quoting on a job

[Getho]

A little off topic, but I just wanted to canvas other designers...
Just quoted on a job to do a 6 page fold A4 brochure (folded size A4, flat
size 630mm ish by 297)
Quote was rejected as "far too expensive" I originally quoted on 16 hours to
do the layout prep for press and convert to a multipage pdf for press and
for the web. Content supplied as word doc. Lots of inofrmation (like most
pages filled with 10 point text), but they also wanted a "crafted" brochure
not just a formatted plain text brochure. Quote included one initial version
with 2 revisions. What do you think - was I in the right ballpark?

Getho

[Mark]

*** Sigh ***

It seems like most people just don't appreciate how much time and effort
really goes into the work we produce.

Sounds like you were in the right ballpark (if you were somewhere around
$1,000 - $1,500...depending on your design/hour fee, custom work, and the
number of pages). With a lot of text your revision number could be around 4
or 5 until they were really happy with the content flow.

Those are the jobs where someone severely lowballs their quote and then
either hoses the customer at the end of the job or you end up hearing
through the grapevine that the job actually took 40 hours and 10 revisions
because of customer pickiness.

[Getho]

Hi Mark,
This was to be repetative work - 2 brochures a month, they claim to be
spending the equivalent of $410 USD per brochure at the moment (2 colour
text based, ordinary but not sloppy). I quoted them about $680 setup
(template for new brochure identity) and $470 per brochure. Which I thought
was pretty ****ing cheap myself. I live in rural Aus so my overheads are
low (and I would guess general design rates are lower than in the US), but
if designers in Sydney are undercutting me then I can only assume theres FAR
too much competition.

Geth


"Mark" <mstratton@leespecialties.com> wrote in message
news:ccjquu$j9q$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> *** Sigh ***
>
> It seems like most people just don't appreciate how much time and effort
> really goes into the work we produce.
>
> Sounds like you were in the right ballpark (if you were somewhere around
> $1,000 - $1,500...depending on your design/hour fee, custom work, and the
> number of pages). With a lot of text your revision number could be around

4

> or 5 until they were really happy with the content flow.
>
> Those are the jobs where someone severely lowballs their quote and then
> either hoses the customer at the end of the job or you end up hearing
> through the grapevine that the job actually took 40 hours and 10 revisions
> because of customer pickiness.
>
>

[Mark]

It's funny how I meet so many Australians on the web! :)

I'm actually from Canada and I think we tend to charge higher than most US
designers as well. $75/hr seems to be the going rate right now. I'm used to
charging $60/hr since that was the going rate when I was hired by an oil
company to produce their media. I've gone as low as $30/hr for some
freelance work for acquaintances, but that won't be happening if I strike
out on my own again.

Oh well, finding clients and getting the business is half the fun, right?
Who wants clients who gripe and complain about your pricing? Of course, if
they all do it maybe they've got a point!

[Getho]

Actually I'm a liverpool born Welshman living in Australia!
I'm expensive here at $40 AUD. I shudder to thinks its less than half what
I charged in London.

> Oh well, finding clients and getting the business is half the fun, right?

Argh. I'd gladly let someone else do it for me.

> Who wants clients who gripe and complain about your pricing? Of course, if
> they all do it maybe they've got a point!

Strue! Client got back to me to say the revised quote was OK, but needed
more than 2 revisions, so I re-revised it up again and havn't heard from
him!

Geth



"Mark" <mstratton@leespecialties.com> wrote in message
news:ccm94f$k76$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> It's funny how I meet so many Australians on the web! :)
>
> I'm actually from Canada and I think we tend to charge higher than most US
> designers as well. $75/hr seems to be the going rate right now. I'm used

to

> charging $60/hr since that was the going rate when I was hired by an oil
> company to produce their media. I've gone as low as $30/hr for some
> freelance work for acquaintances, but that won't be happening if I strike
> out on my own again.
>
> Oh well, finding clients and getting the business is half the fun, right?
> Who wants clients who gripe and complain about your pricing? Of course, if
> they all do it maybe they've got a point!
>
>