£1k for a logo design?

[gnx1987]

UPDATE: Thanks all for so many comments and suggestions. It was never a matter of whether any designer/artist is “worth” the money they are quoting. They absolutely are worth every penny and the investment in the business. Hundreds of hours and years of experience go into the designs this illustrator creates, usually by hand too. It was entirely an accident that I ended up talking to someone completely out of my logo league and he was nice enough to humour me
It was more whether I am over valuing the importance of the logo v that investment for my industry at this early stage. As many have said, this is a word of mouth sector primarily and many daycare services here don’t even have a logo on their van, so while it is important to my brand to have something I love and that reflects my business maybe it’s not something to labour over too much when there are so many other things to pay for. Hopefully I can find something in between but I’ll be sure to thank the artist for being so gracious with his time and offer.
Lastly, I’ve had a play with AI for fun but I’d rather help keep someone else’s business going by paying a human for a service.

Setting up a doggy daycare business. The branding and aesthetic is important to me, it’s a competitive industry and much of our interest will come from the logo on the dog vans around town. I’ve paid a couple of cheap graphic designers off Etsy to have a go already but they’ve sent back basic stuff I could do myself on Canva. Fair enough, get what you pay for.

I then asked a local shop who did their signage as it’s really unique. I got in touch with the artist and he’s been super lovely back and forth but it turns out he is pretty high end (Jack Daniels labels, Distilleries, Album covers etc). His basic packages start at £4k. He was good humoured about my £500 budget anyway and has offered to do a one concept design if I can push it to £1k. I believe one concept means we’ll agree on a concept from ideas I’ve already shown him and we’ll revise this one - rather than the standard 4 or 5 concepts they would usually come back with, which would be much more time intensive. I know this is still not expensive for logo design in the grand scheme and that businesses pay mega bucks but I don’t know if I’m getting carried away.

I do feel like he’ll create the logo I need and I should be able to expense it but is £1k a silly amount of money for a dog daycare business?! I do have the funds, it’s more if and how I can rationalise the investment. Any thoughts either way?

 

[worldtraveler]

@gnx1987 Designer here.

If you can't afford it then don't purchase the service. In my experience, working with small businesses can be a pain in the butt because they rarely value design at all and expect it for pennies on the dollar. If that's your view then source some stock vector art off of Shutterstock or Canva and run with it.

If you really want to invest in your business in brand then go with the guy for $1k. 1K is cheap for a logo especially if it's from someone who has a decent client list and he has a style that you want to use for your brand. What small business owners don't understand is that you will find run of the mill designers on Fiverr and Upwork all day long (I am honestly surprised people still use these platforms to source designers because all I see is stock art drivel on there). It's much better in the long run to make a connection with a designer that has a style you want for your brand and you can go to for other stuff in the future as you grow. I'm sure as a business owner you like it when customers are repeat customers and make an effort to have a connection with you, right? Designers are the same way, we are running a business just like you are and we will move heaven and earth for clients we enjoy working with.

Also remember, your brand is more than just a logo. I know he probably won't provide this for such a cheap price, but consider a full brand guide that outlines colors, patterns, typography, different logo formats, badges, and whatever else your brand may need to succeed.

Good luck!

 

[alabama54]

@worldtraveler This! People think it's easier than it is. OK if you want a chappy, ripped off logo that won't stand the test of time or get across the vision for your brand.

 

[youremybeloved]

@alabama54 Even if it only takes the designer 30 mins go make the logo - it's taken him 10 years to learn how to design the logo in 30 mins. You're paying for that experience.

The other option is go for someone fresh in the biz, it could take them 20 hours to design the logo and it still won't be as good as the one made in 30 mins.

Edit: Also, OP hasn't contacted 'a designer', sounds like they've contacted 'THE designer'. It'd be like me contracting Steve McCurry to do my wedding photos.

 

[flipflops82]

@worldtraveler I’m a publisher that deals with advertisers and this is absolutely correct. I see a lot of clients trying to advertise with a shit png logo and no standards on colors or type facing.

Sure they saved a bit of money on a logo, but they risked the next million that they’ve spent on signage/advertising/websites/social media over the past decade by not getting the service done right in the first place.

Beyond that, cheap designers often reuse designs. What happens when you lose the trademark for your logo (because 8 other companies have almost the same one) and you have to rebrand and buy all of your signage and collateral again?

 

[vladlak89]

@worldtraveler I would like to add to this that the designer who has designed very famous logos not only is gonna give OP their money’s worth at full package but the designer will be bringing in their expertise of what will work for OP.

The designer will give them insights about their branding they might not have even considered.
The impact it will have on their target audience, the colors schemes patterns being unique to them that will stand out vs your average designer.

Jack Daniels Designer is someone who is gonna mean serious business and not just “heres your art for your establishment"

 

[patsy2012]

@worldtraveler It's the same with photography and branding. The amount of small businesses that don't realize how much good photography and having even a basic brand standard in place can help their business success is insane to me. Instead, they are trying to market their products and services with the jankiest photos and random color schemes across each platform and then wonder why they aren't getting traction.

 

[worldtraveler]

@patsy2012 It's the same with any creative field if we are being honest. The perceived subjective nature of creativity hinders our ability to be seen as an expert like a doctor, mechanic, lawyer, engineer, etc. would be.

Don't get me wrong, you can be seen as an expert, it just takes a lot more work than having a degree.

 

[vgjcm]

@worldtraveler I'm sorry if this is a dumb question but I'm just stating it and really overwhelmed. No one in my life that I can go to ask for advice so... If Fiverr and Upwork are not good sources, what are? How do you find designers and how you wait there style?

 

[worldtraveler]

@vgjcm Not a dumb question at all! It's very valid actually as most people don't happen to know a designer and even if they do it can end up as the stereotypical "I had my cousins uncles son design my logo for me!" situation and it ends up terrible.

I won't say that there are ZERO good designers on Upwork and Fiverr, because there are. I will say that most good designers stay away from Upwork and Fiverr because those platforms are designed to be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. Those platforms are rife with 3rd world designers that can afford to charge $10 for logos and make a decent living in their country.

There are a couple ways you can find a good designer to build a relationship with (or just have them do a one off project). The first option would be to just search around. It's always nice to work with someone local IMO so just start searching for graphic/web/branding designers near you and see what comes up! The second option would be to explore hashtags on social platforms. A lot of great designers are on social media and you can easily search in design niches to find them. The third is that you could actually use Fiverr/Upwork or another similar platform but you would have to be really vigilant in going through a ton of candidates to find the right person.

One last bonus option I just thought of...if you have a local art/design program or college I would definitely reach out to the teachers or professors there and see if there are any students that are open to taking work. Do note that I would do this only if you are really pinching pennies and don't mind the most polished work since they are still in school

I know not everyone has a good judge of what good design is, so it can help to browse Pinterest and create a board of designs that you find compelling (bonus points if you create a board with a specific style that you want for your brand). And please keep in mind that when you are hiring a designer, you're hiring them for more than just their ability to put the right pixels together in a way that looks nice. We have brains and experience that fuels our creative eye and don't be afraid to give a good creative the reigns to explore and build options that may be outside of your vision for your brand.

I hope that helps!

 

[fingerstowar]

@vgjcm Designer here.... happy to advise anytime.

If you truly can't afford a real brand agency, there are design websites where you describe what you are thinking and there is a competition to win. It is risky for the designers but I've seen some good work at times. Designcrowd I think.