The TLDR
Hiring a brand designer is the right move, but only at the right time. Before you invest anywhere from $2K to $50K, you need your business foundation in place: your audience, your offer, and the problem you solve. Hire too early and you'll end up with a beautiful brand that doesn't fit your business six months later.
Dive in to learn exactly what to have ready before you make the call and what to look for when you do.
At some point in building your business, you pieced together a brand. Maybe you found a font you liked, picked some colors that felt right, and called it done. It got you started but now you're here, which means you know it's not working the way it should.
Hiring a brand designer is one of the most impactful investments you can make. But hire too early, before your business foundation is solid, and you'll end up with a beautiful brand that doesn't fit your business six months later. Hire at the right time, with the right preparation, and the results are transformative.
Here's what you need to have in place before you make that call.
What is a brand designer?
Before we get into how a brand designer can support your business and how to find the right one, we need to define what a brand designer is.
A branding designer is an expert on building a cohesive and recognizable brand or visual identity for a company or product. They dive into your brand colors, archetypes, brand stories, typography, and more. These professionals deeply understand how design works and affects buyers, they strategically create visuals, and help you define an impactful brand identity for your business so that you can make more sales and deepen connections with your ideal client.
If you're wondering what the difference is between a graphic designer and brand designer, check out this article!
What a branding designer does
In simple terms, brand designers blend art and science to create a cohesive, unique, and recognizable visual identity for your brand in a way that speaks to your target audience. Brand designers (also known as personal branding specialists or corporate identity designers) assess and accurately reflect your brand's mission, story, and vision. They not only build identities for businesses but also provide guidelines and strategies for rebranding.
Why you should hire a brand designer
If you want to be known as the life coach for visionaries or the massage therapist for cyclists or the business coach for creatives—you must create a strong brand identity that resonates with your audience and aligns with who you are and what your business does. This helps you stand out in a saturated industry (i.e., copywriting, health and wellness, online coaching, podcasting).
There are many benefits to working with a brand design expert, and here are a few:
Stop feeling paralyzed, unsure what your brand should be
Attract the right clients
Increase your impact
Create a consistent and cohesive brand
Get your time back, so you can focus on doing more of what you love
Build credibility and familiarity online
What to do before hiring a brand designer
Before hiring a brand designer, you need your business foundation in place.
Your business foundation is made up of your offers, your target audience, and the problem you solve.
Small business owners tend to invest in their logo design first—without realizing the strategy is the most important part. (With a strong strategy before designing visuals, your "branding" is more likely to yield better results for your business.)
What happens if you jump into hiring a logo designer, graphic or branding designer too early?
You may end up with a logo and website design that are quickly out-of-date or unaligned.
However, if you take the time to understand and let your business take shape over those first couple years, you'll get even better results from working with a brand designer! (The first year, I've found, is mostly experimentation for us small business owners.)
Consider these your brand designer insider tips! Whenever you show up to a consultation call with the following tips in mind, the designer on the other side of the screen is going to love you!
Tip #1: Show up prepared.
By the time you're ready to hire a brand designer, you should have a strong sense of, your business foundation and a clear vision of what you want your impact to be.
Tip #2: Collaboration is the name of the game.
As a Holistic Brand Designer, I have a pretty good eye for distilling your style during our first call. However, I love when clients collaborate throughout the process! We often get the best results when you’re right there in the process with me. That means sharing all your insights, ideas, big business dreams and honest feedback.
You should also know these things before hiring a designer...
Create your brand identity before any marketing graphics.
If you're thinking of working with a brand designer and a graphic designer, you need to hire your brand designer first. As we discussed above, a brand designer will create your, Brand Blueprint and that will be used to create any visuals moving forward (your website design, your social media templates, etc).
(Psst! Some brand designers offer both strategy and graphic design at once - You're in luck, because that’s exactly what I do. Read more about me here!)
Questions to ask your brand designer
Before you go into a consultation call with a designer or even send off that initial inquiry, compile a list of questions to ask. It'll help ensure you hire the best brand designer for your business!
Start with these questions:
What's included in your brand design services? (and why)
What is your approach to branding?
How are you different from other brand designers and agencies?
Could you walk me through your design process?
What is your turnaround time for projects?
Do you offer payment plans?
In keeping with the theme of what to know before you hire a brand designer...
You should be prepared to answer questions like:
Who is your ideal client?
Tell me why you’re looking for a professional brand designer.
What has to have happened in 3 months for your brand to be a dream come true for you?
What do you believe in?
What’s your timeline?
Walk me through your client experience process - what does that look like?
Having answers (even if they're still mumbly jumbly) is something you should have in mind before reaching out to a brand designer.
What to look for when hiring a brand designer
Asking the right questions is only half of it. Here's what the answers should tell you and what to watch for before you sign anything.
They lead with strategy, not aesthetics. A strong brand designer asks about your audience, your positioning, and your business goals before they touch a single visual. If the first thing they show you is a mood board, that's a red flag. Design without strategy is just decoration.
Their portfolio shows range within a point of view. You want to see work that looks different across clients, different industries, different personalities, but still feels considered and intentional. A portfolio that looks like one brand repeated over and over means they're designing to their own taste, not yours.
They have a defined process. The best brand designers can walk you through exactly what happens from first call to final deliverable: discovery, strategy, concept, refinement, delivery. Vague answers like "it depends" or "we figure it out together" are signs of an unclear process that will cost you time and money.
