Logo Pricing
I love designing logos, but unfortunately many clients don’t realize the work and time that goes in it. Recently, I’ve had 2 perspective clients say “Is that standard? that’s way over my budget!” And I should say that I am not the most expensive amongst designers. In any case this article, written by a talented graphic designer explains why logos don’t cost $50!
10 reasons why a logo doesn’t cost $30 (or $50, or $100, or even $200)
Posted on http://www.sheilapatterson.com by Sheila Patterson.
Run, don’t walk from cheap logo design
I got a phone call not so long ago from a prospective client asking about having a logo designed. Great, I thought, that’s what I do! Unfortunately they found out that I was way out of their budget. Now, I get it…even the starting price of what I charge for logos isn’t exactly cheap, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a professionally designed logo for much less than that. The same is true for all design, but right now I’m focusing on logos because there seems to be a rather recent influx of cheap logo design out there, plus clients who expect to pay next to nothing for their logo. Like, less than $200.
So why aren’t logos $30? Or even $200? What’s so bad about that? There seems to be adisconnect between what designers know and what everyone else thinks they know when it comes to the reality of logo design, and why it’s not cheap. The reasons are many, but let me just start out by saying us designers aren’t trying to take you for all you’re worth; rather, we know what goes into creating a logo that will last a lifetime. Here’s some of those secrets:
1. Believe it or not, designing a logo actually takes work
Professional designers aren’t just “playing around” on their computers all day. Any design we do requires work, and we take our profession very seriously. We went to school to learn the principles of good design; we need the necessary skills to properly use design programs like Illustrator; we have to devote our days to self-marketing, research, meeting with clients, going over briefs, and giving presentations. As passionate as we are about our work, at the end of the day, it’s still work.
2. We went to school to learn how to do this
Granted, some designers are self-taught, but that’s the exception not the rule. Most of us understood the value in higher education, so we committed four+ years of our lives to learning our trade. Time and effort aside, earning a degree also takes lots of money.
As much as I would love to do my work for dirt cheap or even for free, the fact remains that when I’m done with school I’ll have a bill exceeding $40,000. I’ll have to pay that back somehow. In today’s society there’s no way around it; in order to have a good job, more or less you’ll need a good education (read: college). It’s well understood in most professions that earning a degree entitles you to higher earnings: your newfound knowledge and skills as a college grad adds worth to your work. Graphic designers are no different.
3. The equipment and software we use costs (lots of) money
Unfortunately, in the design industry, us designers have to stay atop current technology and software. Also unfortunately, those things aren’t exactly in the bargain bin. I’d hate to say we pass on the expense to you, but that’s every business. If we charge you less than what it takes for us to stay afloat financially, we’d sink and go out of business. Rolled into all those expenses is of course the very programs we use to create those beautiful designs. Just to give you a head’s up, our design software is usually around $2,000, and upgrades are about $400. So one of the reasons why a logo ain’t cheap is because the software to make them ain’t cheap.
4. It takes more than just a couple of hours to design a good logo
I personally spend at least 15-20 hours on every single logo design that I do for a client. Minimum. And that’s for a just small start-up company. Obviously a larger business requires more work. Now ask yourself how you’d feel if someone offered you less than $200 for 20+ hours of hard work. With your college degree. With all that expensive software you had to buy. Exactly. I’d be offended too!
5. Designing a logo isn’t simple
Much goes into the design process itself (and believe me, it’s a process!). Part of the reason so much time goes into logo design is because we have to do things like meet with the client, create a design brief, create a proposal, do tons of research (including into your competition), do tons of brainstorming, generate ideas, seek inspiration, sketch, do roughs, create the actual logo ideas, show them to you, get feedback, go back and do revisions, finalize the logo design, choose a suitable typeface and color palette…I could go on, but by now you can see that the process of a logo design is quite extensive.
Now before you say, “Well, why don’t you just cut out a couple of steps so you only take 5 hours?”, let me tell you that you really can’t. At least you can’t and still get a good logo.
Those cheap “designers” you see on Craigslist? They probably just design something off the top of their head without knowing anything about your business, your audience, or your competition. So it might be a cute design but it won’t have any staying power, and it won’t strengthen your brand. Or they might steal a logo that’s already out there, and you’ll be liable for copyright infringement. Or they could just use some cheap clip art, which looks horrible and is a teeny bit illegal. Fun stuff like that that I’m sure you don’t want any part of.
You know that saying, “you get what you pay for”? Zero difference when it comes to logo design.
6. I didn’t start designing yesterday
Most reasonable people would agree, that the longer you do something—the more of anexpert you are—the more value the services you provide have. For some reason a majority of people view professional designers in a different light. Now I may be a little biased, but that doesn’t seem very fair, does it?
I mean, it’s a given that I haven’t been in the game nearly as long as some of my fellow designers have—and we’re talking 10, 20, 30+ years—but come on, I think the fact that I’ve been doing this for over 4 years says something, right? It’s not like I started designing yesterday. Four years isn’t as much as 20, but it’s experience and I think anyone with several years under their belt deserves some compensation for it. And trust me, my rates don’t even touch theirs.
