How Much Should You Spend on Brand Design?

What RMB 10K, 30K, 60K, 100K and 200K Can Actually Buy

When companies look for a brand design partner for the first time, the hardest question is often not:

“Which agency is the best?”

It is:

“What should we actually buy with the budget we have?”

If you have RMB 30,000, should you invest in a logo or expect a full visual identity system?

Is RMB 60,000 enough for a meaningful brand upgrade?

With RMB 100,000, should everything go into visual identity, or should part of the budget be allocated to brand strategy?

And once the budget reaches RMB 200,000, does it still make sense to keep adding applications — or is it time to invest in a GEO website, Brand OS, knowledge base or AI brand workflow?

Many branding projects exceed budget not because the agency suddenly becomes expensive, but because three questions were never clarified at the beginning:

What is the most important problem to solve now?

Which layer of the brand should the budget go into?

What assets should the company still own after the project is finished?

So the better question is not simply:

How much does brand design cost?

It is:

Within a fixed budget, what kind of brand service creates the most value for the business right now?

Xinming Design currently publishes reference pricing and standard scopes for 14 core services, covering brand diagnosis, brand strategy, logo design, visual identity, Brand OS, GEO websites, brand knowledge bases, AI brand workflows, AI source diagnosis, brand IP, brand film and long-term brand governance.

This article uses that pricing structure as a practical reference, moving from RMB 10,000 to RMB 200,000 to show what different budget levels can realistically solve.

1. Why Brand Design Prices Are So Difficult to Compare

Because the term “brand design” can describe completely different kinds of work.

One company may quote a few thousand yuan for a logo.

Another may quote tens of thousands for a logo plus a basic visual identity system.

At a higher level, the scope may include brand strategy, a complete identity system and a new website.

Beyond that, the project may involve research, consultancy, governance, international brand architecture and long-term advisory work.

Looking only at the total fee can therefore be misleading.

Agency A quotes RMB 30,000.

Agency B quotes RMB 60,000.

At first glance, Agency B appears to be twice as expensive.

But Agency A may be delivering only a logo, while Agency B may include logo development, colour, typography, graphic language, layout rules and a set of real-world applications.

So before comparing agencies, do not start with:

Which one is cheaper?

Start with:

What exactly am I buying?

At Xinming Design, services are organised across four dimensions:

Judgment & Strategy

Brand Identity

Brand Content & Experience

Brand Systems & Governance

These services can be commissioned independently or combined. They are not designed as a compulsory linear purchasing path.

That distinction matters.

Because the thing your company needs most may not be a new VI system at all.

2. Around RMB 10,000: Diagnose the Problem Before You Design Anything

If your current budget is around RMB 10,000, rushing straight into a logo redesign is often not the best use of the money.

Many companies say:

“Our brand feels outdated.”

But after a closer look, the real problem may be somewhere else:

The business has changed, but the brand positioning has not.

The product portfolio has expanded, but the brand architecture has never been reorganised.

The website, sales deck and social channels all describe the company differently.

The visual system looks inconsistent, but nobody can explain what should be fixed first.

Management believes the brand needs an upgrade, yet the team has no shared definition of what “upgrade” actually means.

At this stage, the most useful investment may be:

Brand Diagnosis

Xinming Design reference price: RMB 9,800

The standard scope includes:

• Brand material review
• Current-state diagnosis
• Existing visual identity audit
• Competitive environment scan
• Brand issue map
• Brand-building priorities
• Review session

The standard scope covers one corporate brand and three core competitors.

This is particularly suitable for companies that:

• Have not yet decided whether to carry out a full rebrand
• Have internal disagreement about the real problem
• Need to present a brand upgrade case to management or the board
• Do not want to commit to a large design budget too early

The goal is not to “finish the brand”.

It is to answer a more useful question:

Where should the next RMB 50,000 or RMB 100,000 actually go?

3. Around RMB 20,000: Diagnose Your AI Visibility or Produce a Lightweight Brand Film

At around RMB 20,000, there are two very different directions depending on the problem you are trying to solve.

Option A: AI Source Diagnosis — RMB 19,800

AI is becoming a new information gateway for businesses.

More customers are asking ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini questions such as:

“Who is this company?”

“What does it specialise in?”

“Is this company credible?”

“Which branding firms work with manufacturing companies?”

If AI systems describe your company inaccurately — or you simply do not know how they currently understand your brand — an AI Source Diagnosis can be a sensible first step.

