LOGO?
All we can say at Propel, in answer to this all-too-common question, and with over thirty years’ of hard-won experience behind us, that always hire the best logo designer that your budget allows. It will ultimately pay dividends in the long run.
Propel is a design agency unlike most, in that we also have strengths in marketing and branding. So, when we interrogate a logo concept, prepare a logo branding approach, or start working out how to design a company logo, there are certain steps that we continually go through which will help you create the perfect logo, including:
TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED Question everything.
UNDERSTAND THE ORGANISATION IN ALL RESPECTS Mission, vision and values, unique selling points (USPs), key messages, positioning and personality.
RESEARCH The market, the competitors, current perceptions and target audience.
HISTORY Respect the brand’s heritage and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!
STAY FLEXIBLE You will have your own ideas of course, and that’s great, but keep an open mind.
KEEP IT SIMPLE Simplicity aids recognition!
THE BIG PICTURE Remember your newly created logo design will have to be applied easily to all of your brand touchpoints! It needs to be transferable!
TYPOGRAPHY Different typefaces have different personalities and can give the same word a completely different feel – choose wisely!
COLOUR The colours need to communicate the values of the company and resonate with its intended target audience. Colours communicate a wealth of feelings, moods, and circumstances.
BLACK AND WHITE Remember, even if your logo design is fabulous in full colour, it still needs to work effectively in black-and-white for different applications.
THERE’S MORE TO LOGO DESIGNING THAN DESIGNING A LOGO
What we will say is: please always consider your logo design as part of your complete brand! Remember, your logo is not your brand. It is your signature, your sign-off and quite often your public face, and a visible manifestation of your brand. But it is not and never can be your entire corporate brand. Unless you are Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple or some other immensely wealthy corporate leviathan that has invested billions in graphic design over many years and generations.
WHY DO LOGO DESIGNS NEED TO STAND OUT?
Literally hundreds of carefully, cunningly crafted brand logo designs are presented to us every day on screens, in newspapers, on packagings, on clothing and on posters. Even on radio, companies deploy their taglines and signature music or sounds as aural logos. They select particular voices, tones and inflections to suit the core logo idea and that of the brand concept.
We are now so adept at sifting through logos that the ones that register have to be really brilliant graphic designs – and the ones relevant to our personal or corporate needs. To do that effectively, logos must work instantly with total clarity. And that requires finesse.
THE ART OF LOGO DESIGN
Logo design is a specialist area and should not be entrusted to just any graphic designer: you need a specialist logo designer who understands the technicalities and specifications of the various media you’re intending using - from online to press, small scale to large and so on -. You need a logo design that can work in colour, black and white, and on different surfaces and textures. All that while conveying exactly the identity and character of your company in a way that is yours and yours alone.
It’s not enough to design a company logo, you have to design a company logo that will work across many, many different pieces of collateral - most of which you will not even be aware of at this stage.
To design a great logo is much more of an art form than a science. There is personal emotion involved as well as the resolution of technical and practical necessities.
Just to give you something to look at, here is another of our logo design:
SO WHO WILL DESIGN A COMPANY LOGO?
Well, there are many, many different logo design companies out there and many options open to you, from a freelance graphic designer, graphic design agency, creative design consultants, graphic design studio and graphic design company to a specialist brand design agency.
Whichever option you go with, make sure they are a good design agency, with reliable recommendations along with flair. Be sure to find out more about our Logo Design services and look at examples of our work here!
DON’T LEAVE YOUR COMPANY’S LOGO DESIGN TO CHANCE
Logo design for a business should never be left to chance – you should only ever entrust it to professional logo designers. Logo designers understand the intricacies of all the elements that make a successful logo. They know what is contemporary and what can be interpreted as traditional, retail, corporate, upmarket, downmarket and every market in between. They know many ways of achieving different visual effects and they know what’s going on locally, nationally and internationally. Employ a logo design professional and you significantly improve your prospects of creating a hard-working, unique logo.
When you are building a brand (and every business has one), it is crucial to understand logo design. You should know how your logo might work on your behalf in places as diverse as printed pages, vehicle sides, pencils, pitchside advertising boards, tv screens, mobile phones, and stationery. You should appreciate the power and subtlety of colours, typography, proportion, scale, and be prepared to work out a logo style guide that controls how your logo is used (and not used).
WHY IS LOGO DESIGN SO IMPORTANT?
In short, logo design is important because you only get one chance to make a first impression, and very often your logo is the first thing a prospect will see of you. Further down the line, a readily identifiable logo makes it easier and faster for customers to recognise your products, services and correspondence. Familiarity and efficiency are powerful tools in any business.
