Reddit reviews Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
We found 32 Reddit comments about Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Graphic Artists Guild
Hey man nice work. You obviously spent a lot of time on this so you definitely, definitely needed a contract and should've been paid regardless if they used it or backed out. I'm in the design field and this happens all the time. I'm not sayin I'm an expert or anything cause I don't freelance much but people have taken advantage of me too and you learn the hard way sometimes. I understand when you're not known or just starting out you have to take what you can get but you also cannot sell yourself short. I highly recommend this book, Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. This talk by Mike Monteiro called Fuck you, Pay me also has some great insight. Like you said, this is your lively hood and how you pay the bills and feed the family so don't take shit from flakey assholes no matter how amateur you are. Best of luck, keep grindin.
50% deposit up front and predetermined milestones, kill fee, signed contract. Get your shit together if you're taking it seriously, guys.
GAG handbook
Fuck you. Pay me.
Freelancing intelligently really should be a full class for every BA. Fine artists included.
Well there's also learnt skill and time. I have been at this for almost 10 years now. I can make something in an hour that would take a new person 5 hours.
If I charge the same price as the new person I would be doing a dis-service to myself because I was able to do what was $30 per hour to them and a net of $150 ($30 per hour x 5 hours) in only an hour making me only $30 when they made $150 for not being good.
Then of course like you outlined in your diagram that different clients can afford more. Now you're not just trying to gouge them, but they're respectable clients looking for respectable work so they're going to pay for it if you're worth it. A non-profit doesn't have that kind of budget so you might slice your prices for them. Also you may have a lower price for a new client in hopes they get bigger and you can charge them more. This last part is a common practice in all industries. Start a low price and once hooked move them up. Insurance carriers do it all the time. So there is no be all end all solution. You need to know the client and what you can afford.
This is the go to book on pricing. But it's not a be all end all bible either.
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166
Here's a few I like:
Get the latest edition of the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. It has excellent info on how to (and why you should) price your work appropriately. Specific section in there for just this issue.
The boilerplate offered by the Graphic Aritsts Guild (union) should be fairly reliable. It can usually be found on their website in the tools and resources section, or in the appendices of their Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (available at retail, and via Amazon...even as a non union member, it's a fantastic resource for quoting and estimating creative work), ready to be scanned or photocopied.
Current edition is 2013, I believe.
As a professional scientific illustrator, I appreciate the challenge of finding paying work. However, you do not help the field out by offering work for free. If you want to build a portfolio of scientific illustration work, then I suggest working on some of your own, relevant projects, and then charge an appropriate fee. Undercutting and doing work for free does not teach clients to value illustration work which takes a lot of skill and time to develop.
For guidelines on pricing see: Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
Check this book out. It should answer all you need to know about this sort of thing. My Graphic design business professor required us all to purchase it.
Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines by Graphic Artist's Guild
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0932102166/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_p8uaub1KDA6E7
Every designer should own this book: http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397770556&sr=8-1&keywords=graphic+artists+guild
Sounds like you really want to help the guy develop professionally; and you also really want to use his work because you think it would sell. Great.
Numbers are hard to put out there without seeing his chops or the style you are asking for. Perhaps a base of, say, $500-$2000 per illustration with rights included so you own them, but with him cut in on the calendar (and other calendar year products) profits; so there is real potential and investment on his side. Then you have this great art to monetize in perpetuity and your friend has seen the light of using his talents — and, if you use the opportunity to teach him, become more comfortable with the process of doing so.
Those are opinions, this is advice:
Tell him you are interested and want him to write a quote. Tell him to base it on the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines and Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers. It's okay to mention you expect consideration for your part in this opportunity for him, but let him know you want the ownership at the end of project. If he gets the books and builds a good quote in a few weeks, good sign — have him Xerox the pages he used to make the quote and you will learn as much as he.
Have a schedule carefully set up in case he flakes. First few concepts in two weeks to develop rapport and trust — then full concepts in four, line work completed and the first few finals for approval at six-eight, finals for approval weeks eight-twelve, revised finals in sixteen. Add your slide time in secretly and only give it away harshly. Expect 12 new paid works after a life of casual attention to be a bit overwhelming for him; and if you really want to be a hero put him in contention for the next year ... but you have no responsibility to.
Because this is one of those amazing chances to really make someone's life better.
(edit: fixed studio-artist level deadline times)
Is this what you're talking about?
www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449933448&sr=8-1&keywords=Graphics+artists+guild+handbook
The Graphic Artist's Guild publishes a book called 'Pricing and Ethical Guidelines'. They are a really good reference point, here's the most recent edition
You could also look into value based pricing where it's also looking at the value a piece of work can bring. For example if you do an illustration for a large campaign that is going to make the company a lot of money then your illustrations value is much more in terms of money so you in theory can charge more compared to a local small business wanting an illustration for a flyer. There is also this, not sure if they have a more recent version https://www.amazon.co.uk/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166
One more thing. I noticed you are starting at a very low rate for your paintings, which is common when starting out and feeling unsure of your artistic value.
