A logo quote in Dubai moves with scope, not with the size of the mark. The number of concepts, a brand guide, an Arabic lockup, usage rights, source files, revision rounds and any naming or strategy work each add or remove hours. Fix those seven items in writing and quotes from different studios become comparable.
Why two quotes for “a logo” can look nothing alike
Ask three studios for a logo and you often get three numbers that seem unrelated. Usually nobody is overcharging. Each studio has pictured a different job. One has imagined a single mark sent over as a PNG. Another has imagined a mark, an Arabic version, a colour system and a short rulebook for your printer and your signage contractor.
So decide the scope first, then ask everyone to quote for it. This is why we give quotes in AED after a brief and not before.
Seven things that move the quote up or down
1. Number of concepts
A concept is a separate idea worked up far enough to judge: drawn, set in type, tried in colour and shown on a real item such as a signboard or a business card. Two well developed routes take fewer hours than five. In our experience owners also choose with more confidence from two or three. Ask how many routes you will see and how finished each one will be.
2. Revision rounds
A round is one set of collected comments applied to the concept you chose. Quotes normally include a fixed number of rounds. Hours climb when feedback arrives in pieces from different people, or when a “small change” is really a new direction. Gather comments from everyone, send them once, and the included rounds are usually enough.
3. Arabic lockup
An Arabic version is not the name typed in a font that looks similar. The lettering has to carry the same weight as the English, then be arranged in stacked and side by side versions. That is drawing time. If you trade under an Arabic name at all, ask for it now. Adding it a year later costs more, because the proportions were never planned for it. Our notes on bilingual Arabic and English design explain why.
4. Brand guide
A logo on its own leaves every later decision to whoever opens the file. A guide records the colours with print and screen values, the typefaces, clear space, minimum size and examples of misuse. The page count and the number of worked examples, such as stationery, a vehicle, a uniform and social posts, are what change the quote.
5. Usage rights
Ask who owns the final mark once you have paid, and what happens to the concepts you rejected. Most business owners expect to own the chosen logo outright, and that should be written into the quote or the invoice. If you plan to register a trade mark, tell the designer early and check the current filing requirements with the authority concerned or with a trade mark agent.
6. Source files
Editable vector files are what your printer, your signage company and your next designer will ask for. A quote without source files can look lighter and then prove expensive the first time a sign maker asks for artwork you do not have.
7. Naming or strategy work
If the name is undecided, or you cannot yet say who the customer is and why they would pick you, that thinking has to happen before anyone draws. Naming, positioning sessions and competitor reviews are separate pieces of work with their own hours. If you already have those answers, put them in the brief and the quote should shrink.
A lean scope and a fuller scope, side by side
| Item | Lean scope | Fuller scope |
|---|---|---|
| Concepts | One or two routes | Three or more, shown on real items |
| Revisions | One or two rounds | More rounds, or an approval stage for partners |
| Arabic | English only, or Arabic set in a standard font | Drawn Arabic lockup in several arrangements |
| Guidelines | One-page logo sheet | Brand guide with colours, type and applications |
| Files | PNG and PDF | Full vector set, colour variants, icon versions |
| Thinking | You supply the name and positioning | Naming, positioning or competitor review included |
Neither column is wrong. A cafeteria opening one branch and a contracting firm bidding for government work need different things. Trouble starts when you hold a lean quote from one studio against a fuller quote from another and assume the gap is profit.
What you should receive at handover
A finished logo job should leave you with these:
- The logo as vector artwork (AI, EPS or SVG, plus PDF).
- PNG files with a transparent background, in a few sizes.
- Full colour, single colour, black and reversed white versions.
- Horizontal and stacked arrangements, and the symbol on its own if the design has one.
- The Arabic lockup and the combined bilingual lockup, if agreed.
- Colour values for print (CMYK, and Pantone where chosen) and for screen (RGB and HEX).
- The names of the typefaces used and where to buy a licence for them.
- A logo sheet or brand guide.
- Written confirmation that the final mark is yours.
Open the vector file before you sign off and zoom in. If the edges stay sharp, it is true vector artwork. If they turn into squares, your sign maker will send it back.
Questions to ask before you accept a quote
- How many concepts will I see, and will they be shown on real items?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as a round?
- Is an Arabic version included, and is it drawn or set in an existing font?
- Which file formats will I receive, and are editable source files part of the quote?
- Who owns the final logo, and who owns the unused concepts?
- Is there a brand guide, and how many pages or applications does it cover?
- What do you need from me before you start, and who will I be speaking to?
- What is charged as extra work, and how will you tell me before it is done?
Where logo budgets tend to go wrong
Underspending usually means leaving out the Arabic lockup or the source files, then paying for both in a hurry when the signboard is due.
Overspending looks different. It is asking for six concepts because the partners have not agreed what the company stands for. It is a forty-page guide for a business with one shop and one vehicle.
A useful test is to list where the logo must appear in the first year: the signboard, the vehicle, invoices, the company profile, perhaps a brochure for an exhibition. Buy the scope that covers that list and add the rest when you need it.
How we quote logo work
Company Profile Design Agency is part of HelloPixels and has been working since 2012. We design logos in Arabic and English alongside profiles, catalogues and other documents, so the mark is tested on real pages from the first presentation. You can read what is included on our logo design in Dubai page.
Send a brief through the contact page and we reply with a written scope and a quote in AED. A first draft follows within 48 hours of a complete brief. We do not print; you receive print-ready files for your own printer and signage supplier.
Frequently asked questions
Why will a studio not give a fixed logo price over the phone?
Because the hours depend on choices you have not made yet: how many concepts, how many rounds, Arabic or not, a guide or a single sheet. A figure given without those answers is either padded to cover every case or too low to cover the work. A short written brief gets you a number you can rely on.
Can I add the Arabic logo later?
You can, though it is harder. The English mark will already have fixed proportions, spacing and a symbol position, and the Arabic has to be fitted around them. Planning both scripts together gives each equal weight. If Arabic is likely within a year or two, ask for it in the first scope.
Which logo files do printers and sign makers ask for?
Almost always vector artwork: AI, EPS, SVG or a vector PDF, with the text converted to outlines. They may also ask for Pantone or CMYK colour values. PNG and JPEG files are fine for websites, email signatures and social media, though they are rarely accepted for signage, vehicle graphics or embroidery.
How many concepts should I ask for?
Two or three is enough for most small and mid-sized businesses, provided the brief is clear. Each route should be different in idea, not the same idea in three colours. If you feel you need more than that, the brief probably still has an open question about your customer or your name.