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Budget or Blowout – How Much Should You Invest in Branding As A Startup?

Budget or Blowout - How Much Should You Invest in Branding As A Startup?
Table of Contents

    When it comes to your brand identity how do you decide if you should go budget or blowout? I’ve broken down the key areas to help you make an informed and educated decision when branding your business.

    An idea on cost?

    This depends on the experience and notoriety of the designer or agency. Rather than thinking of it as a cost, think of it as an investment into the growth and positioning of your business.

    An experienced brand consultant & designer can charge from £1000+, but prices can reach as high as  £10’000+ if you choose an agency. For most small businesses a brand designer will be the preferred option. Read 4 Reasons Why Hiring a Brand Designer is Essential for Your Small Business’ Success

    Understand what value it will add to your business?

    When it comes to investing in your business no matter how big or little, it comes down to perceived value. Branding plays a big role in what people expect, experience, and remember about you, and when it comes to running a business that’s half the battle, right? Having a strong well-designed brand should do most of the leg work for you, and in turn, save you time and money. It should attract the right people straight to your door and leave them wanting more. Read my post – The Value of Branding & What It Can Actually Do for Your Business.

    Establish where you’re at in business?

    If you’re already savvy enough to know the value of branding and what it can do for your business then the next step is to evaluate exactly where you’re in business and if it makes sense to invest top dollar for a brand identity or play it safe and do it yourself.

    Testing the water

    If you’re testing the water of a new product, service, or business idea I would say investing thousands of pounds into a brand identity is risky. No matter how much market research you do pre-launch, it’s unlikely to give you any guarantee what you plan to offer will actually take off. Don’t get me wrong branding matters, and you do want to attract the right people from the get-go, but it’s a savvier idea to work with a brand strategist initially to help you accurately position your business in the beginning and establish the essentials you need to successfully launch your offerings! – View my one-to-one brand strategy sessions for small businesses here.

    Startups

    As a start-up, you’re likely are already being paid to do what you do, and know people are picking up what you’re putting down! You may also have investment or funding to help get you up and running. This is less of a risk and therefore your branding will be a valuable asset to help you cut through the noise in your space and achieve the right look and feel. Having a strong brand strategy is a must as a startup just as much as having a strong brand identity and is a great investment for start-ups looking to charge their worth from the get-go.

    Your budget may be in the hundreds rather than thousands when branding your start-up if so check out my Semi-Custom Brand Kits which are perfect for smaller budgets to launch with style and confidence!

    Modern Brand Kit
    Semi-Custom Brand Kit – Ethos

    Your business is ready to level up?

    If your business is ready to take things to the next level, investing in a rebrand is going to help you charge more for what you offer and accelerate your marketing and advertising efforts. Branding at this stage can be costly as you’ll not only have to invest in the design but re-print business collateral, redesign your website and reframe your social marketing. Depending on your budget you can choose to work with a brand designer (£££+) or agency (£££££+). But makes sure you establish your goals and what you want your brand to do for you first. Read my article 6 Basic Things You Need to Do Before Working with A Brand Designer.

    Budgeting Options

    A well-designed brand identity, it can cost anywhere from £1000 for a bespoke logo design to £10000+ for a full brand identity design. Working with a brand designer that gets your business is important, so do your research to find a brand designer and strategist that specialises in your industry. For example, I specialise in brand identities and websites for a wellness lifestyle and beauty businesses. There are a lot of us out there so hunt around for that perfect match.

    Semi-custom Brand Kits

    If you’re too busy and could be spending better use of your time on other areas of your business, a great and often popular option is purchasing a semi-custom brand kit. Semi-custom brand kits are a great way of working with a brand designer without the bespoke price tag, delivering everything you need to achieve a look and feel that’s right for you, and with a turnaround of between 2-3 days.

    Do-it-yourself branding

    If you’ve got a natural flair for design, you can absolutely do it yourself. All you need is graphic software (adobe) and some inspiration. But there are some downsides to this. Designing logos and full branding suites are more than just pretty colours and fonts. A lot of strategy goes into designing brand identities. Brand designers usually have years of experience and know-how when it comes to branding that actually converts the right people and keeps you ahead of your competitors. so it may be worth having a strategy session with a designer before you put pencil to paper!

    Bespoke branding Design

    If you’re your looking to positions yourself head and shoulders above you’re competitors, tell your story and captivate and convert the right people for you then working with a designer on a one to one basis is the way to go. This the crème de la crème of branding and you you can work with either a brand designer or branding agency. Prices can start from £1500 to £10’000+.

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    Kate Male Brand Designer & Creative Director based in London

    About Kate

    Kate is a brand designer and creative director based in London. She works with wellness, lifestyle, and beauty brands who want to tell their story with depth, and style.

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