To work out how much to charge for a logo, multiply the hours it really takes by your hourly rate, add direct costs like fonts and mockups, then divide by (1 − your margin). At 24 hours, $40 an hour, $40 in costs and a 20% margin, that's $1,250.

You won't find a "market rate" table here. Logo prices published online vary so much depending on who's selling that they can't tell you whether a price works for you. What you can control is your own rate and an honest count of your hours.

Hourly, flat fee or value-based: which should you use?

  • Hourly is the easiest to calculate but the hardest to sell. Clients worry the clock won't stop.
  • Flat project fee is what most clients expect for a logo. You still calculate it from hours, you just don't show the meter.
  • Value-based pricing charges more when the logo will be used widely, for example across several locations, vehicles and packaging. It works best once you have a portfolio and a clear process.

The method below gives you a flat fee built on hours, which is a solid floor. You can always add a premium for larger clients on top of it.

How do you work out your hourly rate?

Hourly rate = (the salary you want + business expenses) ÷ billable hours per month

Business expenses include design software, internet, your phone, courses and what you set aside to replace your computer. Billable hours are fewer than the hours you work, because emails, proposals and invoicing take time too.

Example: you want to earn $3,000 a month, your expenses are $600 and you can bill about 90 hours. ($3,000 + $600) ÷ 90 = $40 an hour.

We walk through the same calculation for another service in how much to charge for social media management.

Price everything you sell with confidence The ebook Charge What You're Worth (USD 9.90) includes the full formula, an Excel calculator and ready-made replies for when a client says it's too expensive.

How many hours does a logo take?

Track your real hours on the next few projects. For a logo with three concepts, two revision rounds and final files, the example breaks down like this:

  • Discovery call and brief: 3 hours
  • Research and moodboard: 3 hours
  • Sketches and concepts: 8 hours
  • Refining the chosen concept: 4 hours
  • Two revision rounds: 3 hours
  • Variations, file export and a one-page usage sheet: 3 hours

Total: 24 hours.

What formula tells you how much to charge for a logo?

Price = (hours × rate + direct costs) ÷ (1 − margin)

Dividing by (1 − margin) makes the margin a share of the final price, the same way it works in how to calculate a selling price. With the example numbers:

  • Labor: 24 hours × $40 = $960
  • Direct costs (a commercial font license and mockups): $40
  • Total cost: $1,000
  • Price at a 20% margin: $1,000 ÷ 0.80 = $1,250

Your salary is already in the hourly rate, so the margin is business profit: it covers projects that run long, slow months and what you reinvest. Precio Justo does this math for free if you'd rather not do it by hand.

Three logo packages you can offer

Clients choose more easily between three clear options than they accept an hourly rate. Using the same $40 rate and formula:

  • Starter logo: one concept, one revision round, final files. 12 hours + $15 in costs = $495 ÷ 0.80 = $618.75, rounded to $620.
  • Standard logo: the example above. $1,250.
  • Brand identity: the standard logo plus palette, fonts, business card and social templates. 40 hours + $60 = $1,660 ÷ 0.80 = $2,075, rounded to $2,100.

List what each package includes and what it doesn't, so an extra concept is clearly an extra.

What should raise your logo price?

  • Extra revision rounds beyond what you agreed. Bill them hourly.
  • Rush timelines. Set a rush fee in advance for when you have to move other work.
  • Scope of use. A logo for one Instagram shop and a logo for a multi-location business carry different stakes and more testing.
  • Extra deliverables like brand guidelines, stationery, an animated logo or packaging.

If the client doesn't know yet what they sell or to whom, strategy may need to come first. More on that in why your logo isn't the first step.

How should you send the price?

Put it in writing with what's included, how long the price is valid and the payment terms. A bare number in a chat invites haggling; a clear proposal with three options invites a choice. See the graphic design quote template for a full, priced example.

Common logo pricing mistakes

  • Copying another designer's price without knowing their hours or costs.
  • Billing only screen time and giving away calls, messages and revisions.
  • Sending source files before the final payment.
  • Not capping revisions.
  • Keeping the same rate for years. See how to raise prices without losing clients.

Frequently asked questions

A flat project fee is easier for clients to accept, but calculate it from your hours and rate so you know it covers your time. Keep an hourly rate for extra revisions.

Use the same formula with your real rate and hours. You'll probably take longer at first, so track your time and adjust after a few projects.

Decide before you start and put it in the quote. One simple setup is delivering final vector and PNG files once the final payment clears.

Yes. Asking for part of the fee up front, for example half, protects you if the project stalls. Put it in writing before you start sketching.

Wrapping up

Your logo price should come from your real hours, your rate, your costs and your margin, not from what someone else charges. Do the math once, build your packages and reuse them.

Next step: work out your rate for free in Precio Justo, and to hold that price when a client pushes back, read Charge What You're Worth.