How to Accurately Estimate a Graphic Design Job
Jul 8th, 2009
My graphic design company gets requests from freelance designers frequently about advice on how much to charge for design jobs. Accurately bidding on design jobs is easily the hardest part of this business. I've been doing this for quite some time now with what I consider to be pretty good success. Bidding on jobs gets easier the more you do it, because with each prospective client you get a little better at feeling out their individual needs. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule that can be used over and over again. You're not going to get every job you bid on and you probably don't want to. However, no designer can afford to spend large amounts of time putting together proposals that don't get accepted. I'm sure any freelance graphic designer with a mortgage can verify this. Sure, part of accurately bidding on design jobs comes from experience but there are some things you can do to help streamline your bidding process to weed out time wasters and land more legitimate clients.
The first thing you should do is know what the other advertising agencies, design companies and freelance designers in your area are charging so that you can establish a guideline for what is a fair and acceptable hourly rate or flat fee. You don't want to charge too much but you don't want to be known as the cheapest in town either. I would personally rather bid too high than too low.
When you speak with a client about a new job make sure that you get as much information from them as possible. From this information you should be able to ballpark the time involved based on previous projects. Yes, I know every job is different, but at least this gives you a place to start. It's been my experience that the majority of clients want to know a hard cost for the finished work and not an hourly rate. Sometimes an hourly rate can even scare potential clients off simply because it's too open ended. To bid a flat rate effectively, set an hourly rate for yourself based on what is competitive to your area while allowing you to operate your business profitably. Compare your hourly rate to the actual time spent on a flat rate proposal for a good way to know if you're profitable in the jobs you're bidding.
One thing that I do that really helps land a job is to determine price ranges for specific types of jobs like; logo design, post cards, basic website design, e-commerce sites, etc. I've found this to be useful on two levels. First, I have established a slight buffer for myself when working on the project. Second, I have found potential clients to be more receptive of a price scale, because they feel like you are open to working with them on getting them to that lower end of the scale. This, of course, is entirely up to the client and how they affect the flow of the project and approval process.
The key to coming up with a reasonable price scale is to use the information that the client provides you about the job. This information will help determine where they may fall in your price range. Use your own design experience to help determine the potential hours that may go into a job. For instance, a client wants you to bid on a logo, letterhead, envelope and business card design package. This could take you anywhere from 6 to 16 hours depending on the client and complexity of the job. So, you estimate the job at 16 hours and a rate of, we'll say $65 an hour, which equals $1,040. Hourly rates and design fees are going to vary from state to state and location to location, but here's what your client proposal may look like;
Example: Company Logo / Identity: $800 - $1,200
Work Flow:
• Will provide at least 2-3 initial directions for your logo and letterhead system and work chosen direction to your satisfaction.
• Will proceed with development after verbal or written approval on directions.
• Concepts will be presented via email and / or other specified method.
• You can expect to see initial directions within 2 weeks.
• If major changes or reworks are requested after an approval design is subject to hourly rate of $65 per hour.
• Art will be provided to you in print ready format (Set up for print production)
*If you choose to proceed with us our payment terms are 50% deposit to start and 50% upon completion.
You will notice that I threw in some extra information in that example. I like to make sure that I've covered all of my bases just incase a project does take longer than expected. It's been known to happen. I always write my proposals in contract form and have the client sign two copies when beginning a project. One for me and one for the client. At that time I collect a non-refundable 50% deposit. I recommend that every graphic designer implements a policy of retaining a deposit to begin work. You will find this useful if for some reason a client backs out of the project or drags the project on longer than expected. That has also been known to happen. The other point that can come in handy is stipulating that reworks after approvals or unending revisions will be billed at an hourly rate. Sometimes you will get a client who wants work done beyond the scope of a project. You should make sure that you're covered in that event too. I would go to my hourly rate for all work provided above and beyond the scope of the project.
Here are a few more examples for your reference only (based on a $65 per hour rate). Remember these are guidelines to help you. You should evaluate each client and the information your client provides to determine your own price estimate structure. These examples are estimates on design work only. I suggest providing a separate estimate for printing if you are providing printing services.
1) Logo Design Price Scale: $350 - $800
• Price scale reflects amount of conceptual design, type of illustration and detail of illustration used.
2) Tri-fold Brochure Price Scale: $650 - $1,000
• Text and images provided by client.
