Question for the Freelance Designer World
I’ve been trying to figure this out, maybe somebody can help me.
For most freelance web designers designing comes easy. That’s what we’re here for…to design! It would be nice if that was all we had to do, but it’s not. Sure we get to be our own bosses but we also have to be entrepreneurs, accountants and much much more.
An important aspect of freelancing is deciding how much to charge for web design. Here’s my question:
Is it okay to charge differently depending on who wants your services?
Let me explain. Say I charge $30 per hour on average (I don’t actually charge by the hour buy I make sure it comes out to that) because I’ve calculated that’s how much I need to live off of plus expenses. Is it okay to charge more for bigger companies and less for say an individual? Or should I keep it a flat rate?
My moral standing on this is that for most individuals this might be breaking their wallet where as it won’t for a big company. But another factor in this would be that most design work comes from referrals from past jobs. Individuals know other individuals. Big companies know other big companies.
So more specifically my question is should I change my rates depending on the wallet of the client in hopes of any work and pick and choose or should I keep my rates at a comfortable level and potentially not get a lot of work?
Discuss.
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2 Comments
February 2, 2010
An interesting question. Let me offer you this advice. I have owned my own design firm and have built it up from a one man shop to a team of a dozen. There’s no glory in this. In fact, I would never do this again, you lose the spirit of design when you become a big company. This aside, consider this perspective—When I design a product package, say a wine label, how am I contributing. In my opinion, I am not a by-the-hour service, I am a partner in their business and making a major contribution towards their success. In fact, I’ll have more to do with that product selling than the wine maker will, or at least the first bottle. I base my fees on how much revenue my work will generate for a client. There are two aspects to this business. If someone comes to you with all the colors and styles and images and wants you to assemble this, you are a layout person and should charge by the hour. If someone comes to you asking you to create, you are an artist and designer, and a partner in their work and should treat it as such.
February 6, 2010
Good point Joe, so in the end the customers that wouldn’t pay a decent amount for your services are not worth the time because they don’t understand that you are being hired to not only design for them but also to work with them and build there image. Thanks for the advice!
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