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Had a chat with a retired graphic designer at Flying Star and it changed my whole pricing approach
I was sitting at Flying Star last Tuesday sketching out logo ideas for a client when this older guy next to me asked what I was working on. He said he used to charge by the hour for 30 years until he tried flat project rates in 2019 and his income went up by about 40 percent. We talked for an hour about how clients respect a clear number over a vague hourly estimate, especially for things like brand packages. It hit me that I have been scaring people off with hourly breakdowns that make them question every small revision. I switched to flat rates last week for my next three projects and already got two yeses where before I would have gotten maybes. Has anyone else here tried jumping from hourly to flat fees for design work?
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oliver_baker493mo ago
Charge per project but add a rush fee clause into every contract.
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evan_grant703mo ago
@oliver_baker49 that rush fee clause you mentioned has saved me more than once. I started adding a specific timeline and penalty line after one client kept asking for same day turnaround on everything. It really helps because people dont respect your time unless there's a cost attached. The key is making the rush fee steep enough that people only use it when they absolutely need to. It also filters out the clients who are just disorganized and expect you to fix their last minute problems for free.
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alex8203mo ago
oliver_baker49 hit it right with that rush fee clause. I took it a step further and started charging a flat rate that covers the first two revisions but then every revision after that has a cost attached. That way clients see the upfront number and think theyre getting a deal, but if they drag it out they pay more anyway. I had one client who used to nickel and dime me on hourly and now they just approve things faster because they know each extra change costs them. It also makes you look like you know what youre doing when you can hand them a single number instead of a breakdown. That rush fee part is smart though because it draws a hard line between normal work and emergency work.
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