How to cost an old/predesigned logo?

I have been approached, via email, about the possiblity of selling an identity I created a while back, that wasn't eventually used for anything.
They client found it on a portfolio site that I post on, and contacted me asking about its history/creation and would I be open to selling it.

Can anyone help with any advice on how to cost this identity or questions I should ask about it's possible usage?

Replies4

  • Hello Gary,

    I would recommend to take your general rate as a start point and try to think back how long did it take to design when you did this project they want to use. On the top of that have a bit of discussion about tailoring and that woud also add to the final costs. But so generally charge based on your usual rates, just because it's a slightly strange request in itself it doesn't really change on the rules.
  • Hi @Gary Eley , @Geoffrey Bunting is saying all the right things, a logo is not a brand, it means very little in isolation. Great, they like your work, but without knowing more about why, a 'here's one I made earlier' logo isn't going to be perfect for them unless you interrogate the purpose, ambitions and aspirations of their business. The slipper may still fit, or maybe it's not so perfect as first thought, it just needs a tweak, but at least you'll both start to have an understanding of the touchpoints and communications they'll need to attach that logo to, and the ToV and enveloping visual language that'll ensure it ends up standing for something meaningful and memorable in the target audience's eyes.

    Treat this good news as a door-opener and don't undersell yourself. You spent time you should charge for in designing it, they're not picking up something cheap, it's just they might happen to be the right person/business it was created for and you've had a head start, they're still paying for your creative ability and time invested. However, there's still plenty of potential work to be done in application, so you can consider a discount in proportion to the additional output it generates. If they want to walk away with just the logo, it's full whack and thank you very much.

    Hope that helps.
  • I mean, the identity has to be adapted for the client. The logo may be finalised, but a logomark is a small and insignificant part of a wider brand and that process is going to take as long as it would without an existing picture to stick on top of it.

    If they just want the logo - which some folks do, and that's their funeral, really. Then what I would be tempted to do is consider the time it took, weighed against my hourly rate, and halve it in deference to it being completed and out there for a while without context.

    What you should keep in mind is your liability. This isn't a contracted project so you should definitely develop a special contract with the liability clauses you'd expect in a full project contract.

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