They push back when something isn't right. A great designer isn't just executing your vision, they're bringing expertise to it. If a designer agrees with everything you say without any pushback or perspective, they're not doing their job. You want someone who will tell you when your instinct is off and explain why.
They deliver guidelines, not just files. Your brand doesn't live in one document, it shows up across your website, your social profiles, your proposals, your emails. A brand designer who only delivers logo files without usage guidelines is leaving you without the tools to keep your brand consistent after the project ends.
You can picture working with them for several months. Brand design is a collaborative process that takes time. You'll share business details you don't share publicly, give and receive feedback on work that feels personal, and make decisions together that affect how your business shows up in the world. Chemistry and communication style matter as much as the work in the portfolio.
How much does a brand designer cost?
If you're looking for simple brand visuals like a logo, a simple logo off of Fiverr can be anywhere from $50-$300. However, if the designer is creating a logo simply based on aesthetics, in 6 months you'll find yourself spending another $50-$300 to create a new logo—repeating the process all over again. (And making the investment feel like a waste.)
...keep in mind how much it could be costing you to not have a cohesive and compelling brand strategy in place.
How many clients haven't reached out simply because you didn't look credible or professional?
How many projects have you missed because your high-touch client experience wasn't reflected in your identity?
How many times could having a solid brand base have helped you make a sale?
We're dreaming bigger over here! These are the price ranges you can expect to see from holistic brand designers…
Big brand design agencies charge anywhere from $10,000–50,000+, depending on the project. These typically involve multiple employees working on your brand while they also work on additional projects at the same time and can take anywhere from 6 months to 1+ years until delivery.
Freelance brand designers can charge anywhere from $2K to $8K, however, everyone has different processes, years of experience and specific practices.
Is it better to work with a freelance brand designer or a branding agency?
Here are some things to expect when working with a freelance brand designer vs. a branding agency.
Working with a branding agency:
They can offer additional professional services like app development, social media content, and even target multiple industries – from SaaS to dentistry.
They are likely to have 4+ people working on your project – from a project manager to a creative director. (Talk about many cooks in the kitchen!)
Working with a freelance brand designer:
A focused project where you’re working one-on-one with the brand expert. (Sometimes brand designers also have a network of other experts - copywriters, developers, etc. - who can be brought into the project if necessary.)
Typically more affordable than big agencies with faster timelines.
Interested in working together? Get in touch!
Where to find brand designers
Finding the perfect brand designer doesn't have to feel like fishing out your engagement ring from the bread you're kneading.
These are your best-bet strategic places to find your brand design partner:
Online
Ah, yes, the internet. You might just want to take to Google immediately and search things like "brand design services" or "hire brand designer for rebrand."
My #1 tip here is to take a peek at their portfolio and read more about their experience. You'll want to see examples of their work and determine if their focus aligns with your business.
You'll also want to be on the lookout for reviews and testimonials from past clients. Pay attention to immediate wins and how the new brand has changed their business.
On social media
Social media can be an overwhelming place to be but sometimes you can find great experts. To look for a brand designer on these platforms, try searching based on your industry (+ brand designer), check out their work and content.
When searching for a brand designer on platforms like Instagram or TikTok, check out their visuals.
Are you able to get a sense of their personality and the client experience they provide?
Referrals from your network
A recommendation from another trusted business owner can save you so much time! Referral marketing is like apple pie—it's classic and never going out of style.)
Ask around in online communities, networks, and groups you're a part of. And if any recommendations overlap, that’s a good sign!
Being referred to a brand designer imparts a sense of immediate trust and credibility. It suggests a positive experience and happy clients.
How to choose a brand designer
Finding and selecting the best designer for your business takes some investigating. (I know! That is not what small business owners want to hear! But it's true.)
There are a variety of factors I notice clients weighing when they're in the process of hiring a designer.
Some business owners prefer to work with brand designers based near them so they can collaborate in-person. However, thanks to technology, that's not a requirement to have fantastic results in your branding. (In fact, I’m currently based in the U.S., however I work with many businesses in Australia, for example.)
You’ll likely want to hire a brand designer who works with people and businesses like yours. (Think: similar industries, values, etc.)
Below I share more about clients who enjoy partnering with me!
Here are some tips for hiring a brand designer for your business:
Make sure to note their values and experiences
Review their client case studies and results they have brought to previous clients
Submit an inquiry and book a call with the designer to make sure you’re a mutual good fit
Get to know their process: how long it takes, what it entails, and why it is the way it is.
Not ready to hire a designer yet, but ready to stop guessing?
Most founders who hire a brand designer too early end up back at square one within a year. Not because the designer did bad work, but because the foundation wasn't there yet. Before You Design Anything gives you that foundation: the strategic work that makes every visual decision feel right, whether you eventually hire someone or do it yourself. Start with Before You Design Anything →
Q&As
Brand Designer vs. Graphic Designer: What's the difference?
Brand designers focus on your brand's overall visual identity with strategy in mind, while graphic designers might focus more on specific pieces without the strategic foundation. More in this blog post.
Why hire a brand designer?
A brand designer does more than make things look good, they build a visual identity that strategically reflects your business, attracts the right clients, and holds up over time. The difference between a logo that costs you $50 and one that costs $2K isn't just aesthetics. It's the thinking behind it.
How much will it cost?
A logo from Fiverr runs $50–300. A freelance brand designer typically charges $2K–8K. A full agency can run $10K–50K+. The real question isn't cost, it's timing. Hiring before your business foundation is solid means you'll likely need to redo it. Get the strategy right first.