how much to charge?

This question has been swimming around in my head for quite some time now. It is a hard question to answer, especially in the design industry. There are a lot of intangibles. As a freelancer where most of the client work comes from supporting friends/family, it is hard to know the right amount (if there ever is a ‘right’ amount). I have all but picked a number out of a hat. I think it’s a hard decision because 1) I love what I do and can’t BELIEVE someone would pay me to do it and 2) my time is at least 2x more valuable since having a baby, so do I take that into account when setting a fee? and 3) you can’t put a time frame on the inspiration process, could be an hour, could be a week, or longer….

In a time where everyone is light-speed busy, and can easily find a better designer (just being honest) for cheaper and quicker, I’ve realized that communicating the process is something I hold near and dear. I also ask a lot of questions up front, pre-quote.

For example….What are your expectations? Who is your benchmark? How many drafts are you expecting? What is your timeline? Who/what inspires you? How many people are involved in decision making/revisions? Do you have a project budget? The number isn’t important. It does tell me that someone has taken the time to think through the project before outsourcing it.

For the most part, I think it’s important to lay everything (probably more than necessary) out on the table, and quote projects based on the answers to these questions (to name a few…). Going over budget is completely normal and almost a given these days and nobody likes surprises! Well, at least the kind that involve forking over more money…

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