Putting a price on your time and experience is sometimes harder then most think. For design projects it comes down to the clients wanting to go with a fixed price, and designers are fighting for charging them on an hourly basis.
Designer’s work very hard to meet their clients wants, and when clients keep asking for many other changes, things do start to add up. Keep in mind these designers do have other projects to do also, and not just one.
Fixed Pricing: With fixed pricing, clients know exactly what they are going to get. Setting up clarification on what the client wants BEFORE you start their project is very important. Once you start to design what the client wants, and if there are any changes that need to be made, make sure you talk to your client first. Many designers will often show their clients two or three drafts of what they have done so far, and if they are required to show more than one, that’s when an additional cost will be added on.
Estimated Times: Most designers are optimistic about how much time it will require them to finish a project. They do not take into count of the potential technical issues that come along with the process, and the client having misunderstandings or ask to change something. This is why it’s a great idea to figure out a number of hours it’s going to take for you to complete the project, and then multiply that by your hourly rate.
The Project: When you are choosing a pricing structure, make sure to take into account for the biggest headache. The project creep, which is were clients are thinking they can just add on new things or new ideas as they are going along with the process. This is understandable to an extent, because the clients have to observe the work in progress as they think of new ideas.
With Windy City Web Design & Windy City Strategies, they use Red Pen, so when they start to create a layout for a client(s) website, the client(s) can go in and write comments on what they like or what they want to change. Both parties can access this Red Pen so the designers, managers and clients can see what’s being done.
For more information about what Red Pen is or how the web designers price out there services, contact Windy City Strategies for more details.