Sound familiar?
- Your only logo file is a small JPEG pulled from an old website.
- The sign maker says your logo 'isn't a vector' and can't be cut.
- Your logo prints fuzzy on banners and pixelated on pull-up stands.
- Nobody knows which font the original designer used.
- The logo has thin lines and tiny text that disappear when it's small.
- It looks like it was designed in the early 2000s, because it was.
Key facts
- Logo redesigns start from £150 + VAT; simple like-for-like redraws can be charged at £45 an hour + VAT.
- A redraw rebuilds your existing logo as true vector paths, not an auto-trace.
- A redesign modernises the logo while keeping recognisable elements.
- Missing fonts are identified or matched so the lettering is correct.
- Colours are matched and recorded as Pantone, CMYK, RGB and HEX.
- Files are delivered in AI, EPS, SVG, PDF and PNG, in print and screen versions.
Redraw, refresh or redesign?
There are three levels of logo update, and they are priced differently:
- Redraw: your logo stays exactly the same, but it is rebuilt as clean vector artwork. Ideal when the design is fine but the files are not. Simple redraws can be charged at the design rate of £45 an hour + VAT.
- Refresh: small, deliberate improvements. Better spacing, a cleaner typeface, simpler shapes, more practical colours. Customers see the same brand, looking sharper.
- Redesign: a new logo that keeps a link to the old one, such as its colour, symbol or initial. Logo redesign starts from £150 + VAT, the same as new logo design.
If the whole look of your business needs updating, not just the logo, see rebranding.
Why auto-tracing a JPEG doesn't work
Software such as Illustrator's Image Trace and online converters can turn a pixel image into vector paths automatically. On a logo, the result is usually lumpy curves, wobbly straight lines, letters that don't quite match and hundreds of unnecessary anchor points. It might pass a quick glance on screen, but it shows at sign size and can cause problems on vinyl cutters and embroidery machines.
A proper redraw is done by hand: straight lines drawn straight, curves built with as few points as possible, and lettering reset in the real font or a close match. The difference is obvious once the logo is a metre wide on a shop sign or a banner.
Matching the font and colours
Old logos often use a font nobody can name, or lettering that was customised. We identify the typeface where possible. If it can't be identified or licensed, we match it closely or redraw the letters as outlines, so the logo doesn't depend on a font being installed.
Colours drift over years of reprints. One printer's 'our blue' becomes slightly different at the next. We agree the correct colour with you, then record it four ways: a Pantone reference for spot colour printing, CMYK for everyday print, and RGB and HEX for screens. Those values go on a one-page reference sheet you can send to any supplier.
Improving a logo for small sizes and modern use
Many older logos were designed for letterheads, before profile pictures, favicons and phone screens. Common fixes we make in a refresh:
- thickening thin strokes that vanish when small
- removing taglines and fine detail from the main lockup, keeping them for large uses only
- replacing gradients, drop shadows and bevels with flat colour that prints and embroiders cleanly
- creating a square icon version for social media and browser tabs
- adding a one-colour version for engraving, foiling and single-colour print
Where your old logo files might be hiding
Before paying for a redraw, it's worth a ten-minute search, because a proper vector file may already exist. Places to check:
- Old printers and sign makers. They often keep artwork for repeat orders and may send you a PDF or EPS.
- Your previous designer or web developer. Ask specifically for the AI, EPS, SVG or PDF version, not a JPEG.
- Old email attachments. Search your inbox for 'logo', '.eps', '.ai' or '.pdf' around the date the logo was designed.
- Your website. Some sites use an SVG logo, which can be saved and checked.
A PDF from a printer is often vector inside, even if it looks like an image. Send us what you find and we'll tell you whether it's usable before quoting a redraw.
What to send us
Send the best version of your logo you can find: an old PDF from a printer, a file from a previous designer, a high-resolution photo of a sign, or a screenshot. Tell us where it will be used and whether you want it kept identical or improved. We'll come back with a fixed price before starting.
Once your logo is sorted, it's a good time to update the items it sits on, such as business cards and your email signature. Get in touch to start.
What you get
- Rebuilt vector master in AI and EPS
- SVG for your website and PDF for printers
- Transparent PNG files at screen and high resolution
- Full colour, one colour, black and white versions
- Simplified icon version for small sizes, where needed
- Colour reference sheet with Pantone, CMYK, RGB and HEX
How it works and what it costs
Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.
Tell us the brief
What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you turn my JPEG logo into a vector file?
Yes. dijitul redraws the logo by hand as clean vector artwork, rather than using an automatic trace, and supplies it as AI, EPS, SVG and PDF, plus transparent PNG files. Simple like-for-like redraws can be charged at £45 an hour + VAT; you get a fixed price first.
How much does a logo redesign cost?
At dijitul media, a logo redesign starts from £150 + VAT, the same starting price as a new logo. A straightforward vector redraw, where the design stays identical, can be charged at the design rate of £45 an hour + VAT. The final fixed price depends on how much the logo changes.
What if I don't know what font my logo uses?
dijitul identifies the typeface where possible. If it can't be found or licensed, the lettering is matched closely or redrawn as outlines, so your logo files work on any computer without the original font installed.
Will customers still recognise my business after a logo redesign?
That is the aim of a refresh. dijitul keeps the elements customers associate with you, such as your main colour, symbol or initial, and improves the parts that cause problems, like thin lines or dated effects. You decide how far the change goes.
Why does my logo look blurry on banners?
Almost always because the file is a low-resolution raster image, such as a JPEG or PNG, being enlarged beyond its pixel size. A vector version of your logo scales to any size with sharp edges. dijitul can redraw it so banner, sign and print suppliers get the files they need.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.