Branding costs
How much does branding cost in Dubai?
Branding in Dubai can mean anything from a quick logo to a full rebrand for a group of companies, so prices vary more than in almost any other service. What you pay depends on how much thinking the brand needs, how many things must be designed, whether it works in one language or two, and whether production is included. This guide explains what drives the cost, what you should get at each level and how to compare quotes fairly.
What each level of branding includes
Most branding work in the UAE falls into one of five levels. Knowing which one you need is the quickest way to make sense of a quote.
A logo and basic identity
Suits: A new small business that needs to open its doors with a professional look.
- Logo in its main versions
- Colour palette and typefaces
- A short guide to using them
- Files for print and screen
Without strategy behind it, a logo designed alone is the part most likely to be redone as the business grows.
A complete brand identity
Suits: A business launching properly, or a growing one whose brand has not kept up.
- A summary of the brand strategy
- Logo system, including Arabic and English lockups where needed
- Colour, typography, patterns and tone of voice
- Brand guidelines
- Key applications such as stationery, signage, uniforms and social templates
Ask which applications are designed. A long list of logo concepts is not the same as a system your team can use.
Strategy, identity and launch
Suits: A business entering a competitive market, or launching a new company or product line in the UAE.
- Research into customers and competitors
- Positioning and messaging
- Naming, when it is needed
- The complete identity
- Packaging, signage and the website
- A launch plan
This is the level where the thinking and the design are planned together, so the launch spend works harder.
A rebrand for an established business
Suits: A company or group whose brand no longer matches what it has become.
- An audit of the current brand
- Repositioning and, for groups, brand architecture
- A refreshed or new identity
- A rollout plan for signage, vehicles, packaging, print and digital
The rollout often costs more than the design. Count every sign, vehicle, uniform and document that has to change.
Ongoing brand and marketing support
Suits: A business that wants one partner after launch instead of several suppliers.
- Social media and content
- Campaigns and performance marketing
- SEO
- Photography and film
- Regular reviews against agreed measures
Media spend paid to platforms such as Google and Meta is usually separate from the fee for planning and running the work.
What drives the cost of branding
Two quotes for "a new brand" can differ several times over because they describe different work. These are the things that move the price and the timeline most:
- Research: interviews, audits and competitor reviews take time, and they are what stop a brand from being a guess.
- The number of brands: one company is simpler than a group with several businesses and product lines.
- Naming: a new name adds creative rounds, plus trademark and domain checks.
- Languages: an Arabic identity designed alongside the English is design work in its own right, not a translation.
- Applications: every sign, pack, uniform, vehicle and template adds design and approval time.
- Production: printing, signage and packaging are priced on quantities and materials, separately from design.
- Decision makers: the more people who need to approve each stage, the longer the project runs.
- Deadlines: a fixed opening date can be met, but compressing the work needs more people on it at once.
Costs people forget to budget for
The design fee is rarely the whole bill. Plan for these as well:
- Trademark registration: government fees for protecting the name and logo, separate from any design fee.
- Domains and hosting: the web address and the hosting that keeps the website online.
- Signage and fit-out: fabrication and installation of shopfront and interior signs.
- Printing and packaging runs: minimum order quantities can matter more than the unit price.
- Photography and film: your own images for the website, menus and social media.
- Replacing old stock: business cards, uniforms, vehicle wraps and packaging already in use.
How to compare branding quotes
A low quote is not always poor value, and a high one is not always thorough. A lower fee can become expensive if the parts do not connect. Ask every agency the same questions:
- What research is included before design starts?
- How many concepts and rounds of changes are included?
- Which applications are designed, and which are only shown as mock-ups?
- Is the Arabic designed, or only typed under the English?
- Which files do we receive at the end?
- Is production of signage, printing or packaging included, or quoted separately?
- Who will actually do the work, and what happens after launch?
How Abcon Branding prices a project
We don’t sell branding off a menu. Bring us the business challenge, not a list of deliverables, and after a first diagnostic conversation we agree the scope, timeline and cost with you, so you know exactly what you are paying for before any work begins.
Because Abcon Group includes signage, printing and packaging companies, we can quote production alongside the design, which makes the total easier to plan. See all our services or how we work.
Questions and answers
How much does a logo cost in Dubai?
It depends on what the logo has to do. A logo designed on its own costs less than one designed as part of a strategy and identity system, but it is also more likely to need replacing. When you compare quotes, ask how many concepts, changes and file formats are included.
Why do branding quotes in Dubai vary so much?
Because they often cover different work. One quote may include research, strategy and a complete identity system, another only logo options. Compare what is included, not only the total.
Is printing and signage included in the branding price?
Usually not. Design and production are priced separately because production depends on quantities and materials. Abcon Group’s printing, signage and packaging companies can quote production alongside the design.
Do you offer fixed branding packages?
We scope each project after a first conversation rather than selling fixed packages, because two businesses rarely need exactly the same work. The proposal sets out the scope, timeline and cost before anything starts.
How long does branding take?
Timelines depend on scope as much as cost does. A focused identity moves faster than a group rebrand with research and a rollout. We agree the timeline together with the scope.
