Running a Design Business: Pricing and Estimating
1h 5mBeginner2013-11-14
Authors

Terry Lee Stone
Creative Strategist, Teacher at Art Center, CalArts, and Otis
Course details
Do you know what to charge for your design services? Too much and you risk scaring away potential clients; too little and you're not compensating yourself properly. Let Terry Lee Stone, a design manager who's priced thousands of design projects, show you how to calculate your work's true worth. She explains how to keep good records, set an hourly rate, create estimates then transform them into contracts, and successfully approach financial matters with your clients. Plus, like all the other courses in the Running a Design Business series, this course includes free worksheets—including templates for evaluating your expenses and calculating your fees.
Learning objectives
Thinking about money
Factors to consider when pricing design
Comparing time-based vs. component-based pricing strategies
Scoping a project
Determining your rate based on factors like industry standards and budget
Creating estimates
Communicating additional costs
Invoicing the client
Learning objectives
Thinking about money
Factors to consider when pricing design
Comparing time-based vs. component-based pricing strategies
Scoping a project
Determining your rate based on factors like industry standards and budget
Creating estimates
Communicating additional costs
Invoicing the client
Skills covered
Small Business ManagementBusiness StrategySmall Business and EntrepreneurshipLimited SeriesBusiness Analysis and StrategyLeadership and Management
Concepts
0. Introduction
- 01 - Welcome
- 02 - About the exercise files
1. Money and Attitude
- 03 - Attitudes about money
- 04 - Positioning yourself for success
2. Pricing Factors
- 05 - Ten factors to consider when pricing
- 06 - Four design pricing philosophies
3. Pricing Strategies
- 07 - Introduction to pricing strategies
- 08 - Time-based pricing strategy
- 09 - Project-based pricing strategy
- 10 - Value-based pricing strategy
- 11 - Wild-card-based pricing strategy
4. Hourly Rates
- 12 - An introduction to developing an hourly rate
- 13 - Determining your rate based on freelancer needs
- 14 - Determining your rate based on design firm needs
- 15 - Determining your rate based on industry standards
- 16 - Determining your rate based on the marketplace
5. Estimating a Project
- 17 - Three types of estimates - Ballpark, budgetary, and definitive
- 18 - Two costs in estimates - Fees and expenses
- 19 - Breaking down a project for estimating
- 20 - Project P&Ls - Evaluating your estimates
6. Pricing Challenge
- 21 - Challenge - Price this project
- 22 - Solution - Price this project
7. Clients and Money
- 23 - Ten payment strategies
- 24 - Raising your rates and fees
- 25 - Winning the business
Conclusion
- 26 - Next steps