Why We Don't Have a Rate Card (And What We Do Instead)

The Real Question Underneath the Request

When someone asks us for a rate card, they are rarely asking for a spreadsheet.

What they are actually asking is: can I trust you to be straight with me about money? Will you tell me whether I can afford this before dragging me through a long process? Or are you going to waste my time and then hit me with a number I never expected?

That is a fair concern. A lot of agencies in Kenya earn it. Vague pricing, hidden costs, a quote that arrives only after three meetings: these are common enough that founders have learned to protect themselves by asking for a number upfront.

We respect that. And the answer we give is not a number. It is an explanation of exactly how our pricing works, so you can judge for yourself whether it is fair before you take another step.

Why a Rate Card Would Actually Work Against You

Here is the problem with fixed packages: a law firm in Westlands and a travel company in Karen both need a rebrand. But what they need from that rebrand is completely different.

The law firm needs to project credibility to high-value corporate clients who will scrutinise everything: their website, their letterhead, how their partners present at a pitch. The travel company needs to evoke desire and trust in a market that makes decisions visually. Different industries, different audiences, different brand problems, different levels of commercial risk attached to getting it wrong.

A rate card that tries to serve both of them either overcharges the simpler project or undervalues the complex one. Fixed packages force every client into the same box. Some pay for deliverables they do not need. Others get a scope that does not go deep enough for where their business actually is.

The result, in both cases, is a rebrand that half-fits. And a rebrand that half-fits is not a bargain. [What Actually Affects the Cost of a Branding Project?] explains in detail what actually drives scope and pricing differences between projects.

What We Do Instead

When you submit our inquiry form, we review it within the hour where possible. If the project looks like a fit, we come back to you with a message and, if the timing works, we move into a first conversation.

That conversation is not a sales pitch. It is us trying to understand your business. Where you are. Where you want to go. What is holding the brand back. What a successful rebrand would actually create for you commercially. We ask questions. We listen more than we talk.

From that conversation, we come back with a proposal that includes three options. We typically name them Foundation, Strategic, and Transformational, though the names flex depending on the client and what fits. Each option has a clearly defined scope and a price that reflects the value that scope creates for your business specifically.

You choose based on what you want to achieve and what you want to invest. There is no pressure to choose the highest option. The Foundation option exists because not every business is at a stage where a full transformation makes sense, and we would rather give you what is right for right now than upsell you into something that does not fit. [How We Decide If We’re the Right Fit for Each Other] covers how we think about this in more detail.

On the “Custom Pricing Is Just a Way to Charge More” Concern

We hear this, and it deserves a direct answer.

Value-based pricing does not mean we charge more. It means we charge differently depending on the size of the value being created. A small consultancy at an early stage pays less than a large firm billing KES 5,000,000 (~$50,000) a month, even if the visual deliverables look similar on a checklist. The reason is not arbitrary. The larger firm has more at stake. The commercial upside of a rebrand done well is greater. The cost of one done badly is also greater.

A fixed rate card would charge both of them the same. That is not fairer. It is just simpler for the agency. It overcharges the smaller client and undercharges the larger one.

We are compensated for the outcomes our work creates, not the hours it takes to produce it. That aligns our interests with yours in a way that hourly or package pricing does not. If the rebrand does not create value, we have not priced it correctly.

We Are Not Evasive About Money

One thing worth saying plainly: we do not use the absence of a rate card as a reason to avoid the money conversation.

If you tell us your budget in the inquiry form, we will tell you whether it is in the right ballpark before any further conversation happens. We will not take you through a full discovery process and then quote you something you cannot afford. That wastes your time and ours.

The honest version of the money conversation looks like this. You tell us roughly what you are working with. We tell you what that range can realistically achieve. If there is a fit, we move forward. If there is not, we say so clearly and you are no worse off than before you reached out.

That is the kind of transparency a rate card is supposed to give you. We think this version gives you more. [How Much Does a Rebrand Cost in Kenya?] has the full picture of what different investment levels actually look like.

If you want to know whether your budget and project are a fit before committing to anything, the Inquiry form is the right place to start. It takes three minutes and gives us what we need to be genuinely useful in our first conversation.

Make an Inquiry