Branding on a Budget: Logo, Colours and Name for Under $500
You can build a credible, consistent brand for an Australian small business for well under $500 — and most of that money should go on the name, the domain and a trade mark, not the logo. Customers form a view of you long before they notice your typeface. Here's what to spend, what to do yourself, and the one situation where paying a designer saves you money.
Brand is a promise, not a logo
Ask ten small business owners what their brand is and nine point at a logo. The logo is a name tag. The brand is what people expect when they see it: that you'll turn up when you said, quote what you charge, and answer the phone. A spotless van with a plain-text name on the door beats a beautiful logo on a tradie who ghosts you.
Two things do the actual work:
- Consistency. The same name, colours, tone and contact details everywhere a customer meets you. Inconsistency reads as sloppiness, which reads as risk.
- A clear promise. One sentence on what you do, who for, and what's different. "Same-day emergency plumbing across the northern suburbs, fixed-price quotes before we start" is a brand. "Quality service you can trust" is wallpaper.
Write the promise before you open a design tool.
The under-$500 build
Here's what the pieces cost in 2026-27. Nothing here is compulsory except the business name registration, and only if you trade under something other than your own name.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business name registration (ASIC) | $47 for 1 year, $108 for 3 years | Not needed if you trade under your own personal name |
| .com.au domain | About $15–$30 a year | Needs an Australian presence — an ABN, ACN or ARBN, or an exact-match Australian trade mark |
| Logo — DIY in Canva | $0 | Free plan is enough to make and export one |
| Canva Pro (Brand Kit, resizing, fonts) | A$165 a year for one person | Optional, but the Brand Kit feature is the reason most people upgrade |
| AI logo maker (e.g. Looka) | From about US$20 basic, US$65 for vector files | Billed in US dollars; check the current price |
| Fonts (Google Fonts) | $0 | Free for commercial use |
| Trade mark, 1 class using the picklist | $250 | The only thing that gives you enforceable rights |
All figures as at September 2026. A sensible $500 build: register the name for a year ($47), grab a .com.au for about $25, take Canva Pro for a year (A$165) and file one trade mark class using the picklist ($250) — $487, and the logo costs you an afternoon. Tighter budget? The same setup without Canva Pro or the trade mark comes in under $100. (Domain renewals will nudge up: auDA's wholesale .au licence fee rises from A$8.64 to A$9.50 excluding GST on 1 October 2026.)
Start with the name — it's the expensive thing to change
Everything else is cheap to redo. The name is stamped on your domain, your signage, your invoices and your customers' memories. Settle it before you spend a cent on design.
Run these four checks first, all free:
- ASIC business names register — is the name taken, or too close to one that is?
- Australian Trade Mark Search (IP Australia) — is someone already trade marked in your industry? This is the check people skip and later regret.
- Domain availability — can you get the .com.au? If not, a different name is usually cheaper than a compromise domain.
- Social handles and a plain Google search — including the unfortunate ways the name reads as one word.
Our guide on how to choose a business name covers the trade-offs: descriptive versus invented, your surname versus something scalable.
Colours and fonts you can live with
Pick once, write them down, never negotiate with yourself again.
Colours: one primary, one accent, plus a dark neutral for text and a light neutral for backgrounds. Four is plenty. Record the HEX codes (the #1A4D8F style values) in a note on your phone, because a signwriter, a web developer and whoever prints your shirts will all ask for them. Avoid pure black for text — a very dark grey reads better on screens — and check your primary colour against white text if it'll sit behind buttons or signage.
Fonts: two, maximum. One for headings, one for body text. Google Fonts is free for commercial use and covers everything a small business needs. Choose something with a common system fallback, so your invoices and email signature don't turn into something random on a customer's machine.
Tone: three words that describe how you sound, plus two example sentences. "Straight-talking, warm, no jargon" is enough to keep your posts, quotes and text messages sounding like the same business.
The logo: DIY, AI generator, or a designer?
DIY in Canva (free, and fine for now)
For most new businesses, a clean wordmark — your business name in a good font, in your primary colour, maybe with a simple shape — is enough. It scales, it prints, it reads at 40 pixels wide as a profile picture, and it costs nothing to replace in year two.
Canva's free plan will do this. Canva Pro (A$165 a year for one person, as at September 2026) adds the Brand Kit, which stores your logo, colours and fonts so every template you open is already on-brand.
The catch is licensing. Canva's content licence is non-exclusive: other users can use the same template and elements, and Canva's own help pages say you can't claim trade mark ownership of a logo built from its library. Fine for trading — but a Canva logo can't become a protected asset.
AI logo makers
Tools like Looka generate a mark from a few prompts. Pricing starts around US$20 for a basic file and US$65 for the premium package with vector files, with a brand kit subscription from around US$96 a year (as at September 2026). Only pay for a tier that includes vector files (SVG or EPS) — without them, signage and embroidery turn to mush. The same exclusivity caveat applies: generated marks aren't unique to you.
When to pay a designer
Pay once any of these is true: the logo is going on a vehicle, uniforms, packaging or a shopfront; you're about to trade mark it; or you're spending real money on advertising that makes the mark worth copying.
Australian freelance designers commonly quote around $500 to $2,000 for a logo plus a basic style guide, with hourly rates from roughly $75 to $220 (as at September 2026). Insist on two things in writing: you own the copyright and can register it as a trade mark, and you receive the source and vector files, not just a JPEG. A designer who won't hand over an SVG hasn't finished the job.
