I've just started my own business and I'm looking for someone to do my brand identity, but I don't know if $3M is expensive or not, or what the difference is between $15M and $3M. This is one of the questions I've been asked a lot in the past few years, so I'm going to talk to you about it.
When you are just starting a business, you need to spend your money where it counts. When looking for a designer to do brand identity, and you see a quote of $30,000 and $150,000, the OS in your mind must be: "What's the difference between these two?
If you're stuck on a budget or don't know how to choose who to work with, I've compiled a list of some of the most common questions I'm asked when I take on a project. After reading this, you'll have a better idea of whether you're buying "design" or "strategy".
Taiwan market, where is the market?
Let's start with a rough range.
(The following figures are the average of the reference value of the integration of the public information of various designers and studios on the Internet, and the actual price quoted depends on the scale of the project, the content of the agreement, which is not the same for each, read this and then go to inquire about the price will have a better sense of it.)
$10,000-$35,000 / Entrance
Usually contains:
- LOGO Proposal 2-3 directions,
- Basic Standard Colors
- Standard
- Business card design.
Mostly, it's a case designer, a start-up studio, or an outsourcer with a focus on AI tools.
Fast and some very nicely done.
However, strategic research is hardly included and there will be no standardized manual.
You've got the image, not the system.
$40,000-$180,000 / Professional Studio
Usually contains:
- Brand Core Positioning Sorting,
- Complete VI specification manual (colors, fonts, application rules),
- 3-5 extended applications (e.g., envelopes, community layouts, signage schematics).
There is a big difference, because there is a big difference in the way each studio does the whole "brand positioning" thing.
Some interviews end in an hour, while others take 3-4 rounds of discussion before the design is finalized.
$200,000+ / Strategy Integration
Usually contains:
- Competitor Analysis
- brand positioning strategy
- Dynamic Logo
- Long-term consultancy contracts.
With this level of budget, I will not go into details in this article.
For less than $35,000, you usually only get what you pay for.
Picture file.
Beautiful pictures.
But:
- No specification manual → Next time, change the manufacturer or make your own literature, the font will run away, the color will not match.
- No extension → you don't know what the logo looks like on a sign or on a cell phone
- Uncertainty about the copyright of the material → Some low-priced logos use fonts or vectors with unclear commercial licenses.
- There's no guarantee that the trademark will be approved.
(This is not to say that all low prices are problematic. It is to say that you have to bear the risk at this price level, and the cost of remedying the problem later is often not low.)
A $20,000 logo, after three years the whole set of branding needs to be redone, in fact, does not save anything.
What do you get for the extra money?
Simply put:System, Strategy, Support。
System
The specification manual shows your next designer how to use this recognition.
Color codes, font names, logos, safety distances, it's all in there.
You don't have to rethink every time you change, you don't have to rely on your eyes to match every output.
be tactful
Brand visualization is not just "good looking", it has to speak to your target audience and be remembered in the competition. This thinking process is not something you have time to do in a low-priced case.
Some studios (including mine) will have a pre-Q&A SOP, so that most of the direction is clear from the first discussion, rather than just starting to feel things out in person.
Support
Extended applications usually have ready-made templates: social posts, presentation covers, and letterhead layouts that can be used without having to start from scratch.
On-line a month you change the brand story, the tone of the logo needs to be fine-tuned, who help you change, how to calculate the cost, all of these should be clear in advance.
Don't just look at the price, but ask these three questions
1. What is the format of the deliverables?
LOGO must have AI / EPS original file, not just PNG. only JPG / PNG, later to change the version can not be edited.
2. Is there a Brand Guideline?
At least: standard colors (CMYK / RGB / Pantone), standard characters, logo usage rules.
No matter how many pages, you can't afford to lose this document. Without it, your brand vision will look different every time you output it.
3. What are the rules for subsequent rewrites?
How many times, what is the free range, and how do you bill for the excess?
By asking this question clearly, we can save a lot of arguments in the future.
Check yourself first, then decide if you want to call someone.
Before you make a quote, ask yourself a few questions:
About the current state of the brand
- Can you tell me the difference between my brand and the competition? In a nutshell.
- Can you recognize your logo when you enlarge it to a sign or shrink it to a favicon?
- If a different designer takes over, will he be able to make "the same feeling" with your existing materials?
- Do you know the RGB and CMYK codes for your brand colors?
About the deliverables
- Do you have the original AI or EPS file of the logo?
- Do you have a brand specification document? (even if it's only one page)
- Do you know the authorization status of the font?
Tick all the boxes? You've got the foundation of your brand identity, what may be needed next is an extension or a strategic tweak.
Can't tick a few questions? Then what you are missing is not a "designer to make a beautiful LOGO", it is a complete system.
Not enough budget? Let AI do it for you!
If you're really on a budget, or just want to figure out what you need first, there are a few things AI can help you do:
Brand Direction Thinking
Throw your brand story, target audience, and the feeling you want to convey to ChatGPT or Claude, and let it help you sort out a few directions for your brand positioning, and then decide for yourself which one is the most accurate.
Color reference
Use Coolors or Adobe Color's AI to produce ticket combinations, or at least lock in your primary color palette first.
LOGO Draft
Looka, Adobe Firefly, and Canva AI can all produce it quickly.
It's not necessarily something you can use directly, but it's something you can use to confirm which direction you like, so that you have a better sense of direction when you formally commission a designer.
Draft brand specification
Throw your logo color and font choices to ChatGPT and ask it to help you put together a simple Brand Guideline text version.
It's not precise, but at least it's a start.
These AI tools can help you figure out the direction, but there are some things it can't do:
It doesn't know how your competition is positioned in the Taiwan market.
It can't tell if the logo is in the right proportion on the sign, and it won't help you confirm that the font license is commercially available.
It's not enough to do all this.
If, after trying AI tools, you find that the directions are still blurry, or if you have the image but don't know how to use it for consistency
What's needed then is not more AI, but a person to help you sort out these directions and land into a system that you can actually use.
想了解品牌識別服務？
Just bring what you have now and talk to me about it, without having to think about it first.
I'm Lupin.
Welcome to chat with me.
