This makes me feel so . . . . . cheap.

hehehe - I am sending a bill to somebody today, who wanted me to create a logo, then after my patiently working on his re-thinks and rejections thought it would be better to give the job to ... family. Well, he should know that rejection can cost too.

The key is to charge for everything. It has always amazed me how someone with no talent or eye for design has the final OK on what is good and what isn't good. yet the same guy will never question the plumber (especially when there is a leak) and he know dick sh@@ about plumbing either. The Peter Principle rules.

I do our companies art work (brochures, web and adverts) and never fail to remind them that they can't even draw a straight line even with a ruler. Arrogance has some redeeming worth.

Charge, charge, charge! You should always charge for your time not the finished product or face problems collecting as you have to justify everything to a bunch of people who could not find art in the Louvre with a guide and a flashlight. If a project comes up guess how long you need to work on it, decide on your hourly rate and get 50% upfront. The one caveat is that they will assume this is your usual hourly rate and it maybe hard to change the rate, however you can increase the hours. You would be surprised how good your work is when someone has made an investment.

Don't sell yourself short and leave money on the table. Your worth will be judged to a certain degree by your fee.

Hey Anna! You need someone to collect? I could use a few days in Amsterdam, even if I have to bust a few kneecaps on a side trip.

I've got to go find that cursing WebDesigner robot again...



I LOVE MY CLIENTS!!!!!

Worst possible client for a graphic designer is the "Artist Client". They will critique your job for months. Tell you how to do it. Provide advice. One often wonders why they just don't do it themselves.

HA! The story continues:

And don't forget, "We like the type with the little feet."

I'm not quite a designer yet (but I'm starting school for it) but I do have quite a few years airbrushing portraits and murals under my belt. I am pretty good at trompe l'oiel (and I even remembered how to spell it!) and portrait work, but still find it incredibly difficult to please my clients. After spending 17 hours painting a face using instant coffee from a photograph the size of my thumbnail, nothing makes life worth living than having the client go "that looks ok, but...". Here's the thing I have learned when creating work for someone else (or for the intention of some one else's be it for a show or even portfolio): the client doesn't have to know how to draw or paint. They can be dumb as a... really dumb thing. I don't even care if they think that guy who gives himself enima's with paint too poop on canvas is a real artist. In the end, I just want them to pay me. And I want them to tell their friends to pay me. That is the only way I can afford to do the art he wouldn't recognize. And, yes, I am a believer that if 27 people tell me that my painting or my design sucks - it just might (even if non of them went to art school). Making a design that is technically accurate or painting a portrait using certain steps you have to explain (because no one else would know) only matters to other designers or artists. Last time I checked, other designers and artists don't typically buy my work, customers do.
Bottom line? You don't have to be any good at playing football to know a bad pass.
man, this is really going to hurt my chances for getting any votes now...
As far as charging goes... seamusoisin has the right idea. When I consider the work, I give them price differences based on the paper or canvas size (the drawing will be the exact same size, but you would be surprised how much more someone will pay because it's on a bigger piece of paper) and I almost always over charge. I'll give them this line "it's going to be between 150-300$ (or any price). They will typically get the same for 200 or 300, but they feel like they chose their price and quality.
Jesus I am rambling. I just got my tooth pulled and Vicodin's have kicked in. Disregard everything I said

Naw, your work will always be judged on it's quality.

(even funnier after Al's last post)