Sounds like you
“Our logo was made in 2009 by my nephew and it shows.”
“The website looks like a template because it is one.”
“I have three vendors and none of their stuff matches.”
“We are starting something and want to look real from day one.”
At a glance
- Who it is for. Local businesses, co-ops, nonprofits, and companies tired of looking like a template.
- What you get. The name if you need one, the mark and the files, how the business sounds in writing, a website that loads fast and shows up in search, and the printed things that match.
- How long. Two to four weeks for an identity, six to eight for naming and a full brand. Four to eight weeks for a site once we have the words and photos.
- What it costs. Brand identity from $2,500. Naming and a full brand platform from $6,000. Websites from $6,000. Print and swag quoted per piece, you pay the printer directly.
The problem
Nobody trusts a business that looks thrown together.
People look you up before they call. If the logo is blurry, the site is a template, and the business card does not match either one, they move on to the next guy. When one person does all of it, it matches.
What you get
The whole brand, from one set of hands.
- Naming. When the business needs a name, or a better one. I renamed a 50-person agency from Go East to Thread.
- Identity. The mark, hand-drawn, not picked from a generator. Colors, type, and every file format your printer or web guy will ever ask for.
- Voice and tone. How the business sounds: the tagline, the words on the site, the email that goes out. Written so it reads like you on a good day, not like a brochure.
- Website. Fast, readable on a phone, written in plain language, and built so Google, Bing, and the AI assistants can find and quote it.
- Print and swag. Cards, banners, signage, shirts, the vehicle wrap. Designed to match and sent to printers I trust.
- Video and animation. A short homepage video or an animated explainer when the business needs it.
The track record
Twenty-five years, award-winning since 2000. I drew the U.S. Asset Appraisals mark by hand. The Phillips UV site I built at Olson earned a One Show Merit in 2002. Clients run from Target to a long list of small businesses. See the work itself.
How it works
Step 01
A 30-minute call
You tell me what you have and what is bugging you about it. I tell you whether it needs a refresh or a restart, and what that costs.
Step 02
The words first
We settle what the business says before anyone draws anything. Most people skip this and pay for it later.
Step 03
Two or three directions
You see real options, pick one, and we tighten it.
Step 04
Launch and hand over
You get every file, the site goes live and gets submitted to search, and you own all of it. No monthly fee to me.
Questions
How much does branding cost?
A brand identity starts at $2,500: the mark, the colors, the type, and the files you need for print and web. Naming plus a full brand platform, meaning the name, the identity, and how the business sounds in writing, starts at $6,000. A full kit with business cards, a banner, and a shirt usually lands between $4,500 and $7,500 on top of the identity.
How much does a small business website cost?
A small business website starts at $6,000. That covers the design, the writing help, the build, and getting it into Google and Bing. Bigger sites with online ordering or a members area are scoped separately. There is no monthly fee to me after it launches.
Do you do the printing and the swag?
I design it and I get it printed through people I have used for years. You pay the printer directly, so there is no markup hiding in my invoice.
Will my website show up in Google and in AI answers?
Yes. Every site I build is written in plain language, carries the structured data search engines and AI assistants read, and gets submitted to Google and Bing the day it goes live. I run the same program on my own sites.
Do I need a brand or just a logo?
Usually the brand. A logo is a picture. A brand is the name, the picture, and the way the business talks, all pointing the same direction. If customers cannot say in one sentence what you do and why you are different, a new logo will not fix that.
Can you fix the brand we already have instead of starting over?
Yes, and most of the time that is what I recommend. A refresh keeps what your customers already recognize and cleans up the rest. I will tell you on the first call which one you need.
Do you work with nonprofits and co-ops?
Yes. There is a rate for nonprofits, co-ops, and arts groups. Ask.
How long does it take?
An identity takes two to four weeks, naming and a full brand six to eight. A website takes four to eight weeks once we have the content. The slow part is always the words and the photos, so we start there.
Who does the work?
I do. Hand-drawn marks, the site build, the writing help. If a job needs a photographer or a video crew, I bring in people I know and you meet them.
Before you hire this, people ask
- 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.
- How can a nonprofit afford branding or a new website?Start smaller than you think, spread the cost, and ask about sliding scales. A one-page website is $1,500 with me, a tune-up of the mark you have is $1,200, anything over $3,000 can be paid by the month with no interest, and nonprofits, co-ops, and arts groups can ask for my sliding scale. Up to two groups a quarter get the work for nothing.
- How much does a brand refresh cost?A brand refresh with me runs from $1,200 for a tune-up of the mark you have, to $2,500 and up for a refreshed identity, to $6,000 and up for naming and a full brand. The website is usually part of it, from $1,500 to $3,000 to fix the site you have or from $6,000 for a new one. Most businesses need two of those pieces, not all of them.
- How much does a logo cost in Minneapolis?In Minneapolis a logo from an experienced independent designer runs $2,500 to $6,000, agencies start around $15,000, and the $99 online version costs you more later. My brand identity work starts at $2,500 and includes the mark, the files, the colors, the type, and a one-page guide so the sign shop and the web person get it right.
- How much does a small business website cost?A small business website from a designer who does this for a living runs $6,000 to $15,000. Template sites are $500 to $2,000 and look like it. Agencies start around $25,000. A one-page site with me is $1,500, and full sites start at $6,000, which covers design, help with the writing, the build, the phone number where people look for it, and the setup that helps Google and the AI assistants find you.
- Should I get my marketing campaign reviewed before launch?Yes, if real money is about to go behind it. An hour with someone outside the team catches the unclear offer, the broken link, the wrong audience, and the line that reads differently than you meant, while fixing them is still free. With me a campaign review is $150 an hour, and I can also join the team that makes it.
- Should I refresh my logo or start over?Refresh if customers recognize it. Start over if they do not, or if the business has changed. Most businesses should refresh, because a rebrand throws away recognition you spent years building, and it only pays off when what you are recognized for is wrong.
- What does rebranding mean, and when should I rebrand?Rebranding means changing how people recognize your business: the identity, often the voice, and sometimes the name. A business should rebrand when what it does, who it serves, or who owns it has changed enough that the old brand points customers the wrong way. With me, identity starts at $2,500 and naming and a full brand start at $6,000.
Send me what you have now. I will tell you what I would keep.
Bring the old mark, the site, and whatever bugs you about them. Thirty minutes, free.