3) Post Card: $175 - $350
4) Basic Website Design: $850 - $1,800
- Site could include:
- 4-15 page site with CSS Optimized for Search Engines
- Contact Form
- Stock Photography
- Simple Content Management System
- Populate site content from "text" information provided by client
Like many things the key to an effective estimate is to be clear! Specify a fair price and include the services you are going to provide. This could be anything from stating that you will provide 2 to 3 initial directions to your time frame and terms of payment. Be specific! The less questions you leave your client with, the more professional you appear and the greater the chance of securing the job at a price that works for both of you.
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Prepping Pre-press Files to Avoid Printing Problems
Apr 6th, 2009
Any changes made to a job once it's arrived at the printer is going to cost you money! So, avoid the common pitfalls found delivering pre-press files to the printer. Making changes once a document has gone to the printer can be a costly mistake. Sometimes costly changes can't be avoided like when you have a finicky client, but that's his or her dime so we won't worry about that. Most problems come from the pre-press part of the print process. This is where, we as designers, need to make sure we take the time to make sure our ducks are all in a row. My policy is "check it twice - pay once." Following the simple guidelines below should eliminate the majority of simple problems that can cause big hang-ups at the printer.
Top Ten Pre-flight Check List:
1) Fonts (make sure that you've included all fonts used)
I highly recommend saving a "press file" with fonts converted to outlines. This alone
eliminates many problems.
2) Links
If you are linking files - make sure that you've included all of them.
To make things a little easier for your printer create a folder named "Links" and put all linked files inside it.)
3) Include bleed
• Usually 1/8" will do for most flat items like business cards, and postcards.
• 1/4" for brochures, booklets, catalogs.
4) Include crop marks (offset your crop marks by 1/4 inch so that they do not bleed into your image)
5) Resolution:
• Bitmap resolution = 600 dpi
• Photoshop or other image files = 300 dpi (CMYK)
Image Resolution : It is a commonly accepted fact that the image DPI (dots per inch) should always be between 1.5 to 2.0 times the LPI (lines per inch.) For example, if the LPI is 150, the DPI should be between 225 and 300. Lower resolutions cause an undesirable printout due to the fact that a lesser amount of data will be "stretched" into a larger spatial area. Higher resolutions do not gain in quality due to the fact that the image will only be printed using a specified amount of lines per inch (LPI). If an image is scaled too high, it will print in "chunky" or "block" shapes. If scaled too low, then no additional quality is obtained beyond the threshold resolution of the output device.
Effective Resolution : When an image is scaled, a new resolution (dots per inch) is calculated. This is called "effective resolution" and it is calculated by multiplying the image DPI times the Y% scale factor.
• In a Nut-shell. . . Don't scale Photoshop images up. This will make your image blurry. Make sure embedded images are 100% set to scale.
6) CMYK - Convert all RGB images to CMYK! This is a must for 4-color printing.
7) PMS Color - If you are using spot color make sure that you are specifying the PMS colors used in your document.
• Double check your color palette to make sure you are using ONLY the colors you want specified to PRINT. Extra color means Extra Cost!
8) If you're using InDesign CS3 on both PC or Mac.
• Make sure document size is the exact size of the finished piece, with bleeds extending 1/8" past page edge.
• Make sure all links are up to date. (Window/Links)
• Do a "Package for Printer" when completed and the program will put everything into one folder. (File/Package for Printer)
• Verify that all fonts were collected. InDesign is known for not packaging the correct fonts.
(For Exmple: Helvetica Bold will be collected when you need Helvetica Condensed Bold. This is also another good reason to save a secondary file and convert all fonts to outlines.)
9) Please note: For perfect bound books, you will probably need to create your original document as individual pages, not facing pages. You may want to consult with the printer you are using for any special set-up.
10) If you're uploading art files to an online printing source follow their specific guidelines. The most accepted format you should use is a .pdf file with any live fonts converted to outlines, 1/8" bleed, and crop marks.
Here are some bonus tips if you are a new designer or a graphic designer new to freelancing or perhaps starting your own business.
• If you are handling the print job as a print broker make sure that you get payment in full for the print job first. That goes for online printing or local print houses.
Print jobs can be a lot to leverage and you don't want to get stuck holding the bag. If you are handling a design job as a print broker, a better way to work is to use a printer you trust and negotiate terms with the printer before submitting the job. Mark up the project by 10-15% (industry standard) or a fixed dollar amount. Have your printer absorb this into their estimate and have your client pay the printer directly and when the job is complete the printer can cut you a check for your percentage.
• Always have an approval proof signed by your client before submitting a print job. (You have to make sure that you're behind is covered!)
• If you're working with a local print house make sure that your client sees and approves a color proof before running the entire job.
Helpful printing tips by Pixel Productions Inc.
