How much does branding cost?
By David Herskowitz, Founder and Creative Director
Identity and websites from $15,000. Strategy, identity, and a website from $30,000. Fixed fee. Splash Creative, Englewood, NJ, for NYC and North Jersey.
Brand identity at Splash Creative starts at $15,000, a website starts at $15,000, and brand strategy with identity and a website starts at $30,000. Project work is a fixed scope and a fixed fee, agreed in writing before it begins, and there is no hourly billing on project work. The studio is in Englewood, New Jersey, works with companies in New York City and North Jersey, and has no New York City office.
What drives the cost
Those three figures are starting points. The fee is higher when more of the business still has to be decided, when the identity has to cover more surfaces, or when the website has to do more.
How much still has to be decided
A focused identity fits a company that already knows who it is for. Full brand strategy and identity is the work when positioning, audience priorities, and messaging still need to be settled before design starts. Brand strategy is part of the scope when those decisions are open, and the proposal says so.
How far the identity has to reach
One offer, with a logo, color, type, and guidelines, is a smaller job than several lines of business, more than one audience, and a long list of applications. Copywriting is included when the proposal names it.
What the website has to do
Page count, the content you already have, integrations, and the platform change the build. A marketing site and a store are different projects. Shopify builds are scoped on their own, and the fee is in the proposal.
Who does the work
Ask who will design the brand after kickoff, by name. Splash is founder-led. David Herskowitz, founder and creative director, contributes to scoping and creative direction as the engagement requires, alongside a senior team.
Other studios price their own work. A freelance logo, a small studio, and a large consultancy are different jobs. This page does not quote their fees.
What is included at each level
The proposal lists the deliverables, the schedule, and the fee. What follows is what that kind of engagement can include, not a bundle you receive at the starting price.
| Engagement | Starts at |
|---|---|
| Brand identity | $15,000 |
| Website | $15,000 |
| Brand strategy, identity, and website | $30,000 |
Brand identity, from $15,000
A visual identity engagement can include a logo system, color, typography, art direction, and brand guidelines, plus the templates or applications the proposal names.
Website, from $15,000
A website engagement can include page structure, custom design, development, the integrations you agree, search foundations, testing, and handoff. The platform, including WordPress, follows the brief. The schedule is agreed in the proposal with the fee.
Brand strategy, identity, and website, from $30,000
This is the combined engagement. Positioning and messaging, the identity, and the website are considered together, so the site is built from the same decisions as the brand. The proposal says what is in the fee, and the schedule is agreed with it.
Full brand strategy and identity
When the work is strategy and identity, and a website is not in that engagement, the fee is set in the proposal rather than taken from the table above.
How long branding takes
- Focused identity: 4 to 6 weeks.
- Full brand strategy and identity: 8 to 12 weeks.
- A website, or brand strategy with identity and a website: the schedule is agreed in the proposal, with the fee.
Timing also depends on the scope, content readiness, approvals, and your team's availability. How we work describes the sequence of an engagement.
How to budget
Name the job first. Identity and a website each start at $15,000. Strategy, identity, and a website together start at $30,000. Then describe the audiences, the applications, and what the site has to do. The proposal turns that into one fee.
Share a working budget if you have one. It helps the team recommend a scope that fits. If you are still setting the number, describe the business need. The pricing page is how Splash talks about scope before a proposal exists.
Before you sign, the fee should name the deliverables, the revision rounds, and what would change the price. Project work is fixed scope, fixed fee, agreed in writing. If the work changes, the effect on timing and cost is discussed before that work starts.
- Is copywriting in this fee, or outside it?
- Who does the work after kickoff, by name?
- Is this a fixed fee?
- What changes the fee?
- What arrives at handoff: guidelines, working files, or both?
Contact the studio with the brief, the timing, and any budget you already have.
When a smaller budget makes sense
A smaller budget fits a smaller job. It does not buy the combined engagement for less.
- The identity is already working and you need a website, or the site is working and you need an identity. Each of those starts at $15,000.
- You need a focused identity, not strategy and a website in the same engagement.
- The offer is still changing. Limit the applications in the brief so you are not paying to lock decisions you will redo.
- Parts of the brand no longer fit, and the rest does. A rebrand can be scoped to that. The fee is in the proposal.
If the scope you want starts above the budget you can commit, reduce the scope before kickoff, or wait. The proposal should describe the job you are actually buying.
Frequently asked questions
How much does branding cost at Splash Creative?
Brand identity starts at $15,000. A website starts at $15,000. Brand strategy, identity, and a website together start at $30,000. The proposal states the fee for the scope you agree to. Project work is a fixed scope and a fixed fee, agreed in writing.
What is included in a brand identity?
A brand identity engagement can include a logo system, color, typography, art direction, and brand guidelines, plus the templates or applications named in the proposal. A focused identity takes 4 to 6 weeks. The proposal lists what that fee covers.
How much does a website cost?
Websites start at $15,000. Content, functionality, and integrations change the fee. The schedule is agreed in the proposal with the fee.
Is project work billed hourly?
No. Project work is a fixed scope and a fixed fee, agreed in writing before work begins. There is no hourly billing on project work. If the scope changes, the effect on timing and cost is discussed before the extra work starts.
How long does branding take?
A focused identity takes 4 to 6 weeks. Full brand strategy and identity takes 8 to 12 weeks. A website, or brand strategy with identity and a website, is scheduled in the proposal with the fee.
Does Splash Creative have a New York City office?
No. Splash Creative is in Englewood, New Jersey. There is no New York City office. The studio works with companies in New York City and North Jersey from Englewood.