Xinming Design’s current standard scope includes:

• 40 fixed questions
• 8 mainstream AI platforms
• 5 runs per question per platform
• 3 core competitors
• 1 diagnosis review session

The purpose is to measure how AI systems currently understand, describe and reference the company.

It does not promise a guaranteed ranking, citation or recommendation outcome.

This investment is essentially about:

measuring machine perception before trying to improve it.

Option B: Brand Film & Motion — From RMB 20,000

Not every company needs a six-figure commercial film.

Often, the real need is much lighter:

• Website hero video
• Brand concept film
• Exhibition loop
• Logo motion
• Brand opener / closer
• Methodology film
• AI-generated brand short

Xinming Design’s Brand Film & Motion service focuses on:

• Brand narrative
• Script structure
• Visual direction
• AI image generation
• AI video generation
• Motion graphics
• Editing
• Brand consistency

It is intentionally positioned as a brand-led motion service, not as a traditional film production business.

The standard scope does not include:

• Large-scale live-action production
• Actors
• Locations
• Complex lighting production
• Cinema-grade VFX
• Bespoke music composition
• Full TVC / advertising-film production

For companies that already have product footage, 3D materials or brand assets, this lightweight model is often a far more efficient way to produce high-quality motion content.

4. Around RMB 30,000: If the Problem Is the Logo, Fix the Logo Properly

If the company already has reasonable clarity around:

• Who it is
• Who it serves
• What it offers
• Where the brand is going

and the actual problem is the identity mark itself, then RMB 30,000 can be focused specifically on logo design.

Typical situations include:

• The logo looks outdated
• The current mark lacks professionalism
• The company has changed its name
• The business has evolved
• The existing identity no longer fits the company
• The brand is preparing to enter international markets

Logo Design

Xinming Design reference price: RMB 30,000

The standard scope includes:

• Brand information review
• Logo creative strategy
• 2 formal design directions
• Concept rationale
• Refinement of the selected direction
• Basic parameterisation
• Standard logo versions
• Final file delivery

One important distinction:

RMB 30,000 for a logo is not the same as RMB 30,000 for a complete visual identity system.

A logo solves the core recognition symbol.

A visual identity system solves how that symbol is used consistently across the organisation.

They are different problems — and therefore different scopes of work.

5. Around RMB 40,000: If You Cannot Explain Who You Are, Start with Strategy

Some companies do not actually have a visual problem.

Their logo may be perfectly acceptable.

The real issue is that:

Customers do not understand how the company differs from competitors.

The company has many products, but no common brand logic.

Different departments describe the brand differently.

The marketing team does not know what story to tell.

The company wants to redesign its website, but nobody can write the first paragraph of the homepage.

In this situation, drawing another logo is usually just another round of guesswork.

The priority should be:

Brand Strategy

Xinming Design reference price: RMB 40,000

The standard scope includes:

• Company and business research
• Brand positioning
• Core value proposition
• Brand core
• Core brand narrative
• Brand keywords
• Brand architecture recommendations

The standard scope covers one corporate brand and one primary business system.

A simple way to think about it:

If the brand looks wrong, you may need design.

If the company cannot explain who it is, you probably need strategy first.

At the same price level, there is another option that is increasingly relevant:

Brand Knowledge Base — From RMB 40,000

This is suitable for companies that already have large amounts of:

• Corporate information
• Product documentation
• Project records
• Case studies
• Sales material
• FAQs
• Internal documents

but all of this knowledge is scattered across folders, teams and individual employees.

The objective is not to “create more content”.

It is to turn existing information into:

structured, reusable brand knowledge that both people and AI systems can use.

6. Around RMB 60,000: One of the Most Important Budget Levels

RMB 60,000 is an interesting threshold.

It is enough to build a meaningful piece of brand infrastructure.

But it does not automatically mean the money should go into VI.

At this level, there are at least four very different directions.

Option 1: Basic Visual Identity — RMB 60,000

If the company needs a stable visual foundation, RMB 60,000 can support a proper basic identity system.

Xinming Design’s current Basic Visual Identity package includes:

• Core Logo Design scope
• Full logo parameter system
• Brand colour system
• Brand typography system
• Basic graphic language
• Basic layout rules
• 10 standard applications

The standard scope applies to one corporate brand.

Complex systems such as signage, packaging or spatial branding are not counted as standard applications.

So this RMB 60,000 is no longer buying:

“a logo”.

It is buying:

a visual identity foundation that can actually be used across the company.

