What is the cost of logo design in South Africa [2024]?

Many people think that they just need a logo.

But for some companies, they need a variety of logo’s to work on a variety of applications – the main logo, a horizontal logo, a square logo, and even an icon.

All of these components need to work together and look like the same brand.

Here’s an example of how we took one brand, and applied it in a variety of situations:

You may also need more than just the logo…

Your business may need a full Brand Identity.

A brand identity is made up of the folowing 6 factors:

// Logo [The main mark for your brand]

// Submarks [different versions of the logo – it could be colour variations, or having a square, horizontal, and icon option]

// Colour Palette [A range of colours that your brand would be identified with]

// Font / Typography [the type you use conveys your brand’s personality in a visual way]

// Imagery [the style, colour and type of imagery help create consistency in the brand].

// Patterns + Textures [subtle layers that add to the overall brand feel]

// Icons + other brand elements [these graphical elements help to finish off the brand]

The size of your organisation impacts the amount that’s generally spent. Based on the initial examples of logo costs, it would be risky for a very large organisation to invest R500 in their logo – similarly – it wouldn’t make sense for a solopreneur to invest their full turnover into a rebrand.

A rebrand needs to be relative to the business + problem you’re trying to solve.

A quick Example: BP spent $1mil on their rebrand to the hellios – which seems ludicrous on initial observation.

However, when you look at the fact that their annual turnover was $180billion USD in 2020 – spending $1mil is a fraction [not even a drop in the 1% they would allocate to their marketing budget].

And that’s not even considering the risk of getting it wrong…

Rebranding comes with a bit of risk. Ask GAP. In 2010 GAP wanted to re-invent themselves + rebranded… but with a backlash from the public and their most loyal fans, they ended up changing back to the old logo – only 6 days later… with an estimated cost to the business of 100million.

[from GAP]

The bigger the company, the more risk when you shift your brand + get it wrong.

There is also risk involved in not shifting and keeping up with where the world is moving [most companies rebrand or refresh their brand every 7 – 10 years]

Thanks to core77 for this evolution of coke + pepsi

Depending on the market you’re trying to attract, your logo could either be building credibility – or it could be impacting how your client perceives you [and whether they will spend their money with your company].

People associate themselves to particular brands – and your brand will either attract, or repel your clients.

Whether you’re based in Cape Town or Johannesburg, East London or Durban – the location should not impact on the amount your logo will cost you.

Pricing trends have shifted.

In the past, there was a strong likelihood that you’d use your local design company [down the road] to create your logo – this resulted in a price variation in logo costs [based on the different regions in South Africa]

i.e. Johannesburg were generally more expensive than Cape Town, which is more expensive than Durban, which is more expensive than East London.

Since Covid, clients have shifted online – resulting in the fact that pricing is evening out between regions [which also makes pricing even more vague].

Depending on the kind of product you sell, you may not have a large margin of profit to work with to invest in a rebrand.

If you have two companies that make 1mil in turnover, but one company has 3% profit + the other company has 30% profit – the appetite for putting budget aside for the rebrand will be vastly different.

One also needs to look at what you’re trying to achieve with the new logo – what is the problem it solves + what is the bigger impact on your business.

Not all designers are the same.

Whilst there is a general guideline that designers work off of, some will offer services at a very low cost, some will price for their specialty [even within the three company types noted below].

The most common design company types are:

// Freelancers + Solopreneurs + Specialits – are usually used by those starting out, smaller companies [and some bigger companies too] – they enjoy having someone they can lean on – almost like an additional member of their team. Often, the person is a specialist in one area [i.e. logo design].

// Smaller Agencies [a boutique agency – like ours] still give a personal touch, but because there are a few more team members involved – you get the advantage of more thinking instead of just executing, plus more agility and capacity [instead of having just one person, there are more people who can help you across a few areas], without the copious overhead costs of the larger guys.

// Large Agencies: Larger national companies prefer to go with larger agencies – as they have big teams who are able to execute. The larger team does mean that the downside is that projects may take longer, and the marketing budget will not stretch very far. Larger agencies are great for ad campaigns and billboard brand awareness.

More than just having a logo that’s memorable + distinctive – you want your mark to get you results, align with your business goals + position you in your market.

To do that effectively – you need to have a solid brand strategy in place.

We see ourselves more like your creative partner.

That means that we like to make sure we’re a good fit before working together [because our clients tend to want to partner with us for a period of time – in order to execute the vision].

We believe that the creative we make, needs to help you achieve your vision + goal. 

To do this – we start with brand strategy upfront [or brand roadmap for the smaller clients + startups] – as this helps us see how we work together [with the bonus of making sure we align everything to your goals]

Growing a brand takes a team.

Instead of having to find 10 different people, explain your brand each time, and then try and give them feedback – our clients have loved the fact that we “get” the brand, and then work in the background to deliver… all project managed in one space.

Fill out the form below for a no obligation discussion about options that are right for your brand.