graphic design, freelancing, illustration, advertising, web design

Are you finding that the frequency of small-set-budget jobs is increasing? If yes, then that’s a concern. If not, then certainly it’s at the frustrating end of the spectrum of work that passes across our desks, but it’s just part of the mix.
Quoting IS always tricky, and so often the design ideas come AFTER you’ve prepared the quote … which means that a golden idea for a design isn’t much good if it stretches way beyond what you’ve quoted - or, of course, your client’s budget.
I recently met with a client whose budget is very tight, and I told him that his budget was at the very low end (very, very low end) for the work to be done, and his response was to try to work out how we could get the work done more quickly between us e.g. cutting down the number of meetings, and also he offered to give me some preliminary design ideas (which I’m happy to receive because it’s all part of the collaborative process that works well with some clients - although I haven’t received his ideas yet).
I don’t know if you point out to these particular clients that their budgets are especially small and that that will affect the time and output, but maybe if they’re made aware, it might make them think about a) what to expect from the budget; and b) whether their budget can in fact stretch a bit further (without suggesting that to them!)

Hi Tracey

I had already stretched their budget from the initial one day and explained that it was very tight. The problem is the work is done through a regular client (third party) so is quite difficult.

I suppose its down to the designer at the end of the day choosing to do these jobs, if we as a design community pushed for a standard price structure perhaps then we wouldn’t have this problem?

Not sure but I think if we are designing/creating something then we have to make sure that we do it properly even if that means making the job more expensive. Otherwise you have to tell the client that they can’t have everything.

I know getting jobs can be quiet important and the smaller jobs are sometimes the bread and butter in out industry but its important to stress that we can’t cut corners and then have the clients expect us to excrete Mono lisa’s out on cue.

Sorry Tara, the work was done through a regular client for someone new - I agree that sounds tricky? I am always wary of taking on rush jobs for new clients as in my experience something always goes wrong or someone cracks under the pressure (either me or the client). I feel that I can’t perform my best in short time frames and often one of the most important part of the project gets cut short (or completely out) - the research. As for existing clients I often quite like the thrill of the time constraint, as the client relationship is already there and you already know so much about them and what they are after.

I also find that clients sometimes set deadlines that can be broken i.e. I need this by the end of the week, so I supply the design by the end of the week and then the client’s amends then go on for weeks. Is this something that you have experienced?

As for budgets I completely agree that stock photography is an easy offering and clients are happy to go for the cheaper option rather than strive for something more unique and individual. I think that this is another sticky subject and I feel for the client as they can see good stock photography for a reasonable price, however as the designer I want the best for this project and stock photography doesn’t always cut it. This is where client relationship is key and being able to guide your client through the maze of stock photography coming up with something unique yet affordable is important - and another challenge!

Tara,

I think you’re missing the point. You should have never taken such a guaranteed-fail job in the first place. Complaining about it and others like it after the fact mirrors Freud’s definition of insanity.

Be disciplined to only take on projects with some possibility of success and you’ll find life a far better experience. And you’ll have far less to complain about. We are what we decide to become. Period.

Kind regards,
Andy

People need to realize you get what you pay for and this includes design. And the truth is ever design firm has a bunch of work they do that pays the bills, keeps them busy in the down time, but they’d never show in their portfolio.

Hi Lucinda, thanks for your comments. I have experienced the problem of amends going on for a long time - this often occurs when a lot of people are each putting their separate input into a design and what was a rush job goes on for ages.

Hi Andy
If the project for a new client I wouldn’t take it but for an existing regular client it is more tricky. If I turn one job down chances are they won’t come back with any more jobs. I was really trying to get across the idea that with less time you end up with a more mediocre design than if you had time to really think about the job. Stock photos make for an easy acceptable solution but its probably not always the best one and you have the danger of related companies using the same stock shots.

Hi Mustava, thanks for you comment. I think it would be difficult to have a standard pricing structure for the design community as there are so many variables - designer experience, location/cost of living in that country, time allocation per job etc.

Hi Nate, I agree you have to work on the bread ad butter stuff, sometimes its just a shame - you can see real potential in a project if there was just that little bit extra time/budget to spend on it.

I totally agree with you. We have been in the low-budget and time constraint market for quite some time and really feel trapped and frustrated.

But the market is being saturated and hence I guess the luxury of being able to spend time and effort on a project to create the designs the way we would like is really getting out of reach.

I completely agree, I mean there are bonuses and disadvantages to each aspect really. working on small budgets really is a lot of hard work even though it creates less work for you over the allotted time is just doesn’t feel like it. Unfortunately I am still finding that there are so many companies around now that provide design services for such a low price a lot of us are forced to drop prices and therefore less time canbe spent on a project.

I have experienced this. The fact is, if you are going to get by as a web designer you need to cut corners when the budget is not there. Else you won’t be a web designer for very long.

This is tricky, but to be honest if I can’t see a good design outcome and the budget is tiny then I do say that I can’t complete that project. It depends what sort of service you offer usually a designers portfolio will attract a certain type of client, hopefully one who appreciates design and the job you do. We do all have to pay the bills etc but a designer is only as good as their last job! Great question Tara and obviously causing a good debate! Cheers gareth

Wow! I’m thinking this is a pretty hot topic; so many comments in a pretty short amount of time. I guess I’m too young to know about not working with stock photography. I’ve never used anything but! And your comment about related companies using the same shots: yup! Been there, done that. It’s kind of embarrassing, especially when it’s your boss that points it out :}

Seeing as you’ve mentioned that this is a repeat client, are all the jobs like this? If not, maybe explaining to them that you usually have more time and a bigger budget, but you understand for this particular project it’s a quick turn around on a small budget. Remind them they are going to get what they paid for. The designer’s adage: Speed, Quality or Low-cost. Pick two. If you want speed and quality, it won’t be cheap. If you want quality and low-cost, it won’t be quick. If you want speed and low-cost, it’s not going to be very good.

