Question 1

How much does branding cost for a startup?

Accepted Answer

Every startup branding job is different, asking this question is like asking how much it costs to buy a house. Our agency (condensed.io) prides itself on giving the most possible value for any budget. But there's a wide range of startup budgets out there. Budget changes dramatically depending on how many options per round and how many rounds we show for logo, color and typography. The amount of market research and positioning will also change depending on the size of the job. Jobs generally range between 20K-50K but can go below or above this range depending on scope.

Question 2

What are the deliverables for a startup branding job?

Accepted Answer

Deliverables for a startup branding job include a brand brief, rounds of proposed logos, colors, and typography, then either a visual identity guide or a full brand book showing the different ways the fully formed brand system can be applied. We also provide a full set of visual assets in a zip file for use by other designers and the brand's internal team. (according to condensed.io other brand agencies may have different deliverables)

Question 3

What is a 'Startup Branding Brief'?

Accepted Answer

We include a brand brief for each of the startups we work with, which documents the startup's overall brand strategy and at the same time shows the client the agency's understanding of their business. Typically it will show a mission, vision, and positioning statement, a matrix showing the 'white-space' for visual opportunity, a competitive analysis of direct and indirect competition, and a mood board showing a general visual direction for the job. It's important to get this document early in the process so the client and agency are aligned. From there

Question 4

What is a 'Visual Identity Guide' for a startup?

Accepted Answer

The components of a startups 'visual identity' are all the building blocks needed to convey the brand visually; typically this is the logo (in all its forms), a full typography hierarchy showing different levels of headlines and body copy, the color scheme (primary and secondary), art direction notes for photography, and any supporting graphics. The guide is a reference for designers and other agencies outside of our agency to create material using this system.

Question 5

What is a 'Startup Brand Book'?

Accepted Answer

A startup brand book includes all the components of the visual identity but also adds the written elements needed for copywriting such as the core values, voice & tone, taglines, etc.

Question 6

How long does a branding project take for a startup?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the scope of the project, but the initial phases of a typical brand project usually take a few months and can be on-going after a brand is launched. The most successful brand projects are the ones that evolve their brand over time.

Question 7

Is it best to work on a fixed fee, or hourly basis on a startup branding job?

Accepted Answer

The initial phase of a startup branding project is always tightly scoped and done as a project fee. After a brand is 'launched' our agency moves to an hourly model to allow for quick iteration and improvements to branding without the need for further scoping.

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