I recommend checking out the Freelancer's Bible and this book on pricing and ethical guidelines. I struggled a lot with figuring out my professional rates, but thanks to these books and fellow professional acquaintances, I managed to sort out rates that were livable and helped me carry my business forward. I hope you can find these useful!
Pricing is all about what you value your time at and what you can convince people your ability it worth.
Also, get this book: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
Here's a few resources on the subject.
This is a guide to the average pay rates of certain design jobs. They also give the average freelance rates based on company (you might want to go a little bit below average, considering you're just starting out)
If you want to charge a lump sum instead, I suggest either just estimating your hours worked, or really just ask yourself what your time was worth. Don't sell yourself short, web design is a big job. This person hired you because you know what you're doing, and they don't.
If you're going to be doing this more often, I suggest this book by the Graphic Artist's Guild. It has tons of design jobs in it, and gives you a reasonable range of what to charge for each.
Good luck.
If you're looking for contracts, Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines is a must read that includes several template contracts for a variety of related industries.
I don't charge differently per hour, I charge by project. Clients often have little or no understanding of what an hour of work means, and I shouldn't be monetarily punished for being efficient. I used to charge per hour and then I'd get inspired and bust out a flier or copy for a brochure in 20 minutes when I had quoted two hours. If I'm charging for time, I can't ethically take the whole two hours. But if I'm charging by project, I can take more projects and make more money by rewarding my fast work.
I use the Graphic Artist's Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines to price projects. This way, if they have any pushback on pricing, I can show them the exact page where I got the price for their project, so they know it's not just on a whim - it's the ethical price to charge. That's won me a lot of business.
Use the free trial.
Or you know, buy a month-to-month membership.
You should invest in knowledge, especially if it will make you earn more.
Also AIGA's [Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines] (http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426094930&sr=8-1&keywords=Graphic+Artist%27s+Guild+Handbook) is pretty useful for these kind of questions.
This is way too low. Id suggest instead that you pick up a copy of this: https://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166. These are standard rates for illustration. Since you’re new, pick the low end (which is still way higher than £50 per artwork).
At the least, he needs to provide you with parameters (how many illustrations, timeline, etc) and GET IT IN A. CONTRACT. There are free template contracts online. If he bails you have legal recourse.
HOWEVER, unless he’s self publishing, you should know that most publishers pick the illustrators after the book has been pitched to them by the author (yep, even kids books). It can still be attempted but I wouldn’t go for it unless he’s paying you regardless of whether it gets published and paying you a FAIR rate.
The Graphic Artists Guild comes out with a publication every year on pricing and ethical guidelines: http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377278383&sr=1-1&keywords=Graphic+Artists+guild or https://www.graphicartistsguild.org/handbook
Since you are in Denmark I don't know how much you will get out of it but I think it could be a place to start.
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166
Buy this. Read this. You're Welcome.
Hey I did not see this before. You are just beginning your career. Please do yourself a favor and buy this book today The Graphic Artist Guild Guide to ethical pricing
Get yourself up to speed with standard practices. If you are running a business (which you are as a freelancer) you will be taken to the cleaners by more savvy businessmen than you.
Other posters have touched on the PSD file issue, so I'll address your other two questions.
I don't think it would be awkward to offer your services for branding, if you think you're up to the task of dealing with this client. You're definitely going to cost less than a branding agency (your client might be in for a rude awakening when she sees a price estimate), but when it comes to setting your own price, don't short change yourself. Consider how much time you've spent addressing questions and concerns about simple letterhead; for a logo that'll need to be multiplied by at least 10. Not even considering the actual work of designing a logo, you need to make sure you're compensated for the work it takes to educate your client and make sure she's happy. I regularly charge more to clients who I know will require a lot of communication and who need extra support through the design process.
For a good place to start, purchase a copy of the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. It tells you the going rate for many different types of design projects (you'll likely be surprised to see how much a seasoned pro can charge), and features templates for all types of contracts. It's been an invaluable resource for me.
That sounds like a huge project, which hopefully they're aware of. That said, it sounds like it could be quite lucrative, given the amount of work there is to do. My best suggestion would be to invest in the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines; it'll give you the best idea as to what to charge, more so than anyone else on this subreddit will be able to.
Get this book graphic design pricing and ethical guidelines
Its a great resource to at least give you a foundation on pricing practices and from there you can have a better idea of what (and why) your pricing should be.
https://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444139029&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Guild+Handbook+of+pricing+and+ethical
You should get yourself a copy of The Graphic Artist's Guidelines to Pricing & Ethical Guidelines to familiarize yourself with selling all rights to your work, when it will be distributed on an international level. http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457753528&sr=1-1&keywords=graphic+artist%27s+guild+handbook+of+pricing+and+ethical+guidelines
In college my professors recommended this book quite often. I haven't read into it yet, but thought I'd pass on the recommendation :)
https://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483383742&sr=8-1&keywords=graphic+artist%27s+guild+handbook+of+pricing+and+ethical+guidelines
I started writing some comments, but then decided to just post it all here. Hope this helps:
Yes. My first freelance gigs were basically from people that I had history with. Coworkers and friends knew what I did and what I was capable of. They would ask me if I could help with 'X project' or whatever, and it would lead from there. Small projects would lead to other small projects. Thats how the work could trickle in.
