Is a freelance designer cheaper than a branding studio?

Usually, for the same thinking, because there is less overhead. The difference is how many people can work on it at once.

Can an independent designer handle naming too?

An experienced one can. Ask to see names they have made that are still in use.

Will a studio or a freelancer give me the source files?

Either should. Put it in the contract: you own the files, the rights, and the guide when the last invoice is paid.

How do I know if my branding job is too big for one person?

Count the pieces that have to be done at the same time. If it is more than one person could do in a few months, you need a team.

Can you work alongside our studio or in-house designer?

Yes. I can take the naming and voice and hand the identity to your designer, or the other way around.

Freelancer or studio for my branding?

Hire an independent when you want the person who pitched the work to do the work, and the job is naming, identity, and voice for one business. Hire a studio when you need a large rollout across many locations, many products, or a deadline that needs several people at once. With me, identity starts at $2,500 and naming and a full brand at $6,000.

For most small and mid-sized businesses, an experienced independent is the better deal for branding. A studio is worth it when the rollout is bigger than one person can carry. I have worked both sides: I was a partner at a studio, Catalyst Studios, and I run my own practice now.

Should I hire a freelancer or a studio for branding?

How they compare:

Independent designer. You talk to the person who does the work, every time. Lower overhead, so a lower price for the same thinking. Limited by one person's hours.
Studio. A team with a creative director, designers, a writer, and a project manager. More hands for big rollouts. You pay for the bench and the office, and the person who sold you may not be the person who draws.
Online contest or template site. Cheap and fast. You get a mark with no thinking about the name, the voice, or who the customer is, and it usually costs more later when it has to be redone.

When is an independent the better choice?

When the job is one brand for one business. Naming, identity, voice, and a website are a lot of work, and one experienced person can carry all of it. My prices for those pieces: identity from $2,500, naming and full brand from $6,000, website from $6,000. What a brand refresh costs lays out every piece.

The risk with an independent is a thin bench. If they get sick or overbooked, the job waits. Ask who backs them up.

When is a studio worth the money?

Many locations or many products. Forty store signs, a packaging line, and a trade show booth in the same quarter.
A hard launch date with a lot of pieces. When several designers have to work at once.
A board that wants a name on the invoice. Some buyers need the studio's name for their own cover. Fair enough. You are paying for it.

What should I ask either one?

Who does the actual work, and can I meet them?
What do I own at the end? The answer should be everything: the files, the rights, the guide.
What happens to the name, the voice, and the website? If the answer is "that is a different project," you are buying a mark and not a brand.
What is the price, and what is not included?
Can I see something you made that is still in use?

If you are only pricing the mark, what a logo costs covers that case.

What should I not do?

Do not hire a studio for the mark and then a freelancer to finish the website because the studio money ran out. The brand breaks at the hand-off. Pick one person or one team and let them carry it to the end.

The branding page has what I include. If you want to know whether your job needs a studio, ask on the start form. When it does, I will say so.

Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.