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General Talk: What is the standard "charge"? For graphics, bizcards, logos, etc?

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorXSQueen
    • CommentTimeApr 21st 2008
     
    I recently got asked to redesign/consult on a couple of sites, and was asked what I charged ... and I went kind of like um.. "Duh, I dunno..." because much of my work (outside of my regular intranet design job) has been for barter, for friends, or for a bare bones fee just to get established and get a presence out there ... today someone on a chatgroup I am on posted posted their "Business" site and when I looked at their fees, I have to say I was a little floored. What is the standard people charge? For a new site, for a redesign, for logos? business cards? etc? Not trying to undercut anyone, or anything like that, but based on the prices I saw posted on the above-mentioned biz site, I have been seriously selling myself short ... (like somewhere between 50% and 75% off of the prices they quoted if not even cheaper!) .. and wanted some advice/feedback on what other designers think is a reasonable amount to charge. Thanks!shamed
  2.  
    First off, I'd like to say that I'm a programmer not a designer, so this might be a little different for you creative people. ;)

    I use a formula like this:
    G / 52 / ( H * M ) = $/hr

    More often than not, a customer will need more work than they expect, so I stopped doing flat rate charges. Having said that, I see that they company you linked to specifies that they make three options, and only one alteration to one of the options. If that's the case, they can probably better calculate how long it will take, but I'm guessing they will probably end up with some less-than-satisfied customers. Having said all that, it's rather easy to figure out how much to charge. Start with how much you want to make annually (G), say $52,000 because it's easy to figure ($1,000/wk which is why we divide by 52). Now, how many hours do you want to work per week (H)? We'll figure at 40. Here is the key, you need to multiply the hours you want to work by a modifier (M) of about .6 - .8. Why? Well, not 100% of your hours are billable, you'll be spending some time selling your services, you might spend some time researching new options and techniques on the web, etc. If you are a good salesman and stay pretty focused, lean toward the .8. If you are not, go with something closer to .6. I'll plug in .7 here, and it looks like this:
    $52,000 / 52 / ( 40 * .7 ) = $35.71/hr

    Which is actually kind of funny, because $35 is what I started at a while back, and what I still charge non-profits, socially proactive businesses, and friends/family (not close family...you know, that cousin you haven't heard from in 10 years that hopes to get a free site from you). For everyone else I charge $45-55/hr depending on the work.
    • CommentAuthorXSQueen
    • CommentTimeApr 21st 2008
     
    That is pretty smart Aaron (love the formula even tho I am a bit of a math idjut ;)... I do the "side" sites on my free-time and started off at 25$ an hour (mostly because that is what I would get for OT if I were to stay at the office longer instead) but based on the majority of what I have seen here and elsewhere, I should probably go up a notch or three. Finally bought CS3 design premium ... student version but it was all I could afford ... 350$ is still a bit stiff for the software :/ regardless of how awesome it may be ...

    sounds like I should be raising my rates and looking at the site example for some guidance .. I don't mind a flat fee for prototypes with hourly for any mods ... its the base flat rates that people want and which seems to be the thing that more often than not drowns you in unpaid (or underpaid) work efforts :/
  4.  
    Do you want to be proffesional? Try 5000 a site minimum, lol.

    Want to be a runofthemill internet designer like you see scurrying around digitalpoint?
    Charge 150 a site. lol.
    • CommentAuthorXSQueen
    • CommentTimeApr 21st 2008
     
    At this point, since this is a sideline (not my day job) I would like to be somewhere in between. In case you haven't seen the Michigan economic prospect recently (since this is an international site I'll have to forgive you the oversite bigsmile ;) - it SUX!!! Places that a few years ago couln't keep up with the amount of business are now considering bankruptcy. Its not a pretty picture, so any extra $$ to pay the bills is a bonus! ;)
  6.  
    I don't set any minimums based solely on the dollar amount. I do, however, have a one hour minimum charge no matter what, and you won't be finding any hourly discounts unless you are doing a larger project. I tend to appreciate the flexibility that comes from working for myself, so none of my prices are set in stone, but I find it useful to have a "rule of thumb."

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