So how about we chat the question everyone wants to ask but nobody wants to look daft asking. How much does brand identity design cost?

The honest (and slightly jarring) answer is: it kinda depends. But "it kinda depends" isn't particularly useful when you're trying to budget for a project, so how about we break it down a bit better than that?

First, why are brand package costs so varied??

You'll find brand identity design quoted anywhere from £200 to £200,000 in the UK right now. I've spoken to smaller brand clients who have been quoted these upper tier prices. Blew my tiny mind. But this range exists because "brand identity design" means wildly different things depending on who you're asking. A £200 logo from a design student and a £200,000 rebrand from a global agency are technically both brand identity projects - they just involve completely vastly different levels of thinking, strategy, craft and output.

So the question isn't really "how much does it cost?" It's "what am I actually getting for the money, and is it right for where my business is right now?"

The DIY end (free to a few hundred pounds)

Tools like Canva and Adobe Express let you build something that looks like a brand identity without spending much. For a very early stage business testing an idea, this can make sense - you're not ready to invest in proper design yet and you just need something that looks 'not terrible' until you've proven your idea or concept.

The problem is that template-based design looks exactly like what it is. It won't differentiate you, it won't scale well, and you'll almost certainly want to redo it properly within a year or two. Fine as a placeholder, not fine as a foundation.

For product and FMCG businesses the stakes are especially high - if your packaging looks too generic, customers won't pick it up regardless of what's inside. But the same applies to hospitality businesses where brand signals quality before anyone walks through the door, professional services where your visual identity is often the first impression a potential client gets, and health and wellness businesses where trust is everything. In all of these sectors, poor branding isn't just an aesthetic problem - it's a commercial one. And if you're producing at volume, committing to print runs or launching into retail, the cost of getting it wrong isn't just a rebrand fee later — it's the entire stock you've produced with the wrong packaging on it. Getting the design right before you scale isn't a luxury, it's basic risk management.

Service-based businesses are a different story. If you're a consultant, coach or freelancer just starting out, a lower cost brand foundation can be entirely appropriate - you're building your reputation through relationships and referrals first, and the brand can grow with you. The key is knowing when you've outgrown it, and not waiting too long to make the leap.

The junior freelancer end (£500 to £1,500)

At this price point you're typically getting logo design and possibly a basic colour palette and font choice. The designer is perhaps early in their career, which absolutely doesn't mean the work is bad - I know some amazing young designers. But it can mean the strategic thinking and brand expertise is limited. If your brief is essentially "make me a logo that looks nice," this could well be fine. If you want someone to help you think through your positioning, your audience, and how your brand should feel and function across touchpoints in order to scale and grow - this isn't it.

The experienced independent designer or studio (£2,500 to £8,000)

This is where things get interesting, and where the majority of founders and growing businesses find real value. At this level you're working with someone who brings proper strategic thinking to the project alongside the creative skill - someone who understands your market, your audience and your competitors, and who translates all of that into a visual identity that does actual work for your business.

A good project at this level typically includes brand strategy and positioning, a full logo suite, colour palette, typography system, brand guidelines, and a suite of assets - the building blocks your business needs to show up consistently across every touchpoint. It's not just a logo. It's a system.

This is where LULACREATES sits. Brand Foundation packages start from £3,500, with fuller brand identity projects scoped from there based on complexity and deliverables.

IMAGE: SMOOSH BRAND DESIGN BY LULACREATES

The agency end (£10,000 to £50,000+)

Full-service agencies bring larger teams, more process, and more layers - account managers, strategists, creative directors, designers, often copywriters. For some businesses that overhead is worth it. For most founders and SMEs, you're paying for a lot of structure you don't need, and your work is often handed to a junior team once the senior creative sells it in.

The sweet spot for most growing businesses is an experienced independent creative - someone senior enough to lead the strategic thinking, without the agency overhead built into every invoice.

What actually affects the price?

Scope - a logo refresh is very different from a full brand identity built from scratch. The more touchpoints the brand needs to work across (packaging, web, print, social, signage) the more complex and time-intensive the project.

Strategy - does the project include brand positioning and strategy work, or is it purely visual? Strategic input adds time and expertise but makes the visual output significantly more effective.

Experience - you're paying for someone's years of pattern recognition. A senior designer who has built dozens of brands knows what works, what doesn't, and how to make fast, good decisions. That knowledge has real value.

Revisions - how many rounds are included? Some designers quote low and charge for every amend. Others build a fair revision process into the project fee. Always check.

The question to ask before you budget

Rather than starting with "how much can I spend?" start with "what does my brand need to do, and for how long?" A brand identity built properly now should last you 3 to 5 years at minimum. When you frame it as a long-term investment rather than an upfront cost, the maths looks very different.

A well-built brand identity makes every piece of marketing more effective, builds trust faster, and signals to your customers - and your competitors - that you mean business. The cost of getting it wrong is almost always higher than the cost of getting it right.

Want to bend my ear about what a brand identity project might look like for your business? Drop me an email or book a call, zero obligation and no hard sell. I just really love to chat brand and design.