Pricing Question - Logo

I am not too positive if I should post this question here since it is not a pricing question for a website, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I'm currently in talks with a company that needs two logos created. They are one business but have two divisions that they want to have their own identity.

They will be looking for a website in the future but for now they need a logo. All they asked of me was for my pricing. The logos will be simple, pretty much the same with a few changes here and there to seperate the two.

I'm thinking $40 an hour but I'm not too comfortable charging by the hour for a freelance job when I have no idea how to prove how many hours it takes. So my next option was to charge a flat fee.

What they want to know is how much for the work and how much to outright own it. I would be giving up all rights to the logos. I will be making sure that I have the right to display as my work in my portfolio all written up in the contract.

So my question is how much should I be looking to charge for the work and the handing over the rights to it? Should it be a flat fee and if so, what would be a good base to start off with considering I'm still attending school full-time, work full-time, and this would be my first freelance gig ever?

Thanks!

How big is this company?

Big site: You may wanto charge more
Smaller: start off small and work your way up
Medium: just divy it up, really.

Originally Posted by Julian How big is this company?

This is really just for a logo but the company is pretty average size.

They are for one large Architecture company (or something like that).

They have two subdivisions: Engineering and Development

Both subdivisions need their own seperate logo that will be the same yet unique in their own way.

So basically what I'll be doing is creating one logo but making one small change in regards to the font style for each subdivision name.

In regards to the possible website, that will be explored later on when they are ready for one. They haven't decided if they need one yet but considering they are a design firm in regards to buildings and homes, then I predict that a website will be in the picture.

Right now though, they just want to focus on the logo.

I have not come up with a price list yet for any of my services considering I'm still in school and unsure what to price things yet. I have been reading your topic at the top several times so far Julian but haven't set anything in stone.

So basically, I was thinking of charging them a flat fee considering I am still in school and working full-time, M-F, 8-5. I didn't think charging them by the hour would work unless I was to say that my business was open M-F 6-9.

How does $500 sound for the design of the logos and handing over the full rights to them sound? Sound reasonable, sound too cheap, sound too expensive? Thoughts?

If they are a large company that could possibly be a steal for them.

Yes that is true. I wouldnt charge per hour though in this case, but that is my opinion.

I would see how many different variations etc they need before you give a detailed quote.

$500 for the logo is reasonable and talk to them more about handing over the rights. Give them an option of having an almost unlimited license for the logo i.e. they can use it anywhere, in any application, they have the right to allow others to use it. They can't sell it, can't take credit for making it, can't alter it. It means you also can't use the logo other than in your portfolio.

I would only sell a copyright for big $$$ for example a $500 logo for an architectural firm would have to pay at least $5,000 for the copyright. That's my pricing though, as I don't like to relinquish copyrights cheaply.

They are an architectural firm, why can't they design their own logo???

Originally Posted by Julian $500 for the logo is reasonable and talk to them more about handing over the rights. Give them an option of having an almost unlimited license for the logo i.e. they can use it anywhere, in any application, they have the right to allow others to use it. They can't sell it, can't take credit for making it, can't alter it. It means you also can't use the logo other than in your portfolio. I would only sell a copyright for big $$$ for example a $500 logo for an architectural firm would have to pay at least $5,000 for the copyright. That's my pricing though, as I don't like to relinquish copyrights cheaply. They are an architectural firm, why can't they design their own logo???

Not exactly sure why they can't design their own but I'm not complaining. This would be my first ever freelancing gig, and my first ever design gig.

When you say $5,000 for the copyright, is that in U.S. dollars or is that the rate in New Zealand?

I'm going to go with $750 for the design of the logo and leave negotiation open but will not go any lower than $500. Of course, I won't tell them that part.

I'm going to have to find out how much it costs here to copyright a design. I've never had to do that before and I don't even know where to go to get that done. I suppose I'll have to contact the court house here but my thinking is that they don't do anything with it.

You can copyright your material for here, the first 10 are free:
https://www.authomark.com/secured/public/index.cfm

I charge 5 - 10 times the value of a work to sell a complete copyright. It is your choice, if you wish to relinquish the copyright, make sure you get paid well for it.

I recommend AuthoMark, I used to use it heavily