At what point do you show the concept to the client?
pokie (1198 pencils) | Sun, 2007-12-09 16:25At work, I do packaging design and I normally only get a 1-2 day turn around so the customer sees it when it's "complete". In the last couple of days, I've actually been contacted about some freelance work.
One is a logo design. The other is web design.
First of all, my main reason for posting is that I don't do logo design very often, so I'm wondering do you sketch out designs for them, then show them those or do you sketch out, illustrate, etc... before you ever show the client? They are asking for a time line, and certainly it will be a lot longer if I'm waiting until it's more complete before showing them.
The other, apparently, I don't even know how much to charge. I'm happy with x amount of dollars but then I see natabasso saying "do they want a $100 logo or a $3000 logo?" in another thread. Now, I realize maybe I'm not charging enough, even though I am perfectly happy with what I am charging. And yes, I told them "No spec work, I will not start designing until we have a set price and contract". ;)
The web design is for someone I know's church. Do you normally give them a break if they are non-profit? I don't know. When I did my first web design freelance job, it was for a friend. I charged an insanely low price and really regretted it after about a dozen revisions on the text.
I know someone once posted a website that showed realistic prices for a freelance designer to charge. If anyone has that website, I'd greatly appreciate it. I don't want to screw myself over with this web design job. I wish I could just come out and ask you guys, "hey what do you charge for a logo design, what do you charge for web?" but realize that probably wouldn't be very well received. ;)
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I can tell I need to explain my comment and give it context:
That thread was a designer asking how to sell their servivces and value to a client who was somewhat uninformed. I'd never condone charging $100 for a logo. I was saying if the client wants that, that's what they are going to get. A crappy $100 logo. Hope that makes sense.
Having said that, here are some threads from this site that will help you figure out what to charge (by the way, always make clear what the logo should cost, whether you do donation work or not; believe it or not, churches and nonprofits have money to spend!).
I also recommend reading docs on the aiga.org website. Great contracts and fee advice there. Go here for what to charge advice.
Have you contacted other designers in your area to see what the going rate is? Also, you'd charge more for a corporate logo than a smaller biz logo because of usage (and budget) but you'd also want to find out where the logo will be used.
Bottom line: You own that logo until you sell it to the client or other party. Contracts are essential for any freelance job.
As for when to show a client a logo, usually you start with initial meetings to get the 'feel' for what the company is, how it functions and what message it wants to send. Then comes the hand drawn sketches (I usually think three samples is the max; don't want to confuse the client with options) and one or all are approved for fleshing out.
Search for 'what is a logo' on this site for a great discussion on that topic.
In the end, these three logos will get whittled down to one, which you refine and redesign until it's right, it fits all possible medium in which it will be used and that the client likes. Of course! So you can see there's lots of time involved with this. Figure your rate (between $30-100/hr depending on your location) and then estimate all these steps and how long they will take.
Remember, always leave wiggle room for more time/money to be spent and always keep the client abreast of additional charges. You'll be happy to find many companies are willing to expand their budget to get a job done right, especially if you have a good working relationship.
Hope that helps!
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust
you are a wealth of knowledge, thank you, thank you, thank you!
(blushing) You're very welcome!
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Powerpoint is not a design application
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Dirt and Rust