Primarily my leads have been through people I know. Coworkers, friends, family. Everybody. I highly recommend just literally emailing everyone you know simple explaining what you are doing or what you are trying to do. Offer your services, send a link to a website, and ask for any referrals. It's easier via email because you will either get someone to reply w/ something helpful, or they can just ignore you. Either way, it can't hurt to let people know.
Another way I'd get design work was from random inquiries either off my website or from online portfolio sites like Behance.net or Dribbble.com. I also had a small group of design friends that I'm in contact with. I feel that they were getting better work than I was, and they were more 'ahead' than me, so often if they didn't have time for client work, or didn't think the client was worth their time, they'd tell me about the work, so I could pick up the work.
At first I didn't register as an LLC or anything. I just worked as a sole proprietorship and used my Social Security number as my ID. Years later, after I had a chance to team up with a small team of designers, I was an independent contractor and after discussing it with another designer friend, and a CPA, I decided to become an S-corp. I did it primarily to help juggle and save some money during tax time. I'm able to save $ at the end of the year because of it, but I didn't handle any of it personally. I paid my CPA to do my taxes and figure it all out.
If you choose to register for a biz license, it's very easy and you can do it online. When I did it, i used mycorporation.com, but I hear legalzoom .com is good too. When I registered, I believe it cost me about $250.
In terms of billing client, it really depends on the situation. Generally speaking, I suggest trying to get partial payment upfront. To be fair flexible I offer multiple payment options to make it easier for the client to say yes. Sometimes its half upfront/ half when complete. Sometimes its 1/3 for initial concepting, 1/3 for further development of chosen concept, and 1/3 for final files. I also over monthly payments if the scope of work ends with a really high price. I don't have any special payment gateway or anything. I just offer to payment in check to me, or through paypal. No one has ever taken me up on the monthly installment plan, but I feel that the more willing you are to work with payment options with a client, the more willing they are to say 'yes' to a proposed quote.
Having said all this, there are plenty of times where I don't set up a contract and things work out just fine. Through the years of doing this, you start to get a 'gut feeling' for who the hell clients will be. There are real personality traits or certain things said that will trigger you to know to stay away. Until you know those things, I'd suggest keeping a contract in the process.
There have been times where I was burned by not having a onctract. I have had delayed payments etc, where I ended up trying not to make waves, and waiting months and months before I got paid. One instance, I figured out what forms I needed to file a small claims court locally, and threatened with that. I got paid 2 weeks later. From all the work I've done, I've never flat out never been paid. Typically its just really late late payments. Heh.
Today, I charge for the total project, but in the beginning of my freelance career I used to charge by the hour, but sometimes it'd be unfair because If I could complete a 10-hr job in 5 hrs, I'd get screwed. Or if I needed to figure something out and it took me 12 hours to figure out something that should've taken 3 hours, that's not fair to the client.
After doing this for a while, I've come to realize that generally, a lot of clients want a final price. They don't care about hourly rate, or how long it should take you. Generally, if you can deliver 'project X' in 3 weeks for '$XXX' they'll be happy. A final number is easier to react to. There's less guessing for the client.
You get an idea of how long certain things could take, and how much you'd like to make hourly. You basically estimate that, and quote your price accordingly. At first you may screw up the estimate, and lose money, but after a while you'll know what you're doing and you'll do well for yourself.
Also remember, for your best interest, and so the client can't make endless revisions, be specific on your deliverables, as well as your number of revisions per project. Anything outside of the agreed upon requirement will result in extra charges to the client.
-With the above in mind, did you consult a lawyer before getting started?
Have them write up some kind of contract ot use when taking clients?
No I haven't consulted a lawyer at all with my contracts. Generally I've found random contracts or contract templates online and picked and chose parts and pieces of what I thought sounded good to use.
I highly recommend buying this book - The Graphic Artists Handbook to Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. It guides you in pricing as well as showing sample contracts for your projects.
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102166/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464717064&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=desiners+guide+to+ethical+guidelines
The questions you ask really depend on what the project is. Here are a few to get you started.
-Tell me about your company
I hope these answers help you. If you need more answers, feel free to reach out. I'll try to help if I can.
Here's some links of books I put on my wish list. Its a lot of stuff about grids, which is something you should learn.
Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Universal Principles of Design
The Grid: A Modular System for the Design and Production of Newpapers, Magazines, and Books
The Elements of Typographic Style (A dry read, but very valuable knowledge)
Thinking with Type
I learned most of my composition skills from Drawing and Painting classes. I've heard photography is a great way to learn composition too.
Aside from that use Lynda.com and learn your color theory. You should also learn stuff like using CMYK vs RGB. Common sizes for print material in your country.
If you go Freelance, use this book: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
If you haven't discovered this site and you're feeling frustrated, just remember it could be worse: Clients From Hell
And just for fun: How a Web Design Goes Straight To Hell, Why You Don't Like Changes to Your Design