Branding costs for small businesses in the UK
The cost of branding
If you've ever Googled 'how much does branding cost?', you’ll see everything from £50 logo deals to £50,000 brand transformations, which isn’t exactly helpful when you’re just trying to make a sensible decision for your business.
Here’s the truth… different levels of branding solve very different problems. And as a small business or growing SME, you don’t always need the biggest, fanciest solution. What you do need is clarity: what should you budget, what will you actually get, and how do you avoid wasting money?
This guide is written for small businesses and growing SMEs, established companies that want a brand identity that supports growth, consistency and clarity. The guide is jargon‑light, and focused on helping you make the right choice for where your business is today (and where you’d like it to go).
“Your brand is what other people say
about you when you’re not in the room.”
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
Most small business branding projects in the UK cost between £2,000 and £6,000, with more comprehensive brand systems typically starting from £6,000+. London agencies are often 25–50% more expensive due to higher overheads. The right investment depends on your stage, your market, and whether you need a brand-new identity or a rebrand.
What Do We Really Mean by ‘Branding’?
A brand isn’t just a logo. It’s the whole experience people have when they interact with your business - visually, verbally, emotionally, digitally. Branding is the process of shaping that experience so it’s consistent, confident and clearly you.
Branding normally includes things like:
- Logo and visual identity
- Colour palette and typography
- Tone of voice and personality
- Messaging and positioning
- Brand guidelines and toolkit
- Website and marketing materials
You don’t always need everything on that list from day one. The right level of branding depends on how established your business is, how competitive your market is, and how ambitious your goals are. For some businesses, this may be a rebrand rather than a brand-new identity, particularly if the foundations are already in place but no longer reflect where the business is heading.
Branding Cost Summary - At a Glance
Prices vary depending on the depth of strategy, experience, timescales and deliverables, but these ranges should give you a helpful reference point. Here’s a realistic, UK‑based overview of typical branding investment levels:
| Item | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Logo only | £200–£1,500 | Start-ups and hobby businesses on a tight budget |
| SME brand identity (lite) | £2,000–£6,000 | Growing local businesses ready to level up |
| Full brand system | £6,000–£15,000+ | Established SMEs and scale-ups |
| Website design and build | £3,000–£20,000+ | Depends on size, complexity, and integrations |
*These figures are based on a combination of publicly available UK branding and website pricing benchmarks, industry rate surveys, and Planet’s own experience delivering branding projects for SMEs across Berkshire, Wiltshire and the wider UK. Prices will always vary depending on scope, ambition and complexity, but these ranges offer a realistic guide for planning purposes.
What you would expect to get back
Tier 1 — Logo‑Only Branding (£200–£1,500)
This is usually the lowest‑cost way to get something visual in place. It typically includes:
- Logo design
- Basic colour palette
- A simple brand pack for use online and in print
This approach can absolutely work for start‑ups, side hustles, and early‑stage businesses that simply need something to get started. But keep in mind:
- It rarely includes strategy or positioning
- There’s often limited thinking around customer perception
- You may outgrow it fairly quickly
Tier 2 — SME Brand Identity Package (£2,000–£6,000)
This is where branding becomes genuinely powerful, and it’s where most of our SME clients sit. You’re not just paying for design work, you’re paying for thinking, guidance and consistency.
A typical SME brand identity project will include:
- Discovery session or workshop
- Clear understanding of your audience and positioning
- Logo and supporting identity system
- Typography and colour palettes
- Visual style for online and offline marketing
- Brand guidelines or toolkit
This level gives you a professional, consistent identity you can confidently apply across your website, social media, proposals, signage, vehicles, and everything in between.
Tier 3 — Full Brand System (£6,000–£15,000+)
This level is typically suited to established SMEs, multi‑location businesses or organisations who need deeper strategic clarity, and a brand that works across teams, channels and environments.
A full brand system usually includes:
- Brand strategy and positioning work
- Tone of voice and messaging framework
- Brand architecture (if you have multiple services or sub‑brands)
- Extensive design assets and templates
- A comprehensive brand playbook
Branding Costs: London vs Regional Agencies - What’s the Difference?
It’s a fair question, and one we’re often asked. We are a small agency based in Newbury. London agencies often charge more than we do, not necessarily because the work is better, but because their overheads are higher.
London agencies typically charge around 25–50% more than regional agencies (e.g. Berkshire, Wiltshire) for broadly comparable branding and web projects.
That’s an average uplift, not a rule, but it’s a useful planning number
Why Is There Such a Big Range in Pricing?
Branding is bespoke, and several factors influence the investment level:
- Depth of research and strategy
- Experience and expertise of your partner
- Number of concepts and iterations
- How many assets need creating
- Speed - urgent projects usually cost more
- Number of stakeholders involved
Common Small Business Branding Mistakes
We have been doing this for a while now, and these often come up:
- Choosing the cheapest option and redoing it later
- Jumping straight into design without strategy
- Not having brand guidelines
- Letting consistency slip as you grow
- Assuming ‘logo = brand’
What ROI Should a Small Business Expect from Branding?
Branding isn’t a cost, it’s an asset. Done well, it should help you:
- Win better work
- Charge appropriately for your value
- Look more professional and trustworthy
- Stand out against local competitors
- Market yourself more confidently
“We've worked with Planet for many years. Their creative ideas, responsiveness and understanding of our business makes them fantastic to work with and an integral part of our team.”
Rachael Barker - Fuel Cell Systems, Hungerford
Our honest view at Planet
We don’t believe in over-engineering branding, nor in under-thinking it.
Our role is to help you:
- understand what level of branding actually makes sense
- avoid spending money in the wrong places
- and build a brand you can use confidently, not just admire
Sometimes that means a simple identity to get you moving. Sometimes it means a deeper strategic reset. And sometimes it means telling you that you don’t need to do everything at once.
Design Packages
We offer a range of affordable design packages, or contact us to discuss your design project.