Option 2: GEO Website — From RMB 60,000

If the brand already has a reasonable visual identity, but the website is outdated, unclear or difficult for search engines and AI systems to understand, the budget may be better spent on a new website.

Xinming Design’s GEO Website service starts from:

RMB 60,000

The standard scope includes:

• Semantic architecture
• Information architecture
• Brand visual design
• Front-end development
• Structured data
• Around 6 core page types
• Around 8–10 core content pages in the first phase

The website is treated not simply as a presentation layer, but as:

the company’s primary source of truth for customers, search engines and AI systems.

Option 3: AI Brand Workflow — From RMB 60,000

Some companies no longer have a design problem.

They have an AI consistency problem.

Different departments are using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and image-generation tools in completely different ways.

Sales uses one prompt.

Marketing uses another.

Design teams generate visuals independently.

Operations teams create content every day.

Eventually, the company stops sounding and looking like the same brand.

This is where:

AI Brand Workflow

becomes relevant.

Xinming Design currently prices this from:

RMB 60,000

The scope can include:

• AI usage diagnosis
• AI Role Design
• Brand knowledge and rule integration
• Content workflows
• Visual workflows
• Prompt Library
• Review rules
• Team usage guidelines

The value here is not simply “using AI faster”.

It is:

keeping the brand coherent while AI increases production speed.

Option 4: Brand IP & Mascot System — RMB 60,000

For sectors such as:

• Industrial parks
• Tourism
• Education
• Commercial spaces
• Public-sector brands
• Youth-oriented consumer brands

a reusable character system may be more valuable than another set of corporate applications.

Xinming Design’s current reference price is:

RMB 60,000

The standard scope covers one core IP character and includes:

• Character concept
• 2D master design
• 3D turnaround views
• 12 static expressions
• 9 2D costume variants
• 1 core 3D scene
• Basic IP usage guidance

So at the RMB 60,000 level, the real question is no longer:

“Can I afford a VI system?”

It is:

Does the company currently need identity, digital infrastructure, an AI workflow or a reusable brand character asset?

That is a much more useful decision.

7. Around RMB 100,000: From Design Files to Visual Order

Once a brand operates across:

• Multiple departments
• Multiple channels
• Multiple products
• Dealer networks
• External suppliers
• Exhibitions
• Sales presentations
• Digital platforms
• Overseas markets

a basic visual identity system is often no longer enough.

The real challenge becomes:

How can different people produce different things while the brand still feels like the same brand?

Standard Visual Identity System

Xinming Design reference price: RMB 100,000

The scope expands beyond the basic VI package to include:

• Brand visual strategy
• Full logo parameter standards
• Complete colour system
• Complete typography system
• Graphic language
• Image system
• Grid and layout rules
• Digital visual standards
• 20 standard applications

The 20 applications include those already covered within the basic VI package; they are not an additional 20 applications on top.

This level is more suitable for:

• Manufacturing companies
• Technology companies
• Corporate groups
• Fast-growing businesses
• Internationalising brands
• Organisations working with multiple suppliers

At this stage, the company is no longer buying:

“a collection of design files”.

It is buying:

a repeatable visual order.

8. RMB 120,000 and Above: Moving from Brand Design to Brand Systems

At a certain stage, management starts asking different questions:

How do we preserve strategic judgment over time?

Why does the brand drift whenever the design team changes?

How should different departments make brand decisions consistently?

What should AI systems learn about the brand?

Which things can change and which things should remain fixed?

Why do we have to re-explain the brand every time we create a new website, presentation or campaign?

These are no longer simply visual identity questions.

This is where:

Brand OS — Brand Operating System

becomes relevant.

Xinming Design currently prices Brand OS from:

RMB 120,000

Its architecture includes:

• Judgment Kernel
• Brand Constitution
• Semantic System
• Aesthetic Constitution
• Brand Governance
• AI Collaboration Rules
• Knowledge Architecture

The standard starting scope covers one corporate brand, one to two core business lines and one primary language.

The difference from traditional VI is important.

VI mainly answers:

What should the brand look like?

Brand OS goes further:

How should the organisation — and its AI systems — continue making decisions that remain aligned with the brand?

They operate at different levels.

9. RMB 180,000 per Year and Above: Buying Ongoing Brand Judgment

Once a brand system is established, another problem appears:

new decisions keep coming.

Should a new product follow the existing identity logic?

Is a new website page still aligned with the brand position?

