Similar to Standard Turnarounds, when it comes to how long something takes, a designer also needs to know how much something costs. Before doing any formal estimating, you have to know what the ballpark is for what you do. For a logo, for a brand, for a website, for a poster, for an infographic; how much does it cost for you to do this project? The response should be stocked, prepped, ready to go. It can have layers if that’s helpful, but if there isn’t a standard cost, it kinda seems like you don’t really know what you’re doing. Sure, there’s always follow-up and ironing it out, but some context is needed for a potential client.
A new potential client inquires about a website, I’ll tell him or her how much we charge for the type of websites we design. A site could be designed and developed for less, but it won’t be as good or unique. It could also be designed and developed for more, but it probably has more features than we think are needed.
This isn’t the same for bigger, more complicated projects. Those need the formal estimating process, which can be quite thorough and take time. But there are those projects that can remain standard, and standard costs should definitely be applied.
