'Branding Pack'

[mayflower232]

I think I know what the reaction is going to be, but basically one of the web design companies I have been talking to regarding a new project have given me a breakdown quote with various options.

Now the website will be heavily advertised once it is past its beta stage, mainly to a student audience.

As one of the options in the quote they have put 'branding package':

• Logo Design
• Font work and typography
• Colour Pallet
• Image / Design style
• Production of basic brand guidelines
• Branding and logo pack

£1000 + VAT



Opinions...

 

[deewn6]

Its a rip off. Over priced and obviously a company trying to work the old smoke and mirrors on you.

 

[playboy_bunnie]

they can't spell "palette" worrying...

Although I wouldn't say its a rip-off... have you seen any of their other work? did they come recommended?

Sometimes its worth paying decent money, instead of having it redone every couple of years and paying pennies for a piece of crap design...

 

[TotallySport]

its not important what we think, its only important what you think, although I would want to know alot more info that that, what is include in the fonts, what happens if you don't like it etc.

 

[ethical PR]

Its a rip off. Over priced and obviously a company trying to work the old smoke and mirrors on you.

On what basis are you saying this is a 'rip off'? From the OP's post you don't know anything about the experience/track record of the agency involved or what support/expertise they will be offering (just a list of what they will do and a price).

Having commissioned design agencies and freelances to develop brands, marketing collatoral, advertising campaigns and promotional materials over the years, I can say with a certain amount of confidence that the price quoted for an agency that will actual work with you to develop a brand (rather than a logo), plus elements of brand activation, the price quoted is reasonable. And certainly a lot cheaper than many agencies would quote for this type of work.

There are of course freelances and smaller agencies including those on this forum that may charge substantially less.

 

[InPrintImaging]

It depends largely on the impact it makes on your customers, and I say that specifically, your customers, not a bunch of people on an internet forum who have never heard of this particular agency, and know nothing about its track record and results.

If the website/marketing generates 100 times that in a year, then it is money well spent. If not, then it isn't. What you need to do, is ask to see if they have any references or any previous clients of theirs and see if they will stand up to say that it was money well spent.

I remember a story about an insurance broker I heard a while back. Plenty of traffic to the website through PPC, but low sales. Had the website re branded by a professional and quadrupled his sales. Do the math.

 

[fisicx]

And how many of those branding pack things do you need? A logo possibly but the rest may just be unnecessary.

Not even sure what 'fort work and typography' means. Maybe they are going to download a font and add it to the site. Woo!

 

[jitendra1990]

And how many of those branding pack things do you need? A logo possibly but the rest may just be unnecessary.

Not even sure what 'fort work and typography' means. Maybe they are going to download a font and add it to the site. Woo!

Designers such as myself never just 'download a font and add it to the site.' Many without a design background dont realise what designers have to go through to make the final outcome stand out. With typography, alot of thought has to be put into what works and what doesn't such as the size, text, emotion the type gives etc.. For design to work well, everything is genuinely their for a reason.

Some however do call themselves a 'professional' company but just 'download' a font out of sheer laziness

 

[jitendra1990]

I think I know what the reaction is going to be, but basically one of the web design companies I have been talking to regarding a new project have given me a breakdown quote with various options.

Now the website will be heavily advertised once it is past its beta stage, mainly to a student audience.

As one of the options in the quote they have put 'branding package':

• Logo Design
• Font work and typography
• Colour Pallet
• Image / Design style
• Production of basic brand guidelines
• Branding and logo pack

£1000 + VAT



Opinions...

I am a student at the university for the creative arts and we get taught to do in depth conceptual research before we do anything. In most cases, if the design isn't made from a generic template and is customized and tailored towards the clients needs then several processes have to be taken on board before we even get to the final stage. Many people who don't have a design background aren't aware of this but it's standard procedure for most real designers:

• Company research
• Competition research
• In depth conceptual research
• Alot of sketching
• Finalized design
• Thinking about the right colors and typography
• The actual design process
• Then making changes and tweaks (sometimes even several) untill the client is satisfied

The quote you've been given isn't necessarily expensive depending on the processes the company may have to go through. If you asked for a website that was fully custom designed with different parts of the website operating exactly the way you want it to other than a generic site you see everyday then the quote is justified. You should ask them to provide you with a detailed breakdown of the cost which will help you make more sense of the quote. If they cant provide this, I recommend you take your business elsewhere.

