How Much Is A Cartoon Logo Really Worth?
Pricing
a logo
This cartoon logo information page was inspired
by the absolute confusion I see when it comes to online logo creation.
I've searched dozens of logo web pages and have found that there is
no consistency and more confusion than information. This page is strictly
about the creation of the logo alone, no stationary package or implementation
guidelines would be included.
I feel the price of a cartoon logo should be based on three criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and length of the logo usage
I use the three criteria above assuming that the logo design is a
standard type of logo. One other factor might come into play if a
client were to request a very detailed and complicated logo design
that bordered on being a technical illustration. An example would
be a cute doggy riding the latest Harley, in a detailed style. You
would have to factor in the extra time to create this type of design.
Below are my further thoughts on the subject and a guide as to what
you should look for in an online logo designer.
Cheap
logo design
They're all over the Internet - logo designs
under $150! I've seen $99 logo designs, $75 logo designs, $49
logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of
prices for logo design on the Internet.
Be careful of cheap logo design offers, some designers may use clip
art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art
cannot be copyrighted. Any company in the world could use the same
piece of clip art as part of their logo design. Be sure and check
out the designers portfolio. At $49 each, do their logos all look
the same? Do 80% of them have block lettering and a swoosh?
Some logo designers charge one flat fee for a logo with no questions
asked. Can you imagine Pepsi purchasing a logo design for $99? What
a deal! Or how about Bob's bait shop paying $750 for a logo. There
goes the budget! All companies are not equal in size, budget and scope.
The confusion doesn't stop there. Some logo designers charge additional
costs for extra colors, extra modifications and extra preliminary
designs. You have to get your calculator out just to figure the final
cost of your logo. Do you really know what you are paying for?
How
much is a logo really worth?
How much is a cartoon logo design really worth?
Ask Walt Disney, Warner Borthers, Eskimo Joes, Ask Jeeves, Kool-Aid
or any other company that relies on their cartoon logo to be their
number one spokesman. Not every company is as large as these but every
company should have a cartoon logo that is easy to identify and stands
for the integrity of that business.
A cartoon character design is more valuable to a company than a single
spot illustration. An illustration is normally used once or used for
a limited campaign, whereas a character is used for years and is placed
on business cards, letterheads, envelopes, web sites, vehicles, buildings
and products. Do you see the difference in value to a company? A character
logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes
the companies identity.
With that said, shouldn't a logo be worth more than just the time
involved in creating it? Professional graphic design rates average
anywhere from $30 to $75 per hour. If you see a logo design priced
at $125 and that designer charges $50 per hour for design work, do
you assume that they spent 2.5 hours on your logo? That price would
include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company
and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing
of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the
logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So
how much time was actually spent creating your logo?
My conclusion is that a logo is much more valuable to a company than
a standard illustration so the price should reflect the added value.
Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create
a top notch illustration for under $150 let alone a creative, well
designed logo. So beware of logos priced under $150, especially cartoon
logos, you may get what you pay for.
Added
charges
I
personally do not believe that the cost of a professionally priced
logo design should be influenced by the list below. These factors
are a part of logo design and should be kept under control by the
logo designer.
Logo Modifications - If a logo designer
asks the right questions, does the research and stays in close communication
with the client there should be no need for major changes during the
creation of a logo design. Be a good communicator and explain to the
logo designer exactly what you want your logo to be saying about your
business.
Do be aware though, that there will be those clients that will pick,
pick and pick at the design. As a logo designer I do sometimes see
the need to limit modifications but it will all even out in the long
run. Some clients will need zero changes while others may request
ten.
Extra
Colors - Printers charge more for extra colors. If a logo
designer charges more for a two color logo than they do for a three
color logo, get a detailed explanation as to why. It only takes the
click of a mouse to add an extra color.
Preliminary Designs - A few choices is
good, to many choices is overkill. A logo designer should be able
to decide for you the correct amount of preliminary designs it will
require to create your perfect logo. Cartoon logo designers will most
likely present you with fewer preliminary design just due to the fact
that it takes so much time to create an effactive and unique single
character.
Be leary of eight, ten and more initial designs. How much time could
actually be spent on each design? If you don't like your first two
or three designs you can easily request two or three more.
If you are on a committe or a board, I assure you, you do not want
to present ten logos to ten different people. You may never get down
to a winning design.
If you need an additional presentation of logos due to a complete
change in direction on your part, you should be charged an
extra fee. An example would be asking for a yellow duck logo design
and changing your mind to a red dog design once the logos are presented
to you.
