HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a logo designer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to logo designers. The designer owns the logo until they sign it over in writing — here is how to get that right, what to ask, and which files you should end up with.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a logo designer in five steps

  1. Look at logos they have finishedReal marks for real businesses, ideally in your sector. Ask which ones are in use today.
  2. Write a one-page briefWhat the business does, who buys from it, the name exactly as it will appear, and two or three logos you like and why.
  3. Search the trade marks register yourselfCheck the name and any similar marks on the UK register before a designer spends a day on concepts.
  4. Get the assignment in the contractCopyright in the final logo passes to you, signed by the designer, on payment. Not "full rights" in an email.
  5. Pay in stagesA deposit to start, the balance when the final files and the signed assignment arrive.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses logo designers or requires a qualification in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; anyone may offer logo design. The checks that matter are the contract, the designer's finished work and people they have designed for.

Ask for three logos now in use and the name of a client you can contact.

Copyright assignment, signed

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the person who creates an artistic work owns it, unless they made it as an employee. A freelance logo designer is not your employee, and section 90 says an assignment only takes effect if it is in writing and signed by the designer. Without one, you may hold only a licence to use your own logo.

Put a clause in the contract assigning copyright in the final logo and its variations to your business on payment, signed by the designer. legislation.gov.uk →

Trade mark search before you commit

Copyright in the drawing is not the same as a registered trade mark. The Intellectual Property Office checks new applications against existing marks, so a logo too close to a registered mark for the same kind of business is a problem whoever designed it.

Search the UK trade marks register by keyword and by image for the name and anything close to it. gov.uk →

Original work, and fonts licensed

Copyright protects original artistic work automatically, with no register to check. Ask the logo designer to confirm the mark is their own drawing, not adapted from a template or stock image, and that any typeface used is licensed for commercial use in a logo.

Get the originality promise and the font names and licences in the contract. gov.uk →

VAT

Logo design is standard-rated, so a registered logo designer adds 20% to the concept rounds, the final files and any extra round. Registration becomes compulsory once a logo designer has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the logo designer for the VAT number, or a note that they are not registered, before the deposit. gov.uk →

“Will you assign the copyright in the final logo to my business, in writing?”

A good answer: Yes, signed, on final payment, covering the logo, its colour and mono versions and any icon. "You can use it however you like" is a licence, not ownership.

“How many concepts and how many rounds of changes are in the price?”

A good answer: A number for each, written down, and the price of an extra round. Three concepts and two rounds on the chosen one is a common shape.

“Is every concept your own original drawing?”

A good answer: A clear yes, and an explanation of how they work from sketch to vector. A logo designer who works from templates should tell you so.

“Which fonts will you use, and are they licensed for a logo?”

A good answer: Named typefaces and how the licence covers commercial logo use, or a custom lettering that avoids the question.

“What files will I get at the end?”

A good answer: Vector master files (SVG, EPS or PDF), PNGs for screens, colour, black and white versions, and the colour codes for print and web.

“Have you checked the name against the trade marks register?”

A good answer: Either they have, or they tell you to. A good logo designer raises it before concepts, not after you have printed the vans.

“What happens to the concepts I do not choose?”

A good answer: Agreed in the contract: whether they stay with the designer, can be reused for someone else, or are passed to you.

Getting the quote right

  • The number of initial logo concepts and revision rounds, and the price of any extra round
  • Who actually attends to the concepts: the logo designer you chose, or a subcontracted designer
  • The files to be delivered, by format, including vector masters and mono versions
  • A copyright assignment clause to your business, effective on final payment
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the deposit and the balance
  • Stage payments: what the deposit buys, and what is due on delivery
  • The delivery date for concepts and for final files

Walk away if

  • They refuse to sign over copyright, or offer only "usage rights"
  • A logo arrives within hours for a very low fee, which often means a template or stock mark
  • No portfolio of logos actually in use
  • They will not name the fonts or confirm they are licensed
  • Full payment demanded before any concept is shown
  • Only a JPEG or PNG on delivery, with no vector file
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£540
HIGH
£2,500

What a logo designer costs: £150–£2,500 per logo

Logo design is quoted as a fixed price for the logo, set by the number of concepts, revision rounds and files; a full brand identity is priced separately. Logo Designer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Logo designers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefA call or questionnaire about the business, the audience, the name and where the logo will be used.
  2. Research and sketchesThe logo designer looks at competitors and sketches directions before anything is polished.
  3. ConceptsThe agreed number of logo ideas, shown in context: on a sign, a website header, a business card.
  4. RefinementChanges to the chosen route within the agreed rounds: shape, spacing, colour and lettering.
  5. Final files and assignmentThe full file set, colour codes, a one-page usage note, and the signed copyright assignment once you have paid.

Vector file
A logo drawn as shapes (SVG, EPS, AI or PDF) that scales to any size without blurring.
Assignment
The signed written transfer of copyright from the designer to you; ownership, not permission.
Licence
Permission to use a work while the copyright stays with its creator.
Mono version
The logo in one colour, for stamps, embroidery and black-and-white print.
Brand mark
The symbol part of a logo, used on its own as an app or social icon.
Trade mark
A sign registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office for particular goods or services; separate from copyright.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the signed assignmentKeep it with the company papers. If you ever register the logo as a trade mark, sell the business or fall out with the designer, this is your proof of ownership.
Test the logo where it will liveOn a phone screen, as a tiny social icon, in black and white on a receipt, and printed large. Ask for fixes inside the agreed rounds.
Check the file setOpen every format on a computer that is not the designer's. Make sure the vector files scale cleanly and the colours match the codes given.
Leave the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy. If the logo designer did not deliver what was agreed, the make-it-right step comes first and they are asked to fix it before the review appears.

STEP 1Write to the logo designerSay what was agreed, what arrived and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must provide a service with reasonable care and skill, and you can ask for the work to be redone or the price reduced.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyA review under four stars lets you choose whether the logo designer is shown the problem first. We follow it up before the review is published.
STEP 3Help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers logo design. A designer who will not engage can be reported through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claimsTo recover money from a logo designer without a solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a logo designer: questions people ask

Not automatically. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the freelance designer owns the copyright until they assign it to you in a written, signed document. Paying the invoice alone does not transfer it.

No. No licence, register or qualification applies to logo designers in any UK nation, so judge them on finished work, references and the contract.

It is your choice and a separate step from copyright. Search the UK trade marks register first; an application goes to the Intellectual Property Office, names the goods and services the mark is for, and is checked against existing marks.

£150–£2,500 per logo, typically around £540. The number of concepts, research and the files delivered move the price. The logo designer price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare designers near you.

Vector masters (SVG, EPS or PDF), screen files such as PNG, colour, black and white versions, and the exact colour codes for print and web.

Tell the designer in writing at once and stop using it while you check. The trade marks register shows who owns a registered mark; a designer who copied another mark has not used reasonable care and skill.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Brand DesignerHow to hire: Graphic DesignerHow to hire: IllustratorHow to hire: Web DesignerHow to hire: CopywriterHow to hire: Social Media ManagerHow to hire: Motion Graphics DesignerHow to hire: UX / UI DesignerAll 701 hiring guides →

Logo designers near you

Logo designers in LondonLogo designers in ManchesterLogo designers in BirminghamLogo designers in GlasgowLogo designers in BelfastAll logo designers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 — first ownership
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  3. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  4. gov.uk — search for a trade mark
  5. gov.uk — register a trade mark
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register