Branding
Getting a Logo Designed: Costs, Process, and Common Mistakes
Pricing, process, and pitfalls: what you should know before you have a logo designed by an agency or a designer.
Short answer
A professionally designed logo from an agency usually costs between 1,500 and 4,500 euros, depending on the number of drafts, variants, and usage rights. The process consists of a briefing, research, drafts, revision rounds, and a final file package in all formats. The most common mistakes are a missing briefing, trend-driven design with no connection to the brand, and missing variants for small applications. Also plan for a trademark search before rolling the logo out everywhere.
What does a logo cost?
The short answer: at an agency, usually between 1,500 and 4,500 euros. The range depends less on the drawing itself and more on everything around it: how thoroughly your brand is understood, how many drafts there are, which variants you need, and how complete the file package is.
| Provider | Typical price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Logo platform / contest | €100 – 500 | many quick ideas, little strategy |
| Freelancer | €500 – 2,000 | personal support, scope varies |
| Maluure Basic | €1,499 | 2 drafts, 2 revision rounds, file package |
| Maluure Pro | €2,490 | plus landscape/portrait version, brand mark, color variants |
| Maluure Ultra | €4,490 | up to 6 drafts, responsive logo, sub-logos |
You'll find the packages in detail in the shop under Logo Design.
Kernaussage
The price of a logo isn't measured in hours spent on screen, but in how well it carries your brand over the years.
How the process works when you get a logo designed
- Briefing: Who are you, who do you want to reach, how do you want to be perceived? A brand workshop helps here.
- Research: Competitors, industry, existing brands with a similar name.
- Drafts: Two to six distinct approaches, presented in real-world applications.
- Revision rounds: Fine-tuning shape, color, and typography.
- File package: All formats and variants, plus a short usage guide.
The most common mistakes
- No briefing: Without a clear positioning, decisions get made based on taste, not on impact.
- Trend design: What looks modern today often looks dated in three years.
- Too much detail: A logo also has to work as a 16-pixel favicon.
- Only one version: You need at least landscape, portrait, and icon variants, plus black and white.
- Forgetting the rights: Without clear usage rights, the logo isn't fully yours.
- No trademark search: A logo that resembles an existing brand can get expensive. Electronic registration with the DPMA costs 290 euros for up to three classes [1].
Most logos don't fail because of the design, they fail because of a missing briefing. Once we know what a brand stands for, the draft is the easier part.
Logo, corporate design, or a complete brand?
A logo is the beginning. Once a website, business stationery, and social media come into play, you need rules for colors, typefaces, and imagery. We explain what that looks like and what it costs in the article Getting a Corporate Design Made. For the full picture, our Corporate Design Complete Package is worth a look.
Kernaussage
Have your logo developed so it can become part of a system, even if you only build the system later.
You can find out more about our brand work on the Advertising Agency Cologne page.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to get a logo designed?+
At Maluure, logo design starts at 1,499 euros (Basic, 2 drafts) and goes up to 4,490 euros (Ultra, up to 6 drafts, a responsive logo, and sub-logos). Freelancers can be somewhat cheaper, platforms even cheaper, but usually without brand strategy.
How long does it take to get a logo designed?+
Realistically, three to six weeks from briefing to the final file package. The duration mainly depends on how quickly feedback comes in on the drafts.
Which file formats do I get?+
A complete file package includes SVG and EPS for print and scaling, PDF for print shops, and PNG for web and office use, each in color, black, and white.
Do I own the rights to the logo?+
This should be regulated by contract. Make sure you receive exclusive usage rights, unlimited in time and territory.
Should I register my logo as a trademark?+
If your company will operate under the name long-term, a trademark registration makes sense. At the DPMA, electronic registration for up to three classes costs 290 euros.
Is a logo enough, or do I need a corporate design?+
To get started, a good logo with colors and typeface is enough. Once a website, printed materials, and social media come into play, a corporate design is worthwhile so everything looks consistent.
Can I have a logo designed with AI?+
As a way to generate ideas, yes. For a distinctive, protectable logo with clean vector artwork and a well thought-out brand idea, manual craftsmanship is still needed.
Sources
- Marke anmelden: Gebühren, Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt (2025)
#Logo#Logo Design#Branding#Corporate Design#Cologne
Author
Josef KujawskiManaging Director & Creative Director at Maluure
Josef leads the strategic and creative development of brands at Maluure. For over a decade, he has guided medium-sized businesses from brand positioning to digital delivery.
Managing Director of Maluure GmbH, Cologne. Specialising in corporate design, brand strategy and digital brand experiences.
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