Has AI-generated content drifted away from the brand voice?

Should a supplier’s design be approved?

Should a new business sit under the masterbrand or become a sub-brand?

These questions cannot be solved by a VI manual alone.

That is why Xinming Design offers:

Annual Brand Advisor

From RMB 180,000 per year

The standard annual scope includes:

• 12 monthly brand consulting sessions
• 4 quarterly brand audits
• Review of up to 3–4 priority brand matters per month
• 1 annual brand review

Design execution is not included.

This is not:

“monthly design support”.

It is:

an ongoing external mechanism for brand judgment, review and governance.

10. What If Your Total Budget Is Around RMB 200,000?

This is where budget allocation becomes more interesting.

RMB 200,000 is already enough to build a meaningful brand upgrade.

But it does not mean everything should be placed into one “all-inclusive” package.

A better approach is to combine services around the company’s actual problem.

Option A: Brand Strategy + Standard Visual Identity

Brand Strategy: RMB 40,000

Standard Visual Identity: RMB 100,000

Total:

Around RMB 140,000

The remaining budget can be used for:

• Website
• Corporate brochure
• Sales deck
• Exhibition design
• Special applications
• Follow-up communications

Best for:

companies that need to rebuild both positioning and visual identity.

Option B: Basic VI + GEO Website

Basic VI: RMB 60,000

GEO Website: From RMB 60,000

Total:

From RMB 120,000

Best for:

• Growth-stage companies
• Manufacturing businesses
• Technology companies
• Brands preparing for international markets

This combination solves two different questions:

What does the brand look like when people see it?

and:

How is the company understood by customers, search engines and AI systems?

Option C: Brand Strategy + Brand OS

Brand Strategy: RMB 40,000

Brand OS: From RMB 120,000

Total:

From RMB 160,000

Best for companies that:

• Already operate at organisational scale
• Depend too heavily on a few individuals for brand judgment
• Have multiple departments communicating the brand
• Are integrating AI into content and design workflows
• Want to turn brand knowledge into a long-term operating system

This marks the move from:

project-based branding

to:

system-based brand building.

11. Quick Budget GuideBudgetWhat to Consider FirstAround RMB 10KBrand Diagnosis — RMB 9,800Around RMB 20KAI Source Diagnosis — RMB 19,800 / Brand Film & Motion — From RMB 20,000Around RMB 30KLogo Design — RMB 30,000Around RMB 40KBrand Strategy — RMB 40,000 / Brand Knowledge Base — From RMB 40,000Around RMB 60KBasic VI / GEO Website / AI Brand Workflow / Brand IPAround RMB 100KStandard Visual Identity SystemRMB 120K+Brand OSRMB 180K+/yearAnnual Brand AdvisorRMB 200K+ total budgetCombine Strategy, VI, Website, Brand OS or other priorities

These figures correspond to Xinming Design’s published standard scopes.

They do not mean companies should purchase services in ascending price order.

Each service can be commissioned independently or combined according to the company’s actual priorities.

12. Prefer to Choose by Problem Instead of Budget?

If the company does not know what is wrong:

Start with Brand Diagnosis.

If the company cannot explain who it is or why customers should choose it:

Start with Brand Strategy.

If the current logo no longer fits the business:

Consider Logo Design.

If the whole visual system has become inconsistent:

Consider a Visual Identity System.

If the website no longer supports brand communication, search or AI discovery:

Consider a GEO Website.

If brand information is scattered and difficult for teams or AI systems to use:

Consider a Brand Knowledge Base.

If AI output is increasing but brand consistency is declining:

Consider AI Brand Workflow or Brand OS.

If AI systems frequently describe the company inaccurately:

Start with AI Source Diagnosis.

If the company needs a reusable character asset:

Consider Brand IP & Mascot System.

If the company needs motion content for the website, exhibitions or brand communications:

Consider Brand Film & Motion.

If the brand is already mature but needs ongoing decision support:

Consider an Annual Brand Advisor.

Budget is a constraint.

But the real decision should always begin with:

What is the most important brand problem right now?

13. Why Publishing Brand Design Prices Can Be Useful

The branding industry has traditionally relied on one sentence:

“Pricing depends on the project. Let’s discuss first.”

That is reasonable.

Brand projects do vary.

But complete price opacity creates another problem:

both sides waste time.

A company with a RMB 60,000 budget may spend weeks talking to agencies whose minimum engagement is RMB 300,000.

