by Curtis D. Tucker – Updated June 15, 2017
How Much is a Great Logo Worth and How Much Should a Logo Cost?
Pricing a logo
This logo information page was inspired by the absolute confusion I see when it comes to online logo creation. I’ve searched dozens of logo web pages and have found that there is no consistency and more confusion than information. This page is strictly about the creation of the logo mark alone, no stationary package or implementation guidelines would be included.
I feel the price of a logo should be based on three main criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and reach of the companies market
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 I’m your logo design dude! |
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I use the three criteria above assuming that the design is a standard type of business logo. One other factor might come into play is if a client were to request a very detailed and complicated illustrative design that bordered on being a technical style illustration. You would have to factor in the extra time to create this type of design although very few companies would use this type of corporate identity.
Below are my further thoughts on the subject and a guide as to what you should look for in an online logo designer and what you should pay. This article is also a great guide to help young designers learn how to price their own logo work.
Cheap logo design
They’re all over the Internet – logo designs under $150! I’ve seen $99 logo designs, $75 logo designs, $49 logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of prices for logo design on the Internet.
Be careful of paying for cheap logo designs, some suspect designers may be using clip art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art cannot legally be copyrighted because any other company in the world could use the same piece of clip art as part of their mark. Be sure and check out a designers portfolio. At $49 each, do their logos all look the same? Do 80% of them have block lettering and a swoosh? More goes into creating a cartoon logo than most people think.
Some logo designers charge one flat fee for a logo with no questions asked. Can you imagine Pepsi purchasing a new brand logo design for $99? What a deal! Or how about Bob’s Bait Shop having to pay $3000 for a logo. There goes the stink bait budget! All companies are not equal in size, budget and scope.
The confusion doesn’t stop there. Some logo designers charge additional costs for extra colors, extra modifications and extra preliminary designs. You have to get your calculator out just to figure the final cost of your logo. Do you really know what you are paying for?
How much is a logo really worth?
How much is a logo design really worth? Ask Coca-Cola, Polo, Nike, The Hard Rock Cafe, Hallmark or any other company that relies on their logo as their number one spokesman. Not every company is as large as these but every company should have a logo that is easy to identify and stands for the integrity of that business.
A logo design is more valuable to a company than a single spot illustration. An illustration is normally used once or used for a limited campaign, whereas a logo is used for years and is placed on business cards, letterheads, envelopes, web sites, vehicles, buildings and products. Do you see the difference in value to a company? A logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes the company’s identity and has added value.
With that said, shouldn’t a logo be worth more than just the time involved in creating it? Professional graphic design rates average anywhere from $30 to $75 per hour. If you see a logo design priced at $125 and that designer charges $50 per hour for design work, do you assume that they spent 2.5 hours on your logo? That price would include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So how much time was actually spent creating your logo?
My conclusion is that a logo is much more valuable to a company than a standard illustration so the price should reflect the added value. Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create a top notch illustration for under $150 let alone a creative, well designed logo. So beware of logos priced under $150, you may get what you pay for.
Added charges
I personally do not believe that the cost of a professionally priced logo design should be influenced by the list below. These factors are a part of logo design and should be kept under control by the logo designer.
Logo Modifications – If a logo designer asks the right questions, does the research and stays in close communication with the client there should be no need for major changes during the creation of a logo design. Be a good communicator and explain to the logo designer exactly what you want your logo to be saying about your business.
Do be aware though, that there will be those clients that will pick, pick and pick at the design. As a logo designer I do sometimes see the need to limit modifications but it will all even out in the long run. Some clients will need zero changes while others may request ten.
Extra Colors – Printers charge more for extra colors. If a logo designer charges more for a two color logo than they do for a three color logo, get a detailed explanation as to why. It only takes the click of a mouse to add an extra color.
Preliminary Designs – A few choices is good, too many choices is overkill. A logo designer should be able to decide for you the correct amount of preliminary designs it will require to create your perfect logo. Be leery of eight, ten and more initial designs. How much time could actually be spent on each design? If you don’t like your first two or three designs you can easily request two or three more.
If you are on a committee or a board, I assure you, you do not want to present ten logos to ten different people. You may never get down to a winning design.
