The big question my clients often ask is “How much does branding cost for a small business?” Well, the simple answer to that question is it depends.
Do you offer products that need branded packaging? Is your business online only? How many employees do you have? Do they all need business cards? Email signatures? Branded t-shirts?
These are all factors that can impact how much you should pay for small business branding.
But to simplify things even further, this post will walk you through the logistics of small business branding and provide you with a branding price guide based on your needs, business size, and future growth opportunities.
Simply put, you should invest in branding in 2024 because brand is everything.
Your logo is the first thing potential customers will see when they come across your business. It not only communicates your tone and brand story but is an indication of your brand’s values.
As you know, your brand is more than just a logo.
So ensuring you have a cohesive brand feel across all touchpoints is what will set your small business apart from hundreds of other local (or global!) competitors.
So if you’re still wondering, “Is a brand something I really need to invest in?” The answer is yes. 100% yes.
As we mentioned, the cost of branding for a small business in 2024 will differ for every individual business.
Here’s a checklist of all the potential brand assets you may need for your brand. These assets will influence how much you may need to invest in small business branding.
As you can see, branding is about more than just the visual identity. It can also include brand naming, brand strategy, key messaging and much more.
At Little Ghost, we offer custom branding packages suited for every business need. View our packages and reach out if you’re not sure exactly what you need. We’re here to help!
The other key consideration to help you understand how much you can expect to spend on branding is who you contract to do your branding.
These are the four main types of branding contractors you might hire to build your small business brand. Each one offers distinct advantages and challenges. Let’s review the pros and cons of each.
Many talented local and national agencies across North America specialize in different facets of branding. Some focus on brand strategy and marketing, whereas others focus solely on design and have large in-house teams of graphic designers and illustrators.
The choice is yours based on your business goals. But do know, that if you choose to work with an agency, it will likely be the most expensive choice for small business branding.
A fluid agency is similar to a traditional agency but focuses primarily on a close relationship with the client. It is designed for maximum flexibility in timelines, output, and budget.
Fluid agencies typically have only one main employee but bring together a full-service team of external contractors chosen specifically for their skills relevant to each project.
At Little Ghost, for example, our Founder and Director, Robyn, will listen to your business goals and vision. Then, she will onboard a strategist, writer, designer, or other specialists to help achieve your vision. This is one of the key advantages of a fluid agency—you get to work collaboratively with carefully selected branding experts without having to invest as much of your budget as you would with a traditional agency.
You also have the benefit of choosing creative collaborators from other cities or countries and selecting aesthetic styles that might not be available with a traditional agency or studio. Fluid agencies typically don't adhere to a certain style but instead, design based on a strategic vision.
A boutique studio is a smaller version of an agency, typically with a team of two to ten employees. They offer a cost-effective and hands-on way to rebrand your business.
Often, they specialize in a distinctive visual style, but they may lack expertise in a variety of skill sets or aesthetic styles other than their own due to their small team.
Boutique studios usually start as individual freelancers and grow into offering beautifully aesthetic solutions. However, be cautious of trendy aesthetics or visual styles that are replicated across multiple brands without a custom strategy.
They can also be booked months in advance due to capacity issues, so plan to connect early!
You can find local freelancers online through a quick Google search, on freelancer platforms like Fiverr or Upwork or on Instagram. There are thousands of incredibly talented graphic designers who work for themselves and could be the right fit for your brand.
Working with a freelancer will likely be the most cost-effective choice for small business branding. This is because they are a single individual with very little overhead costs. However, there are several risks to consider when working with a freelancer for your small business brand.
Some freelancers might not provide comprehensive strategies, complementary writing or photography services or a strategic approach to branding, which could affect your ability to scale in the future.
They may also treat freelancing as a side hustle, meaning you won’t get their full attention or they may only be available nights and weekends. You’ll also need to do thorough research to ensure the freelancer you’re considering has a good reputation and can work within your aesthetic vision.
So, while working with a freelancer may save you some money, there are definitely more considerations to keep in mind.
The cost of branding for small businesses can change drastically based on three key factors:
Small businesses are classified as having anywhere from 1 to 50 people. That’s a huge range!
