If you’re looking to take your charity or purposeful business to the next level, the logo is a key consideration. But with so many key priorities for mission-driven organisations competing for attention, the big question remains: how much should a logo cost?
The truth is you could spend anywhere from £50 to £50,000 (or more!). How is this even possible? Let’s take a deeper look.
Your First Impression
Think about it this way: Have you every felt self-conscious at a networking event when you’re wanting to make a good first impression?
You carefully consider everything from the clothes you’re wearing, to what you’re saying and you might even be wondering what you’re supposed to do with your hands now that you’ve finished your second coffee.
An outdated brand can leave your charity feel like this - wanting to make a good first impression with your audience and feeling slightly embarrassed about your current logo, because it’s just not as good as the work you’re doing.
That’s why charities and purposeful businesses like Barnardo’s have undergone a rebrand that fits their identity and values. Read more about it on our last blog post here.
“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”
- Will Rogers.
First impressions are crucial, they create the first assumption people will make about you and can have a disproportionate effect on the way they feel about you in the future.
A logo is often the first impression people have about your brand, and this blog will cover how much that first impression is worth.
What are the options?
Should you get your friend to pull a logo together, or hire a specialist agency? The truth is that there is a different solution for everyone depending on their circumstances. Here we’ll lay out four options and explore their benefits.
Knowing the right fit for your project is crucial to finding the sweet spot and getting as much impact as possible for your budget.
1: Online Marketplace
Aside from having your friend, family member (or ‘that guy on Facebook’) handle your logo project for you, you may decide to turn to an online creative marketplace.
Fiverr (other service providers are available) has been around for a long time and has enjoyed a recent surge of interest after being promoted by the likes of serial entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.
But is cheaper always better? Here's our take…
£50 on Fiverr
Pros:
Potentially excellent value for money
Directly supporting a freelancer
Option for faster turnaround
Easy to use, with options to match your budget
Cons:
High risk with unproven freelancers
Communication and delays can be commonplace with a remote worker
Lower quality output
While there are certainly some incredibly talented individuals available for hire, online marketplaces aren’t recommended for long-term branding projects.
However if you’re just looking for something to get you started, this can be a brilliant option.
2: Freelancer
Ah, freelancers.
You can normally spot them in your local coffee shop, wearing a yellow beanie and hunched over an 8-year old MacBook.
You shouldn’t underestimate them: their disheveled appearance may be concealing all manner of hidden creative superpowers.
We really wanted this unsplash model to be wearing a yellow beanie. So we added it using generative AI. Is it obvious?
£500 for a freelancer
Pros:
Cheaper than an agency
One to one communication
Variety of experience to match budget
Cons:
Limited capacity which can result in delays
Only one person’s creative ideas going into the process
Can lack the skills to assist with other brand-related tasks
We love freelancers, and believe that finding the right one is a really special thing. They can offer great value, commitment and flexibility.
The key is finding them, hoping they have availability, and then being willing to continue shopping around for associated creative tasks if you have multiple projects in mind.
3: Agency
(Small to Medium)
A small-to-medium sized agency is a wonderful thing (we’re not biased) for many reasons.
They are often sought out as a result of buyers remorse: after a charity or business has had a negative experience working with a cheap freelancer or they’ve been ripped off by a bigger oufit.
The smaller agency has a friendly, approachable and professional feel. Balancing capability with a personal touch. You can expect high quality work without paying an extortionate fee.
Your budget will be getting you a lot more than a logo - a smaller agency will be providing you with strategy and a full brand system, depending on the package you choose.
Matt, from Bara Studio, visits the Housing Festival in Bristol to evaluate their brand and website.
Here’s our run down on what to expect from this small, but mighty option.
£5,000 from a small-to-medium agency
Pros:
A small team gives a variety of options on your project
Strategic approach and access to proven creative frameworks
Project management results in a smoother process
High quality of work
Wholistic approach including brand strategy, identity and creative assets like websites, video, photography and illustration can all be kept in house
They’ve feel ‘just right’ in terms of customer service: big enough to be professional, but not so big that you don’t matter to them
Cons:
Can be challenging for some smaller charity budgets
Smaller teams tend to be specialists in one area - so make sure it’s a good fit
The smaller agencies are the first option able to produce work to a standard where you can expect the outputs to last you a seriously long time. If you’ve got the budget for it, we (obviously) recommend it.
But we’re not done yet…
4: Large Agency
You have arrived. It’s time to produce something that will get talked about on Reddit forums and LinedIn feeds across the country.
Larger agencies produce brand systems for the worlds most recognisable and beloved brands. You’re paying absolute top-dollar, but there are certain perks that come with this.
£50,000 from a large agency
Pros:
World-class and future-proofed design
A larger team curates more time and ideas spent on your branding, which you will be paying for
Access to greater strategic resources and research
Dedicated support and communication throughout
All creative elements of the project can be kept in-house
Cons:
Eye-watering cost, prohibitive to many
Overthinking the process can lead to some questionable designs, made harder to recover from due to initial cost
If you get what you pay for, the large agency model is the best choice for your charity. That’s assuming you can handle the pricetag.
At Bara Studio, our approach to logo design is rooted in a complete brand-building strategy. We believe that a logo is not just a symbol but an important part of your brand's story, your identity and values.
Here’s how we break down the process and how it fits into the broader scope of brand building:
1. Strategy First
We begin by establishing a solid foundation through brand strategy, which allows us to understand your brand and build a plan with you. This includes:
Understanding your Brand: We discuss your brand's identity, goals and relationship to your audience.
Brand Strategy Development: Creating a strong strategy that is clear on your brand’s future goals, messaging, and aims to engage your audience with integrity.
Matt uses the Lego Serious Play method to help a Bristol-based charity with their brand strategy.
This strategic foundation ensures that every visual asset we create is aligned with your brand's identity and values. Without a strategy, a logo (or any creative asset, for that matter) will be a shot in the dark, a hopeful guess.
And you don’t need to be intimidated by brand strategy - starter strategies can be built for a small cost and minimal time investment.
2. Visual Identity
Based on a strategy, our small team can then develop the visual identity of your brand, with the logo being the cornerstone. This phase includes:
Logo Design: Creating a logo that reflects your brand's personality and values. We explore lots of concepts and versions to find the perfect fit.
Tone of Voice: Solidifying the way your brand engages with the target audience, ensuring consistent language and messaging across all platforms.
Brand Styles and Guidelines: Developing a visual language that includes colour palettes, typography, and design elements. These guidelines ensure consistency and recognition across all brand touchpoints.
The goal here is to develop a visual identity that is intentional and representative of your brand’s strategic goals.
3. Brand Application
With a strong visual identity, we can now effectively apply it across all your relevent platforms and assets:
Websites: Creating a website that is easy to use and aligns with your brand guidelines to engage your audience.
Social media: Consistent content and visual templates for social media platforms that resonate with your audience.
Marketing and fundraising materials: Applying the brand’s identity onto materials such as business cards, flyers, emails, campaigns and other assets to ensure a positive and consistent brand experience for user.
Result
The result of a proper brand-building process, of which a logo is a part, is the opportunity for exponential brand growth.
Internally, the process can offer greater clarity around the brand purpose - energising you and your team leading to more productivity.
Externally, a brand with a strong visual identity is more trusted, has a better engagement with a growing audience, and can attract more donations (or purchases) because they appear to be more trustworthy.
At this stage, it’s worth asking one more question:
What is the cost of not developing your logo?
If you have a new logo project or rebrand in mind, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our logo design page, or go ahead and submit an enquiry below.