If a client needs an additional presentation of new logos due to a complete change in direction on the project, they should be charged an extra fee. An example would be asking for a yellow duck logo design and changing your mind to a red dog design once the logos are presented to you. This would not be a modification or change, it would be a completely new and separate design.
Adding an identity program to your logo is a legitimate cost. Designing the business card, letterhead and envelope layouts are normally a higher priced package. You should receive camera ready files for each design.
A fair logo price
There is a standard reference for pricing graphic design and corporate identity projects. They are the Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, published by the Graphic Artists Guild. Any logo designer can purchase the book. A professional graphic designer would have a tough time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos below $200.
I’m not going to give exact prices for a logo design because each logo designers circumstances are different. Amateur logo designers charge much less to get their feet wet, but they should slowly increase their rates as they gain experience and creativity.
The standard logo design rates are based on two major components, company size and application or distribution size. The majority of logo designs created over the Internet are created for small companies and individuals with limited application and distribution uses. Fortune 500 companies normally pay much higher logo design rates and use advertising agencies.
An individual or small company with small to average uses should be prepared to pay anywhere from $300 to $1500 for a top quality, professional logo design.
Negotiate
If you have a small budget but like a more professional logo designer with higher logo rates, try to negotiate a better deal. Explain that you are a start up company or that you cannot pay the full amount until a later date.
Providing an exact idea of your logo with sketches might also save you a little money. If you can help the designer save time, you may be able to save money. A very simple text only logo might also be negotiated for a lower price.
If you have the budget and you like the logo designer, you should pay their going rate. Logo designers rely on top paying clients to make a living. Once established, a logo designer can then begin to negotiate and help smaller mom and pop businesses when needed.
What’s included with your logo?
The worst part of paying for a cheap logo is finding out that you were not sent the correct file formats for printing and web. You will then have to pay another graphic designer or printer to create the correct files. Be aware of what file types you will be needing and ask your logo designer what file types are included in their price.
The most common file types needed are vector AI (Adobe Illustrator), CDR (Corel Draw) and EPS for most professional print jobs. These are vector format files. These files should be in a CMYK color format. Vector art allows you to reduce or enlarge a design to ANY size without losing detail or clarity.
For home use and some print jobs you will need TIFF or BMP (Bitmap) files. These are pixel files and should have a DPI (dots per inch) of at least 300 dpi. 600-1200 dpi is best for professional printing. These type of files lose their detail when enlarged but can be reduced.
The last file types you will need would be JPEG and GIF. These are pixel files and are used for web design. They should be in a RGB color format. Be aware that not all colors translate well on the Internet, especially GIF files. Ask if the logo designer used web safe colors. You should receive crisp 72 dpi files for the Internet. A GIF file should be transparent if you do not want a white box around it when displayed on your page.
Be sure and ask your logo designer about your logo colors. Each CMYK color has a matching PMS color. Ask them for the Pantone PMS numbers for each color. You will need this information each time your logo is printed. This insures that you get the exact same colors with every printer that you use.
Will you get your files over the Internet or will you receive a CD? Try to get a CD, it is much easier to take that to your local printer. Ask your designer how long they keep your logo on file in case you lose your versions later down the road.
You should also receive all rights (copyrights) to your logo. Since a logo is a companies identity you will need to own all rights to get a copyright or trademark. Ask for this in writing if you have any doubts. When it comes to a cartoon or character logo some designers might negotiate fewer rights or usage’s to your logo to help save you money. You can renegotiate all rights and usage’s at a later date when you can financially afford it.
Ask for background information on the logo designer you choose, you should at the very least know their name. Do they have a degree? How long have they designed logos? Is this their profession or a hobby? Where is there portfolio? Can you contact their other clients? Can you speak to them directly? With the amount of software available today and the invention of the Internet, any sixteen year old kid can start his own logo design company with the click of a mouse.
See Curtoons Logo & Cartoon Rates
Final Thoughts
In closing let me say that the information above is my own (Curtis D. Tucker) personal opinion and is taken from years of searching logo design web sites and reading books on graphic design. Some logo designers will disagree with my thoughts, especially the $49 logo designers. The prices and information I have explained here only pertain to the work of graphic designers, not advertising agencies. An advertising agency handles logo design on a larger scale and incorporates an entire corporate identity service. Their logo design rates are many times higher than a graphic designers.
Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way,
Curtis D. Tucker
Cartoon Logo Designer
Thank you for reading my rant on logo design prices. I hope I’ve helped you out in some small way. If you would like to know how much I charge for logo design and other services please request a quote.
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• Cartoon Logo Samples
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• Restaurant Logos
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Feel free to link to this article if you would like. As of June 2011 I am asking you not to copy this article and paste it on your website. If you do, both of our websites may be hit with a duplication penalty from the search engines.
If you see this article on another website without my name attached at the bottom, it has been stolen and copyright laws have been broken. Please email the address of the web page and thank you so much to those that already have. This is the third update and posting of this article.
Thanks for reading this far, your comments are welcome and much appreciated.
{ 58 comments }
Thank you for your guidance. All great points to consider in a fair way to all. It speaks truth and factual info that seems to add up. The example and importance is exactly what my boyfriend needed to hear as he is designing a logo. Thanks for taking the time to creating this abridged guide about logos.
Thanks for the kind comments Stephanie!
I’m just curious how much coca-cola or the hard rock cafe actually paid for their logos. I suspect is wasn’t the $3000 equivalent for those times, but more likely leaning towards the $49 end of the spectrum.
They most likely paid on the low end for their logos because they were unknown, had small budgets, and their market reach was very small. If either of these companies tried to get a new logo today it would be on the very high end. This is a good example of my point as to why you can’t really set a single price for a logo creation. Creating a logo for Coca Cola on the day they began is completely different than creating a logo for them now. Today they have a million dollar marketing budget and their market reach is worldwide. You would be cheating yourself by creating a logo for them at $49.
Coca cola paid $0. The bookkeeper made it up in the 1800s.
Coca cola paid $0, Nike paid $35, Pepsi paid $1,000,000 according to this at least http://www.howmuchdoesalogocost.com/logo-friday-infographic-logo-cost/
Just wanted to let you know that this page on logo design prices was immensely helpful. The amount of tips and information here is great for someone looking for information on how to buy their first logo!
Thanks Jim! I’m adding more info every day!
wow! Thanks so much! This article is very helpful…
Thanks Emma.
wow! Thank you Curtis this was extremely helpful to a recent design graduate. I’ve been very confused about what to charge, especially keeping in mind the current not so great economy. Since i’m working on building my portfolio, i have been charging well under $50 for logo designs (including business stationary).
Hey Rhea, I’m glad you found my article! Doing a few jobs at a reduced rate to build your portfolio is a great way to kick things off. As you build confidence and skill, you’ll want to quickly raise your rates. All the best and much success!
Hey Curtis,
What about helping a client on a logo project for their family members starting a store? I made SEVERAL layouts and went back and forth before they put the project on hold, due to internal squabbles.
How much should I charge? They are supposed to send me “A Little something for what you’ve already done.” My client is also a personal friend, so this is a bit sensitive.
What do you suggest? Wait for what they
send, or invoice them and if so how much?
whew! Thanks!
Hey Richard,
That’s a tough one since there was no indication before hand as to what the cost might be plus the fact that the design may not even be used. Because of the friendship, lack of a quote and the project not being complete, I would write this one off and use it as a learning experience. If they send you some money then all the better. If they ask for more designs or changes, I would immediately send them a quote for the cost of additional work and maybe work a little of the past work into the bill. Be sure they agree to the price before doing any work.
All the best.
Because of the relationship present, I’m inclined to go with Curtis’ assessment (cutting your losses for past work but establishing a new structure going forward).
However, there’s still a way to salvage your position and educate the client. Independent from what you think you’d ever get from them, develop your pricing structure and apply it to the work you’ve done for them. Create an invoice with the cost, then provide the %100 discount.
What this does is establish (both in your eyes–*very* important–and the eyes of your friends) the value of your time and also helps them in that it educates them about the real cost of your design in the event that they need to use the services of someone else.
Before you talk with them, clearly establish in your heart and mind what you’re going to do. If you’re going to do this pro bono (professional work done without compensation) –which, again, sounds like the right answer, here–be at complete peace with it prior to presenting it to them.
