Quick answer: Update your logo (a refresh) if your business is sound and people already recognise it, but the design looks dated, fiddly or inconsistent. Create a new one (a redesign) if your business, customers or name have changed so much that the old logo no longer fits who you are. In the UK, a logo refresh typically costs £400 to £1,500 and a brand new logo £800 to £3,500 with a studio, before any wider rebrand work.
If you are asking this question, your logo is probably nagging at you. Maybe it looks a bit tired next to your competitors, or it falls apart when it goes small on social media, or it simply does not feel like your business any more.
We have spent 25+ years helping UK businesses with exactly this decision, from creating brand identities for growing companies to producing brochures, campaign assets and digital design for names like M&S, the Jockey Club and Winsor & Newton. The honest answer is that most businesses need less change than they fear, and a few need more. Here is how to tell which camp you are in.
A logo refresh keeps your existing idea and tidies it up, while a new logo starts again with a different idea, look or name.
Think of a refresh as a good haircut and a new logo as a change of career. With a refresh, customers would still recognise you at a glance. You might simplify the shapes, modernise the typeface, adjust the colours and make it work properly on screens. With a new logo, the look changes completely and you are asking people to learn it again.
| Logo refresh | New logo | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | Shapes, fonts, colours, spacing | Everything, including the core idea |
| Recognition | Stays high | Starts again from scratch |
| Typical UK studio cost | £400 to £1,500 | £800 to £3,500 |
| Typical timescale | 1 to 3 weeks | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Best for | Dated or inconsistent logos for a healthy business | Changed business, name, audience or reputation |
| Risk | Low | Medium, needs a careful rollout |
These are typical ranges for a UK design studio working with a small or growing business. Larger organisations, or projects that include research and a full brand identity, cost more.
Update your logo when people already know and trust it, and the problem is how it looks or works, not what it stands for.
A refresh is usually the right call if:
Many well known brands refresh their logos every decade or so without most people noticing. That is the point. Done well, a refresh feels like your brand has stood up a bit straighter, not like it has become a stranger.
Create a new logo when your current one is actively holding the business back or no longer describes what you do.
That tends to be true if:
A new logo is a bigger decision, so it should come with a plan: when it goes live, where it appears first, and how you will tell people. If you are changing a lot at once, our guide to rebranding without losing your customers walks through how to do that safely.
Your logo is probably outdated if it looks noticeably older than your competitors', does not work at small sizes, or you find yourself apologising for it.
A quick test you can do in ten minutes: put your logo next to three of your competitors on one screen. Then shrink everything to the size of a phone icon. If yours looks cluttered, thin or hard to read, or just feels like it belongs to a different decade, that is a useful sign.
Another good sign is how your own team talks about it. If your staff have quietly stopped putting it on things, or you keep avoiding it on new materials, it is already telling you something.
A thoughtful logo update rarely hurts a business, but a rushed or unexplained change can confuse customers for a short while.
The risk is not really the logo, it is the way it is introduced. The businesses that struggle are the ones that change everything overnight with no explanation. The ones that do well keep the same name, keep familiar colours or shapes where they can, and tell people clearly what is happening. A short message to customers, a note on your website and a consistent rollout across your social profiles, signage, packaging and stationery goes a long way.
It also helps to keep an eye on the practical side. Update your Google Business Profile, email signatures, invoices, vehicle livery and any printed materials in one go, so people do not see two different logos for months.
In the UK, a logo refresh from a design studio typically costs £400 to £1,500, and a brand new logo £800 to £3,500, depending on research, concepts and what files you receive.
Prices rise with the number of concept routes, the amount of research, and whether you want supporting items such as brand guidelines, colour palettes, social media assets and stationery. If you want the full picture of what you get at each level, our guide to what is included in a brand identity package breaks it down. For wider pricing context, see how much professional graphic design costs in the UK.
Be wary of very cheap offers. A £30 logo from an online marketplace often comes without copyright, without vector files, and sometimes with artwork borrowed from elsewhere. It can end up costing more to fix than it would have to do properly.
You should get vector master files, versions for print and screen, colour and single colour variants, and clear written permission to use the logo.
At the very least, expect:
If you are still unsure, ask yourself three questions. Do people already recognise and like this logo? Does it still describe what we do today? Could a good designer fix what bothers me without starting again? If the answers are yes, yes, yes, then refresh. If they are no, no, no, then start fresh. Anything in between is worth a quick conversation with someone who has seen both go well and badly.
You do not have to guess. Whether it turns out you need a gentle tidy up or a brand new start, it helps to have a designer look at your logo alongside your business goals before spending anything.
At Graphics Monkey that first conversation is free and there is no obligation. Show us your current logo, tell us what is bothering you, and we will give you an honest view, even if that turns out to be a smaller job than you expected.
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Should I update my logo or create a new one?
Update your logo if customers already recognise it and the problem is that it looks dated or does not work at small sizes. Create a new one if your business, name, audience or reputation has changed so much that the old logo no longer fits.
How much does a logo refresh cost in the UK?
A logo refresh from a UK design studio typically costs £400 to £1,500. A completely new logo usually costs £800 to £3,500, with larger projects costing more if they include research and full brand guidelines.
How often should I update my logo?
Most businesses refresh their logo every 7 to 10 years, or sooner if it looks dated, does not work well on screens or no longer reflects what the business does. There is no fixed rule, so judge it by how well it works today.
Will I lose customers if I change my logo?
Not if it is handled well. Keep your name and familiar elements where you can, explain the change clearly, and roll the new logo out everywhere at the same time so customers do not see two versions.
What files do I need after my logo is redesigned?
You should receive vector master files (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF), web-ready PNG and JPG versions, full colour, black and white versions, and ideally a short set of brand guidelines with written copyright transfer.
