Are these fixed prices?

They are starting prices. Every engagement gets a written estimate before we sign, and the number does not move unless the scope does. If we uncover something material mid-flight, we raise it early and never invoice a surprise.

Why do you not just quote a range?

Ranges hide the real question. What matters is what you get, not what you spend. Every tier lists the deliverables and the team, so the price is a consequence of the promise — not the other way around.

Can we start with a Sprint and grow into Studio?

Yes. Roughly half of our Studio clients start with a four-week Sprint. It is the cheapest way for both sides to decide whether the partnership is worth ten more weeks.

Do you take equity or delayed payment?

Rarely. We accept equity from a small number of pre-seed founders per year, and only when we can meaningfully move the outcome. For everyone else we bill in three milestones and payment is 30-day net.

What is not included?

Paid media budget, licensing fees, third-party engineering, and enterprise integrations. We scope those separately and pass through at cost with no markup.

Fill in the brief on the Contact page and pick a tier. A partner replies within one business day with a proposal that maps line-for-line to the deliverables in the tier.

Pricing — Darkline Studio

Pricing · Three tiers, one philosophy

We publish our starting numbers because we are tired of gatekeeping them. Every engagement is a fixed scope, a fixed price and a fixed team — no surprise invoices, no fractional resources dressed up as senior time.

See the tiers Compare in detail

Tiers · Three shapes

From a four-week decision to a full cinematic launch.

Every tier is a fixed scope with a fixed team, priced by outcome. Pick the shape that matches the moment your company is in.

4 weeks
Sprint
A four-week decision, in writing.
From$25k
Team
1 partner + 1 strategist
Cadence
Two workshops a week
Best for
Founders about to fundraise, launch or rebrand.
Includes
- Discovery workshop and interview series
- Positioning platform and message architecture
- Naming or narrative refresh (one direction)
- Launch or fundraising deck outline
- One 90-minute leadership readout
Identity design, website build or ongoing content.
Book a sprint
Most booked
10–14 weeks
Studio
A brand and a site that ship together.
From$85k
Team
1 partner + 3 specialists
Cadence
Weekly working sessions
Best for
Series A–B teams doing a serious relaunch.
Includes
- Everything in Sprint
- Identity system (logo, type, color, motion)
- Design system with usage guidelines
- Marketing site (up to 12 templates)
- Content system and voice guidelines
- CMS handoff and 30-day support window
Ongoing growth work or paid media buying.
Plan a studio engagement
4–6 months
Flagship
A launch the industry cannot ignore.
From$200k
Team
1 partner + 6 specialists
Cadence
Studio pod, on-site kickoffs
Best for
Series C+ or public-market brands with something to prove.
Includes
- Everything in Studio
- Campaign platform and hero film
- Motion identity and interaction system
- Product surface design (up to 30 screens)
- Editorial content system and launch calendar
- Six-month partner check-ins
Enterprise engineering builds — we scope those separately.
Talk about a flagship

Compare · Feature by feature

What each tier actually gets you.

Full deliverables side by side. Everything you see below appears line-for-line on the statement of work.

Comparison of Sprint, Studio and Flagship tiers
Feature	4 weeks Sprint From $25k	10–14 weeks Studio From $85k	4–6 months Flagship From $200k
Strategy
Positioning platformThe one page every future asset gets checked against.	✓	✓	✓
Message architecture	✓	✓	✓
Naming or narrative refresh	One direction	Two directions	Full territory map
Executive readouts	1	3	Monthly
Design & brand
Identity system	—	✓	✓
Motion identity	—	Optional add-on	✓
Design system with guidelines	—	✓	✓
Editorial art direction	—	Optional add-on	✓
Build
Marketing site	—	Up to 12 templates	Up to 24 templates + motion
Product surface design	—	Optional add-on	Up to 30 screens
CMS and handoff	—	✓	✓
Content & launch
Voice guidelines	—	✓	✓
Launch film	—	Optional add-on	✓
Campaign platform	—	—	✓
Support
Post-launch support window	—	30 days	90 days
Partner check-ins	—	Weekly	Bi-weekly for six months

4 weeks

Sprint · from $25k

Strategy

Positioning platform✓
Message architecture✓
Naming or narrative refreshOne direction
Executive readouts1

Design & brand

Identity system—
Motion identity—
Design system with guidelines—
Editorial art direction—

Build

Marketing site—
Product surface design—
CMS and handoff—

Content & launch

Voice guidelines—
Launch film—
Campaign platform—

Support

Post-launch support window—
Partner check-ins—

10–14 weeks

Studio · from $85k

Strategy

Positioning platform✓
Message architecture✓
Naming or narrative refreshTwo directions
Executive readouts3

Design & brand

Identity system✓
Motion identityOptional add-on
Design system with guidelines✓
Editorial art directionOptional add-on

Build

Marketing siteUp to 12 templates
Product surface designOptional add-on
CMS and handoff✓

Content & launch

Voice guidelines✓
Launch filmOptional add-on
Campaign platform—

Support

Post-launch support window30 days
Partner check-insWeekly

4–6 months

Flagship · from $200k

Strategy

Positioning platform✓
Message architecture✓
Naming or narrative refreshFull territory map
Executive readoutsMonthly

Design & brand

Identity system✓
Motion identity✓
Design system with guidelines✓
Editorial art direction✓

Build

Marketing siteUp to 24 templates + motion
Product surface designUp to 30 screens
CMS and handoff✓

Content & launch

Voice guidelines✓
Launch film✓
Campaign platform✓

Support

Post-launch support window90 days
Partner check-insBi-weekly for six months

Add-ons · Stack what you need

Bolt on the bits that matter.

Any tier can be extended with the specialties below. Bring us a shopping list — we will price it as a single, clean engagement.

Launch film
A 60–90 second cinematic film for the launch: concept, direction, edit.
From$45k
Motion identity
A library of branded transitions and micro-interactions across product and web.
From$22k
Product design pod
A design engineer plus a senior designer, embedded for a fixed six-week block.
From$60k
Growth retainer
A weekly experiment cadence across paid, organic, and lifecycle.
From$18k
Editorial art direction
Original photography or illustration direction for the launch season.
From$32k

FAQ · Money questions

What clients ask about the invoice.

The plain answers to the six questions we hear on almost every proposal call.

Let’s build something

Make things people remember.

Tell us about your ambition. We usually reply in under a business day.

Start a project or email hello@darklinebrandingstudio.com

Priced by promise,not by the hour.

From a four-week decision to a full cinematic launch.

Sprint

Studio

Flagship

What each tier actually gets you.

Bolt on the bits that matter.

Launch film

Motion identity

Product design pod

Growth retainer

Editorial art direction

What clients ask about the invoice.

Are these fixed prices?

Why do you not just quote a range?

Can we start with a Sprint and grow into Studio?

Do you take equity or delayed payment?

What is not included?

How do we buy this?

Make things people remember.