Your being confident and clear about the details (this is how much my time is worth, and I’m giving it to you free of charge. I will not accept payment because I don’t want it hanging over your head and having it get in the way of our friendship) it is going to really help to absolve them of any kind of hidden guilt about not paying you (as I’m certain they are feeling).
I had a similar incident occur with a small local company I did some work for. They were in about $2.5k billable time and out-of-pocket expenses when everything was said and done. However, they were in way more to other parties because of some business decisions that had been made. And to make matters worse, one partner skipped out to the other side of the country and left the other holding the bag, including $10k of debt.
They asked how much they owed me, and I was forthcoming with the entire amount. But (like in your situation) I’d developed a friendship with them and they were really hurting, both financially and personally (as their partner had been a friend of theirs for a long time). I made the choice to absolve it completely and went so far as to not even allow him to pay anything back.
That last bit (about saying you’re not going to accept payment) I think is a pretty important part of this whole thing. If you just leave them with the invoice and the discount and don’t clearly establish the expectation that you are not expecting money from them, there’s still a good possibility it’s going to be hanging over their heads.
Anyway, I hope things go well for you, Richard. Have a grand day.
Great article Curtis! Very helpful as I’m meeting with a logo designer today. Thank you!
Ciao!
Vanessa
Product Specialist
Fiat of Las Vegas
Thanks! All the best and much success with the client.
Hey Curtis,
Im a commercial design graduate and I have been designing many logos for close clients. Your advice helped me realize that I been under charging clients from day one. How can I copyright my work ensure my safety and how much should I charged to enhance a logo thats already created?
Hi LeRon, great to hear from you. The moment you create a design it is copyrighted and you are protected. If it is a design of yours that you will be using you might want to send in a copyright form to the US Copyright office. If the design is for a client you won’t need to do that, they would be the ones to send in the form. A copyright form is not needed to copyright artwork, it just helps you attain damages in the case of a lawsuit.
I normally charge a $50 per hour rate to enhance a logo that has already been created and has been in use.
Hope that helps.
Curtis, thanks so much for the info! It will be a HUGE help when completing future work for clients. Like a lot of folks, I’ve been undercharging for my services. A lot of the reasoning behind this is to compete with these cheap online logo services. Seems to be the route a lot of smaller mom & pop businesses are headed these days, and the small businesses accounts for nearly all of my work in my neck of the woods. So glad you made this post, and you can be sure I’ll be referring a lot of my potential clients to it for a little “logo design education” in the future!
Cheers!
Hey Jim, thanks!!! To beat out the cheap logo websites we need to find our own niches and wow the heck out of the clients with our customer service, awesome portfolios and availability to answer questions with a live voice. I’ve noticed the logo competition websites are growing in popularity. On more than one occasion they’ve had a contest client reference one of my designs as an example of what they want!?!?! Why didn’t they just contact me to begin with? LOL. Those logos run $300 and up. All the best and MUCH success.
Hi Curtis,
I’am a designer but I design for free for my friend.. and then one of my friend told me why don’t you try to look for a client who will buy your logo. so I tried looking and started to join a contest which i been declared a winner for several times.. then I start to have client who wanted me to create a logo for them.but what if they already have a logo and they just wanted to do some modifiation like the logo should be place on a pendrive, bracelet ,hat,shirt and other accessories.. how much should should i charge them?i have to make a 3d sample for the bracelet and the pendrive…
Hey Erick, great to hear from you. If I’m not creating something original or selling the rights to a design I normally charge an illustration rate of $50 an hour. If it takes me 30 minutes I charge $25. If you are just starting out you might want to charge a little less until you get more experience and then slowly raise your hourly rate.
Hope that helps!
Hi Curtis,
I am interested in designing logos.From where should I start?
Hi Moshin, the best place to start is to learn about design, drawing, colors, fonts and layout. You might need to take graphic design classes or an online course. The next thing would be to learn a couple of computer programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Without these programs you won’t be able to deliver the camera ready files most printers now require. While doing all of this you can be designing your own logos or logos for friends. Once you have a few printed jobs in your portfolio you’ll have something to show potential clients. From there it begins to snowball. Build a website, optimize it and the rest will be history. Hope that gets you started!