Your brand kit checklist
Keep these somewhere you can find them at 9pm when a printer asks:
| Asset | What you need |
|---|---|
| Logo — primary | Full logo, colour, vector (SVG or EPS) plus transparent PNG |
| Logo — variants | Horizontal or stacked version, an icon-only mark, and a one-colour version |
| Logo — reversed | White version for dark backgrounds and vehicle wraps |
| Favicon / profile | Square crop, at least 512px, readable at thumbnail size |
| Colours | 2–4 HEX codes written down |
| Fonts | Heading and body font names, plus a fallback |
| Tone | Three words and two example sentences |
| Contact block | Business name, ABN, phone, email, service area — worded identically everywhere |
Test the one-colour version early. Embroidery, engraving and stamps can't handle gradients, and finding that out after you've ordered 20 polo shirts is an expensive lesson.
Apply it in the same places, every time
Consistency is free and almost nobody does it. Work through this list in an afternoon:
- Google Business Profile — logo, cover photo, category, hours and description (see our Google Business Profile guide)
- Website homepage and favicon
- Quotes and invoices — logo, colours, and the same contact block
- Email signature
- Social profiles — same square logo, same handle where possible
- Vehicle signage and uniforms
- Physical signage, stickers, packaging or business cards
- Text message and voicemail wording
The test: if a customer sees your van, then your invoice, then your Instagram, do they know it's the same business without thinking? Our marketing health check flags where most small businesses drift.
Protect it: business name versus trade mark
These are different things, and the difference costs people their brand every year.
An ASIC business name ($47 for one year, $108 for three) simply lets you trade under a name that isn't your own. It gives you no ownership. ASIC checks its own registers, not the trade marks register, so it can approve a name that infringes an existing mark — leaving you liable, not protected.
A registered trade mark from IP Australia is the enforceable right. A standard application costs $250 per class using the pre-approved picklist, or $400 per class if you write your own description of goods and services. TM Headstart, the pre-application service, is $200 per class up front plus $130 per class to convert, and buys you an examiner's preliminary opinion before you're locked in. Registration lasts 10 years and is renewable (fees as at September 2026). Full detail is in our guide on how to trademark a business name.
Whatever your brand promises also has to be true. "Australian made", "cheapest in town" and "eco-friendly" are representations under the Australian Consumer Law, and the maximum corporate penalty for misleading conduct has been $100 million since 28 March 2026. The Australian Made logo needs a licence from Australian Made Campaign Limited — you can't just drop it into your artwork. Read misleading advertising and the Australian Consumer Law before you build any claim into your branding.
Don't spend money on this yet
Skip brand guideline documents longer than a page, custom typefaces, photography of a product you're still changing, a rebrand in your first year, and paid brand strategy workshops. All fine purchases once demand is proven. None help you find your first fifty customers.
Key takeaways
- Brand is consistency plus a clear promise. Write the promise in one sentence before you open a design tool.
- Settle the name first and run all four checks — ASIC, Australian Trade Mark Search, domain and a plain Google search. It's the only expensive thing to change.
- A DIY wordmark in Canva is enough to start: free plan, one afternoon, no regret when you change it.
- Canva and AI logo makers give non-exclusive licences, so those marks can't be trade marked. Pay a designer once the logo goes on vehicles, uniforms or packaging — commonly $500 to $2,000 with a basic style guide.
- A business name registration is not ownership. Only a trade mark ($250 per class using the picklist) lets you stop someone else using your name.
- Spend what's left on applying the brand consistently. That's where the return is.
Where to get help
- ASIC — business name availability, registration and renewal at asic.gov.au, plus its explainer on business names versus trade marks.
- IP Australia — free Australian Trade Mark Search, current fees and TM Headstart at ipaustralia.gov.au.
- business.gov.au — naming and registration guidance, plus free state business advisory services.
- ACCC — advertising claims, country-of-origin labelling and misleading conduct at accc.gov.au.
- An IP lawyer or trade mark attorney — worth a paid hour if your name sits close to an existing mark.
- Your accountant — on whether design and trade mark costs are deductible now or written off over time.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business spend on branding?
You can get a working brand for under $500, and most new Australian small businesses should. A realistic build is a business name registration ($47 for one year), a .com.au domain (around $25), Canva Pro (A$165 a year) and one trade mark class ($250) — $487 all up as at September 2026. Spend the money on protecting the name, not on a logo you'll change once you know who your customers are.
Can I use a Canva logo for my business?
Yes for everyday use, but you can't register it as a trade mark if it uses Canva templates or stock elements. Canva's licence is non-exclusive, so other users can build the same mark, and Canva's own help pages say you can't claim trade mark ownership over a logo made from its library content. If you want an enforceable brand, upload your own original artwork or pay a designer for exclusive rights.
Do I need to trademark my business name in Australia?
You don't have to, but a registered business name gives you no ownership of the name at all. ASIC registration only lets you trade under it, and ASIC doesn't check the trade marks register before approving one — so you can be granted a name that infringes someone else's mark. A trade mark from IP Australia costs from $250 per class using the picklist and is the only thing that lets you stop a competitor using a confusingly similar name (as at September 2026).
What do I actually need in a brand kit?
Logo files in vector and PNG, two to four colours with their HEX codes, two fonts and three words describing your tone. That's it. Anything beyond that — pattern libraries, photography direction, brand books — is for businesses with a marketing team, not a sole trader trying to look consistent across a van, an invoice and an Instagram profile.
Is it worth paying a designer for a logo?
It's worth it once your name is settled and the logo has to work on physical things — vehicle signage, embroidered uniforms, packaging or a shopfront. Australian freelance designers commonly quote $500 to $2,000 for a logo plus a basic style guide (as at September 2026), and the money buys you original artwork you own outright and can trade mark. Before that point, a DIY logo you can change costs nothing to be wrong about.
General information only. This guide doesn't take your personal or business circumstances into account and isn't financial, legal or tax advice. Rates and thresholds change — check the official sources linked in this guide and get qualified advice where your circumstances require it.