Symantec paid $1.28 billion for its logo. Well, technically for VeriSign, and the checkmark came with it, but that number still tops every list of expensive logos ever made. Most of the entries below aren't pure design fees either. They're rebrand budgets: research, rollout, signage, and marketing bundled into one price tag. Here's what ten of the biggest brands actually paid, ranked from cheapest to most expensive.
Quick takeaways
- Symantec's logo is the most expensive on record at $1.28 billion, but that figure is for the VeriSign acquisition, not a design fee.
- BP's $211 million "Helios" rebrand covered far more than the logo: signage, uniforms, and station rebranding across thousands of locations worldwide.
- Accenture spent $100 million and rebuilt its entire identity in 147 days after splitting from Andersen Consulting.
- Most "expensive logo" price tags are really rebrand budgets, design, rollout, and marketing bundled together, not what you'd pay a designer.
- Posten Norge's $55 million rebrand and ANZ's $15 million logo are both still in use today, over a decade later.
- NeXT's logo cost just $100,000. Steve Jobs paid Paul Rand a flat fee and got a single concept, no revisions.
What makes a Logo cost millions?
A few hundred dollars and a few hundred million dollars can both buy you a "logo." The difference comes down to three things.
Agency fees and reputation
Firms like Landor Associates and Pentagram charge enterprise rates because their name carries weight in board meetings. When Paula Scher sketched the Citibank logo, clients weren't paying for the sketch. They were paying for a designer whose past work included Microsoft and MoMA.
Scope of the rollout
A logo redesign rarely stays a logo redesign. BP's $211 million rebrand covered signage at more than 28,000 fuel stations worldwide, plus uniforms, vehicles, and a marketing campaign. Strip out the rollout and the actual design fee is a fraction of the headline number.
What you're actually buying
Sometimes the price tag isn't for design work at all. Symantec's $1.28 billion "logo" was really the cost of acquiring an entire company, VeriSign, and inheriting its checkmark along with it.
The 10 Most Expensive Logos
Here are some of the most expensive logo designs in the world and the stories that come with them. These logos show that branding plays a very important role in the growth of companies.
1. BBC (1997): $1.8 million
Overview: The BBC redesigned its logo in 1997, changing the black and white block shape while keeping the brand identity.
Purpose of Redesign: The idea was to give the channel a fresher, more youthful aesthetic as the BBC prepared for the digital age.
Impact: This redesign proved to be significant in helping the BBC continue to be credible and reliable as a media organization.
2. British Petroleum (BP) (2000): $211 million
Overview: BP came up with a new logo in 2000, and it is a bright green and yellow sunburst logo.
Symbolism: This design shows that the company supports sustainability and clean energy.
Strategic Shift: It was not merely a change of name and logo; it was a new face of BP with a new vision and mission to be environmentally friendly.
Want the full story?
Enron's tilted "E" survived the company's collapse and became one of the most infamous logos in branding history. Our roundup of the biggest branding fails of the century breaks down what went wrong and why good design couldn't save a bad brand.
3. Accenture (2000): $100 million
Overview: After a split with Arthur Andersen, Accenture was in need of a brand change and designed a logo that had the symbol ‘>’.
Meaning: The symbol is associated with change and advancement, which is in line with Accenture’s technology consulting services.
Design Philosophy: The use of the logo is very simple, but it reveals a lot about the company’s focus on growth.
4. Pepsi (2008): $1 million
Overview: Pepsi is a brand that has undergone a number of logo changes, and in 2008, the logo was redesigned to have a circular shape.
Objective: The new look was intended to show the brand’s renewed vision and appeal to a younger, international customer base.
Market Positioning: The logo is part of Pepsi’s plan to keep refreshing and stay relevant in the beverage market.
5. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) (2009): $15 million
Overview: ANZ changed its logo in 2009; the logo has a human figure in it.
Core Message: This design was to depict the global aspect of the bank and the aspect of customer relations.
Brand Evolution: The rebranding process enabled ANZ to transform its image and portray itself as a progressive financial organization.
Thinking about a rebrand?
Most companies don't need a seven-figure budget to refresh their logo well. Our guide on when and how to rebrand walks through the signals that it's actually time, and how to do it without the Accenture-sized price tag.
6. Posten Norge (2008): $55 million
Overview: Posten Norge, the Norwegian postal service, changed its logo in 2008 to depict the image of a new-age logistics company.
Design Features: The new design is simple and flexible, which means it represents innovation and efficiency.
Business Strategy: This investment was crucial to enable Posten Norge to compete in the market.
7. Symantec (2010): $1.28 billion
Overview: Symantec reportedly purchased the VeriSign logo at a cost of one billion dollars shortly after its acquisition in 2010.
Logo Integration: The new logo featured the VeriSign checkmark to represent trust and protection.
Industry Position: This merger and redesign helped to establish Symantec as a major player in the online security services market.
8. City of Melbourne (2009): around $200,000
Overview: The City of Melbourne updated its logo in 2009 to a vibrant geometric shape.
Representation: The design embodies the spirit of the city and its dynamism in order to boost its potential as a hub for commerce and travel.
Cultural Significance: This rebranding exercise was crucial for Melbourne to define itself in the international market.
The 10 logos above were designed by humans, at human prices. Our guide to designing logo with AI walks through how tools like Zoviz's AI logo generator compress that entire process into seconds, without the six-figure agency fee.
9. NeXT (1986): $100,000
Overview: The logo for NeXT was designed by the renowned designer Paul Rand and was commissioned by Steve Jobs.
Design Elements: The black cube logo, although rather simple, reflected the spirit of innovation and creativity that was NeXT.
Legacy: Even though it costs a relatively low amount, this logo is considered one of the best in the history of the tech industry.
10. Enron (1996): fee undisclosed
Overview: Enron also purchased a logo from Paul Rand in the form of a tilted “E.”
Symbolism: The design was intended to reflect the company’s creativity and its future-oriented business philosophy.
Reputation: The logo was only able to become more recognizable and infamous after the company that created it tainted its image, proving that even good design does not get a brand out of hot water.
Logo Value Breakdown: The Cost Behind Iconic Designs
Conclusion
Most of these numbers aren't logo fees. They're rebrand budgets that get reported as "the cost of the logo," which is why Symantec's $1.28 billion sits on the same list as NeXT's $100,000. The real lesson isn't that a great logo has to be expensive. It's that these brands needed a full identity change, and the mark was just the visible part of a much bigger bill.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive logo in the world?
Symantec holds the record. In 2010, the company paid about $1.28 billion to acquire VeriSign and its widely recognized checkmark, which it then folded into its own logo. No other rebrand on this list, including BP's $211 million redesign, comes close.
What is the most expensive logo design ever sold?
If you mean a pure design fee rather than a company acquisition, Accenture's $100 million rebrand is the closest answer, though even that figure covers far more than the mark itself: research, testing, and a global rollout completed in 147 days.
How much did Symantec pay for its logo?
Symantec's $1.28 billion figure is the price of acquiring VeriSign in full, not a design invoice. The checkmark came bundled with the rest of VeriSign's brand and technology.
Why do logo redesigns cost millions of dollars?
Because the logo itself is rarely the expensive part. Rollout costs, including signage, packaging, vehicles, uniforms, and marketing across every location a company operates, make up most of the bill. BP's $211 million rebrand and Posten Norge's $55 million rebrand both followed this pattern.
What is the cheapest famous logo?
Nike's swoosh is the standard answer. Designer Carolyn Davidson charged $35 for it in 1971, and Nike later gave her Nike stock as a thank-you once the company grew.
