How much should I charge for design? It is one of the commonest questions asked by freelance graphic designers. It is also one of the most difficult t

How much should I charge for design? It is one of the commonest questions asked by freelance graphic designers. It is also one of the most difficult to answer.

There are so many factors involved in this issue, that no one answer will be able to cover all the bases. Some of the following are factors to be taken into account when deciding how much to charge a client. But, of course, these are only a guidelines. In reality, freelance designers will need to research carefully and develop a pricing structure most suited to their own business.

Experience

How much experience does the designer have and what have they got to offer? Obviously, a creative director with 30 years experience will be able to earn a higher fee than a college leaver. And a brand identity formulated by a well known design group, who need to pay for account handlers and offices, will cost a lot more than a logo designed by a self-employed graphic designer, working in a home-office.

Type of work

Many designers charge different rates depending on the type of work they are carrying out. Even if this work is part of the same job for the same client. For example, conceptual work often gets charged at a higher rate than production work – although this is not always the case.

Creative versus rent-paying?

Designs that push the creative boundaries are rarely the ones that pay the best. Designers may well find that a boring financial report for a corporate client will pay a lot better than an award winning interactive Flash presentation.

Web and interactive design

Multimedia, Flash and other interactive design work is generally more expensive than static HTML page design. Although the conceptual stages of the design project may well take up a large part of the costs, as might the project management part.

The client

A lot also depends on the client. The value of a design project is not just dependent on the amount of work that a designer has to put into it. It is also dependent on the value that the design will bring to the client. And this is often dependent on the client's spending power. Some designers will taper their fees with this in mind and a major corporation will expect to pay much more than a small business.

Loss-leaders, pro bono, free pitching

This is an area with much disagreement. Many designers will refuse to take part in free pitching for work, whilst others see it as part of the process. Loss-leaders are also a contentious area.

Some designers argue that it is necessary to pitch in with low fees for an initial job, as that is the best way to draw in a new client.

Others will argue that a client that expects a cheap job once, will continue to do so and will never give the graphic design profession the respect it deserves. Here is a discussion on whether designers should give discounts or not.

Location

As can be seen from the designers salary survey, graphic design charges can vary drastically depending on the location of the designer. This can be an advantage for creatives who work remotely and maintain clients in bigger cities.

Print and other extras

Many graphic designers will add on costs for external services that they manage on behalf of their clients. For example a print designer may add 10%-20% to the printing costs of a job. Generally it is a good idea to be up-front about this with the client – or at least put it into the small print for a quote. There has been an interesting discussion in the design forums on the topic of graphic designers charging extra for printing.

It is also important to estimate for and pass on the costs of other expenses, such as photography, picture research, travel and so on. Designers will bill these costs in many different ways, but they all have to be paid for somehow.

Formulas, hourly rates or flat fees?

There are numerous guides and business plans that aim to provide freelancers with methods for calculating how much to charge clients. Some are more useful and realistic than others. But, at the end of the day, it often comes down to experience. Even the most carefully planned and costed job can quickly go over budget. At the same time, a job that was expected to last a week can sometimes be completed in a few hours. These are all factors that need to be considered when deciding which method of costing a design job a freelancer will adopt.

One of the best methods of research is to find out how other designers go about working out how much to charge for design work. The following is a selection from the freelance design forums;

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