ArtBistro

Okay so.. if somebody asked you to design a logo for a tshirt... and it took you about.. 2 hours to make it, and 2 hours to think about it...

How much would you charge?

Well. A markering director is starting a new clothing line, and needs me to design a few logos. I need the cash so I'll take what I can get... the logos dont take me all that long to make. He gives me about 80$ per logo. And promises to up my pay as soon as things get rolling. He loves my work, and expressed his worry about me quiting because I'm not getting paid enough, and said if I want a raise, all I have to do is ask. Truth is.. i hate talking money. And, I dont KNOW how much my labor is worth. So.. yeah.. Help?

brokencolor says ...

 Good question. It has been posed before through other threads from forum topics and design groups. A lot depends on how is it going to be used and distributed. Can you elaborate? There are guidelines for this type of work. Avoid work on spec.

 

 I'm confused ... you say you need the cash, but you hate talking money ... ? Well, until you lose your dislike of 'talking money', you're not gonna get the cash you need. Not tryin' to be smart-ass or stuff, that's just the way it works. You have to fight for your own best interests - no one else will. Obviously HE knows he's getting a helluva deal 'cuz you say he worries about you quitting. You also say he 'gives you' about $80 per logo. That's chump change. Have you sat down and calculated what you NEED to live on? That's baseline ... then there's the time for your 'creative time' and actual 'execution time' ... Whether the logo is for a T-shirt or other use is kind of irrelevant ... what you need to determine before anything else is whether or not this is a design in which you reserve all rights, including Copyright, or if it's a 'work for hire' ... if YOU retain all rights, then you seriously need to reduce your 'Terms and Conditions' to writing and draw up a job assignment sheet that outlines the nature of the work to be done, rights granted (which they pay for), and other necessary information you need to protect your rights. Don't be conned 'cuz he seems like a 'nice guy' or something. From what you've posted so far (and that's all I have to go on), I see this as a situation in which you're being exploited by someone who knows what he SHOULD be paying and ISN'T. He probably also knows what rights he'd pay for if someone else was doing the work, too ... None of us like or enjoy confrontation or disputes over money, me included, but you can't afford to just ignore the fact that you're (again, just my opinion) being taken advantage of. Stand up for your own rights and put it in terms he can understand ... btw, you can find books outlining artists' rights (with forms) at Barnes & Noble or Borders or most bookstores ... Don't be a doormat for 'clients', 'cuz they'll walk all over you until you decide you've had enough ... Good luck.