This is a guest post by Ben Johnson.

It is true, if a logo becomes instantly recognizable by the viewers, it gets promoted to the level of being called a brand. Creating a brand identity for any business plays a huge role in today’s competitive world, as the brand infiltrates almost every facet of the company we can see and this is the reason why businesses willingly pay whatever the design agencies charge them for their logos. There are many reasons why design agencies ask for a lot of money from companies and this is what we are going to cover in this article.

There are both small and large scale companies, who want to have a strong identity for themselves. However, not all of them have the budget to approach the top logo design agencies to create their logo. Many question why do these top agencies so costly?

There are a lot of things that contribute to creating a successful logo. A design agency charges you high because it has all the experts under one roof to work on your project. An agency thinks businesses shouldn’t be reluctant in paying more for their logo. They say their designers go through an entire process to come up with a logo which guarantees success. So, high price is justified. Moreover, they charge you more because they are:

• Experienced
• Professional
• Accountable
• Renowned reliable
• Capable of handling large number of accounts
• Loaded with professional logo designers and high quality logo concepts
• Equipped with broader skill set
• Secure to work with
• Frequently available for face to face meetings

Of course if a design agencies charge you more, there has to have the above mentioned reasons behind it. They must have a reputable name in the design industry, gained through ample experience and professionalism. They must have shown reliability to their clients and have produced high quality logo designs which later on got successful and converted into big brands with remarkable identity. Unlike freelance designers, they occupy a physical workplace to accommodate a bunch of creative designers or even more to come up with the best logo concepts for their clients. The software they use cost them thousands of dollars, the computers, the stationery etc.

Moreover, renowned design agencies have their own process of handling different projects. They don’t just start working on the logo right away. The design process of a professional logo designer in a design agency usually consists of:

1. Takes the Design Brief - The designer conducts a questionnaire or interview with the client to get the design brief.
2. Conducts Research - The designer conduct research focused on the industry itself, on its history, and on its competitors.
3. Searches Reference designs - They conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that are related to the design brief.
4. Does Sketching & Conceptualizing - They develop the logo design concept(s) around the brief and research. They use creativity and know how to design a logo.
5. Gives Presentation - They then choose whether to present only a select few logos to the client or a whole collection.

They go through this entire process with thorough professionalism and years of experience. For this much, they can’t charge you less or something which a freelancer or a starter charges you for your logo design project. If you agree or disagree with my opinion on this issue, do write to me in the comments section. I would love to know what you think of the design agencies who charge companies fortunes for just a logo…but I would again say it isn’t just a logo.

This is guest post from Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in UK.