How much does a logo design cost in Hong Kong?
I often get asked the question “how much do you charge for a logo design?”. By talking to fellow freelance graphic designer here, it is safe to say the question of logo design price tops on the list of most frequent and dreaded questions – as clients really want to know this first and foremost. And that is not unique to Hong Kong.
Fair enough I would say. I can imagine that by the time you start a business and workout the very many bits and pieces, you are eager to get your brand looking sharp and ready quickly in order to reach out to as many people and get on with whatever you’ve been meaning to do. Then reality bites and since your budget is not infinite you only have the remaining last part of it for your brand identity.
The question is legitimate, but the approach on the other hand is what is wrong. You see, a product or service is ultimately only as good as its impact on the audience. By this I mean a product or a service obviously need to reach people to convert into sales. That is where communication comes to play a fundamental role. As frustrating as it is to hear, People do not know your product or service, and for them it doesn’t really mean anything. There is simply no real value to your business yet!
Ok so how much does a logo design cost in Hong Kong?
Well, the answer is not going to be the pleasing straight forward one most people would want to hear. Simply put, it just depends… How is this possible, if a designer charges 500HK$/ hour, it should be easy to identify how many hours is needed to complete the task and voila, you got your price. Well that’s not that simple. It depends the value you want it to have, and to know this you need to ask yourself the right questions, so take the time to make a good project brief that will help you realise this, and be a great source of information to any designers you’ll contact.
1. Cheap logo done quickly
You have identified your audience and you think you know exactly what your logo must be. You just need the expert hands of a graphic designer to turn your idea/sketch into a beautiful working logo.
That is possible, and for sure that is going to be most affordable since you are not asking the designer to research and conceptualise your brand. All is needed is skills multiplied by a bit of time.
The most important thing in this case is to be clear about it, and communicate very obviously this to designers so they know what are your expectation from them. Everything must be said prior to start, without any changes along the development of the logo. So better make sure your idea is the one you want, only you will know it. Once you find a designer willing to just do as directed, you should be good to go in very little time.
I recommend looking for young designers freshly out of studies, or design students looking to boost their portfolio for lunch money. Alternatively you can turn to platform like www.fiverr.com or other alternatives to get designers to bid for such simple project. It is effective and very affordable, but again don’t expect the world here, they will provide only what you ask them to.
Price bracket: 500HK$ – 3,000HK$*
2. More than a logo, a solution made with you.
You know you need someone to discover what you need and help you build it, but you want to be part of the process to minimise cost and surprises. A freelance Designer is perfect for this. Someone skilled to identify and develop a quality branding system but still available to discuss and involve you in the process. You would benefit from a direct relationship with the designer without going through the different layers of administration a big agency has. The person you speak to is the person that makes your logo.
That solution makes sense for more than just a logo for sure, so discuss with the designer to identify what you need. It is most likely going to cover the logo, the brand colours, the print collaterals, the website, and social media visuals for your online reach.
Your involvement here is structured, so don’t expect to direct everything to the designer and reduce his participation in solely making what you want. For this you have the option 1!
Instead you need to identify your expectations of the designer; list the elements you know you’ll need in a professional brief; and gather your content the best possible way. Yes content will come from you mainly. The designer role is to turn your content into a suitable brand for your audience.
What you’ll pay is the skills of the designer, his or her past experience, the availability for meetings – discussions – design validation stages, and support. It is most likely going to be priced on a “mission base” as opposed to hourly, and to your benefit as hourly work is not viable for projects that takes on research and development time.
Price bracket: 5,000HK$ – 40,000HK$*
3. Brand system by an agency while you do what you do.
This is the premium solution, the one that will guaranty you a brand that makes sense to your audience across all medium of communication. With this solution, you are taken care of and you can focus on doing what you do while an agency is working out the best branding for you.
It surely comes at a price. A team of people will work on your project. This will cover everything you can not think of, brand strategy, copywriting, visual content, tone of voice, marketing messages, brand design, logo design, advert campaign for online and offline, support, etc… You pay the expertise, the people involved, the time you save, the value to customers, the speed, etc…
For this I recommend including the branding stage as early in your project as possible, because those strategies will direct you in building your project better. It is a real budget and must be identified and reserved early on. Get in touch with big and medium design and communication agencies in Hong Kong, preferably ones with specialty in your field of business!
Price bracket: 80,000HK$ – 200,000HK$*
Bottom line, yes it very much depends the level of value you are willing to put into your logo. Value means many things, so if this is confusing, starts by asking yourself how much time and involvement you are willing to inject to your project.
If you are starting your own business here in Hong Kong, with some budget limitation but ultimately you are willing to participate to the development of your brand I recommend working with a freelance graphic designer able to create a strong branding for you including but not limited to logo design. You will most likely enjoy the direct relationship and the rapid turnover such lightweight organisation can offer.
Feel free to contact me to discuss your project if you feel you need a freelance graphic designer to help you achieve your goal.
Read more on this topic:
How much does a logo design cost? by JustCreative
How much does a logo cost? by 99designs
“How much do you charge for a logo” video by TheFutur on Youtube.
* Prices are approximations and will vary depending on the designer, location and amount of work defined in your project. But these may be a good start when thinking about your logo…
