Comments on: How 20 designers charge their clients – part 2

By: David Airey

David Airey — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:54:13 +0000

It’s not black and white, Marty.

If you promote yourself in a transparent way, your client should have a clear enough idea about what to expect, and shouldn’t have the need to ask for money back.

By: Marty Jones

Marty Jones — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:08:12 +0000

This has been hugely informative, as I am starting to freelance and I need to learn all I can about billing and invoicing, etc.

If I may ask though, what if a client decides halfway through the project that your work won’t do it for them? Do you refund the %50 or keep the money?

By: Jacob Cass

Jacob Cass — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:58:47 +0000

Hi David,
My view on PayPal fees still say the same however I am no longer going to be including PayPal Fees in the quotes / invoices but rather have them as a “hidden” included cost.

I suppose it is just a part of doing business but there was very different opinions amongst the community.

By: firebubble - logo design

firebubble - logo design — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:01:22 +0000

Thank you for the second part of of How designers charge their clients. It has certainly helped to enforce the importance of Working on a 50% deposit. It’s only fair that we get paid for the work that we do.

By: LaurenMarie - Creative Curio

LaurenMarie - Creative Curio — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:48:26 +0000

David, this was a most ingenious topic for an article and thanks for hosting it! It's great to get a variety of perspectives. I'm very glad to see most have not found a problem asking for payment up front and hopefully this means many potential and future clients of our (collectively as designers) are getting used to working this way. I really like the way Brian Yerkes put it

At a certain point during the project, you are working over what the initial 50% will cover, so for the remainder of the project, you are then showing your commitment to the client

That's a good perspective to present to any resistant clients! Sigurdur--letting everyone in on our secrets only helps our profession, eh? Then all designers are uniting and creating respectable business practices that clients will come to trust because they know what to expect. Seems to me it benefits everyone! Yay! Thanks for sharing yours too :) I'd also like to remind everyone of these two great articles: 10 Ways to Convince A Buyer That Value-Based Fees Are Best (i.e. the "flat rate") and Pricing Your Consulting Services (it's a little long, but some GREAT arguments for value-based pricing and fair pricing overall)

By: Meraj Khattak

Meraj Khattak — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:27:39 +0000

David,

Thanks for replying. I had read the FAQ previously but seems just missed that question :) basically that answers almost all three of the questions which you asked the other designers.

By: Sigurdur Armannsson

Sigurdur Armannsson — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:54:11 +0000

Oh good. And thanks for your nice blog. Always a pleasure to visit here.

This topic is very interesting and great to see how willing people are to share their business – “secrets“.

By: David Airey

David Airey — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:43:37 +0000

Chris,

It has been helpful to me too, so thanks for taking the time to join in.

Sigurdur,

Not off-topic at all, buddy. Thanks for your insight and for those extra links. Good stuff.

By: Sigurdur Armannsson

Sigurdur Armannsson — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:39:44 +0000

I use a great software called iBiz to take care of my timetracking and billing for my freelance work. Clients often call me and ask how much the work will cost. In a few minutes I can send them estimate directly out of iBiz as a pdf file which is generated to Mail. There they see the hours estimated and cost per hour. Usually the client sees that my hourly rate is quite similar to what they charge themselves, so this information it important to them.

There are some very interesting articles to be found about charging for freelancers and small studios online. To name a few, look at:

http://thegraphicmac.com/how-much-charge-design-work
http://thegraphicmac.com/designers-how-much-charge-how-get-paid

From there you can jump to other good articles.

Hope this was not too off topic.

By: David Airey

David Airey — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:12:08 +0000

Thanks for the comments, Richard, Chaitanya, Eivind. Oh, and I enjoyed your personal business cards, Eivind. Nice. Meraj, I hadn't planned on including myself, as I partly address payment on my FAQ page. If you want me to provide any more details just let me know. Jacob, Have the comments on your PayPal fees post changed your way of thinking?