Home-based branding and design studio

Local small businesses, start-ups, restaurants, tradespeople, non-profits and community organizations that need a professional look on a modest budget.

Fixed project fees for logos and brand packages, hourly rates for extra changes, and monthly retainers for ongoing print and social media work.

• Graphic design and typography
• Using tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma or Affinity
• Listening to clients and presenting ideas
• Managing deadlines and feedback rounds

• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Register your business name with your province and check if you need a Business Number for GST/HST once revenue passes the small supplier threshold
• Consider professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance, especially for work that gets printed
• Use properly licensed fonts, stock images and software, and be clear about who owns the final artwork
• Take deposits up front to protect yourself from unpaid work

Estimates typically run around $500 to $3,000, depending on the computer, software subscriptions and fonts or stock images you need, plus any insurance and business registration costs.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $5,000, depending on how many clients you take on, your project prices and whether you work around eight hours a week or full time.

Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence, and register your business name with your province. Also check GST/HST once revenue passes the small supplier threshold, errors and omissions insurance, and licensing for fonts, images and software.