How much?

[Brass]

How much do you guys normally charge for an average logo package? Logo, secondary logo, and wordwork?

[CC97]

Depends where it's going to be used

[fiasco!]

$80 / hour, with a $320 minimum up front charge for logo work.

i keep track of all my time spent on the work (including revisions), so the client gets billed correctly.

i do make the occasional exception, but it's all based on how familiar you are with the client....i've also done work for trade....i get free organic produce and meats from the greenville organic foods organization in exchange for the logo i created for them.

[tajmccall]

$80 / hour, with a $320 minimum up front charge for logo work.

i keep track of all my time spent on the work (including revisions), so the client gets billed correctly.

i do make the occasional exception, but it's all based on how familiar you are with the client....i've also done work for trade....i get free organic produce and meats from the greenville organic foods organization in exchange for the logo i created for them.

is organic meats, joel-code for the little venezualen butcher's assistant?

cause if so, delicious!

[Pixelboy]

$80 / hour, with a $320 minimum up front charge for logo work.

i keep track of all my time spent on the work (including revisions), so the client gets billed correctly.

i do make the occasional exception, but it's all based on how familiar you are with the client....i've also done work for trade....i get free organic produce and meats from the greenville organic foods organization in exchange for the logo i created for them.

Billing clients for creative work is quite often the most creative part of the profession.

The most important advice I can give you is this warning: Do not give your work away for a pittance, just to get the work. I realize that that's hard to swallow when you're just starting out and you desperately need the work and the cash flow (and the portfolio filler), but it is the most critical advice a veteran can impart on a newcomer to the business. Once you've set a low fee for your work with a client, you'll never get the genie back in the bottle and get that client to accept your "normal" rate ever again. The same goes for any word-of-mouth clients that client steers your way out of appreciation. You'll become known as the guy who does great work cheap?and while you may become busy, you'll have little in the bank to show for it.

It's better to do a small job "pro bono" (for a charitable cause or institution for example) if the prestige of the client is important to you than to charge a cut rate and project an image as a hobbyist or third-rate designer. One of the biggest miscalculations a designer can make is to latch onto the fantasy that "I'll do this job as a loss-leader to get on the client's good side, and the next jobs with him will make up for it." It almost never ever happens. If you don't place a value on your time and your product, no client will. Be willing to walk away graciously if a client balks at your asking price, but don't be inflexible to negotiation if you're in the same ballpark.

[cyandlux]

Everyone elses advice is great.

Also...charge by the 15 minutes....but keep an hourly rate, that way....hmmm, its before bed but I cant get this idea out of my head, Im thinking.....CHARGE EM! Every minute you even think about their design , you charge. Thats how it works. It might not be nice or pretty but thats the truth.

[pcgd]

Also always remember the saying:

$50 clients refer $50 clients.

Meaning, you give work out (or cheap), they tell their other friends that you do work for free. There by taking advantage of you.

But if you restrict yourself to good paying companies, they will refer you to their other good paying friends. So a 50k job will bring in more 50k jobs.

I'm currently in this situation. I helped a friend out, they referred me to a dentist of course for free. they paid very little after I expressed concerns to my friend. Now the dentist is starting to refer me to people which I'm sure will expect free or cheap work. I hope this is based on my skill and not my cheapness, but needless to say, the next freebie that comes my way through this I'm going to be nice and say "I'm sorry I'm too busy for more pro bono work, if you'd like to pay me at my regular rate, I will make time."

Free work sounds great. I mean you enjoy doing this so what's the problem? But once you get paid for it and realize how much it truly is worth to a company, you start to think differently. You aren't stupid for giving it away, we all do it at first. But unfortunatly instead of listening to the advice of those before us, most of us fall into the same "Freebie client" cycle.