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Graphic design is a booming industry that is freelancer friendly, making it an extremely appealing profession. This is especially true for people looking for viable work-from-home positions, as it lends itself well to that. However, pricing can become quite the headache.
To determine how much you should charge for poster design, always go by an expected hourly rate, plus any material cost. Build in additional charges for edits that would take considerable time to complete so that clients are less likely to constantly nitpick and add hours of unpaid work on your end.
Design is a skill. It takes a lot of effort to learn how to actually do well, so don’t be afraid to charge what it’s worth. Also don’t be afraid to build in any material or printing costs so that work isn’t secretly being done for a loss. Keep reading for more tips on how to price poster designs.
How to Determine Hourly Rates
The first thing to consider is how long do designs typically take. For some designers, poster designs are fast and simple things. For others, they take a bit of time. Regardless of which the designer falls into, it’s important to remember that this is a skill that deserves to be paid appropriately.
The average rates for graphic designers falls between $15-$150 USD per hour, with the average sitting at $31.25 USD per hour. Take into consideration the skill involved and don’t undercharge just in hopes that it will land more clients. This is a common mistake for newbies and should be avoided.
How to Determine Material Cost
Material cost sounds like a simple thing to consider, but it is often forgotten. This is especially true since most graphic design work happens entirely digitally. However, if there is anything tangible involved with the final product, there are material costs involved.
Here are some material costs that might be included into material costs for a poster design:
- Printing costs at a professional printer
- Percentage of paper/ink/etc. for personal printing
- Shipping costs
- Extra embellishments such as glitter, embossing, or paper upgrades
If these things are neglected in the cost, the actual profit goes down considerably. Printing is relatively expensive as well, so it can end up resulting in a loss if not taken into account. Not to mention, most people are going to spring for something that says Free Shipping over something with a nominal additional fee. Use that to its maximum advantage without taking a hit to the profit line by simply adding in basic shipping fees to material costs for things that will usually get shipped out.
Don’t Let Clients Walk All Over You
Clients are always going to be the biggest headache when it comes to design. Some people are going to try and squeeze as much as they can out of their dollar, so it’s important to not let people like this take the floor. Others are going to attempt to bully into a lower cost because some other place or person can do the same thing for cheaper.
It’s okay to do a little haggling on cost from time to time, but when it comes down to it, it’s your work and your time they are paying for. Consider building in an additional cost to the base price to account for any likelihood of edits, or to insist on a small fee if edit requests start to be too much.
Conclusion
Graphic design of any kind is something that gets underappreciated due to it being a form of art which is typically done digitally. However, it is a skill that required lots of time, effort, and resources to get to the point where it becomes a viable source of income. New designers just starting out can be tempted to undercharge their services in attempt to gather more clients, but that is not worth it in the long run.
Charging for poster design should always be at a minimum of an hourly rate plus any material costs needed in order to produce the final product. Otherwise, the designer is going to be operating at a loss. Additionally, they should never let clients try to take total command of the situation, as it will only result in a terrible experience overall. Build in some cost for any edits up to the point where it stops being worth it to fix.
