Logo Design and Brand Identity: What Drives the Price

The price of a logo depends mostly on scope: a logo alone, a full brand identity or a brand manual as well, how many concepts and revision rounds are included, and where the brand has to work from day one. A proper project ends with files for web and print, colours for screen and paper, usage rules and a written licence. Rights are the biggest open question with online and AI tools.

Summary

• A logo is the mark, a brand identity is the system around it (colours, type, graphic elements), a brand manual is the rulebook.
• Price depends on scope, research, concepts and revision rounds, applications (business cards, templates) and the licence.
• Good deliverables: vector files (SVG, PDF), PNG, colours in RGB, CMYK and Pantone, source files.
• A purely AI-generated logo may not be unique, and its copyright protection is uncertain.
• Trade mark filing costs €170 for up to three classes at ÚPV SR (€120 if filed online), or from €850 EU-wide at EUIPO.

What is the difference between a logo, a brand identity and a brand manual?

A logo is the mark people recognise you by: a symbol, custom lettering or both.

A brand identity (visual identity, often just called branding) is the system the logo sits in: colours, typefaces, graphic elements, photo style, and how they work together on your website, invoices and shop sign.

A brand manual sets the rules: clear space, minimum size, exact colour codes, allowed and banned changes. It pays off once several people handle the brand: your team, printer, signwriter and next agency.

A single-site café can get by with a logo, two colours and a page of rules. A business with branches, vehicles and an online shop soon ends up with five shades of "the same" colour without a manual.

What should a professional logo project deliver?

At handover you should have:

• Vector SVG and PDF files. SVG can be rendered at any size without loss of quality, from a website icon to a billboard.
• PNG files for everyday use, since PNG handles transparent backgrounds.
• Logo versions: full colour, black and white, reversed for dark backgrounds, and, if needed, a simplified version for small sizes, such as a profile picture.
• Colours in three systems: RGB (and HEX) for screens, CMYK for standard print, Pantone for an exact shade.
• Usage rules, at least in short form.
• Source files and a written licence with a clear scope.

Why does print versus screen matter?

Screens build colour from light (RGB); print builds it from ink on paper (CMYK). Adobe's rule of thumb: RGB for digital media, CMYK for print.

Pantone is a spot colour mixed to an exact ink formula. For CMYK, Pantone gives only the closest matches, with separate guides for coated and uncoated paper. If colour is central to your brand, choose it from a printed swatch book, not your monitor.

What drives the price of a logo and brand identity?

When two logo quotes differ wildly, they rarely cover the same work. Compare:

• Scope. Logo only, full identity, or a manual too. A new brand, or a rebrand where you first work out what is worth keeping.
• Research. Your business, competitors and customers. More preparation means more hours but fewer dead ends.
• Concepts and revision rounds. Agreed in writing before work starts.
• Applications. Custom business cards, letterheads, social media templates, vehicle wraps, signage. Each is separate work.
• Rights. Licence scope (territory, term, exclusivity) and any paid fonts or photos the design needs.
• Deadline. A rush job means moving other work.

Printing should be quoted separately. If you're pricing a brand identity, ask for a quote itemised by exactly these points.

Is an AI logo generator or online logo maker enough?

For exploring a direction, yes: in minutes you see whether you lean towards a symbol or lettering, and those sketches make briefing a designer easier. For a logo you will use for years, these tools have four weak spots:

• Uniqueness. OpenAI's terms state that output may not be unique and other users may receive similar output.
• Copyright. Under the Slovak Copyright Act, a work is the unique result of an author's creative intellectual activity, and the author is a natural person (sections 3 and 13). A 2024 Council of the EU summary found a clear understanding among member states that purely AI-generated works cannot be protected by copyright, with protection possible only where human input was significant. The US Copyright Office concluded that prompts alone do not give users enough control to be the authors of the output. In October 2023, the Municipal Court in Prague ruled that an AI tool cannot be an author.
• Templates. Canva's content licence prohibits using its content as part of a trade mark or business name, fonts excepted. A logo built from library icons and templates can run into those terms when you try to protect it.
• Format. OpenAI's Image API, for example, returns PNG, JPEG or WebP: pixels, not vectors. For print and large formats, the logo has to be redrawn.

In practice: use AI for sketches, and have a person design the final logo, in vector, with a written licence.

Who owns the logo, and what belongs in the contract?

In Slovakia, copyright arises automatically, with no registration, once a work is objectively expressed (section 16). But an author's economic rights cannot be transferred (section 20), so you buy a licence, not "the copyright".

For a commissioned logo, the Act presumes consent to use it for the purpose set by the contract. Unless agreed otherwise, the designer may use the work or license it to others, provided this does not conflict with your legitimate interests (section 91). If the contract sets no scope and none follows from its purpose, the licence is limited to Slovakia and to one year at most (sections 67 and 68).

The contract should cover:

• an exclusive licence, which must be in writing (section 65),
• territory and term, ideally unlimited,
• consent to modify the logo and register it as a trade mark,
• a list of handed-over files, including source files.

This is a general overview, not legal advice. If your business rests on the brand, have a lawyer review the contract.

How do you register a logo as a trade mark?

A trade mark protects a sign for specific goods and services. It can be a drawing or letters, provided it can distinguish your goods or services from others.

• Check availability before choosing the final design. TMview searches marks from EU national offices and EUIPO free of charge.
• Slovakia: Industrial Property Office (ÚPV SR). An individual mark covering up to three classes costs €170, plus €50 per further class. Filing electronically halves the fee under the Administrative Fees Act, with the reduction capped at €50 (section 6). Publication opens a three-month opposition period, and registration lasts ten years from filing, renewable.
• Whole EU: EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The online fee is €850 for the first class, €50 for the second and €150 for each further class, valid for 10 years. EUIPO notes that a national mark can be sufficient if you do business in one country. If you trade in several EU countries, consider an EU trade mark.

The EU SME Fund reimburses part of these fees for small and mid-sized EU businesses, but its trade mark and design vouchers for 2026 ran out in April.

After filing, watch for misleading payment requests from private firms made to look official. EUIPO never sends invoices or letters requesting direct payment.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a logo cost?

It depends on scope: logo only, full identity or a manual too, concepts and revision rounds, applications and licence scope. Ask for a written, itemised quote with printing listed separately.

Does a small business need a brand manual?

Not always. If only you and a printer use the brand, one page with logo versions, colours and typefaces will do. A full manual pays off once several people and suppliers use the brand.

Can I register a logo from an AI generator as a trade mark?

Trade marks and copyright are separate: ÚPV SR examines an application under the Trade Marks Act, for example whether the sign can distinguish your goods and services. The bigger risk is that an AI logo may not be unique, so check TMview first.

Does a Slovak trade mark also protect me in Czechia?

No. According to EUIPO, a national mark gives you rights only in that country. If you also sell in Czechia or Austria, consider an EU trade mark.

Not sure whether you need a new logo, a full identity or just more consistent visuals? Request a free marketing diagnostic or see how we approach graphic design.