If your business is just you or one to two other team members, then the branding costs for items like stationery, email signature designs, and uniforms will be reasonable. But if your small business is on the larger side, it can really hike up the price of your brand identity.
Your marketing strategy will also directly impact how much you’ll need to invest in branding. If you have a digital-based strategy, including tactics like social media and Google ads, you’ll want to consider developing design assets for those channels as well.
On the other hand, if your marketing strategy is to gradually roll out your brand over several years, you might be able to initially invest in just basic brand assets like a logo, typography, colour set and pattern treatment.
Consider your brand roll-out plan when deciding how much you want to spend on branding your small business.
The last key factor that will determine how much you should spend on branding is your growth strategy for the next 5 to 10 years. Whether your business plan involves launching more products or developing an app, you’ll eventually need branding for these types of things.
If your initial brand strategy considers future growth from the start, you’ll be in a better place to quickly get to market with new offerings when the time is right.
Though no two branding projects are alike, we like to streamline our clients into three different categories. This may help you better understand where your business falls!
Small brands typically need a basic brand strategy, identity and a few assets for launching.
You can expect a brand standards guide with your logos, primary colours and typeface, as well as mock-ups of your branded social channels and maybe a few business card design options.
Check out our work with Camp Cantina, a small brand/start-up that needed a primary logo, brand colours and a wordmark.
Medium-sized brands typically need a more detailed brand strategy, messaging and a visual identity with assets like patterns, iconography and photography.
If your business falls into this category, you’ll also likely need more items for a brand roll-out or a robust website that will require additional branding.
You can expect a detailed brand standards guide with logo variations, a few brand roll-out items (like stationery, email signatures and posters) and any other customizable add-ons based on your products/services.
Our client Beeproject Apiaries is a well-established local business in Manitoba that needed a comprehensive brand with custom typefaces, colours, brand packaging design, website and store-front signage.
Large brands typically need robust brand identities that are flexible for various applications.
We always encourage clients with larger brands to consider their marketing strategy and future growth plans when starting a branding project as bigger brands can have dozens to hundreds of brand touchpoints that need to work together cohesively.
A large business branding package can include everything from logo variations for print and digital to website layer designs and an app interface, branded merchandise and employee swag items.
Check out our brand refresh work with the German tiny home brand, Home One. We worked to develop a powerful brand system, including logo variations, a full suite of brand colours, a custom icon and illustration set, licensed typefaces and much more.
Brand is an investment, and we encourage you to look at it that way. Though it will require an upfront cost, you’ll see a return on your investment as you build brand awareness with your customers.
We like to encourage our clients to look at their branding budget strategically:
With branding, it’s always better to invest in the quality and longevity of the work rather than splashy, cheap or trendy designs. Design trends come and go. The last thing you want is to launch a brand that quickly loses its shelf life. Or, a brand that doesn’t have the ability to scale as your business grows.
Little Ghost Creative is classified as a fluid agency. Our price points typically fall right in the middle, depending on what your small business requires.
Larger local or national agencies will likely request a higher budget than we will at Little Ghost, but some of our branding packages may be in line with what freelancers offer. Though we’re a small agency, we always consider our clients’ budgets. If your brand purpose aligns with our values, we're always keen to find a way we’ll both be happy working together!
We offer six custom brand packages for you to choose from:
After our initial meeting (virtual or in-person), we’ll ask questions to better understand your business and the vision for your brand.
Next, we’ll review a proposal with three brand pricing options customized exactly to your needs and timelines. If you’re working with a quicker turnaround, it might require a larger budget. If your brand has specific needs, like a branded illustration system, it will be reflected in the price. We’ll discuss all this in detail as we review the three proposed price options.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Any of our brand packages will get you a beautiful, strategic and future-proof brand. Promise!
We’ve covered why investing in a brand is strategic, how much small business branding costs, who to work with to build your brand, and what brand identity work with Little Ghost Creative looks like.
Six weeks is all it takes for us to launch your purposeful and strategic brand that makes a big statement with little environmental impact.
So what are you waiting for? If you have a creative idea worth sharing, let us know!
Together, we can create a brand that does good.
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