 

[Richard Glynn]

I think I know what the reaction is going to be, but basically one of the web design companies I have been talking to regarding a new project have given me a breakdown quote with various options.

Now the website will be heavily advertised once it is past its beta stage, mainly to a student audience.

As one of the options in the quote they have put 'branding package':

• Logo Design
• Font work and typography
• Colour Pallet
• Image / Design style
• Production of basic brand guidelines
• Branding and logo pack

£1000 + VAT



Opinions...

Hi Mayflower,

You can pay more. And you can pay less. Unhelpfully enough.

A major beef I have with marketers (that includes many PR people too) generally is that we often try to impose big business practices on small businesses and start-ups. One of the biggest benefits of starting up is that you aren't bogged down by unwieldy corporate processes and you are agile enough to let common sense and gut instinct deliver at least as much as outsourced consultancy advice. And that's coming from a consultant.

This means that a logo design without all the marketing-speak mumbo jumbo could easily suffice. Common sense and gut instinct combined with a modicum of outsourced design skill will get you off the starting blocks. And your brand could simply develop and evolve as you go.

Having said that, if this is a major investment and your logo will be used in multiple situations you need a branding solution that will suit all uses. That potentially means web, print, adverts, who knows? That's when £1,000 might be a sound investment.

It might even save you money because brand guidelines will mean that the multiple uses of your logo are already prescribed. And each time you commission an ad design it will be a simple case of copy setting as opposed to designing from scratch (more time consuming!).

Your design brief will be crucial in making sure you get the best bang for your buck.

I have some sympathy with people who see tens of thousands of pounds invested in branding as money for old rope. In my opinion, keep it simple and clean and you're 80% of the way there.

Budget and what you expect from your brand is crucial. But if it's just for a masthead and some banner ads, £1,000 is top end.

Good luck,

Richard

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

.
A major beef I have with marketers (that includes many PR people too) generally is that we often try to impose big business practices on small businesses and start-ups. One of the biggest benefits of starting up is that you aren't bogged down by unwieldy corporate processes and you are agile enough to let common sense and gut instinct deliver at least as much as outsourced consultancy advice. And that's coming from a consultant.

That's the key. If you have a large corporation, by all means heavily invest in your branding - especially if you're going to be spending hundreds of thousands on exposure-based marketing campaigns.

However, if you're a small business, do you really need to spend a large sum of money to get a fancy logo, or to get a specialist to choose a nice font for you? What is it ultimately going to give your business? What is the return on investment from it? Will having this 'branding pack' give you an extra £1,000 worth of profit, plus additional profit, compared to not having the branding pack, or compared to choosing a cheaper option?

If not, you're simply chucking money away.

You can invest in a logo of some professionalism by all means, but that's simply to avoid creating an unprofessional logo which could hamper sales. This approach would be a wise move from a financial perspective. However, when you start to spend more, you will eventually reach a stage where the value for money (and return on investment) rapidly diminishes.

I honestly find it baffling sometimes that a copywriter could charge less than that for some sales copy which could make a business tens of thousands of pounds in extra sales, yet many small businesses will spend £1200 on a branding pack which makes a negligible difference to sales levels during the crucial sales-focused start-up period. It's a funny old world.

 

[Simply Clicks]

I was only speaking to a designer yesterday. He charges £40 per hour out in the sticks. Whereas London based designers charge £80 per hour. At £1000 you're effectively getting 25 hours of work.

 

[ankit123]

It is a banding pack..It is a very nice form...

 

[I Love Spreadsheets]

Some packages are worth that sort of money, but the alarm bells ring with me because that spec seems to contain a lot of "padding" phrases.

 

[davis123]

Flash Website Development Company that not just transforms your online business into a strong and dynamic brand but also positions it in a manner that your target customers easily identify

 

[playboy_bunnie]

I was only speaking to a designer yesterday. He charges £40 per hour out in the sticks. Whereas London based designers charge £80 per hour. At £1000 you're effectively getting 25 hours of work.

I don't think 25 hours is unreasonable for a full brand from scratch, plus any marketing etc? I could be wrong.

Some people seem to forget though, that when freelancers quote a rate per hour, that's usually Gross.
After you pay them that rate they still have to deduct Tax, NI and the rest from that fee.

So for say, £40 per hour x 37.5 a week / 5 days = £300 per day
But he/she actually gets £199.42 a day after Tax + NI (£24.92 an hour), then theres overheads, expenses, whatevers, lol.

Its not as much as many may think for a skilled professional.