- A free template costs nothing, but you do the thinking and the file prep yourself.
- Contest packages at 99designs ran $249 to $1,050 on October 24, 2026, before sales tax.
- The price follows the work: research, concepts, revisions, rights, files, and extras.
- Ask for a complete kit, not one picture file.
A logo can cost nothing if you use a free template. It costs about $249 to $1,050 if you run a design contest on a site like 99designs. A freelancer or a studio usually quotes by the project, and that price follows how much thinking, revision, and file preparation you get. The lowest price is not always the lowest cost, because a logo you cannot use on a sign, a website, and a social profile has to be redone.
What are the four ways to get a logo?
Most small businesses pick one of four routes. Here is how they compare in plain terms.
| Route | What you pay | What you get | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template or logo maker (such as Canva) | Free to low cost | Speed and control | Many people use the same templates, so your look may not be unique |
| Contest or marketplace | Fixed packages, $249 to $1,050 at 99designs | Many concepts from many designers | You judge the entries and prepare the final files |
| Freelancer | Quoted per project | One designer, direct talk | Ask which files and rights are included |
| Studio | Quoted per project | Research, concepts, a full kit, often web and video too | Ask exactly what the quote covers |
What do design contest sites charge?
99designs publishes package prices for logo contests. We checked its pricing page on October 24, 2026. Prices exclude sales tax.
| Package | Price | Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $249 | About 30 |
| Silver | $399 | About 60 |
| Gold | $799 | About 90, top-level designers only |
| Platinum | $1,050 | See their page |
More concepts means more to choose from. It does not make the logo better by itself. Someone still has to pick, give feedback, and get the final files ready.
Is the average designer salary the price of a logo?
No. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists 2025 median pay for graphic designers at $62,960 per year, or $30.27 per hour. That is an employee wage. It is not what a freelancer or a studio charges a client, and it does not tell you the cost of one logo. Use it to see the pay scale of the field, not to price your project.
What actually drives the price of a logo?
Six things move the price up or down. Ask about each one before you pay anyone.
- Research. Time spent learning your customers and your competitors.
- Concepts. How many different directions you see at the start.
- Revision rounds. How many rounds of changes are included.
- Rights. Who owns the final logo when the work is done.
- Files. Which formats you receive, and for which uses.
- Extra pieces. Business cards, a social kit, animation, a style guide.
Get in writing who owns the final logo, and ask for editable vector files. A single picture file cannot be resized cleanly or changed later.
What should a complete logo kit include?
A logo is a set of files, not one image. Our own Design Studio kit shows what we mean. It has:
- Lockups for dark and light backgrounds, as SVG (vector) and as PNG at 2000 and 4000 pixels.
- A small "ds" mark for browser tab icons (favicons) at 16, 32, 64, 180, and 512 pixels, plus a favicon.ico file.
- A 1200 by 630 social share (Open Graph) image, the picture that appears when someone shares your link.
- An animated five-second logo loop.
Our logo also uses 12 typefaces, one per letter, all under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 or the Apache License 2.0. Checking font licenses is part of a logo job. See our services for what a kit can cover, and read brand style guide basics to see how the pieces get written down.
How should a Rhode Island small business choose?
Match the route to where the business is. If you are testing an idea and cash is tight, a template is a fair start. Just save the files and note the fonts and colors. If you want a look that belongs only to you, a freelancer or a studio is the better fit.
We are a studio in Providence, Rhode Island, and we also work remotely with New England small businesses. We do not publish prices. We quote after a short call, once we know how many pieces you need. A logo often leads to a launch video too, which we cover in our guide to marketing video. When you are ready, tell us about your project.
Questions people ask
Can I just use a free logo maker?
Yes, as a starting point. Free tools such as Canva are quick, but many people use the same templates, so your logo may look like someone else's. Keep the original files and write down your fonts and colors.
How many logo concepts do I need?
Contest packages list about 30 to 90 concepts, but you only need one good logo. More concepts mean more entries to review and more feedback to write.
Which files should I ask for?
Ask for vector files (SVG), PNG versions for dark and light backgrounds, a small mark for favicons, and a social share image. Also ask for the colors and font names in writing.
Is $62,960 what designers charge?
No. That is the 2025 median pay for graphic designers as employees, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is not a freelance or studio rate.
What does Project5pi Design Studio charge for a logo?
We do not publish prices. We quote after a short call, based on the pieces you need and how much research the project takes.
Want a logo that comes with the whole kit?
Tell us about your business. We quote after a short call, from Providence, Rhode Island, or remotely.
See the Design Studio →Project5pi Design Studio · Providence, Rhode Island · hello@project5pi.com
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Graphic Designers", https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/graphic-designers.htm (checked October 24, 2026)
The logo kit example is Project5pi's own work.