As we get more and more requests for logo design, obviously the question of “how much does it cost” is going to be asked. There are many aspects that determine the cost of a logo, so we thought it would be fun to gather a list of well known brands and the cost of their logos.
Google – $0
Googles logo was actually designed in 1998 by co-founder Sergey Brin, explaining the price tag. Sergey Brin created a computerized version of the Google letters using the free graphics program GIMP. The typeface was changed and an exclamation mark was added, mimicking the Yahoo! logo. “There were a lot of different color iterations”, says Ruth Kedar, the graphic designer who developed the now-famous logo. “We ended up with the primary colors, but instead of having the pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on the L, which brought back the idea that Google doesn’t follow the rules.”
Coca-Cola – $0
Much like the Google logo, the branding was designed totally free of charge by the founder’s bookkeeper Frank M. Robinson. As well as designing the unique logo in elaborate Spencerian script, Robinson also thought up the company’s name – suggesting that the two Cs would look great together in any future advertising.
Microsoft – $0
The company used its own in-house design team to update its logo in 2012. Since they used their in-house design team we label this without a price tag, but we all know there were significant costs to develop this logo.
Twitter – $6
The bird on Twitter’s home page, familiar to millions, is small, cute and fun, and implies communication and anticipation. One might say it’s the perfect graphic for Twitter. Yet the company paid at most $6 for this stock artwork from iStockphoto.
Nike – $35
The Nike “Swoosh” is perhaps one of the most well-known “cheap” logos – costing the sports brand just $35 when co-founder Phil Knight commissioned graphic design student Carolyn Davidson back in 1971. When it was finished, Knight said “I don’t love it… but I think it will grow on me.”
The iconic logo has remained relatively unaltered since its conception, with the only change being made in 1995 when the brand ditched the Nike text that used to be cradled within the Swoosh, opting for a simpler, stand-alone Swoosh instead. As a thank you for her work, Phil Knight gave Davidson a golden Swoosh ring with an embedded diamond in 1983, as well as an undisclosed amount of shares in the company – supposedly $600,000 worth.
Pepsi – $1,000,000
Pepsi’s 2008 re-branding was undertaken by the New York-based Arnell Group, who charged a cool $1 million USD for a complete branding package. That may seem like a lot, but it’s a drop in the ocean when you consider that the PepsiCo company poured $1.2 billion into changes on all the different beverage brands they own.
Accenture – $100,000,000
The pure simplicity of the Accenture logo, compared to the $100 million USD they paid for it, might make it the most surprising of the logos in this selection. Designed by Landor Associates in 2000, the only real “design” element on the logo is the angled bracket above the letter “t”, which signifies forward movement by the company into the future. The lowercase text has been used to signify a certain openness and friendliness, showing the company to be approachable and accessible.
BP – $211,000,000
In 2001, oil giant BP commissioned creative agency Landor Associates, advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather and the PR consultants Ogilvy PR to replace their “Green Shield” logo with the current Helios symbol and create a surrounding identity and campaign. Designed in a green and yellow sunflower pattern, the logo represents energy in its many forms and comes with the tagline “Beyond Petroleum”. The cost of this re-branding procedure? A mere $211 million…
Symantec – $1,280,000,000
The new logo symbolizes the company’s focus on enabling confidence and ensuring customers have simple and secure access to their information from anywhere, seamlessly moving between their personal and professional lives. Hopefully it lives up to the 1.28 Billion Dollar price tag.
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