Even though this design and its caption were developed just for laughs (out of a true life situation I must admit), like everything else in life, it has generated a lot of debate.

In every debate, there will always be 3 parties. Those against, those for and those who will be neutral. This image has been everywhere; BB, twitter, facebook and nairaland so I’ve been able to gather lots of fors and againsts.

First and foremost, brand identity is not a commodity and as such, there is no fixed price for it. The simplest basis for determining a price would be; the maximum the client is willing to pay, the minimum the identity developer is willing to collect and (an influencing factor on the first two) the value of what is given/received (whether actual or perceived). Even the almighty formula cannot generate a constant figure using this basis. I personally have received more than N30,000 for a logo design on some occasions and I have received less at other times.

Having said that, I can now clearly state that the figures in this design were just to make a point while also creating symmetry between both prices 3000 – 30,000.

Secondly, both the fors and against are perfectly right from their stand point. Let’s see it this way; with N300,000 you can buy a car.

A Nigerian used 1992 model, manual transmission, Honda civic goes for plus or minus N300,000. If moving from point A to point B is your only rationale for buying a car you’re always going to see spending N22,000,000 on a 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL550 as total madness. Does that make you wrong? Considering your rationale, you’re definitely not wrong.

So if to you a logo is just a combination of shapes and colours which you paste on all materials that goes out of your shop, you should definitely not pay more than N3000 for a logo.

However, if you see and understand a logo to be just a step in the entirety of a brand identity process developed to attract, engage and compel the right market segment to patronize your product/service, you should not be looking for a N3000 logo. The experience required to do this is beyond just practicing with design softwares everyday.

This brings us back to the story of the cars. You’re going for a dinner that has A CEO in attendance and you’re hoping to give the guy a ride home so you can propose a multi-billion Naira business to him along the way. (Let’s put the fact that he would have come with a car aside) you think he’ll enter a 1992 Honda Civic before a Benz GL550? Seriously? Even if he does, he’ll give a man who seems never to have handled millions a business of billions? You think?

Some of those who argued for actually thought N30,000 was too small considering they’ve either paid or charged more for a logo design. At least I personally know someone who charged N1,000,000 and the company approved it (that doesn’t happen every day though).

As the Benz is beyond just movement but a show of class and prestige, the fors understand good brand identity involves stirring up the right emotions. Something I call RIGHT publicity; achieved through the CONSISTENT use of engaging and compelling designs (which requires a whole lot of research on consumer behaviour in relation to the particular product/service), right choice/tone of words and quality print (for various forms of advertising) to clearly distinguish and differentiate them from their competitors. Based on this rationale, we can perfectly conclude that the fors are also right.

How much should a logo really cost? The figure is totally yours to decide.

8 Responses

  1. simply put, it should cost the maximum amount that the client is willing to pay n d artist is happy to take, leaving both mutually satisfied.

    nice tots…fluid expressions, but having visited ur site- not surprising!

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