After the harrumphing and muttering of “cheap ass” we heard in response to last week’s “$5 Logo” artist, we got to wondering: What exactly is a fair price for logos? We quickly said “nuts to that” and decided instead to play the PaperSpecs version of “The Price is Right” with the branding that surrounds us all.
StockLogos.com put together a handy little look at the cost of various familiar identities – here are just a few. (Note: Costs include “a complete branding package” unless otherwise noted.)
Coca-Cola: Arguably the most seen and widely recognized logo in the developed world, this was chosen by Coke inventor John Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885. The typeface, Spencerian script, came into being in the mid-19th century. Cost: Zilch
Twitter: The version of that bird on a branch that originally greeted early users was created by Japan-based Simon Oxley, who licensed it through iStockphoto back in 2009. Cost: According to a 2009 Wired.com story, the agency charged Twitter $10-$15 for the image, which means Oxley probably received $2-$6. Without attribution. Squawk!
Enron: The disgraced energy company never saw an opportunity it wouldn’t throw money at, and famed corporate logo machine Paul Rand was the beneficiary of that largess. Creator of the branding for UPS, IBM and ABC among others, Rand gave them what they wanted. Only after Enron’s accounting fraud was exposed in 2001 would it occur to people that the lopsided “E” in the logo looked like it was one stiff breeze away from tumbling. Cost: $33,000
