design real-talk: how much does custom branding for small businesses actually cost?

Apr 25

As a small business owner, thinking about hiring a professional designer is intimidating! What exactly are you investing in and what is the investment in the first place? Well, I’m going to lay it all out for you plain and simple.

What are you buying in the first place?

First, a logo and a brand identity are very different. A logo is a visual symbol to represent a brand. Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t understand that there has to be a BRAND to represent it first. A strong brand affects every touchpoint a customer has with your business. To put it simply, the business is the body, but the brand is the soul.

When crafting a brand identity we brand designers ask questions like: Who are you? Who do you want to be? What are your goals? What do you value? Who are your ideal customers? What does your audience value? What are their pain points? What are their objections? Their interests? How do you solve their problem? How are you different from your competition?

The brand is the heart and soul of your business and a strategic brand identity attracts, connects, and converts your audience to raving fans and return customers. A logo and a few pretty visuals you found on Canva can only do so much for your business. A distinct, carefully crafted brand identity can add so much value to your business. Can Nike say they grew to be a multi-billion dollar company just because of their iconic Nike swish logo? No, but having a rounded brand identity with meaningful stories, a higher purpose, and beautiful visuals was a big part of it.

A strategic, sustainable brand identity elevates your business and ultimately brings greater value to your brand (Especially in the small-business world where most of the visuals are a patchwork DIY to what’s trending at the moment. Having a professional, stand-out branding is in the minority in the small business world).

But what is the return investment specifically?

The return investment depends on your goals. Your goals could include increasing your profit. running a more organized business, or creating a more engaged community. After instigating a beautiful brand identity & comprehensive brand strategy, one of my clients grew from 0 to 11K+ followers in just a few weeks.

Possible return investments include:

Growth online
More engagement
Business + Life clarity/direction
Greater motivation to accomplish your goals
Solutions to your business problems
Increased profit
Renewed confidence
Business & brand credibility
Market identification & distinguishment
Greater work-life joy + fulfillment

When you work with the right brand designer, investing in a custom brand identity has an equal or greater investment in return. That may be in the form of ca$h, growth online, and/or increased work-life balance. That’s why we brand designers call it an INVESTMENT.

All of that is great, but what does it actually cost?

In my experience, there are three types of brand designers. Those who charge 1-3K, 3-5K, and 5-10K. Remember that a beautiful brand identity is only as strong as the brand strategy behind it, so most of the inexpensive logo templates you might see don’t have the same strategy & sustainability as a custom brand identity. Here are the branding packages broken down for small businesses:

1-3K Packages = For very small businesses making 10-30K a year

3-5K Packages = For mid-size small businesses making 30-50K a year

5-10K Packages = High profiting small businesses making 50-100k a year

10-30K Packages = For larger companies working with larger design firms

Less than $1000 Packages = These packages are probably from brand designers just starting. While they are rare, you can find them. These are probably more of logo packages than a fully rounded, custom brand identity.

*Custom website design can also range from 1-10K

A good rule of thumb is to invest 10% of your projected yearly profit in a custom brand identity. If you’re just starting, not very serious about growing your business, I wouldn’t suggest investing in a custom brand identity just yet. Focus on discovering and building your business first. You’re ready to invest when you want to take your business seriously and elevate it to the next level. Go ahead and research a brand designer that matches your vision, values, and budget. Then go ahead and invest in a custom brand identity!

There are limitless opportunities available in your life + business

As you can see, there is a range of brand designers. and a lower cost doesn’t necessarily mean an inexperienced brand designer. There truly is someone out there for everyone. Do your research and find a brand designer that aligns with your values, vision, and budget. Right now I work with small businesses and nonprofits ranging from the 1-3k range. If you’re interested you can check out my services here.

Remember, if you believe you don't have enough money, you'll never have enough. Focus on moving away from a scarcity mindset and instead focus on the limitless opportunities available in your life + business. If you want to invest in a quality, professional brand designer, focus on the limitless opportunities to find someone that fits your vision, values, and is within your budget. If you focus on the fact that you can’t afford a brand designer, you never will find that. The energy of lack can and will manifest in your life creating more lack.