“We need a new logo” is usually where the conversation starts. It’s rarely where it ends. Most firms that come to us need either more than a logo or less than a rebrand, and knowing which saves a lot of money.
Here is what the three main branding jobs involve, roughly what they cost in New Zealand, and the questions that tell you which one is yours.
NZ branding prices at a glance
Rough market ranges, excluding GST:
- Logo only, from a freelancer or small studio$1,500–$5,000
- Brand refresh: logo, colours, type and the everyday pieces$5,000–$12,000
- Full rebrand: strategy, identity, website and rollout$18,000–$60,000+
Offshore logo marketplaces sit well below these numbers. You’ll get a logo. You won’t get anyone who has thought about your clients.
A logo on its own
A logo is the mark: the wordmark, the symbol, and a few versions for light and dark backgrounds. It’s the right job when you’re just starting out and need something tidy and professional.
A logo on its own is not a brand, though. Without colours, fonts and rules for using them, every brochure, slide deck and email signature drifts a little further from the last. Within a year the firm looks like five different firms.
A brand refresh
A refresh keeps who you are and tidies how you look. Your name, reputation and what you stand for don’t change. The way they are presented does. Typically that means:
- a redrawn or simplified logo, with versions for every use;
- a colour palette and a type system;
- short brand guidelines anyone in the office can follow;
- the everyday pieces: business cards, letterhead, email signature, social media kit.
You probably need a refresh if: clients like you but your materials look dated; your logo has been stretched, recoloured and re-saved so often nobody has the original; or your website, proposals and signage don’t match.
A full rebrand
A rebrand changes what the brand says, not just how it looks. It starts with positioning: who you serve, what makes you different and how you talk about it. It often includes a new name, then carries through to the website, signage, vehicles, merchandise and event stands.
You probably need a rebrand if: you’ve merged or split; you’ve changed who you work for or what you offer; your name is confusing or taken; or the gap between how good you are and how you’re seen has become a problem.
The one-question test
Ask yourself: has what we promise our clients changed?
If not, you need a refresh. Keep the trust you’ve built and make it look as good as it is. If it has, a new coat of paint won’t fix it, and a rebrand is worth the bigger budget.
Why the prices vary so much
Almost all the difference is in the thinking and the follow-through, not the drawing. A cheap logo is one person’s afternoon. A rebrand includes research, interviews, several rounds of concepts and the slow work of applying the result to everything you own. Ask any designer quoting you:
- How many concepts will we see, and how many rounds of changes are included?
- Do we get the master files, in every format, to keep?
- Are brand guidelines included, or extra?
- Will you apply the brand to our website and documents, or just hand it over?
How we price branding
Our brand refresh is a fixed price: logo and variations, colour palette, typography, brand guidelines, business cards, letterhead, email signature and a social media kit. The standard price is from $9,500, and our foundation price is $6,500 until 13 December 2026. Pair it with a website and it drops a further 60%, to $3,800.
Our full branding and marketing overhaul combines the refresh with a new marketing website, then carries it through to billboards, merch and conference displays. Pricing starts from $18,500 and is quoted to suit the job.
