Brand For Sale: Designed in its entirety. Seeking loving owner.

Designing a fully-developed corporate identity, only without a product.

Two weeks before Christmas I was approached to design a logo for a new startup. 2020 was obviously tough for everyone, and as a freelance brand designer I’ve certainly felt the pinch. So I was over the moon when a serious client, with actual money to spend gave me the go ahead to bring their brand to life.

My pricing structure has been thrown out of the window this year, and I agreed to do the job at a quarter of my usual rate. Beggars can’t be choosers. But after I presented my first round of designs to the customer, they didn’t like them.

Instead of providing feedback for another round of amends, the client did something that has never happened to me before. They cancelled the job.

I had committed a considerable number of hours to this project, and to have the rug pulled out from under me with no payment was pretty unnerving. I had forgone any deposit to get this project over the line, and now I had spent time away from my family over the Christmas period, for zero money.

Time for a new approach.

Having my work undervalued is nothing new. Ask yourself, how much does a logo cost?

It’s a tough one. I can tell you now that 50% of my job involves answering this question. And my response is different every time. If my quote is too high the client might run a mile, and if I drop my prices to accommodate, doubt and distrust starts to creep in.

Mostly, I’ll try to feel out a budget before committing too much time to pitching. And usually I’ll receive an answer along the lines of, “We can commit a maximum of £150 to this project.” As someone with more than 10 years of experience, sometimes it’s hard not to be a little offended.

So instead of clients coming to me, asking me to fulfil a brief, I’ve decided to try a change of tack and work the other way around.

Designing a brand without a client. Then selling it.

You can buy logos off the shelf. It’s nothing new. Many sites are dedicated to providing…