quality and pricing

[semimoto]

hi,
i was wondering how you guys that have been in the buisness for a while
price for different jobs, like small jobs such as stickers, logos ect.
and then somewhat more complex jobs like brochurs book covers, things that require text placement and design.
i have gotten quite a bit of small stuff and have done alot of volunteer work for benefits, fundraisers and the like, for the small i have considered the amount of time involved for pricing,but i have a larger job comming up for a
martial arts school w/ cards, brochures,banners, tshirts ect, should i reduce the hourly rate because theres more work?
thank you for your time ,

jim

[semimoto]

hi,
i was wondering how you guys that have been in the buisness for a while
price for different jobs, like small jobs such as stickers, logos ect.
and then somewhat more complex jobs like brochurs book covers, things that require text placement and design.
i have gotten quite a bit of small stuff and have done alot of volunteer work for benefits, fundraisers and the like, for the small i have considered the amount of time involved for pricing,but i have a larger job comming up for a
martial arts school w/ cards, brochures,banners, tshirts ect, should i reduce the hourly rate because theres more work?
thank you for your time ,

jim
i must be the first person to ask this question or no bodys making any money here, wow 73 veiws and no responses, if i can find a link for pricing my work i will post it for you poor souls.

[Scott Weichert]

Talking about pricing is a difficult subject. Most likely no one wants to answer your question. I certainly do not want to share publicly what I charge. That can also be seen as "price-fixing" by some people. I would never state that many of the fine artists here aren't making money, they just don't want to tell you want they are making.

To find your pricing you need to research your costs... electricity costs, heating costs, equipment, software costs, telephone fees, travel... and determine your overhead. Then add an amount based on your experience, knowledge, skill, and what the local market will bear. This becomes your hourly rate. From there it's a matter of work time + Hourly rate = quote.

Pricing varies quite a bit based on region, work assignments, and your experience.

[semimoto]

thanks for responding scott,
i diddnt ask what anyone was getting i asked how and you have answered,
thanks

[semimoto]

for those of you that are new to pricing( like myself)
there is a wealth of information on this subject in the book "pricing and ethical
guidlines" its put out by the Graphic Artist Guild.
there are things to consider in it that i would have never thought of on my own, i can see where the price of this book will save me alot of " i wish i had considered that".
jim

[G4pj]

Do you have a specific project you'd like a quote on. It's difficult to give general prices without knowing the job specs.

pj

[semimoto]

no PJ just considerations in genral,
one question that i had that was more specific , if i am awarded a large job,is it good buisness to give a lower price because theres more hourly charges added to the quote than there would be for smaller less intensive work such as a logo.
the book that i mentioned in my last post has everything that i could want.
graphic designers invoices,rights transfers,computer generated art invoices,terminology,industry directories, useful web sites.
there are standard prices for different illustrations, watercolor, pensil,pen and ink, and one that interests me the most computer generated work, these also include hourly fees.
of course these are industry standards and merely guidlines, like Scott mentioned in the end its "what the market will bare"
jim

[MindBender]

I avoid hourly pricing like the plague, personally. I have an hourly rate if requested, but I've always felt that per project pricing was more fair for everyone involved. (As long as you have strict strict guidelines for what is required for you so you don't get sucked into doing more work for free). I quote what I feel the project is worth... then the client knows what they'll pay and I know I'm getting. Half is due at the beginning, and half on completion. Keeps everything up front. I only do hourly pricing for long term, on going projects that will continue to be added to as the scope changes, or if a client is adamant that they need an hourly rate. The thing is the better you get, the quicker you finish the jobs so you have to keep raising your hourly rate for you to see more compensation for better quality and skills. Yeah, my prices for my per project quotes have gone up over the years, but it gives me a lot more freedom with how I build the quote and use my time.

$0.02

[verman84]

I think that when a designer starts out, they generally go one of two ways, they either are too moddest in their artistic ability and end up doing a lot of work for far less than what its worth. On the other hand, there are some who feel that their work (maybe right out of school) is worth its weight in gold. When I started freelancing, I was often too moddest and charged less than I should have, however, my reasoning behind this is that I was in school and I would often look at a freelance job as an opporunity to get pieces printed and put into my portfolio. Most of the time in my experience, a free job (or close to) usually presented me with opporunities worth more than the original job itself. Making connections with clients and establishing relationships with them is very important and believe me, people will ask them who designed their pieces more than you would think.

I suggest doing a little bit of research. AIGA is a great resource for designers especially in the entry level.