Logo Design Pricing: How Much Should You Pay and Why?

Logo design is a complicated process that involves symbolizing a brand's values with a single visual. But, many business owners are reluctant to spend lots of money on a simple logo design. What constitutes reasonable logo design pricing, and how much should you spend? We answer all your questions in this logo design pricing guide.

A logo is an integral part of a brand’s identity, and it is the first thing that your customers see. Having a unique and memorable logo helps place your brand firmly in the minds of your customers. Your logo should reflect your company’s values and its audience.

Let’s dive right in and answer two key questions:

• Why are logos more expensive than other types of graphics?
• What is the standard pricing of logo design for six types of design service providers?

Why logo design expensive?

Although they may look like any other piece of graphic design, logos require a lot more work, skill, and effort to produce.

Before we can answer “how much are logo designs”, we need to consider a few reasons why the cost of logo design is higher than regular business graphics. 

Long design process

The creation of a logo works the same as any other design task. A client provides a brief, the designer gets to work, and "boom" - a logo is born.

Wrong!

To produce a half-decent logo, a designer needs to do a ton of research and grasp what the company's all about. That means understanding its purpose, mission, vision, values, and target audience. They also need to do thorough research of your competitors to avoid creating a similar design.

So, before you consider a logo "just another graphic," bear in mind that a good logo has to:

• Reflect the company’s brand identity
• Appeal to a specific target audience
• Be versatile and memorable
• Tell a story
• Use the right colors, fonts, and shapes

With the amount of effort and creative thinking behind a logo design, it is intuitive why logo design pricing can be high.

It’s the most valuable brand asset

Without a logo to represent, you can only hope to sustain a company, but you can never have a brand. Companies come and go. Brands last.

Industry leaders such as Nike, Google, Facebook, or Apple have simple yet iconic logo designs that have not changed much throughout their lives. Why does that matter? A recognizable logo has a symbolic value that customers can identify with.

A unique logo design can help you set yourself apart from your competitors and build long-standing relationships with your customers.

Here are a few more convincing stats: 

• 60% of people will avoid a company with unattractive logos regardless of how great their reviews are (Study Finds);
• 75% say logos are the most recognizable brand identifier (Renderforest);
• 50% of people are more likely to buy from brands whose logos they recognize (Study Finds);
• brand loyalty is worth ten times more than a signal purchase (Venngage).

An effective logo attracts customers in the first instance and builds brand recognition and loyalty in the long run. This directly impacts sales and customer retention, so you can see why investing in a high-quality logo is always a good idea.

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Logo design pricing – 6 options to choose from

The average logo design cost ranges anywhere from $300-$700. When it comes to creating a logo for a small business, the statistics are favorable to designers. Over 67% of small business owners are willing to pay around $500 for a professional logo, and only 18% willing to pay more than $1,000.

So, what is the standard pricing for logo designs? There are no standard logo design prices. The type of logo you get depends on your design requirements, budget, and the type of design service provider you choose.

This logo design pricing guide explains the six ways you can get logo design services.

• DIY
• Logo Template or Online Logo Maker
• Crowdsourcing or Design Contests
• Freelance Logo Designers
• Unlimited Graphic Design Service
• Design Agency

Let’s look at each of them and their pros, cons, and average costs.

Do it yourself: $0-$50

• You have an idea of what you want and how you want your logo to look.
• It is cheap and does not cost much.

Cons:

• It is incredibly challenging, especially if you have no experience working with graphic design.
• You might also need to purchase pricey design software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

Pricing:

• A DIY logo price can range from $0-to $50, depending on your illustrations' software.

Logo templates or logo maker: $20-$200

If creating a logo from scratch isn’t your thing, you can try to buy premade logo templates. Premade logo design templates or logo makers drastically reduce the time it takes to create a design.

Logo templates are available to the general public, and there is a possibility that any other brand could have a similar logo to yours. Logo makers cannot understand your company's specific requirements and cannot deliver the quality logo a designer could.

Pros:

• There are thousands of templates on various sites such as Adobe Spark, Creative Market, Canva, GraphicRiver, etc.
• Save time in creating a logo from scratch.
• Logo makers create a unique logo according to your name and industry requirements.

Cons:

• Others can download the templates and have a similar logo as you.
• Logo makers are not smart enough to create a logo that perfectly fits your company’s unique personality.

Pricing:

• A simple logo template can cost you around $20, while a high-quality template can reach a price point of around $200.