If you really don’t want the job, but want to spin it in a positive light how about this: “I would really love to take on this job and I have some great ideas for it, but I’m afraid that the time and budget constraints are going to turn out a less than ideal result. I would hate to disappoint you.” Make it so that you are too nice to say yes, they feel good about you having actually said no, and they still come back when the budget is bigger and there is more time.

By the by, have you stopped over to see my redesign?

Oh, and another thought about the “too nice to say yes”: even if they do end up wanting you to do the job, it may make the way easier to negotiate for more time or more money.

Stock photography and small budgets don’t kill creativity as such, they just limit it. But that’s the business we’re in. People pay us for ideas, how ‘creative’ or ‘innovative’ the idea is depends on how much they’re willing to spend for it. Of course we have great ideas for projects that come up with tiny budgets, if we didn’t we wouldn’t be very good designers but if the client isn’t willing to pay to explore it, then sure it can feel like a shame (i’m sure it does to everyone who cares about their work) but it isn’t, they just don’t want to pay enough. I like to think of small budgets not as a shame but as a constraint, it’s like a client saying “i want this project at A4 size”, if it’s in the brief, you have to design for it but we don’t often say “oh its a shame it’s not billboard size, we could’ve done something magnificent for that!”

You can buy an estate house from a housing development project, pre-built, everything pre-ordered and fitted to your liking or you can spend an extra few thousand dollars to sit down with an architect and plan a house that will satisfies everything you’ve ever wanted.

Andy Rutledge has written a post this week which is relevant here: he talks about the factors which are necessary when having your preliminary discussions with a (prospective) client about upcoming work. He includes a list of questions (for himself) which he has to be able to answer before deciding if a project will be successful: the first question is “Will I or my team be allowed to bring our best work to the final result?” That may be interesting for you to have a look at.

I didn’t realise this would cause such a debate :), thank you every body for all your comments.

Hi Logo Design Works,
I am not sure that its just about design market saturation I think some of it is that for some reason design isn’t perceived to have as much value as other professions - law, accountancy etc. People expect to pay money for these services. If you were looking for a good lawyer solicitor and saw someone advertising at £20 hour you would probably run a mile, but that doesn’t appear so in the case of design.

Hi Adult Ühler
I think it depends what you mean by cut corners, for instance you wouldn’t want to cu time by not thoroughly testing a site you had produced.

Hi Gareth,
I agree with you totally in the case of new work for new clients but with existing ones its a bit more tricky.

Hi Lauren,
I like your saying

The designer’s adage: Speed, Quality or Low-cost. Pick two. If you want speed and quality, it won’t be cheap. If you want quality and low-cost, it won’t be quick. If you want speed and low-cost, it’s not going to be very good.

Again its a difficult one depending on the client. With the credit crunch kicking in Its difficult to know what to do as they say marketing is the thing that goes first. I did pop by your site yesterday and saw your redesign, very nice I just hadn’t got round to commenting yet.

Hi Martyn,
Hopefully once someone has tried cheap design it will be once bitten twice shy. Only recently a designer friend of mine was commissioned by a company to do some work. They had previously used a cheap designer who had created their logo using clip art they had also used for other companies. They had already had it printed on all their stationery and vehicles when they found out.

Hi Matt,
You have probably worded it right “small budgets don’t kill creativity as such, they just limit it.” I just liketo be able to produce a job that I am proud of and hopefully they will be too.

Hi Tracey,
I will have a read, thank you.

Wow, love Laurens “pick two” formula, that is very true indeed.

I think stock-photos can save a lot of time for the really creative part: The idea
But of course searching in photo-databases to find the right picture for the idea again can take a lot of time!

I completely identify with this blogg, its a shame that in the end it all comes down to numbers and not design, i guess we’re all just striving for a time when we are begged for are design skills and money is no object.

I always try and stay away from setting myself to much of a time restraint, however it isn’t always an option, and in that scenario you should never send some thing you are not happy with. Because it will always play against you and if it isn’t of your best ability it will give you and your company a bad name. You always have to try and do the best with what you are given, thats what makes a true designer.

Millions and millions of pictures to choose from, I believe helps with the design process, Stimulates ideas from imagery. I have never been involved in a photo shoot so I guess I am missing out on what you are talking about.

I think everyone would like twice as long and twice the budget on every project. You can find some gems of stock photography though, but again its the time factor.

One thing that I see happen a lot is a client has a budget of x amount. Yet they want x,y,and z. I say you give them what they pay for and that’s it.

If you only have a budget for a cheap final product, then that’s what you get.

If we give them more than their really paying for then were only hurting ourselves because you know they’ll ask for all the bells and whistles on the next project.

I disagree Drew, doing inferior design is not worth it. The only way to get new business is to do professional designs, as happy clients refer their friends.

On the other side stock images can really reduce creativity in the sense that it wouldnt let the artist think of what he or she can do more for the art work.