it can be. if price is your first, second, and third priority, then paying $19 for a logo from any number of web-based companies is probably your best option (hint: google search “cheap logo” and take your pick). if you don’t want to appear too cheap, splurge an extra $6 bucks and pay $25 from a slew of higher-priced options.

on the other hand, if you want to make a statement with how little money matters to you, follow the lead of london’s olympic committee who paid 400,000 pounds ($647,880) for their 2012 olympic logo.

regardless, whether you pay $20 for a design because you’re cheap, or $600,000 because you want to appear prestigious, there’s a good chance you’ll get what you pay for; but you won’t necessarily end up with the design you want.

if you want a lot of thought to go into your brand identity, don’t expect to receive mind-blowing concepts for $20. however, if you’re paying a handsome fee for your design, expect thought and intentionality to flow from every detail created.

so how do you know if your design project is receiving the thought and intentionality it deserves? start by asking your designer(s) a few questions:

• what informed this concept?
• how does this design communicate and support our company’s overarching message? what are you visually communicating here?
• why did you use this color? what others did you experiment with that didn’t work?
• why do you think this font treatment works best? what others did you experiment with that didn’t work?

if you get a blank stare or defensive response, you’re in trouble. any designer worth their fee will be able to talk at length on the minute details their concepts entail.

it’s possible for a cheap design job to be overpriced just as easily as it is for a pricy job to be overpriced. it all depends on the scope of the project and the ability of your designer(s) to think and execute at a high level. ultimately, you’ll get what you pay for and hopefully, you’ll end up with a design you love.