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How Do You Earn What You Are Worth?
Featured Author:
Mike Lenhart
After spending almost 15 years in the corporate, sales and marketing area of the hospitality industry, Mike Lenhart decided to pursue his passion for visual creativity and make a jump to graphic design and visual communications. Founder and Principal of ML Designs, a freelance-based and outsourced graphic design company and also Founder and Director of Creative Core, a graphic design collaborative, Mike can now use his business and marketing acumen in solving design problems for his clients. He also likes to write about the interesting, unusual, and sometimes irritating happenings in the graphic design world. Creative Core Design
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Mike Lenhart
The hot topic of earning what we’re worth has been around probably since the days of scribes. Did they get paid what they were worth when copying books and manuscripts, if even at all? Did they get compensated for hand cramps or carpal tunnel syndrome? Oh, that’s right, carpal tunnel didn’t exist then.
Anyway, the point of artists in the fine or graphic art worlds getting compensated and paid what they’re actually worth is a big topic. Since I am a graphic designer (artist), I will concentrate on this part of the question.
There have been times when I have come to a point in a project when there has been a lot of work done (and time consumed) for a client but there is no actual, tangible work for them to have – such as in logo restoration, updating, or reworking. The client doesn’t want to pay anything because “I don’t have anything” or “You haven’t given me anything”. What they don’t seem to understand, at times, is the cost and value of our time. Time is valuable and our time is worth something. For some reason, many folks think it’s perfectly fine to pay attorneys or accountants fees (sometimes very high fees) for their time. But, when it comes to art, or creative talent time, it’s not as valuable. Many people think they can rework the logo or identity system themselves, if they just had the time. Oh, their time is valuable, but mine is not.
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There are times when client education is needed. I have done it many times – sometimes with success, and sometimes not. I had one client who stopped the job in the middle of it, because “the direction and scope had changed”. Up to that point, a lot of time had been spent on reworking a low-resolution logo and type treatment, but there was no tangible items yet to provide. The client couldn’t understand why I was charging a fee for work done when he didn’t have anything in his hands to show for it. Thus ensued a rather lengthy conversation on the value of time and how a graphic design professional is just that – a professional. Professional services have fees associated with them. That conversation turned out successful. Then there are the conversations as to why we’re charging change fees when the “changes are so minor” and “we’re only moving one paragraph”. Don’t get me started…
The bottom line is that we are professionals and we do deserve to get paid what we’re worth. That does not mean that we are free to screw the client with sky-high fees or, conversely, practically give away our work which hurts the entire industry. You don’t know what to charge or what you’re worth? Every part of the country has salary surveys and reports of what types of rates are being charged in various industries. The AIGA has the annual Aquent survey and there are others as well.
You are worth it, you are a good person, and people like you.
Fisherman
about 1 month ago
22 comments
Yes! I fully agree with you on this. Kind of off the subject but a simular problem. My ex-wife was a court reporter and she would get flack from the attorneys because in those days she would charge $2.50 per page to transcribe her transcripts and the attorneys would be upset because it only cost them 10 cents to make a copy. Needless to say, they didn't understand the education needed to perform the transcription.
I asked my Graphic Design instructor about charging for our work. Often times I would have people ask me just how long it took me to design a particular logo or art. He suggested that I answer by saying 4 years (or the equivalent of years it took you to obtain your degree). He said he never tell people the exact amount of it took to do a piece of art. It's all about talent and not time.
twit8125
2 months ago
28 comments
Loved this article, especially as I am learning the industry.
alexharkness
11 months ago
698 comments
great article. and that drives me crazy!!!! education is a wonderful thing, despite the field you're in
Marque
11 months ago
44 comments
Your words are true. Not just in this field but also in the portrait photography world as well. People seem to think that the new generation of DSLRs in the prosumer range can compensate for utter ignorance in HOW to photograph. Top that with many "photographers" have no training and that most photographers are only part time. Now with their kids being able to do some things in a photo manipulation program, people seem to only want to pay W**mart prices and have it now.
Only when all people start standardizing rates (not price fixing) by understanding their skill level, and regional price structure will this problem begin to be resolved.
Bravo on writing this.
valerie
11 months ago
602 comments
Wonderful article. I learned a lot.