Great Article! I have been freelancing for 3 years and I have a Masters as well in Advertising and Design. Right now I charge 250 and I am always getting referred (thankfully) but it makes it hard to raise rates. Any suggestions?
Hey Casey, if you’re worried about it just begin raising your rate by $25 at a time. That’s most likely not a big enough jump that anyone would complain. You might also explain that more complicated logos and companies with larger budgets cost more. If you’ll create a system where the client asks for a quote you can start to quote different prices depending on the project. All the best!!
Hi Curtis,
Nice article. Love the detail. You seem to be quite an expert, tell me, whats your viewpoint on Fireworks? I started using Fireworks a few years back, and it grew on me. I design a lot of graphics through fireworks but when I’m doing a project that needs to be print ready, its a hassle to to transfer it into AI to have it vectorized. I know you’re probably like “why didn’t you create it in AI from the start?”, but sadly I’m a creature of habit and so I’m a little afraid to start working solely on Photoshop and AI. Im not as great on those platforms as i am with fireworks. Do you have any tips? or should i start transitioning to photoshop and Ai? if so what steps should i take to make the transition easiest?
Thanks so much in advance!
Hi Adrian, great to hear from you! I used to be in the exact same boat as you. I have never used Fireworks but I was using Corel Draw and Photopaint for years. I was really quick with Corel and thought I would use it forever. I realized that everyone was using Mac’s and Adobe so one day I bought a Mac and installed Illustrator and Photoshop. It literally sat unused for almost a year. I eventually decided I was going to need to learn how to use so I turned it on and just played with it in my spare time. The more I played with the Mac and the Adobe products I discovered that although the commands and buttons were different, they really did the exact same things. I just kept playing and learning and would start a job on the Mac and if I couldn’t finish it or get it done quickly enough I would move it back to Corel Draw and finish it. I kept up this routine until one day I was finishing the projects in Illustrator and had gotten as fast using it as Corel. I eventually dumped all of my PC’s and Corel and have been using Adobe ever since. Just like anything it just takes practice. I would highly recommend using the Adobe Suite of products. Hope that helps!
I don’t think you covered over exactly everything. Logos require research not only of the subject matter, but of their usage as well as the competition. Trademark infringement is an issue one can run into with cheap designs. At your $50 an hour and anywhere up to 10 hours of research. Good starting cost are around $500 without lifting a pen. The end result for a designer is to hook the buyer with the logo and build a brand campaign. This is where we are able to make a living. $150 buisness cards, $200-$300 for a brochure, $1500 a website, etc. Starting out campaigns are in the $2,000-$3,000 range. If anyone is getting a $200 logo and it isn’t from a student they are undercutting the market and more than likely producing junk.
Hey Aaron, great comments and I agree 100% when you are talking about medium and large businesses with bigger budgets. I tried to explain that I was not talking about doing an entire campaign, just a logo itself. My clients are mom and pop shops not looking for a brand campaign. They have a full time job and are wanting to start something on the side. If I charged these clients $500 for research I’d have zero clients. They want a fun logo for a sign, a truck or a website. Their logos will most likely never be seen further than 50 miles of where their business is other than online. My point was that even for these clients a $49 logo is going to be crap. Mom and pops still need to pay what a logo is worth to them which might run $300, $600 or more. Unfortunately these clients will never pay $1000 for a logo and there are thousands of them which creates a need and a market. All the best!!
Curtis,
I think you and Aaron are actually within the same range, actually. $500 for a logo concept is a good average for a very small company. In my 35+ years in this profession I’ve designed logos for $350 (REAL simple for a small new store) and all the way to $1,200 (for a restaurant downtown Chicago).
I’ve also found myself fixing a symbol done offshore for $400. It was done so poorly (once you printed it small on a business card the thin lines would break and disappear), the guy paid me another $450 to rebuild it…
But I am still waiting for Coca-Cola to call me with a new logo design project. Oh, that’s OK, Pepsi would be welcome too 🙂
Hey Ami, great to hear from you! I’m hoping Apple calls for a little logo tweak one of these days! : )
Wow this is an eye opener for me! I’ve been designing logos, corporate identities, brochures, web layouts and even create whole flash websites… and all of them way under-budget 🙁 Just one question though… Being a freelance designer located in Asia it is tough for us to charge clients at your rate. Ours are way too cheap due to local competition… local clients would never give us $400 or even $200 for that and foreign clients may give $200 at most but demand other materials (calling cards, email signature, etc.) to be included too… How can we keep our prices standard and at least higher (like yours) and still be competitive locally?