Crowdsourcing and design contests: $130-$700

One of the best ways to get several ideas for your logo design is to crowdsource it. Design contests are great crowdsourcing tools to get unique designs you can choose to purchase.

If you are not sure about your design specifications, having a design contest will help you get a variety of logos for just a few hundred bucks.

The only tradeoff is the unpredictability of designs. You might not like any of the design suggestions by the contesters. Whether you get a refund or not depends on the design platform. However, even if you don’t end up paying a single cent, you will have lost a lot of time (and, therefore, money) in the process.  

Pros:

• Variety of ideas
• Does not require a detailed design brief
• Cost-effective

Cons:

• It is unpredictable, and you don’t know what you will be getting
• Time-consuming and can result in less

Pricing:

• Crowdsourcing stands on the more expensive side of logo design pricing. It can be expensive to create design competitions and contests, and a design contest can cost you anywhere from $130 to $700.

Freelance logo designers: $300-$2000

• Portfolio: have they done work similar in style or any logos or branding projects;
• Reviews, referrals, and testimonials: you can ask them to provide contacts as well;
• Experience in the industry: not essential, but it’s beneficial if they have a basic understanding of your background;
• Logo design cost: it’s usually not the definitive price, but most freelancers will give you a rough estimate, especially if they charge on a per-project basis.

Here’s a terrific video to illustrate the range of logo design cost you can expect working with freelancers. The video compares work from five freelance designers who charged between $45 and $450 for the same logo design project.

You might notice that some of the more expensive projects included a more detailed account of the design process. Although this doesn’t necessarily mean the logo will be better, it shows originality and a more thought-out approach, which naturally costs more.

This logo design pricing guide will help you understand the cost of a professional logo design to choose the best one for your needs.

There are several platforms you can look to hire freelance graphic designers, such as Fiverr, Upwork, Dribble, Behance, and PeoplePerHour.

Pros:

• Hiring a graphic designer is affordable
• You can communicate your specific requirements to the designer

Cons:

• There can be a chance of fraud as sometimes freelance designers copy the work of others to get clients and defraud them.
• The freelance designer can take longer than committed due to the effort it requires. Therefore you might end up paying a lot more than you had budgeted for.

Pricing:

• Freelance logo design cost can range anywhere from $300 to upwards of $2,000. The hourly freelance logo design pricing ranges from $20 to $100.

Unlimited graphic design service: $300-$900

This is by far one of the most cost-effective ways to get a professional logo.

With unlimited design services, clients pay a flat monthly fee for all their design needs. They can make as many requests as they like, with unlimited revisions, at no extra charge.

An average unlimited graphic service costs almost as much as a freelance logo design price - a few hundred dollars. However, you won't just get a logo and brand design at this price. You can also get any other projects that can be completed within a month (social media posts, ads, print collateral, etc.).

You can also work with different designers, making it easy to find a designer whose experience, skills, and style perfectly suit your industry and needs.

Pros:

• Affordable and Scalable
• A whole package of design services

Cons:

• You don’t get the complete experience when using the service for a short period. However, since logo design is itself an expensive design project, even subscribing for one month is a smart money-saving way to get your logo.

Pricing:

• Unlimited graphic design services can cost between $300-and $900 per month.

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Design agency: $2500+

Another option you can use for your logo design is to hire a design agency. This is the most expensive logo design option in the market.

If you want a professional and unique logo, you will have to pay a lot for it.

You can rest assured that your logo will align with your brand identity, values, and target audience. These branding design agencies do their homework and carry out extensive market research before creating a logo.

Pros:

• You get a high-quality logo with a complete brand design and detailed research of your market.

Cons:

• They are costly, often outside the price range for small business owners

Pricing:

• The pricing of a design agency usually starts from $2,500 and can be as high as $10,000.

A great logo doesn’t have to cost a fortune

So, how much are logo designs worth for your business? 

We’ve highlighted a few options for getting a logo design for your business. You might want to try to do it yourself, but remember that you may end up wasting your time and having to find a new logo very soon.

You can scour the internet for the best freelance talents. You’ll very likely find the perfect match - if you have the time and patience to look through applications and portfolios. The same goes for design contests.

If you have a few thousand dollars to spare, a design agency can be a great partner in helping you build your brand. But do you really need to spend that much?

Try ManyPixels today and get your logo and all branding assets! Work with a team of pros and pay a fraction of the price you would with a traditional design agency.

Still have some questions? We’d love to hear them! Book a free 1:1 demo to chat with us about your business and branding needs.