What should you ask a branding agency before you hire them? 12 questions

What should you ask a branding agency before hiring them?

Ask questions that turn a pitch into commitments you can check later. Use these 12 on the first call, then ask the agency to confirm the answers in the written proposal.

1. 1Who will actually work on my brand, and will I meet them?
2. 2Can I see identities you made for businesses like mine, in use today?
3. 3What happens in the first week?
4. 4How many design directions will I see, and when?
5. 5How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as a round?
6. 6What exactly will I receive, and in which file formats?
7. 7Will you assign the copyright to my company in writing, and when?
8. 8Do you check the name and logo against trademark registers, or is that my job?
9. 9What does the price include, and what costs extra?
10. 10What do you need from me, and by when?
11. 11What happens if I don't like the first concepts?
12. 12How will the brand reach my website, social templates and pitch deck?

Who will actually do the work?

Some agencies pitch with senior people and deliver with whoever is free. Ask for the name of the person who will design your identity and the name of your day-to-day contact. Our advice: prefer one owner from brief to handoff over a chain of account managers.

Then ask to see work for businesses like yours that is in use, not only mock-ups. DesignRush's list of questions for branding agencies includes the same test: "Can I speak with a past client or see a live brand in action?" A live website or shopfront shows whether the system held up after launch.

What will I receive, and will I own it?

Ask for the deliverables list in writing: the logo system (primary, secondary and mark), colour values, fonts, guidelines, templates and the source files. Our logo file handover checklist lists every format you should get.

Ownership needs its own question. In the UK, GOV.UK says the first owner of copyright is "the person or organisation that created the work and not you the commissioner", unless you agree otherwise in writing. In the US, the Copyright Office's Circular 30 says a commissioned work counts as a "work made for hire" only if it fits one of nine categories and both sides sign a written agreement. A logo is not on that list.

So ask: "Will you assign all copyright in the final designs to my company in writing, and on what date?" A good answer names the document and the trigger, usually final payment. This is general information, not legal advice.

Will the agency check my name and logo against trademarks?

Ask this early, because a clash found after launch can mean a second rebrand. The USPTO says applications are often refused because a mark is too similar to one already registered, and that its examiners only check the federal database. Searching state records and the internet is your responsibility. In the UK, GOV.UK says the Intellectual Property Office checks that a new mark is not the same as, or similar to, existing ones, and that registering costs at least £205. In the UAE, the federal trademark services page lists an enquiry service for registered trademarks alongside registration itself.

Most studios are not law firms, so an honest answer is often "we run a basic search, and we recommend a trademark attorney for full clearance". That is fine. The red flag is an agency that says checking is unnecessary.

How many concepts and revisions are included?

Ask for numbers, not adjectives. "Unlimited revisions" often means nobody has defined when the project ends. Better answers state how many directions you will see, on which date, how many rounds follow, and what counts as a round, for example one consolidated list of feedback.

Then ask what happens if none of the first concepts work. Some studios charge for a fresh round; some offer a refund. Either can be fair, as long as it is written down before you pay.

What does the price include, and what costs extra?

A fixed price is only fixed if the scope is. Ask for the exclusions. Common add-ons include extra logo versions, more templates, animation, website pages, printing, stock photos and font licences. If the brand uses a paid typeface, ask who buys the licence and in whose name.

For price ranges in the UAE, read our branding cost guide for Dubai, then compare them with the fixed packages on our pricing page.

What are the red flags in a branding proposal?

Worked example: how do you compare two branding proposals?

Say you are opening a café in Dubai and have two proposals on the table. This is an illustration, not a real client.

1. 1Put both proposals in one table, one row per question. Leave a cell empty when the proposal does not answer it.
2. 2Count the empty cells. Proposal A is cheaper but says nothing about ownership, revision rounds or dates. Proposal B answers all twelve.
3. 3Send Proposal A its missing questions in one email, and ask for the answers in an updated proposal, not on a call.
4. 4Compare like with like. If A now adds source files and a copyright assignment for an extra fee, compare that new total with B.
5. 5Check the exit. If only one proposal lets you stop after the first concepts, weigh that risk.
6. 6Decide on the written version. Anything promised on a call but missing from the document does not count.

If you run a food or hospitality business, our café and restaurant branding page shows what that kind of project covers.

How does Theepa Studio answer these questions?

Here are our own answers, taken from our published pages. Our Branding package for brand identity costs a fixed $1,000, takes 7 to 10 days, and includes the logo system, colour, type and core guidelines, social and marketing templates, and source files you own. First concepts are presented live within three working days of kickoff. If you don't like them, you get the full fee back, and the refund guarantee page sets out the exact rule.

Not sure your current brand needs replacing at all? Start with a free brand audit or the rebrand scorecard.

Sources

• 10 Questions To Ask a Branding Agency When Building a Brand (DesignRush, updated 31 October 2025)
• Ownership of copyright works (GOV.UK, accessed 30 October 2026)
• Circular 30: Works Made for Hire (U.S. Copyright Office, revised August 2024)
• Why search for similar trademarks? (USPTO, updated 30 November 2023)
• Register a trade mark (GOV.UK, updated 8 November 2024)
• Trademark services (UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, page updated 29 October 2026)