GUIDE · 6 MIN READ
What a brand identity should include, and what you should pay for it.
A short read on brand identity scope and pricing. Use it to brief studios, scope your project, and avoid surprises.
Why this exists
Most brand identity quotes look the same on the surface. Logo, colour, type. The differences between a £3k freelancer job and a £30k studio engagement are mostly invisible until you're six months in and starting to see what each actually delivers.
We wrote this for two reasons. First, because most studios won't talk openly about pricing, and that creates buyers who don't know what good looks like. Second, because we've watched founders pay too little, get nothing useful, and have to start over.
If you're hiring a studio for the first time, this gives you a benchmark. If you've hired before, it gives you something concrete to compare quotes against.
The short version
A brand identity is a system, not a logo. The logo is the visible bit. The system is everything that holds the logo, the colour, the type, the voice and the applied design together across every touchpoint, from your website to your packaging to a slide in someone else's deck.
What you pay for is the depth of that system. £7.5k buys a focused, consistent identity. £15k buys strategy, range, and proper guidelines. £30k+ buys a system that scales across an organisation, with team training and rollout support included.
ESSENTIALS
£7,500
3 to 4 weeks. For early-stage businesses needing a coherent visual foundation.
· Discovery call and short written brief alignment
· One round of moodboards and direction exploration
· Primary logo (wordmark or mark)
· Colour palette (primary and secondary)
· Typography pairing (heading and body)
· One-page brand summary (PDF)
· Logo files (SVG, PNG, PDF) in colour and mono
· Two rounds of revisions
FULL · most common for funded startups and growing brands
£15,000
5 to 6 weeks. A complete system with strategic foundation and proper guidelines.
· Discovery workshop (half-day) and competitive audit
· Brand strategy document (positioning, audience, voice)
· Two creative directions, refined to one through review
· Full logo suite (primary, secondary, mark, lockups)
· Extended colour system with usage rules
· Type system (display, body, mono if needed)
· Iconography style and 6 to 10 starter icons
· Photography or illustration art-direction notes
· Sample applications (business card, letterhead, social templates)
· Brand guidelines PDF (20 to 30 pages)
· Three rounds of revisions
· Source files and font licences guidance
PREMIUM
£30,000+
8 to 12 weeks. For organisations rolling out across multiple teams, regions, or product lines.
· Stakeholder interviews and audience research synthesis
· Full brand strategy: purpose, values, story, voice, naming review
· Three creative directions explored to depth
· Comprehensive identity system: logo, colour, type, illustration, motion principles
· Custom or licensed typography
· Tone of voice guide with worked examples
· Application designs across 8 to 12 touchpoints
· Brand guidelines (50+ pages) plus quick-reference one-pager
· Asset library
· Team rollout session and training
· 30-day post-launch support
What to watch for
Strategy versus surface
If a quote includes "logo design" but no discovery, brief, or written brand summary, you're paying for the surface. Strategy work is what makes the visuals defensible and reusable. Without it, you'll be redesigning in 18 months.
How many directions you're shown
More creative directions doesn't mean better outcomes. Two strong directions, each refined twice, beats five thin ones. Be cautious of studios offering four or more directions at lower price tiers. It usually means less depth on each.
Guidelines depth
A 5-page PDF showing a logo and colour swatches is not a guideline. Look for usage rules (do/don't), spacing systems, type hierarchy with worked examples, and accessibility notes. If you can't hand it to a junior designer and get a consistent output, it's not enough.
Common questions
Does the price include a website?
No. The tiers cover brand identity only. A marketing site is a separate engagement, typically £6k to £25k depending on complexity. Often we'll partner with a specialist web studio so each side gets the right depth.
What if my budget is below £7.5k?
Below this point you're usually choosing between a freelancer or a brand-in-a-box service. Both can work for early-stage validation. Expect compromises on strategy and consistency. We're happy to recommend trusted freelancers if it's not the right fit yet.
How do you handle revisions?
Revisions are scoped per tier. Most identity projects need 2 or 3 rounds. More than that usually signals an unclear brief rather than a quality issue.
Who owns the files?
You do. Source files, fonts (subject to licensing), guidelines and asset library are yours on final payment. We retain the right to show the work in our portfolio.
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If you have a project
We're a Cornwall-based studio. We take on a small number of brand identity projects each quarter, usually 3 to 6, to keep the work close.