Short answer A cheap logo rarely stays cheap. Missing files, extra versions, a weak trademark position and an early rebrand, with every reprint and update that comes with it, usually cost far more than getting a professional logo right the first time.
The “we’ll upgrade later” trap
It sounds sensible. Cash is tight, so you buy a €30 logo and plan to replace it when the business can afford something better.
The problem is that a logo doesn’t stay in one place. Within weeks it’s on your website, social profiles, invoices, email signature and maybe your first packaging. Every one of those becomes something you’ll have to redo. The cheap logo isn’t a saving; it’s a cost you’ve postponed and made bigger.
How the costs add up: a typical scenario
Here’s how it often plays out. The exact figures vary, but the pattern is common.
Month 0. You buy a €30 logo. You receive a PNG and put it on your website.
Month 1. Your printer asks for a vector file for business cards. You don’t have one. The seller charges €40 for source files. Total: €70.
Month 2. Your logo only works on a white background, and your social header is dark. A reversed version costs another €25. Total: €95.
Month 4. You notice other businesses using almost the same icon, because it came from a template. Now your logo makes you look like someone else.
Month 8. You decide it has to go. You pay for a professional logo, then update your website, social profiles, email signature, pitch deck, invoice template and business cards, and reprint anything physical.
By then you’ve paid for two logos, bought some printed material twice and spent many hours on updates you didn’t need to do. That’s before counting the credibility you lost in the months your logo looked cheap next to your competitors’.
How a €30 logo adds up over eight months, against €299 paid once.
The three long-term costs nobody budgets for
1. The rebrand
Replacing a logo is never just the design fee. Every place the old logo appears needs updating, and physical items like signage, packaging, vehicle graphics and merchandise need reprinting. The longer you wait, the longer that list gets:
- After 3 months: website and social profiles, a few hours of work
- After 6 months: add email templates, business cards and your pitch deck
- After 12 months: add packaging, signage, merchandise, marketplace listings and partner materials
There’s also a softer cost: customers who had just started to recognise you have to learn a new logo. Our guide on when to rebrand your logo covers when a change is worth it and when it isn’t.
2. Trademark problems
A trademark protects your brand from copycats, but it needs a distinctive mark. A logo built from a stock icon or a popular template may be hard to register, and even if it’s registered, it’s weak protection when others use near-identical artwork.
Filing fees aren’t small either. An EU trade mark application with the EUIPO starts at €850 for one class of goods or services, and you don’t get that back if the application is refused. If your logo came from an AI generator, there are extra questions about ownership, explained in can you trademark an AI-generated logo.
3. Reprinting and missing files
Cheap logos often arrive as a single low-resolution PNG. That’s fine for a website, but useless for print, embroidery or signage, which need vector files. You end up paying for files after the fact, or recreating the logo from scratch. A professional logo should come with every file format you need from day one.
Why a €30 logo can’t be custom
The maths doesn’t allow it. A professional designer needs hours to research, sketch, refine and prepare a logo in every format. At €30, nobody can spend that time on your project, so the result is almost always a modified template, a stock icon with your name next to it, or something generated by AI. It isn’t designed for you, which is exactly why it doesn’t last.
What getting it right costs
A custom logo you won’t need to replace costs less than most people expect. At Logomint:
- Starter, €129: 1 concept, 2 revisions
- Growth, €199: 2 concepts, unlimited revisions
- Premium, €299: 3 concepts, unlimited revisions, brand guidelines, stationery design, a 3D mockup and a social media kit
Every plan includes vector, printable and source files, full ownership and a 100% money-back guarantee. Compared with paying twice, reprinting and rebuilding recognition, the professional option is the cheaper one. (For a broader view of budgets, see how much you should spend on a logo.)
FAQ
Is a cheap logo worth it for a new business?
Usually not. Missing files, extra versions, a weak trademark position and an early rebrand typically cost far more than getting a professional logo right the first time.
Can you get a custom logo for €30?
Not really. A professional designer needs hours to research, sketch, refine and prepare a logo in every format, so at €30 the result is almost always a modified template, a stock icon or something generated by AI.
Can I trademark a logo made from a template?
It may be hard. A trademark needs a distinctive mark, so a logo built from a stock icon or popular template may be difficult to register and gives weak protection even if it is. An EU trade mark application also starts at €850 for one class, and you don’t get that back if it’s refused.
How much does a professional logo cost at Logomint?
Starter is €129 (1 concept, 2 revisions), Growth is €199 (2 concepts, unlimited revisions) and Premium is €299 (3 concepts, unlimited revisions, brand guidelines, stationery design, a 3D mockup and a social media kit). Every plan includes vector, printable and source files, full ownership and a 100% money-back guarantee.
Think of it as a one-time investment
A good logo works like a good domain name: you get it right once, and it gains value every month as customers learn to recognise it. A cheap logo does the opposite. Every month it’s in use, you’re building recognition you’ll eventually throw away.
If you’d rather do it once, a senior designer at Logomint can create your logo from €129, with first concepts in 48 hours and your money back if you don’t love it. See the plans.
