How much should a logo design cost? The correct answer to this
popular question is anywhere from nothing up to hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
To say that 'you get what you pay for' would be true most of the time but not all of the time. If you are not working with trusted professionals then logo design can be 'hit and miss'. There are many cases where businesses have spent a lot of money and received poor designs and cases where companies have spent only a little and ended up with fantastic results.
The Internet has made the process of getting a logo design easier and more affordable than ever before. Many logo design firms have sprung up on the Internet and by using the Internet as a platform to do business have been able to reduce overheads and still offer a quality service.
In this article we explain how price should not be such a priority when it comes to getting a logo and then we look at the price ranges for some of the various options.
The Importance of Price
Price is often the first thing that people think about when looking at various options for logo design. It is great to get a good deal with a cheap logo design and to try and save a bit of money but stop and think for a moment about how important a logo design is to your company.
With your logo being on your stationery, website, building signage, advertising and even on vehicles it is often the first aspect of your company that customers come into contact with. Within a few seconds consumers will subconsciously examine your logo and create their first impressions of your company. These first few seconds are very important in conveying the right message to them and the quality of your company logo can in some cases help to determine whether you get those customers or they go to the competition.
Your logo is an integral part of your organizations marketing plan and a fair amount of the company's budget should be allocated to it just as a healthy budget is usually allocated to other marketing activities.
Spending $300 on a Logo may seem like a lot but if you spread the cost out over a period of say 10 years it only works out to a few dollars a month (a small amount compared to a monthly marketing budget that could run into hundreds or thousands of dollars).
With these thoughts in mind it becomes clear that maybe price shouldn't be the main focus when shopping around for a logo provider.
So let's examine some of the options available to you when it comes to getting a logo, starting from the lowest price range and finishing at the highest price range.
The Free Model
There are plenty of 'do it yourself' logo design templates that are available online for prices that range anywhere from free up to around $30 or $40. You can create a basic design with some clip-art or purchase a 'ready to go' template, customize the name to suit your needs and you then have an instant logo for your business.
Some companies give you the chance to browse through hundreds of generic designs suitable for various industries and then order one that can often be downloaded immediately.
The downside with these options is that some of the components that users can incorporate into their logo design such as shapes, symbols and clip art are unoriginal and in use by many other businesses. Without any design experience users usually end up with amateurish looking logos and sometimes even have to include a small credit on the logo referring to the site that was used to create it.
You must also consider that you may not have ownership rights over your logo design as these rights may be retained by the website that sold you the design.
Logo Design Software
You can now purchase some quite sophisticated logo design software that can assist you in the creation of professional looking logos on your home PC. The downside is that the better software packages can be expensive, there is a bit of a learning curve related to using the software properly and these packages still require some artistic input on the part of the user. Why would you bother really for only one or two logos if you are not a design professional?
Custom Logo Design
This option is the one that I recommend above all the others. By having a logo design tailor made by a graphic designer to suit your company's needs you are assured of getting an original, professional looking design that is suitable to your requirements. Your logo designer does all the design work while you, as the customer still get a considerable amount of input into the design process. Most reputable custom logo design firms will ensure that their work doesn't infringe on the trademarks of other companies so you can be guaranteed ownership rights to your logo.
Generally you can get a good quality custom logo design online for between $150 and $350 depending on the complexity of the package that you order (the number of initial concepts, the number of designers working on your case and the number of revisions that are permitted).
Design Competitions
There are now several websites that allow you to hold a competition for your logo design. Firstly, you put up a prize which usually has to be around $300 to $400 or more and a briefing for designers to understand the project. Then, designers from around the world submit their designs and you choose a winner who is awarded the prize money (after the website deducts their commission).
This method can work well if your offer a prize that is a considerable amount and you get a good response from designers. However you should first confirm with the website that you will have ownership rights to the winning design that you select. This method, while an interesting concept, usually ends up costing more than a custom logo design though and offers a little more risk as well.
Traditional Design Firms
For larger companies with huge budgets, meeting with designers face to face to communicate is still the preferred method. This is the most expensive method though as it usually involves several meetings and discussions with designers at their offices. Prices for this kind of personalized service usually start at around $500 and depending on the firm and the importance of the project costs can be much more than this. The great thing about online design firms is that they can cut costs by avoiding coffee drinking sessions with clients and can operate out of cheaper office space instead of fancy design studios.
Think about why you need the logo. If it's just for a website or a short term project you should be fine with some of the cheaper service providers. If, however you are building a future Fortune 500 corporation then you may want to spend at least $200 to $300 and possibly a lot more to make sure that you are starting off with a great logo design to suit your aspirations.
How much should a logo design cost? It should cost as much as you are prepared to pay. But remember that price is not everything when it comes to such an important decision for the future of your business.