Hey Axistrizero, great to hear from you. One way to charge a higher rate and still keep customers is to have a portfolio so good that clients don’t mind a higher rate. Show only your best designs and try to give each client more than you promise. Try to be the best communicator and deliver your designs faster. Offer more than the other designers by giving extras that aren’t expected. I’m not sure if that helps but you’ve got to be different by being the best in one way or another. You might also try to specialize in a niche market like only medical or another field. All the best and much success!
Hi Curtis, great article, and we really need more designers out there to up their prices and show what our work is worth!
I have been illustrating for over 10 years now. I have a question for you, that I’m hoping you could give your perspective on. Sometimes I get a client that is looking for a logo + mascot design. I give them a quote for that, but then they ask for a number of extra poses of the character for example their website. Often they will expect the additional poses to be much cheaper. How do you deal with this? I keep having to half my prices for each individual character pose, but I feel that they should still be the same price as I would charge for 1, as at the end of the day I am doing the same amount of work! I am really struggling with this, and not sure how to go about it without loosing the client. Even after 10 years, I am still doing this! haha!
Hey Clint, thanks for dropping by and for the comments! Great question! I was in the same boat and I still am. In a way this post deals with that very question only I didn’t continue the discussion far out enough. In my humble opinion the first or original character/mascot/logo is worth more than just an illustration or pose. (Creating Bugs Bunny should cost more than just redrawing him with a Santa hat on) The cost for this initial design should cost more because there is research and the creation process involved. You are also selling the copyrights and trademarks to this character so it should cost more. But, once that character is established and trademarked the hard part is over. You’ve created him and sold the rights to him. Now we are back to just creating an illustration. If the client wants that same character in a new pose, you are not having to reinvent the wheel or creating something new that could be trademarked. You are just drawing a single illustration which any other cartoonist could do. I charge the big logo fee to create the character (with all rights) and then drop my rate to an hourly fee to draw additional poses. In reality you are doing the same amount of physical work but there is less thought, less creativity and less stress because the “look” of the character has already been established. So, you need to set what you feel is a fair price just to create additional poses of an established character and from that cost add higher fees for actually having to create the design and give up all rights to him. Once you have that set you won’t feel like you’re not getting paid what you deserve. Hope that helps
Thanks for this article, I was having trouble trying to decide how much to charge for logo design. This article helped me out.
Glad I could help!!
This topic thread is amazing to say the least, you are very very well read and fair to both the creative mind and the clients involved.
I am lucky to have come across it. 🙂
I recently went full time freelance and I am having a hard time setting prices. This one client inparticular, Runs an inspirational clothing/t-shirt company, she wants top notch art, and she wants all rights to the art, yet she wants to pay 75 bucks, I attempted to explain to her what all rights to original creativity meant and I think she is starting to grasp the concept , what should I charge for a fee on an original design/illustration for this Majestic Roar line to own the rights to a requested piece of art.
Note that none of these designs are basic type set, they are in-depth and very illustration oriented, also expected to have strong typograghy, and if this isnt enough, she expects to have an extra file rendered upholding the integrity of the original art in a screen printable format.
I feel it should be much higher with the opportunity for resale, to use on other platforms or anything there imagination desires. Can you please help me find a range that I know is fair and if she truly wants to obtain this from a respectable artist with quality outcome, then she will at least know I wasn’t being unfair when she goes to the next designer.
One more note, she isnt an artist by any means, and had bought stock art books that are not enough to satisfy her client base any longer, she needs originality, I did one job for her, I charged way under the line, I told her it would be for the shirt print only and she wants all rights now… and on all future work, this is why I am desperate for help.
Hey Joshua, sorry about the delay. I can’t really give an exact rate because there are so many factors but I would say even doubling your price is most likely to low. If you could get anywhere near 4 times what she is paying I would say you would be getting in the ballpark. I hope that helps a little.
