A brand design can start around $1,000 and go all the way to $40,000.
Now, I know that’s a pretty big range, but don’t run off just yet. The $40,000 price tag buys a full branding agency with entire team of people, which brings a lot of overhead costs. Smaller firms and freelance designers may be better equipped to work within your budget.
For most small businesses, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $5,000 for a branding package. These prices vary depending on experience, reputation, city location, and how many items are included in your package.
This document is a series of carefully crafted questions to pull out the core information about your company. It helps identify who your business serves, how you serve your customers, and why you serve them, which will inform the type of visual branding that will work best for your company.
Your designer will conduct research on the competition and look for the best way to position your company to stand out from the crowd.
A board made up of several photos and elements that convey the general feeling of your brand. This is usually created prior to the design of your other brand elements and logo.
The primary mark that identifies your business. Alternate versions may be provided such as vertical and horizontal format so they can be used easily across a variety of applications from web to print.
A submark is an element pulled from the original logo (like the “f” from facebook) and is typically smaller than the original logo size. Other icons may be developed to identify services you offer, or even custom social icons that match your brand.
The combination of colors used to identify you brand.
Usually 2-3 fonts which are used for headline and body copy throughout your assets.
Images are a powerful way to communicate, and brands will often have a selection of photos with a particular light setting and tone to further drive home your message.
Patterns and textures are another way to quickly communicate your brand and stand out from the crowd.
(NOTE: The above list are common items, however, these items will vary from designer to designer so be sure to look at their packages to see what is included.)
Think of all of the above bulleted items as building blocks, they can be mixed and matched in an infinite combination of ways to create new assets (such as brochures, fliers, presentations, and more), all while maintaining a consistent look and feel so that even if someone saw your item without a logo, they’d likely recognize the brand just by the colors and the way it was put together.
Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking a brand is just a logo. A logo is definitely one part of a brand design, but as you’ve seen above, a lot more goes into a brand design to effectively position your company for success.
Now, it is possible to get JUST a logo generated by an online service for a few hundred dollars, that’s true. However, those typically lack the foundational research, meaning, and understanding that truly goes into developing a brand and ultimately conveying who you are.
Your brand is the foundation upon which your business stands. It’s the promise you are making to your customers. It’s your only shot at a lasting first impression and winning lifelong fans (not just customers!). It’s not the investment to take shortcuts on.
When it comes to brand design, it’s important to choose the right brand designer for your company and be ready to make an investment that is comfortable for you. A professional brand is going to position you beyond the competition and help you get recognized and win loyal customers. It’s worth it!
