What do I charge?

[miki]

Hey everyone,
Well, I've been recruited to some web design work and I need to give the guy an estimate but I have no idea what to charge! I don't know if I charge by the hour or the page or what the going rate is. I'll be doing mostly design work, graphics and logos and such. He wants me to design five skins for one site and for another he wants Top and Side Navigation, with Logo creation, and graphic art for the entire site. Then there's an e-commerce site which I think I would also be doing graphics. Can anyone help me? I don't want to charge too low but at the same time I don't want to scare him away with too high a price. I need this fairly quickly so any and all input is highly appreciated.

Thanks!

[ya3]

Well, since it doesn't look as though you're actually constructing an entire site from scratch, but only doing graphics and odd jobs (skins, toolbars, etc.), I'd just give him a flat-rate of around US$30-$50/hour. Depends on the client's budget, though. Another tactic if you're unsure is to ask the client to suggest a rate or show you some other quotation that they got. But yeah, US$50/hour is about right...

[snaphappy]

Always a tough question, but here goes.. .

Try and figure out what you can realistically charge the client per hour (is it just 'a guy' or is it a company with serious money to spend). Then work out how many hours it is going to take you to do everything that has been requested for the site - that should give you a rough idea of the price. Then maybe quote for the job as a whole, detailing exactly what is included in that price and set your hourly rate for maintenance (which there will always be!).

Try to quote nearer the top end of your predicted costs but leave some room for negotiation. If your client is willing you can always ask what kind of budget there is for the site redesign and then tell him what you can give him for that kind of money

Hope that helps..


Hey everyone,
Well, I've been recruited to some web design work and I need to give the guy an estimate but I have no idea what to charge! I don't know if I charge by the hour or the page or what the going rate is. I'll be doing mostly design work, graphics and logos and such. He wants me to design five skins for one site and for another he wants Top and Side Navigation, with Logo creation, and graphic art for the entire site. Then there's an e-commerce site which I think I would also be doing graphics. Can anyone help me? I don't want to charge too low but at the same time I don't want to scare him away with too high a price. I need this fairly quickly so any and all input is highly appreciated.

Thanks!

[oceans11]

- estimate on how many hours you'd be spending to finish the work + revision time

- I try to also add an additional 1-2$/hr of electricity used by Computer, and 3-5$/hr on light electricity ;)

[boua5828]

$50/hour is what I charge for design work. Make sure when you write up your proposal that you outline the process clearly. Break it up into phases and be specific about what will be done. ie:

Phase1 - Design Concepts
Phase2 - Concept Revisions (I usually allow for 2 rounds of revisions)
Phase3 - Final Interface (delivering final interface in the format the client prefers)

Also, make sure you get a percentage of the fees up front (30% is average) and set up project milestones. Once each milestone has been met (ie: completion of concept revisions) make sure you get paid before moving on to the next phase.

Here are 2 books I highly recommend on pricing your services.
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932102123/qid=1103262078/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-8354549-8399866)
Graphic Designer's Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting (http://http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1581150989/qid=1103262078/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/103-8354549-8399866)

[miki]

thank you so much you guys! this really helps. :)

[j_polo9]

The only problem with giving him an hourely quote as an estimation is that more experienced designers might do in 4 hours at $100 an hour = $400, what he does in 20 hours at $50 an hour = $1000. So what do you guys think are some standard rates for the whole project, or projects in general?

[oceans11]

The only problem with giving him an hourely quote as an estimation is that more experienced designers might do in 4 hours at $100 an hour = $400, what he does in 20 hours at $50 an hour = $1000. So what do you guys think are some standard rates for the whole project, or projects in general?
I think the abovementioned posts have provided the basic standards. More often, if the client is a small to medium scale company, it has the final power to set the standards, which may give you a a safe way to quote.

[SmoothDime]

In my opinion $30 - $50/hr is rather steep. If you worked a full time job at this rate it basically comes out to $60k - $100k a year. I'm not saying that there are'nt a lot of designers out there making this much money but if someone on this forum needs advice on this matter they are certainly not of this caliber(no offense miki).

I'd shoot for somewhere around the $10 - $20/hr range if you're unsure of what to ask for and just starting to get work.

[j_polo9]

i disagree i think $50 an hour is average and professionals could charge as much as $125 an hour. I agree with Oceans that unless you have been in the industry for a while your client will dictate more what the final cost will be based on the whole project, not on hourly basis. Thats why i wanted to know what everyone here thinks are good standards for project costs as a whole.

[oceans11]

I remember reading similar threads like: http://www.kirupaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46391&highlight=how+much+charge

That might help you too :)