7. We never “just design a logo”—we build relationships
In order to properly design a good logo, as a designer I need to get in your head. I need to know everything there is to know about your business and your audience—your hopes and fears, your dreams for the company, where you see yourself in 5 years. I need to get to know you and your company on a personable level. That takes commitment, time, energy, effort. So you can see, at least for me, it’s not just a logo design. It’s not just a commodity. It’s a relationship.
As if all those reasons weren’t enough, here’s a few more on why you should invest in your company’s logo, and in my opinion, invest as much of your resources into it as possible.
8. Your logo will last you many years to come
Ok, don’t tell me you want a cheap logo now, because you plan on buying a better logo a few years down the line, when your business is successful. That’s not a good idea, becausewhat you’re trying to build as a new business is your brand. If you go and change your logo every few years, then you completely defeat the purpose of having that brand identity. Everything that people began to associate with your business, via your logo, will disappear and you’ll essentially be starting from scratch.
Rebranding is very risky, and must be done carefully. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails miserably (remember how Gap tried to change their logo? Bad, bad move!). Your best bet is to just do it right the first time. Trust me, in the end you’ll save not only time, money, and stress, but also retain the favor of your audience.
9. Your logo is the first thing people see
You want to make a good first impression, don’t you? Wrong! You want to make a great first impression! So why risk having someone take one look at your logo, the very face of your company, and cringe? Believe me, I’ve seen some cringe-worthy logos! I firmly believe that if you take pride in your business, that if you believe in your cause, and are willing to make that initial investment, I can almost guarantee your business will be a success. I say almost, because it’s still possible to have an amazing logo and a horrible product or service that no one wants. But that’s not you, so of course you’re more than willing to give your company the pretty face it deserves.
10. Everything else builds on your logo
Got a business card? Got a company website? Do you have company colors? Well, you almost can’t have any of these things without first having a logo. The logo is the foundation of everything else your company does visually. It is the cornerstone of your branding and identity. So, obviously, it’s important. You really can’t do anything without a defined logo in place first. That’d be like going through a maze blindfolded. You need to have that cohesive branding ready before you start your venture, not after the fact.
Every single successful business out there uses effective branding to their advantage. Think Apple. Think McDonalds. Think Target. Their logos, their colors, are everywhere.
Like I’ve said before, having a great logo or great design won’t magically make your business any better, but it will make it look better in the eyes of your audience. And that’s what we’re talking about, perceived value. Of course, you have to have the goods to back it up.
But when the best thing that can happen with a good logo is your business taking off, and the worst thing that can happen with a bad logo is your business sinking, is there really any question in your mind about what you need to do?
Great article. “Perceived value” is a tricky subject!
I am no authority on the topic, so dnt take me seriously 🙂
I liked the whole article. Sparked off quite a lot of thoughts in my head..
I think, with the growing uncertainity of market, new business people are averse to spending a lot for their enterprise, logo is something of a surplus expenditure to them. Maybe thats why, they are going for the minimum they need to get their business up and running.
But that is the whole point, the logo for your business is more important and therefore worth a lot more than you think. Personally if my eye catches a cheap/ugly logo I never bother to take that business seriously, and automatically would come to the conclusion that they’re not experts or good at what they do! When starting a business, you need to include the budget for a good logo. It’s that simple, people have to just accept it 🙂
I agree. U have a point in saying that. but, after all “perspective” varies from person to person. u cant make someone accept ur point, unless the one shares ur perspective.
so, never mind those cheap bargain-ers. U just go on with ur business. Care for those, who care about ur art..
Great article.. My boyfriend owns his own digital marketing & consulting business.. He often still encounters a lot of clients who expect such services go cheap, because they perceive them as effortless & not time consuming… Sad that people who are well educated, still don’t know how much time, effort & money other professionals put into their work in order to achieve their desired end results.
yes! SO true, I just get way too many of those who just don’t understand the time it takes.
Awesome post. Very Interesting to hear from the designers point of view, because you never get that.
I personally didn’t know it was so complex!
Trust me, my own parents didn’t know! LOL they could never understand why I was stuck at the computer lab for hours when I was in college!
I was actually planning on writing a similar post but seeing this is enough.
A lot of people think that a Graphic Designer is a low end job. Those people have no idea what we go through. They think we pick colours and draw shapes and put them together and think we overcharge. They don’t look through the research we put into and the other factors such as software cost and the importance of a logo to a brand.
It’s a sad sad world but as of recent its been improving as more people are looking for good designers as the world is becoming more competitive and a great brand look is the first thing that catches a consumers eye.
yes, totally agree 🙂
Good on you sister for putting this out there!
I agree with you and have a friend who decided not to do logo because my fee is out of her budget when I charge according to the market rate
Yes, it’s such a difficult thing specially with the economy right now. People think it’s not a big deal.