What to Charge for Graphic Designs?

This normally depends on the type of work you are dealing with, the organization and the time-frame. For a proper design say a logo, then a good research has to be done on the target audience, if the company can afford it then a research agency can be consulted to do the  work. Charging also depends on the worth of the designer, more effort and time put to learn various techniques deserve more pay.

My process for charging is pretty simple, for any advice or ideas I offer the client, there is a certain percentage. It’s simple to call it the consultation fee. After filling a design brief a down payment of 50% of the total amount should be paid. Some companies  I charge per concept(sketches) then a final charge for the final result. The down payment is very important to keep the client engaged. Some clients might forget that they have commissioned you some work but when money is involved many remember to follow up on you. It’s hard to know which number of concepts to come up with to have one that satisfy the clients needs. I produce many concepts as possible but present 3 at a time until satisfied. When the client is still not satisfied and demands features that are not in the design brief, I charge extra as indicated in the Creative Service Agreement.

To quote figures, some charge Ksh 2000, for a logo some Ksh 5000,000 and some even 1M for branding. This all depends on the designer his / her experience and as well confidence. I will advice the client if they need a professional logo they hire an expert and the money they pay is the value of the logo. Remember as well you will always get what you pay for. Earlier on someone paid me Ksh 2,000 to design a logo and he never considered paying for the concepts I came up with. This was a problem because I did not quote this earlier when negotiating.

Before William Dwiggins coined the name Graphic Design it was known as Commercial Art, so for those who design for free you are killing the industry. Its pretty simple, if you don’t depend on graphic design for food, clothes and to pay your bills, you are an amateur having fun with shapes and colors. If you don’t have a portfolio yet, charity work should be strategic with written agreement as well as incentives to help your business. Friends and family are naughty for wanting free work, try to offer generous discounts instead. Remember you did not become a graphic designer for free, lots of time reading, researching and all that money incurred deserve to get paid; there should be a return on investment for your business to succeed. 

Charging also depends on whom you are charging, for start ups who are not yet established its good to encourage them with a budget friendly quote, for an established corporation charge them something that they will take you serious. If you charge way low for a corporate they might think you will jump to other tasks before finishing theirs. Remember you are not just designing a logo but a visual solution that will drive revenue to their companies so its wise to place your value.

All payments should be documented and each party should have a duly signed copy of the invoice and the contract. Doing work without agreement can become chaotic, make sure you include the VAT in the invoice and pay tax its your duty. In a project third party items like photographs, typeface and others might be included, make sure you inform the client through the agreement that these items they should pay to get the patent. Avoid using other’s work without permission. 

To end this, if a project lands to you and you do not qualify don’t be greedy to do it alone, share it with a professional and get a finders fee instead. This will save you a lot of time trying this and that and earn you some reputation.