Branding costs in the UK range from £500 for a basic logo to £250,000+ for a complete corporate rebrand. Most UK SMEs spend between £5,000 and £50,000 on a full brand identity including strategy, visual design, and guidelines. The right investment depends on your business size, complexity, and growth ambitions.
Here’s the frustrating thing about asking “how much does branding cost?”
It’s like asking “how much does a car cost?” A Dacia is £13,000. A Ferrari is £200,000. Both are cars.
Same with branding. A Fiverr logo is £50. A full brand strategy engagement with a top agency is £100,000+. Both are “branding.”
This guide gives you realistic numbers so you can budget properly.
The Branding Cost Breakdown
Logo Design Only
If you only need a logo (and you’ve thought carefully about whether that’s actually true):
| Provider | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Fiverr/Budget | £50-300 | Basic logo, limited revisions, no strategy |
| Mid-range freelancer | £500-2,000 | Professional design, multiple concepts, reasonable process |
| Senior freelancer | £2,000-5,000 | Strategic thinking, extensive exploration, premium execution |
| Design agency | £3,000-15,000 | Full design process, team expertise, multiple stakeholder management |
| Brand specialist agency | £10,000-30,000+ | Strategy-led design, extensive research, comprehensive delivery |
My recommendation: For most SMEs, £1,000-3,000 with a solid freelancer or small studio delivers professional results. Below £500, you’re gambling on quality.
Visual Identity (Full System)
Visual identity includes logo plus:
- Colour palette
- Typography system
- Imagery direction
- Icon set
- Basic templates
- Brand guidelines document
| Provider | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | £2,000-8,000 | Complete visual system, straightforward guidelines |
| Boutique agency | £8,000-25,000 | Comprehensive identity, detailed guidelines, application examples |
| Mid-size agency | £20,000-50,000 | Extensive system, multiple stakeholders, thorough documentation |
| Top-tier agency | £50,000-150,000+ | Premium everything, extensive research, complex organisations |
My recommendation: Most SMEs do well in the £5,000-15,000 range. This gets you professional design with proper documentation.
Brand Strategy
Strategy includes:
- Research and discovery
- Competitive analysis
- Positioning development
- Messaging framework
- Brand personality definition
- Strategic recommendations
| Provider | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Independent strategist | £2,000-8,000 | Focused strategy workshops, core frameworks |
| Strategy consultancy | £8,000-25,000 | Comprehensive research, detailed documentation |
| Full-service agency | £15,000-50,000 | Integrated strategy and creative, extensive discovery |
| Management consultancy | £50,000-150,000+ | Deep research, organisational change, board-level engagement |
My recommendation: £3,000-10,000 with a specialist strategist gives most SMEs what they need. Pay more for complexity, not prestige.
Complete Brand Package (Strategy + Visual Identity)
What most businesses actually need:
| Provider | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance strategist + designer | £5,000-15,000 | Good value, requires you to coordinate |
| Boutique agency | £15,000-40,000 | Integrated service, single point of contact |
| Mid-size agency | £40,000-100,000 | Full-service, comprehensive delivery |
| Premium agency | £100,000-250,000+ | Best-in-class, complex organisations |
My recommendation: £15,000-30,000 with a good boutique agency is the sweet spot for growing SMEs. Strategy-led, professionally executed, properly documented.
What Affects Branding Costs?
1. Scope and Complexity
Simple scope:
- Single business
- Straightforward positioning
- Limited applications
Complex scope:
- Multiple business units
- Sub-brands to manage
- International considerations
- Extensive application requirements
Complexity doubles or triples costs.
2. Research Depth
Light research:
- Stakeholder interviews
- Competitor review
- Desktop research
Deep research:
- Customer surveys
- Focus groups
- Market research studies
- Brand audit across touchpoints
Research adds £5,000-30,000+ depending on depth.
3. Number of Stakeholders
Few stakeholders:
- Founder-led decisions
- Quick approvals
- Minimal presentations
Many stakeholders:
- Board involvement
- Multiple department heads
- Extensive presentation rounds
- Consensus building
More stakeholders = more meetings = higher costs.
4. Implementation Included
Strategy and design only:
- You implement across touchpoints
- Lower agency cost
- Your internal time investment
Full implementation:
- Website redesign
- Marketing collateral
- Templates and systems
- Signage and physical items
Implementation can equal or exceed strategy/design costs.
5. Agency Reputation and Location
London agencies charge 30-50% more than regional equivalents for comparable work. Prestigious names charge 50-100% premiums.
