I really like Crew, I have found a few branding project through their service. The app is pretty nifty and could be useful with some tweaks. As others said, the prices seem absurdly low. It would be nice if this website would teach people why branding is not cheap, instead of showing a price based on some questions.
It is unrealistic to let people pick and choose exactly what they want. Most clients don't know if they want a "flat" logo (whatever that is) or "3D". A symbol is sometimes paired with an existing font, and sometimes with a typeface made from scratch. No project is the same, that is why I quote each of my clients based on their requirements.
This website has no mention of the amount of revisions. Does the designer show sketches? How detailed is the brand guide? Are the business card designs print-ready pdf files? There are too many holes for this tool to be reliable. Right now it just gives people the wrong pricing expectations.
Keep in mind that you pay for the process, not just the end result. You also pay for someone's expertise and experience. Just because a designer can make pretty images doesn't mean he can help you get the perfect logo. $6k deposit for branding as @Joshua Pinter mentioned seems like a fair price for an experienced designer or a small branding team. My personal ballpark if you were to hire me: around €1750 for a logo project and €3500 for the full package with a brand guide etc. But again, it all depends on your requirements.
@larkef Really thoughtful feedback here Jord. Thanks so much. All has been noted. We're already working on an update and I will definitely incorporate much of your feedback.
If it's ok, I'd love your thoughts once we've made the next substantial iteration.
Really cool tool but I have to point out that the resulting price is very low. It also doesn't take in consideration any amount of revisions required, which would all need to be priced separately, in fact, I have yet to see a client that is happy with the first iteration of a logo. My future clients will not see this tool :)
@fffabs Thanks for the comment Fabio! Do you happen to recall which set of answers you selected? I can check if something went wonky on our end. Good point on revisions. Noted!
@mikaelcho@fffabs It seems like the most basic package is $300, which is very low. These are rates I would expect a beginner to charge.
Because logos are so important they tend to undergo many revisions and take a lot of time. Also, putting the amount of hours spent on it aside, the value of a logo is high and the pricing should reflect that. You are designing the face of the company and a designer is hired for their expertise, not just for their labor.
I'm not sure how these numbers were calculated, but I would do more research or consider using ranges instead of fixed prices.
@_lcky thanks a lot for the thoughtful feedback Adam. Definitely agree. Our estimator formula got mixed up earlier today. We're fixing now to reflect property.
Ranges coming in the next update :)
@mikaelcho Ha! Love it. I wish this came out a little bit earlier. We just put down a $6K deposit for a rebranding. Based on this we're clearly getting ripped off.
@joshuapinter Hey Joshua, as a freelance designer I've had my fair share of clients asking for the world but not knowing how much it's worth (especially when it's for an MVP). When I'd give them an estimate, they'd usually freak out.
I believe clients would rather pay the big bucks on a first iteration of their app than invest on a logo/branding that may change in 5-6 months as they begin to understand their market, the direction they want to take, and the name they'd want to keep forever (Ooomf to Crew for instance). I think How Much To Make a Logo is a good tool for pricing an MVP logo/branding - it also puts less stress on the designer knowing that he doesn't have to create the next "Nike" or "Apple".
Regarding Nike, we all know how much they've paid their graphic designer for the Swoosh. We know how much it's worth today. Pricing will fluctuate from company to company, between freelancer and agency. Crew works primarily with first time entrepreneurs and freelance designers and I think these estimates reflect well to the people we cater to. Agencies will easily x10 our final prices given the overhead costs of running an agency.
Anyways, good luck with your rebranding and looking forward to seeing your product soon.
Charles, Designer @ Crew
These figures are so incredibly low, maybe justified for a first year designer or freelancer, but if you showed up to a studio like Wolff Olins (Spotify's latest Brand update) or even Red Antler (Foursquare's last rebrand) with those expectations you would be shown the door. Branding is so much more than the mark, and the strategy and ability to execute that strategy is key.
@lucasbuick Agree 100% Lucas. Branding is much more than the mark. Our estimator formula was off the mark earlier today and we're in the process of fixing it up now. Thanks again for the comment.
Cool little pricing wizard! I've worked on many branding projects and hired a handful of different designers and agencies to work on branding. It seems that this wizard is targeting smaller businesses since it boils down branding to just a logo asset. A lot of freelancers out there would charge the amount calculated by the wizard, but legit branding agencies or freelancers specializing in branding would charge $10K+. I'm sure it was hard to boil down the "branding" process into concrete multiple choice options so I see why you guys decided to focus on logos. Keep it up!
Awesome, Crew! You guys have done it again 😀 I often use these as a reality check when planning a new project. Now I'm trying to predict what the next "How Much To..." tool will be...
Free Logos by Larkef