LOGO DESIGN THAT WORKS
What makes one logo work while another simply fails to hit the mark? The answer to that question lies deep in the understanding of a company’s brand. Everything about your brand matters – from your mission, vision and values to how your products or services appear alongside your competitors. Your logo is an integral component of all that, but that’s the point – your logo really must reflect not only your business name but your entire company brand. Otherwise, there’s a disparity, and your branding is weakened.
What makes Propel different from most other logo designers is that we also have expertise in branding and marketing thanks to our over 30 years of experience in the industry. Propel can handle the complete package and make sure that all the elements - logo design included - complement and enhance one another.
WHY INVEST IN LOGO DESIGN?
Investing in your company's logo design is not a commitment to be taken lightly, as it’s not something you want to redo every couple of years. It is worth serious consideration as your logo can be a powerful tool in your marketing toolbox, helping build benefits in swift recognition and favourable reception in the marketplace. Create a strong brand and it’s reckoned you can add 8% or more to the prices you charge. A good logo earns its keep.
HOW TO HIRE LOGO DESIGNERS
To fully understand brand logo design you should really hire a logo designer and work closely with them. However, hiring the right service provider for you takes care. We recommend you invest some time in looking at websites and in particular case studies. Check out the standard and quality of the work, not to mention the results, and answer these questions:
Can they prove these results?
Are the logos in their portfolio used in real life by real companies or they are just simply illustrations or concepts?
Do they have testimonials from real people?
Ultimately you have to meet (even just virtually at the moment) at least a couple of logo designers and look them in the eye, not just at their typeface.
Is there any chemistry between you and them?
Are they and you likely to be a productive fit?
Putting it bluntly, can you get on with them, express your ideas openly, let your imagination off the leash?
Also, can you take constructive professional criticism? (It is important to receive criticism openly and positively so you can build and improve upon it.)
There’s more than one flavour of logo designers. You have to decide whether you would rather hire a freelance graphic designer, a graphic design agency, a creative design consultant, a graphic design studio, a graphic design company or a specialist brand design agency. All have advantages to offer and all will come up with different approaches, recommendations and of course, different fee structures.
You may think that going down the freelance graphic design route may seem like the most cost-effective option, but you have to weigh up the freelancer’s personal experience and back-up resources compared with mid-size graphic design studios or even larger graphic design agencies.
Whichever option you go with, make sure they are a reliably good design agency with a proven track record.
AFFORDABLE LOGO DESIGN PACKAGES
In logo design, like with many things in life, you tend to get what you pay for. So, before setting a budget on what you should spend on your new logo design, first think about what you want your new logo to achieve. Will it be used extensively, across many items and media? Is it likely to be seen by hundreds of people, or thousands, or millions? Will you need variations to accommodate different production processes, such as on-screen, traditional print and on clothing? Do as much planning as you can and consult with an expert logo designer with branding experience.
From a branding and marketing perspective, you don’t want to be changing your logo every couple of years, which you will have to do if you don’t get it right. So, it’s important that you hit the mark the first time.
As a small consultancy, Propel Marketing & Design has some very affordable logo design packages: we can quickly tailor bespoke logo solutions and we can go deeper into logo brand designs based on complete top-to-bottom brand audits. All will deliver value for money as well as individuality. But it’s horses for courses, and the best way to start is with a chat!
SO... HOW MUCH WILL A LOGO DESIGN COST?
Well, that’s a difficult question to answer outright as it depends on which ‘league’ of agencies you’re talking about. The big, global graphic design agencies with offices in say London and New York will probably set you back on average £1500 – £2000 per day, per person (based on a 7.5 hr day). These are the guys playing in the Premiership.
If you drop down a league (The Championship) to the local agencies, then expect to pay anywhere between £750-£1200 per day per person.
If you drop down again (to League One) where you’ll be working with a freelance graphic designer and typically paying £250-£700 per day per person based on their experience.
Usually, they would all cost it by first gaining an understanding of your needs, estimating how many days of work they think would be required to fulfil your query and then multiplying that by their daily rate.
If you would like to learn more about our logo design and our services, check out our Logo Design page! You can also find helpful blog posts there.
About the author: Vincent Bissette is a freelance Brand Strategy and Design Consultant with over 30 years experience of branding and rebranding businesses and organisations, systematically, thoroughly and objectively. He has worked in major Design Consultancies as well as having run his own agency for 25 years, working with SMEs all over the UK to help them modernise their brand, grow their business, attract new customers, penetrate new markets and increase their sales, market share and profit. Throughout that time, there’s not much he hasn't done or many industries he hasn't worked in. He’s a creative, strategic thinker and problem solver with a wealth of experience in diagnosing trouble spots in brands and discovering their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Now based in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, he works throughout the entire UK.
Get in touch with him on Linkedin here
