The very short answer is, of course, “it depends” but don’t worry, I’ll give you a more helpful answer. The biggest factor in the cost of a logo design is how deeply the client wants to dive into the subjects of brand positioning, competitive analysis, and customer research. A multinational corporation embarking on a logo redesign will dive deep into those subjects and will have the budget to do so. For a small business that’s looking to get started (or looking for a refresh), those areas hold less weight. If you’d like to discuss corporate branding, please reach out so we can discuss your needs. If you’re a small business owner, please keep reading (but also feel free to reach out for a free consultation).
My usual process for small business logo design
My logo design process is made up of four phases.
1. Exploration
This starts with a meeting (usually over Zoom for convenience) so I can learn about the business, it’s promises to its customers, what the goals are for now and the future, etc. I then have a one-page “brand values” worksheet that I ask clients to fill out, plotting where they see their business on a series of value scales (e.g. formal vs. casual, modern vs. classic, etc.). I then spend some time researching the client’s competitors to understand the market they’re fitting into.
2. Design
Next, I sit down with a pencil and paper for some visual brainstorming and sketching, getting as many ideas out as possible. I pick the strongest ideas from the pencil sketches and recreate them digitally, creating many variations of each and exploring any new ideas that come out of that process. From there, I pick the three strongest designs, polish them up and present them to the client for feedback.
3. Refinement
I then take the design concept that the client liked best and work up some variations on that theme, including different colour schemes and font choices. This may go through a couple of rounds to find the final design choice.
4. Delivery
When we land on a final design, colour scheme, and fonts, I prepare the final logo in colour, greyscale, and single-colour variations, then package up those variations in a couple of different file formats and create a one-sheet “style guide” that includes the logo and specifies the colour scheme and font choices. This final package gives the client everything they need to work with other designers in the future (though, of course, I’m always happy to have an ongoing relationship with my clients to serve the future needs!).
My fees for designing a logo for a small business
Obviously, to give you an accurate estimate, it’s best if we have a chat, but for small business logo design I generally estimate 10–12 hours for this whole process (exploration, presentation of 3 initial concepts + 3 rounds of revisions on chosen concept). My rate is $85/hr, so that works out to $850–1020+GST. I require a 50% deposit on the low end of the estimate to get started.
Now, let’s talk about you! Please reach out for a free consultation to discuss your project.
See also:
My name is Mark Garrison and I’m a graphic designer and illustrator based in Victoria, British Columbia. I have more than 20 years of experience producing creative work in a variety of media and using strategic thinking to build and grow projects.