A visual identity gets redone when it holds your business back: a logo that's illegible at small size, inconsistent materials, an image that no longer matches what you sell. On the budget side, the Belgian market benchmarks: from €300 to €2,000 for a logo alone from a freelance graphic designer, from €1,500 to €6,000 for a complete identity with guidelines, and from €2,000 to €10,000 and up at an agency. What follows details when, how and why.
The stakes go beyond aesthetics: according to Marq's State of Brand Consistency study, a consistent brand presentation is associated with a revenue increase of 23%; according to Loyola University, colour alone improves brand recognition by up to 80%. An identity isn't a vanity: it's what makes you recognized and trusted.
A clear, short set of guidelines is worth more than an 80-page binder no one opens.
The signs that a visual identity is outdated
The most common case: a logo created at launch, quickly and cheaply, while the company has evolved. New services, a move upmarket: the image points back to the starting point. If you have to explain that “the site doesn't reflect what we do today”, the diagnosis is made.
The technical symptoms that don't lie
Illegibility at small size: the logo becomes a blob as a favicon or in an email signature.
No vector files: a pixelated JPG, impossible to apply to a storefront sign.
Inconsistency across materials: three colour variants, two typefaces depending on the document.
Visual dating: gradients, drop shadows and glossy effects from a bygone era.
Confusion with a competitor: the most expensive signal of all.
Two or three of these symptoms justify a project. Redesign or refresh?
Redesign or refresh: two very different projects
The refresh: evolving without losing what you've built
The refresh keeps the logo's DNA — symbol, structure, sometimes the colour — and modernizes the execution: simplified shapes, redrawn typography, adjusted palette. Big brands proceed this way, with touch-ups every 7 to 10 years, when accumulated recognition has value. Contained budget, low risk, smooth transition.
The full redesign: starting from a blank page
A redesign is called for when the positioning has fundamentally changed: merger, pivot, damaged image. You start again from the strategy — who are you, for whom, against whom — before drawing. More expensive, longer, with a real rollout plan: signage, vehicles, documents, site.
The professional process, step by step
Serious identity work follows a recognizable sequence. If your provider skips these steps, ask questions.
Audit and brief: analysis of the existing situation, the competition and your objectives. A real questionnaire, not three questions by email.
Creative directions: 2 to 3 reasoned directions, not a catalogue of 20 proposals.
Development of the chosen direction: refinement, palette, typography, small-format tests.
Variations: horizontal and vertical versions, monogram, favicon, priority materials.
Brand guidelines: the usage rules and the source files in all the useful formats.
This deliverable is decisive: according to data compiled by Marq, most organizations have brand guidelines, but a minority apply them systematically.
How much does a visual identity cost in Belgium?
From a freelance graphic designer
Logo alone: from €300 to €2,000 depending on the designer's experience and the extent of the research.
Basic identity (logo + palette + typography + mini-guidelines): from €1,500 to €4,000.
Useful benchmark: an experienced freelancer rarely charges less than €45 to €55 per hour in Belgium. A “€150 logo” is less than three hours of work. Draw your own conclusions.
At an agency or studio
Complete identity: from €2,000 to €10,000 for an SME, more for complex programmes (multi-brand, multilingual, signage).
The price difference pays for the method: a formalized strategy, several profiles, rollout support, guarantees.
What really makes the bill vary
The extent of the deliverables: a logo isn't an identity; every material added (packaging, vehicles, signage) adds work.
The transfer of rights: without a written transfer in the quote, you don't own your own logo.
The prior-art search: the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property's database avoids nasty surprises.
The mistakes that cost more than a real redesign
Contests and low-cost platforms: often recycled proposals, with no prior-art search or transfer of rights. The risk is paid for years later.
Redesigning the logo without touching the rest: a new logo on a dated site worsens the inconsistency.
Deciding by large committee: ten subjective opinions produce a bland compromise. The referee is the strategic brief.
Forgetting the rollout budget: signage, vehicles and print sometimes cost more than the creation. To be costed beforehand.
That's the method we apply at NTO Digital for logo creation and graphic design: a complete process, usable deliverables, a clear transfer of rights.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you redo your logo?
No automatic expiry date: solid brands refresh themselves with small touches every 7 to 10 years. The trigger isn't the calendar but the symptoms: illegibility, inconsistency, a positioning gap.
Is a refresh enough or do you need to redesign everything?
If your logo is recognized and its concept holds, refresh it: you keep the recognition capital. Redesign if the positioning has changed or if the original identity is too weak. An honest audit settles the question at the start of the assignment.
Can you create your logo with generative AI?
To explore directions, yes. To deliver an identity, no: the generated images aren't vector, adapt poorly and raise rights questions. Art direction — choosing, correcting, adapting — remains what creates the value.
Priority action plan
Diagnose: put your identity through the symptoms listed above.
Decide the scope: refresh or redesign, logo alone or complete identity. This choice determines the budget.
Budget the rollout: list all the materials to replace and cost them before launching the creation.
Compare 2 or 3 detailed quotes: demand the deliverables, the number of revision rounds and the written transfer of rights.
A successful visual identity isn't noticed for its originality, but for its consistency: the same face, everywhere, for years. This disciplined repetition turns a drawing into a commercial asset. Clean work costs less than three botched jobs.
If you're hesitating between a refresh and a full redesign, our visual identity support starts with an honest audit of the existing situation, scope and budget included.
Design
May 12, 2026
5 min read
