How much does Brand Design cost?

What is Brand Design?

A brand design is the visual face of your business. Every company needs a brand design that sets it apart from its competitors. Your brand identity will appear on your website, social media, marketing materials, packaging, advertising campaigns, and more. As a key communication tool, it will be something that your customers associate with your company, so it needs to look the part. 

A brand identity can include aspects such as logo design, colour palettes, fonts, brand positioning, and messaging. The key is to create a style that best reflects what it is that you do, along with the aesthetic you are trying to portray. All of which can be created by a brand designer. 

Your brand designer will work with you to determine the character of your brand. This will form the reasoning behind the design decisions they come up with in response. Brand design can include rebranding an existing company or starting from scratch. Once your brand design is completed, you’ll be given usable elements that you can use for your digital and print communication.  

How much does Brand Design cost? 

The cost of brand design ranges between $180 and $800, with an average cost of $500. 

Brand designers are free to set their rates, with the agencies charging far more than freelancers on average. 

The most in-demand branding agencies can charge thousands for their services, though this is an exception rather than the norm. 

To help manage the costs, your professional will outline the costs during the initial consultation. They’ll also set out a timeline of how long the project will take. 

What changes the price of Brand Design? 

The cost of brand design varies depending on several factors, including: 

• The type of brand design service

• The job scope

• Your company type

• Pitching fees

• Number of revisions

• Time

• Experience

• Location

Type of Brand Design service

Newly qualified designers typically charge the least for brand design, starting at around $180. Be wary of anyone who charges less than this, since the work needs to be original and of high quality. Though sometimes, very good graduate designers will charge less to build up their portfolio. 

If you’re looking for a reasonable price but a little more experience, then a senior designer will charge between $500 and $1,650 for a brand identity. Senior designers have between 10-15 years of experience in the industry on average. 

In the middle are small agencies, who typically charge between $885 and $4,500 for brand design. The benefit of an agency is that various creatives will work on your brand collectively, rather than just a designer alone. This can include the likes of strategists, marketing gurus, copywriters, and more.  The most expensive brand design comes from exceptional brand agencies, which can charge anywhere up to $30,000 and above for their services. Such agencies aren’t available everywhere, though house the very top talent. They will have an extensive portfolio that includes well-known brand designs.

The job scope

Brand design can involve simply a logo, or the creation of brand guidelines that take into account the messaging, colour palettes and similar elements. The complexity of the job will affect the cost. 

During the consultation, your chosen professional will establish the job scope with you so that they can price the project accordingly.

Your company type

The cost of brand design can vary depending on the type of company you own. Some designers or agencies may also specialize in a particular industry such as restaurant branding or retail branding. For niche jobs, you may have to pay more to find someone who specializes in your industry or style. 

Pitching fees

If your designer or agency has to come up with ideas to pitch and take the time out of their day to come and present these to you, then they may charge you for this service. Pitching fees aren’t necessarily the norm but should be expected for larger agencies.

Number of revisions

Brand designers will usually state how many revisions are included as part of their service. However, if you require excessive revisions then this will take more time, and so they will bill you to cover this. By having extremely clear communication from the start, you can keep such costs to a minimum and wrap the project up much quicker. 

Time

Brand designers usually charge a fixed fee, though some may also charge per hour. The pricing structure of your chosen professional will be outlined to you before the project starts so that everyone is on the same page.

Experience

Some brand designers are self-taught with little experience, and others may have worked in the best brand design agencies in the world. If your brand designer has formal qualifications and extensive experience in design and marketing, they will likely charge more than someone who doesn’t.

Checking out their portfolio and client list is a great way to determine their experience. Ideally, they should have plenty of experience in your particular field, since branding a children’s toy company is very different from branding a fintech company as an example.

Location

The location of your brand designer or agency will impact the cost. Going on the price of a brand design created by a junior or mid-level brand designer, expect to pay $500 in Yellowknife and $800 for the same service in Toronto.

As a major city, Toronto is likely to have more designers. Plus the cost of living is higher in Toronto. Both factors will bump up the price, especially for the most talented brand designers.

The true cost is going to take into account the scope of the job, along with the experience of the brand designer. So, you must get an individual quote based on your requirements since costs will vary from professional to professional. 

Is it worth getting Brand Design?

First impressions count for a lot when it comes to branding. A brand design that is dated, unprofessional or copied from elsewhere just won’t cut it. Instead, a brand designer will consider every aspect of your company when coming up with the design and messaging for your business. Whether displayed on your signage, business cards, website or social media - you can be sure your branding is on point when it’s been carefully curated by a professional brand designer. 

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