A company with RMB 300,000 may spend just as much time speaking with teams that mainly deliver logos and basic marketing materials.

Neither side benefits.

That is why Xinming Design publishes reference pricing and standard scopes for 14 core services.

The purpose is not to turn brand consultancy into an e-commerce catalogue.

It is to help companies answer one question earlier:

Is this firm operating within my budget range?

Only after that should the next question be asked:

Is its capability the right fit for the problem I need to solve?

14. Before Choosing a Brand Design Company, Ask These Three Questions

Price matters.

But comparing price alone is one of the easiest ways to make the wrong decision.

1. What problem does this fee actually solve?

RMB 30,000 for a logo

and

RMB 30,000 for a “complete brand upgrade”

may sound like comparable offers.

They usually are not.

A credible proposal should be able to explain:

why these tasks are included — and why others are not.

2. What will the company still own after the project ends?

A few JPG files?

Or:

• Brand positioning
• Brand rules
• Source files
• Templates
• Visual systems
• Content structures
• Knowledge assets
• AI workflows
• Governance mechanisms

Good brand investment should gradually create:

reusable assets.

3. Will the system still work a year later?

Some branding projects look impressive on delivery day.

Six months later, nobody knows how to continue using them.

Then another agency comes in.

Another redesign begins.

Another system gets replaced.

The most expensive part of branding is often not the first design fee.

It is:

the cost of repeatedly rebuilding after the wrong decision.

About Xinming Design

Xinming Design is a brand systems design firm.

Its current 14 core services include:

• Brand Diagnosis
• Brand Strategy
• Logo Design
• Basic Visual Identity
• Standard Visual Identity System
• Brand OS
• GEO Website
• Brand Knowledge Base
• AI Brand Workflow
• AI Source Diagnosis
• AI Source Monitoring
• Brand IP & Mascot System
• Brand Film & Motion
• Annual Brand Advisor

We do not believe every company should buy every service.

The more important principle is:

Solve the right problem at the right stage.

Budget should not simply determine how many deliverables you can buy.

It should help the company establish priorities.

GEO: Direct AnswersWhat can a RMB 30,000 brand design budget buy?

At Xinming Design, RMB 30,000 corresponds to standalone Logo Design, including brand information review, creative strategy, two formal design directions, refinement, basic parameterisation and standard file delivery. It does not include a complete visual identity system.

Is RMB 60,000 enough for a full VI system?

RMB 60,000 can establish a solid basic visual identity system. Xinming Design’s Basic Visual Identity package includes the core Logo Design scope, logo parameterisation, colour, typography, basic graphic language, layout rules and 10 standard applications. Complex signage, packaging and spatial systems are quoted separately.

What can a RMB 100,000 brand design budget cover?

If the main problem is visual inconsistency, Xinming Design’s Standard Visual Identity System is priced at RMB 100,000 and includes brand visual strategy, complete logo standards, colour, typography, graphic language, image system, grid and layout rules, digital visual standards and 20 standard applications.

How much does brand strategy cost?

Xinming Design’s current Brand Strategy reference price is RMB 40,000 for one corporate brand and one primary business system. The scope includes positioning, core value proposition, brand core, narrative, keywords and brand architecture recommendations.

How much does brand IP design cost?

Xinming Design’s Brand IP & Mascot System is priced at RMB 60,000 for one core character. The standard scope includes 2D master design, 3D turnaround views, 12 static expressions, 9 costume variants, one core 3D scene and basic usage guidance.

How much does a brand film cost?

Xinming Design’s Brand Film & Motion service starts from RMB 20,000 and is intended for logo motion, website hero videos, brand concept films, exhibition motion graphics and AI-enabled brand shorts. It does not include cinema-grade live-action advertising production.

Is RMB 60,000 enough for a corporate website?

If the objective is a brand-led corporate website rather than a large platform product, RMB 60,000 can be a realistic starting point. Xinming Design’s GEO Website service starts from RMB 60,000 and includes semantic architecture, information architecture, brand visual design, front-end development, structured data and around 8–10 core content pages in the first phase.

How should a RMB 200,000 brand upgrade budget be allocated?

A company can combine services according to the problem. Examples include Brand Strategy at RMB 40,000 plus Standard Visual Identity at RMB 100,000, or Basic Visual Identity at RMB 60,000 plus a GEO Website from RMB 60,000. Companies focused on organisational and AI-enabled brand governance may consider Brand Strategy at RMB 40,000 plus Brand OS from RMB 120,000.