How Much Does Branding Cost for a Small Business in the UK? (2026 UK Guide)
If you’ve ever typed “how much does a logo cost” into Google, the answers you get range from a fiver to the price of a small car, which is not very helpful in my opinion, especially when you’re sat with a spreadsheet trying to work out a budget for your new business!
So I thought I’d take the opportunity to write down how I think about branding costs as a brand designer working with small wellness, beauty and creative businesses, and share what you actually get for your money.
Why the prices are all over the place
At the cheap end, you’ve got free online logo makers, template sites and online logo contests. They might only cost you a few quid, but you’ll usually get one image file and not much else, and there’s a good chance it looks a lot like someone else’s because it started from the same template. Plus the logo often won’t be a vector file, so you can say bye bye to it looking good when it’s blown up and printed!
At the other end, big agencies, and even small ones actually, charge a lot more. They’re working with large companies and running research, workshops and whole teams of people, which is brilliant if you’re a national chain but a bit much if you’re a one-woman small business owner.
Most small businesses sit somewhere in the middle, with an independent designer like me (hello!). With me, you get a brand that’s built properly, but at a size that makes sense for a new therapy practice, a salon or a small creative studio.
This is what you’re paying for
To be completely honest, you’re paying for time and thinking as much as the finished files. There’s the questionnaire and discovery call, the mood boards, the sketching (this can take days sometimes), building everything properly in Adobe Illustrator, the revisions and then putting all your files and guidelines together so you can use them.
A logo can look really simple and still take hours to get right. Making something simple feel exactly like you is the hard bit!
My recent client, Ravens Coastal Rowing, knew exactly what they wanted, right down to the bird, a raven of course! I sketched around 50 different ravens, flying ones, sitting ones, perched ones, happy ones, strong ones and everything in between, until I had about 10 I liked. Then I whittled those down to two to send over as concepts. That took me almost four days, at around six to eight hours a day, with research in between.
What branding costs with me
I’ve got three branding packages, and every one is designed from scratch around your business.
Brand Essentials, from £1,250 (2 to 3 weeks)
A logo suite with three versions
A colour palette and font pairing
A brand style guide of around 10 to 12 pages
One brand piece, like business cards
Three social launch graphics and three mock-ups
Two rounds of revisions
Signature Brand, from £2,500 (4 to 6 weeks)
A creative direction brief and brand strategy
A logo suite with five versions
Up to 15 custom illustrations or icons
A voice guide and photography direction
Three brand pieces and six launch graphics
Full brand guidelines of around 30 to 35 pages, plus a walkthrough call
The Full Story, from £3,500 (6 to 8 weeks)
Everything in Signature Brand
A half-day brand photoshoot, planned around your new identity
A logo suite with six versions
Five brand pieces and 12 launch graphics made with your new photos
Font licences are bought separately, but don’t worry, I’ll always tell you upfront if your fonts need one.
Which one’s right for you?
If you’re just starting out on your own and need to look professional without spending a fortune, Brand Essentials is a lovely place to begin. It’s built properly, so it’s easy to grow into a bigger brand later.
Signature Brand is the one I’d point you towards if other people are going to be using your brand, like a printer, a web designer or someone doing your socials, or if you’re planning merch, signage or ads. That’s when you really need the strategy and detailed guidelines behind it all.
And if you need new photos for your website and Instagram too, The Full Story usually works out simpler than booking everything separately. Plus your photos will match your new brand from the get-go.
The cost of going too cheap
I’m not going to tell you a cheap logo will ruin your business. It won’t! But I do see a lot of people who started with something quick and then spend the next year patching it up. The logo doesn’t work small enough for Instagram, or the printer asks for a file they don’t have, or every post looks a bit different because there aren’t any rules to follow.
Paying for branding once and getting it right usually works out cheaper than fixing it bit by bit.
Not sure where to start?
If you’d like a second opinion before you spend anything, I offer a free brand audit. I’ll look over what you’ve got and tell you honestly what I’d change. Or have a look at my branding packages to see everything in full.
Love,
Amie x
Amie x