Adding an identity program to your logo is a legitimate cost. Designing
the business card, letterhead and envelope layouts are normally a
higher priced package. You should receive camera ready files for each
design.
A fair logo price
There is a standard reference for pricing graphic design and corporate
identity projects. It is Pricing and Ethical Guidelines,
published by the Graphic Artists Guild. Any logo designer can
purchase the book. A professional graphic designer would have a tough
time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos
below $200.
I'm not going to give exact prices for a logo design because each
logo designers circumstances are different. Amateur logo designers
charge much less to get their feet wet, but they should slowly increase
their rates as they gain experience and creativity.
The standard logo design rates are based on two major components,
company size and application or distribution size. The majority of
logo designs created over the Internet are created for small companies
and individuals with limited application and distribution uses. Fortune
500 companies normally pay much higher logo design rates and use advertising
agencies.
An individual or small company with small to average uses should be
prepared to pay anywhere from $300 to $1500 for a top quality, professional
logo design.
Negotiate
If
you have a small budget but like a more professional logo designer
with higher logo rates, try to negotiate a better deal. Explain that
you are a start up company or that you cannot pay the full amount
until a later date.
Providing an exact idea of your logo with sketches might also save
you a little money. If you can help the designer save time, you may
be able to save money. A very simple text only logo might also be
negotiated for a lower price.
If you have the budget and you like the logo designer, pay the going
rate. Logo designers rely on top paying clients to make a living.
Once established, a logo designer can then begin to negotiate and
help smaller mom and pop businesses.
What's
included with your logo?
The
worst part of paying for a cheap logo is finding out that you were
not sent the correct file formats for printing and web. You will then
have to pay another graphic designer or printer to create the correct
files. Be aware of what file types you will be needing and ask your
logo designer what file types are included in their price.
The most common file types needed are AI (Illustrator) and EPS for
most professional print jobs. These are vector format files. These
files should be in a CMYK color format. Vector art allows you to reduce
or enlarge a design to ANY size without losing detail or clarity.
For home use and some print jobs you will need TIFF and BMP files.
These are pixel files and should have a DPI (dots per inch) of at
least 300 dpi. 600-1200 dpi is best for professional printing. These
type of files lose their detail when enlarged but can be reduced.
The last file types you will need would be JPEG and GIF. These are
pixel files and are used for web design. They should be in a RGB color
format. Be aware that not all colors translate well on the Internet,
especially GIF files. Ask if the logo designer used web safe colors.
You should receive crisp 72 dpi files for the Internet. A GIF file
should be transparent if you do not want a white box around it when
displayed on your page.
Be sure and ask your logo designer about your logo colors. Ask them
for the Pantone PMS color numbers for each color. You will need this
information each time your logo is printed. This insures that you
get the exact same colors with every printer that you use.
Will you get your files over the Internet or will you receive a CD?
Try to get a CD, it is much easier to take that to your local printer.
Ask your designer how long they keep your logo on file in case you
lose your versions later down the road.
You should also receive all rights (copyrights)
to your logo. Since a logo is a companies identity you will need to
own all rights to get a trademark. Ask for this in writing if you
have any doubts. When it comes to a cartoon or character logo some
designers might negotiate fewer rights or usage's to your logo to
help save you money. You can renegotiate all rights and usage's at
a later date when you can financially afford it.
Ask for the background on the logo designer you choose, you should
at the very least know their name. Do they have a degree? How long
have they designed logos? Is this their profession or a hobby? Where
is there portfolio? Can you contact their other clients? Can you speak
to them directly? With the amount of software available today and
the invention of the Internet, any sixteen year old kid can start
his own logo design company.
Final
Thoughts
In closing let me say that the information above is my own personal
opinion and is taken from years of searching logo design web sites
and reading books on graphic design. Some logo designers will disagree
with my thoughts, especially the $49 logo designers. The prices and
information I have explained here only pertain to the work of graphic
designers, not advertising agencies. An advertising agency handles
logo design on a larger scale and incorporates an entire corporate
identity service. Their logo design rates are many times higher than
a graphic designers.
Curtis D. Tucker
Cartoon Logo Designer
http://www.curtoons.com
Thank
you for reading my rant on logo design prices. I hope I've helped
you out in some small way. If you would like to know how much I charge
for logo design and other services please visit my cartoon
logo design rates page.
Please link to this article if you would like or copy and paste it
on to your site with my name and a link back to my site.
Your comments
are welcome and much appreciated.
