Should designers charge more for big corporations vs. small clients?

As a designer, it’s tempting to charge more for a big corporation than a small client, and honestly, that instinct is usually right. Think of it like this: getting an oil change on a Ferrari costs way more than on a Honda, and that’s not because the process is wildly different. The stakes are higher — there’s more risk, more complexity, and bigger consequences for messing up. And while a logo might be just a logo, the project’s scale and expectations shift drastically when you’re working with a corporation versus a local business.

First off, the communication demands are on a whole different level with a large company. You’re not just dealing with one person who knows what they want. Instead, you’re juggling feedback from multiple departments, managers, and sometimes entire committees. That back-and-forth eats into your time, and time is money. So yeah, that’s factored into the price.

Then there’s the deliverables. A small business might just need a logo and a short style guide — clean, simple, done. But a corporation? You’re looking at a full brand system. We’re talking everything from logo variations to color palettes, typography, guidelines for digital and print usage, and sometimes even assets like templates for social media or letterheads. The volume alone justifies a higher price.

And let’s not ignore the risk factor. While it’s true that screwing up a small client’s logo might sting, messing up a big company’s logo could be a career-ender — or at least a massive headache. Your work will be under the microscope, and the stakes are way higher when your design is going to be plastered on billboards, ads, and across the web.

Finally, big companies just have bigger budgets. You’re not squeezing them dry — you’re pricing according to the scope, effort, and expertise required. They’ve got complex needs and high expectations, and that deserves fair compensation.

So yeah, charging more for a corporate client makes sense. It’s not just about squeezing extra cash out of them; it’s about respecting the scale and intricacies that come with the job.