To say that 'you get what you pay for' would be true most of the time but not all of the time. If you are not working with trusted professionals then logo design can be 'hit and miss'. There are many cases where businesses have spent a lot of money and received poor designs and cases where companies have spent only a little and ended up with fantastic results.
The Internet has made the process of getting a logo design easier and more affordable than ever before. Many logo design firms have sprung up on the Internet and by using the Internet as a platform to do business have been able to reduce overheads and still offer a quality service.
In this article we explain how price should not be such a priority when it comes to getting a logo and then we look at the price ranges for some of the various options.
The Importance of Price
Price is often the first thing that people think about when looking at various options for logo design. It is great to get a good deal with a cheap logo design and to try and save a bit of money but stop and think for a moment about how important a logo design is to your company.
With your logo being on your stationery, website, building signage, advertising and even on vehicles it is often the first aspect of your company that customers come into contact with. Within a few seconds consumers will subconsciously examine your logo and create their first impressions of your company. These first few seconds are very important in conveying the right message to them and the quality of your company logo can in some cases help to determine whether you get those customers or they go to the competition.
Your logo is an integral part of your organizations marketing plan and a fair amount of the company's budget should be allocated to it just as a healthy budget is usually allocated to other marketing activities.
Spending $300 on a Logo may seem like a lot but if you spread the cost out over a period of say 10 years it only works out to a few dollars a month (a small amount compared to a monthly marketing budget that could run into hundreds or thousands of dollars).
With these thoughts in mind it becomes clear that maybe price shouldn't be the main focus when shopping around for a logo provider.
So let's examine some of the options available to you when it comes to getting a logo, starting from the lowest price range and finishing at the highest price range.
The Free Model
There are plenty of 'do it yourself' logo design templates that are available online for prices that range anywhere from free up to around $30 or $40. You can create a basic design with some clip-art or purchase a 'ready to go' template, customize the name to suit your needs and you then have an instant logo for your business.
Some companies give you the chance to browse through hundreds of generic designs suitable for various industries and then order one that can often be downloaded immediately.
The downside with these options is that some of the components that users can incorporate into their logo design such as shapes, symbols and clip art are unoriginal and in use by many other businesses. Without any design experience users usually end up with amateurish looking logos and sometimes even have to include a small credit on the logo referring to the site that was used to create it.
You must also consider that you may not have ownership rights over your logo design as these rights may be retained by the website that sold you the design.
Logo Design Software
You can now purchase some quite sophisticated logo design software that can assist you in the creation of professional looking logos on your home PC. The downside is that the better software packages can be expensive, there is a bit of a learning curve related to using the software properly and these packages still require some artistic input on the part of the user. Why would you bother really for only one or two logos if you are not a design professional?
Custom Logo Design
This option is the one that I recommend above all the others. By having a logo design tailor made by a graphic designer to suit your company's needs you are assured of getting an original, professional looking design that is suitable to your requirements. Your logo designer does all the design work while you, as the customer still get a considerable amount of input into the design process. Most reputable custom logo design firms will ensure that their work doesn't infringe on the trademarks of other companies so you can be guaranteed ownership rights to your logo.
Generally you can get a good quality custom logo design online for between $150 and $350 depending on the complexity of the package that you order (the number of initial concepts, the number of designers working on your case and the number of revisions that are permitted).
Design Competitions
There are now several websites that allow you to hold a competition for your logo design. Firstly, you put up a prize which usually has to be around $300 to $400 or more and a briefing for designers to understand the project. Then, designers from around the world submit their designs and you choose a winner who is awarded the prize money (after the website deducts their commission).
This method can work well if your offer a prize that is a considerable amount and you get a good response from designers. However you should first confirm with the website that you will have ownership rights to the winning design that you select. This method, while an interesting concept, usually ends up costing more than a custom logo design though and offers a little more risk as well.
Traditional Design Firms
For larger companies with huge budgets, meeting with designers face to face to communicate is still the preferred method. This is the most expensive method though as it usually involves several meetings and discussions with designers at their offices. Prices for this kind of personalized service usually start at around $500 and depending on the firm and the importance of the project costs can be much more than this. The great thing about online design firms is that they can cut costs by avoiding coffee drinking sessions with clients and can operate out of cheaper office space instead of fancy design studios.
Think about why you need the logo. If it's just for a website or a short term project you should be fine with some of the cheaper service providers. If, however you are building a future Fortune 500 corporation then you may want to spend at least $200 to $300 and possibly a lot more to make sure that you are starting off with a great logo design to suit your aspirations.
How much should a logo design cost? It should cost as much as you are prepared to pay. But remember that price is not everything when it comes to such an important decision for the future of your business.
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