I've had a rash of clients over the past few months who have misunderstood my design services and had misconceptions about graphic design, which has lead me to write this post to give a little bit of insight into my world, from the eyes of a designer and entrepreneur.
First, my "starting prices" are posed as a guideline to my clients. As stated with my pricing guide, it is very difficult to put a "price" on design - each and every design is SO very different in time requirements, detail, and skill required. My starting prices are set for basic or normal types of designs. There are few designs that would be considered "more detail" and a higher price, HOWEVER they do exist. If I feel that a design will require much more than is built into the price, I will charge more. This is business.
Second, my prices are NOT NEGOTIABLE. No one expects to walk into Macy's and try to talk the price down for an item at the checkout counter. The same thing goes for your designs: my prices are set and subject to my discretion.
Third, just because you'd like to order a design that is on my blog, and supposedly "just a template" does not mean you will receive a discounted price for it. I set my prices based on several factors, which are detailed below:
The first and most obvious factor that goes into pricing is: TIME. How much time required for a particular design will determine how much I charge for it; the more detail means a higher price. Even "existing" designs take time: many times, the information for your design is so different than the "template" that it's like I'm starting from scratch. Also, I factor in estimated revision/edit time and finalization of files. I also charge based on my experience and knowledge: you are paying for me and my creative eye, something that cannot be taught. The price of an item also includes THE RIGHTS FOR YOU TO USE THE DESIGN, print as many as you need, and make your wedding/event special.
As an example: let's say you purchase a simple bridal shower invitation. You pay $20 for the design. Once your payment clears, I begin the "behind the scenes" work - I start by gathering ideas, things that catch my eye, ideas I have, for your design - this typically includes many Google image searches online and mulling over my own ideas. Once I have put together several, several ideas, I begin your invite design. The idea process can take anywhere from 15-20 mins, up to a couple of hours. Once I have the ideas in my head, I draw them out digitally, creating what you see as proofs. I never assume you'll love the one and only design I provide: for a specific theme or pin-pointed design palette, I like to provide 5-6 concept proofs to you, so you have variety and can choose your favorite. For more loose palettes or unknown themes, I can provide up to 12 proofs to help narrow down your preferences.
Then once I begin your proofs, it can take 20-30 minutes to design 1 concept, so if I'm providing 5 proofs to you: that's 1.5 - 2 hours of work JUST to bring my ideas to life, plus the 30 mins of idea gathering. I can spend 1-3 hours JUST to get your proofs prepared. Now, after I send off proofs, there can be up to 30 minutes of time spend on revisions and edits, plus another 15 minutes to an hour of FINALIZING your files into a format for you to print.
With that said, let's assume it takes me 30 mins to gather all the ideas and mull over options for your design, before I even begin. Then add on another hour for creating the 5 proofs to send you, plus another 15 mins for edits and revisions, plus another 15 minutes to finalize your files; that equals 2 hours of time for a "simple bridal shower invite", which equates to about $10 an hour. Most graphic design companies charge more than $80 per hour for their time.
I LOVE designing; I sleep, eat, breathe, and exist for designing, but please understand that I have to charge what I do to make a living at it. So next time you wonder why I charge "so much" for a simple design, re-read the above and understand there is a lot more that goes into designing than just "slapping vectors together".
I <3 you.
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