Why should I invest in branding?
The simple answer is, for any business, is increased revenue. Companies that invest in visual identity design (the visual component of branding, also called brand identity design) outperform those that don’t. Research indicates that investing in branding increases familiarity as well as brand equity, driving sales volume while increasing the overall value of a company.
High quality, elevated brand identity design helps position you a serious player in the marketplace, and it can help give you the confidence to show your brand to the world. It can also elevate smaller businesses to a national stage.
However, timing is important! Read on for some tips on brand identity design pricing, and how much you should budget.
Timing and budget depend on a few factors:
1.) Where are you in your brand development? If you are unsure what direction your new business might take, if you are trying multiple things out, it might be a good idea to hold off on a full branding package. Use this time to explore your audience, offerings, products, and perhaps invest in a smaller branding package for now. (DIY and Dig is a great starting point!)
2.) However this timeline may vary depending on the industry. If you are a solo consultant, for example, you will need to make less of an initial investment than if you are launching an e-commerce brand, where the visuals, especially packaging, an e-commerce website, and social media are extremely important to the initial launch. This is also nuanced, for a DTC brand, you will have very different packaging and branding needs than a brand in a crowded retail environment.
Pricing guide:
Brand identity pricing packages and branding costs
$1000-$4000
At this price level, you will probably not be getting strategic thinking. But if you are just getting started, this might be the way to go, depending on your budget and industry. You might be unsure of your direction, you might be trying out a few things, and this range should get you a basic logo package to get started.
$4000-$10,000
This is a wide range, and generally the range that I work within.
Web design is generally priced separately and can range from $2000 for a small informational site – $50,000 or more for a built out e-commerce site.
$10,000-$50,000 +
If you need a full service agency that can manage branding, content marketing, social media management, ad placement, etc all under one roof, you will be working in a higher price bracket. For larger companies, this often makes sense, as they have wider ranges of needs, bigger teams are involved and branding is by nature a much larger investment.
If you have a budget under $1000 I would contacting a graphic design school or program. Often design schools have job posting boards, offer internships, etc. I would avoid a platform like fiverr or Upwork, as you may be getting an AI generated logo, or one that has been modified slightly from an existing design. I do think these platforms can be good for small tasks but I would steer away for branding.
What you will need to ask for:
For most brands you will need more than one logo. At the very least you should ask for a primary logo (a word mark combined with a visual mark), or a word mark with some kind of distinguishing visual features to set it apart…
AND
A logo or icon that will fit into smaller spaces. Think of your social media presence and how small your instagram logo will appear on someone’s phone. You need to have a version of your logo that is optimized for smaller spaces. That might be a monogram, a mark, or a symbol.
I generally provide at least three, as I have found that covers the bases of what most businesses need: a horizontally oriented logo, a stacked or badge style logo, and an icon. These are the basics and can be supplemented with other logos, marks, illustrations, etc.
Formats
If you are in an all digital environment you will need logos optimized for this. As almost all brands have some digital component these days, most businesses need logos optimized for print and digital enviroments.
You will also need brand guidelines, to help you figure out how to put the brand into use. They usually include a color palette, typography pairings and usage guidelines.
What Can I DIY?
I am a huge fan of hands-on work for new small business owners. It is often not realistic that you will be able to hire a designer for smaller tasks initially, and it is good to figure out which tasks you can handle and which you can outsource. However I would strongly advise against DIY branding! At the very least get a professionally designed logo suite and brand guidelines, with color palettes and font pairings. You can then use this toolkit to do some things yourself. For example if you would like to order merch with your branding, there are lots of easy to use online platforms where you can just upload your logo and go! Newsletters, social media can be DIY’d initially in Canva or Adobe Express to get things rolling as long as you follow the golden rule, BE CONSISTENT AND COHESIVE.
Consistency
I will say this until I am blue in the face, consistency is key to elevating your brand. If your designer provides you with fonts, colors, and an overall aesthetic guide, do not wildly depart from that on your instagram feed. The brands that are the most successful carry these elements through to every touchpoint that consumers see. I am linking some examples below. Note how the colors, fonts, visuals, packaging and voice, are cohesive and carry through every aspect of the brand.
(Also AMAZING coffee!)
To learn more about brand identity pricing packages that I offer please contact me!
Comments +