Curtis
Hi curtis, thanks for the info! I am wanting to get some shirts made with crazy cartoon picturs and the wording and you gave me the info I was needing to start my search. I do have a few ?’s that maybe you could help with me. How would I go about selling my shirts? If I was looking to pitch my idea to a company say like Spencer’s, what would be the starting point and would I have to onbtain a lawyer or any body legal in the business matter? I am very excited about my ideas for my shirts and hope you can help me thanks again Curtis!!!
Hi Kimberly, great to hear from you. Selling your designs to stores can be tough. Selling your stuff on your own through a website or Zazzle store is easier to accomplish but of course you do not get the exposure. Selling to a chain like Spencers would be complicated. You would need to know the buyer and you would most likely have to supply the shirts. They would not print them for you. Hiring a licensing agent might be the best but they take a large percentage of your sales. I would say open your own store and see if your family and friend like them and will actually buy them. Also read everything you can about http://www.johnnycupcakes.com. He’ll inspire you to start your own company. Good luck!!
Awesome info Curtis! I agree with everything you’ve said here… Only thing I would add at the end is that graphic designers can also offer complete corp. identity, stationary packages and corp. ID Guideline Manuals as well, if needed, and probably for alot less than the same package from an ad agency.
Thanks for the added info Chris!
I’m one of those “just getting my feet wet” designers so this information was extremely helpful for me. I will look into the printed resources your provided so that I can price my services as fairly and profitably as possible. Thanks again.
~ Dearsha
Thanks for dropping by Dearsha.
Thank you for the great article. You raised some very important points that every client needs to know.
You nailed it again my good friend carry on
the excellent work I constantly get excitement from the content!
You still don’t say what it should cost,just what it should not.
Cost depends on varied factors, there’s no universal rate because of these factors. Each artist needs to base their rates on experience, client, scope of design, rights, need and budget.
I’m looking for a logo designer for a small medical office. Appreciate all the tips above. I don’t need a “brand” or “image” the same way a new store or restaurant would. I had a few ideas in mind also, really just need someone with a skills to put it together. I had set a budget of $500, seemed fair based on what you have said above. When I get a quote for $1200-1500 and all I want is a basic logo it’s a bit frustrating. There is a dizzying number of graphic designers out there, can I really not get a decent simple design that isn’t just reused clip art or some crowd sourced option for $500?
Hey Tim, I can help you out. Send me a description of what you are needing and I’ll get back with you. curtis@curtoons.com
Hi Curtis, I’ve been asked to design a logo for a committee I’m involved with – on a no cost fee (we don’t have much of a budget). I am a calligraphy artist and all my work is done by hand and I’m a little overwhelmed by the computer side of it as I do not do any of my work aided by a computer. Can I do the work by hand and have it in a way that is suitable for printing. I have already done sample logos and one has been chosen, then I came across your site and am starting to worry that I won’t be able to deliver. Your advice is so detailed, wish I’d seen it much sooner! Many thanks.
Hi love the article and the last post was the exact opposite of my question. I’m not a graphic designer never done it. But I have a friend who is starting a private clinic and loves my paintings and drawings. He has asked me to create a logo for him. Is there a way for me to format a hand drawn/colored image into the correct electronic format I have access to a scanner but not all the programs that you have mentioned or would it be easier to take to a kinko’s or such?
I really like this article, it is very similar to my own blog post at: http://www.jmgraphicdesign.com/much-pay-logo-design/ and although mine was written with the london market in mind, a lot of the points made are the same.
i had a designer work on a logo for me 60$ i had asked for a jpg and the psd i was told i can not get the psd are they in the wrong with telling me that? if i own all rights to the logo shouldn’t i be able to get the psd?
Did they agree to give you PSD files when you paid for the logo? Do you know if they used Photoshop? Are you needing the logo in layers? It would be pretty simple to open a JPEG in Photoshop and save it as a PSD. It would still just be a JPEG. Unless they created the design in Illustrator or Photoshop there might only be a JPEG version. Honestly, this is what you can run into when purchasing a logo for $60. Not that it might not look good, but there’s a reason they are doing it so cheaply and the reason may be that they will not provide any other files. Check the agreement you had when you paid and see if it details what file types you will receive.
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