You’re often paying for the brand of the branding agency, not necessarily better outcomes.
Hidden Costs to Budget For
Agency fees are just the start. Budget additionally for:
Legal and trademark:
- Trademark search: £300-800
- Trademark registration: £200-1,000
- Legal advice: £500-2,000
Implementation:
- Website redesign: £5,000-50,000+
- Stationery and collateral: £1,000-5,000
- Signage: £2,000-30,000+
- Vehicle livery: £1,000-5,000 per vehicle
- Uniform updates: Variable
Internal costs:
- Staff time in meetings and reviews
- Project management
- Training on new brand
- Transition period disruption
Rule of thumb: Budget 50-100% of agency fees for implementation.
Cost vs Value: What’s Worth Paying For?
Worth paying premium for:
Strategy quality Cheap strategy leads to expensive redesigns. The strategic foundation determines whether everything else works.
Senior talent Experienced strategists and designers see patterns, avoid pitfalls, and work faster. Junior teams are cheaper per hour but often take longer and miss things.
Process discipline Agencies with clear processes deliver better outcomes. Chaos is expensive.
Not worth paying premium for:
Famous agency names You’re paying for their awards, not your results. Many excellent boutiques charge half the price.
Massive research projects Unless you’re a £100m+ company, you don’t need £50,000 of market research. Focused, practical research delivers most of the value.
Endless options More logo concepts isn’t better. Strategic clarity with 3-5 focused options beats 20 random directions.
How to Choose the Right Investment Level
Invest minimally (under £5,000) if:
- You’re pre-revenue or very early stage
- Your business model is still evolving
- You need something functional now
- You’ll likely rebrand within 2 years anyway
Invest moderately (£5,000-25,000) if:
- You’re established with proven business model
- Brand is becoming a growth constraint
- You want something to last 5+ years
- You serve other businesses (B2B)
Invest significantly (£25,000+) if:
- You’re preparing for investment or exit
- You’re entering new markets
- You’re merging or acquiring
- Brand is a primary competitive advantage
- Complex stakeholder or portfolio requirements
Getting Quotes and Comparing Proposals
What to ask for:
- Detailed scope breakdown
- Timeline with milestones
- Team allocation (who works on your project)
- Number of revisions/concepts included
- What’s explicitly excluded
- Payment terms
Red flags:
- Vague scoping (“we’ll figure it out as we go”)
- Fixed price for undefined scope
- All-junior teams at premium prices
- Promises of specific business outcomes
- No case studies of similar projects
Green flags:
- Clear process with defined stages
- Named senior lead on your project
- Transparent about what they don’t do
- Realistic about timelines
- Happy to share client references
The DIY Option: When It Makes Sense
For very early stage businesses:
Viable DIY approach:
- Brand strategy: Use free frameworks (like those in our brand strategy guide)
- Logo: Canva or similar tool for clean wordmark
- Colours: Choose 2-3 professional colours
- Typography: Google Fonts (Inter, Open Sans, etc.)
- Guidelines: Simple document capturing basics
Cost: Your time + £0-500 for tools
When this works:
- Testing a business idea
- Minimal customer-facing presence
- Plan to properly brand within 12-18 months
When this fails:
- Competing in premium markets
- Seeking investment
- Brand-sensitive B2B sales
FAQs
Why is branding so expensive?
Good branding requires senior strategic thinking, extensive creative exploration, and detailed documentation. It’s intellectually demanding work that shapes years of business outcomes. Cheap branding often costs more in the long run through lost opportunities and early redesigns.
Can I negotiate branding prices?
Sometimes. Agencies have more flexibility on scope than on hourly rates. Ask what could be removed to hit a target budget. But don’t expect £15,000 work for £5,000. You’ll get £5,000 work.
Should I pay a deposit upfront?
Standard practice is 30-50% upfront, remainder at milestones or completion. Be cautious of 100% upfront requests from unknown providers.
How do I know if I’m getting value?
Ask for case studies. Speak to past clients. Understand exactly what deliverables you’ll receive. Compare like-for-like scope across proposals.
Is London pricing worth it?
Rarely, unless your stakeholders require London meetings. Excellent agencies and freelancers work nationwide. Remote collaboration is standard now.
What to Do Next
- Define your scope — what do you actually need? (Logo only vs full brand)
- Set realistic budget — use the ranges above
- Get 3 comparable quotes — ensure similar scope for comparison
- Ask tough questions — who works on it? What’s the process?
- Check references — speak to past clients
Want to discuss what level of branding investment makes sense for your business? Book a discovery call →
Related Articles:
