Logo, identity, brand: what you are actually paying for
A KES 5,000 logo and a KES 200,000 identity can look similar on a white page. The difference shows up everywhere else. A plain guide to the three words and what each costs.
Photo: Darlene Alderson
Designers use three words that sound interchangeable and aren’t: logo, identity and brand. Knowing the difference is the quickest way to understand why quotes for “a logo” range from KES 2,000 to over KES 200,000.
The logo
The logo is the mark: a symbol, a wordmark, or both. It’s the part people picture when they think of your organisation.
A good logo is simple enough to recognise at the size of a favicon, works in one colour (for stamps, embroidery and photocopies), and doesn’t depend on a particular background. A logo that only looks right on white, or only on black, is a logo that will be used wrongly.
In Kenya in 2026, published prices for a logo alone range from about KES 2,000 to 7,000 at the budget end, KES 20,000 to 50,000 from a professional freelancer, and KES 50,000 to 200,000 from an agency.
The identity
The identity is the system around the logo: the colours (with exact values for screen and print), the typefaces, how photos are chosen and treated, layout patterns, icons, and the rules for using them. It’s what makes your report, your website and your roadside sign look like they came from the same organisation, even when three different people made them.
Most organisations that “need a new logo” actually need an identity. The logo might be fine; the problem is that every document uses a different blue, someone stretched the logo to fit a banner, and nobody can find the original file.
Published prices for a core identity system in Kenya sit around KES 85,000 to 150,000, with comprehensive and institutional systems from about KES 100,000 to 300,000 and well beyond.
The brand
The brand is what people actually think and feel about your organisation. It’s built by everything you do: how you answer the phone, whether you deliver on time, what your beneficiaries say about you. Design can express it and make it consistent, but no designer can sell you a brand. Be wary of anyone who says they can.
Which do you need?
- You’re starting something new and it’s small: a well-made logo with a basic colour and type guide is enough. Make sure you get vector files and one-colour versions.
- You’ve been running for a while and things look inconsistent: you need an identity system, and possibly only a refresh of the logo rather than a replacement.
- You’re merging, renaming, or have several programmes that look like different organisations: you need brand architecture: a deliberate decision about how the parts relate, before any design.
What a proper handover looks like
Whatever you buy, you should leave with:
- Vector files (SVG, PDF or EPS) that can be scaled to any size.
- Versions for light and dark backgrounds, and a one-colour version.
- A small version for social media avatars and favicons.
- Exact colour values in at least HEX (screen) and CMYK (print).
- Written guidance on how to use it, even if it’s two pages.
- Written confirmation that you own the rights once paid.
If a quote doesn’t mention these, ask. They cost the designer very little to provide and save you a great deal later. See how Nyoni approaches brand identity.
Sources
Price ranges from Mocky, “Graphic Design Prices in Kenya 2026: Full Rate Card” (May 2026), and Jukwaa Strategies, “How Much Does Brand Identity and Logo Design Cost in Kenya?” (July 2026).
