4: Graphic Artists Guild Pricing & Ethical Guidelines Handbook

GAG Pricing & Ethical Guidelines handbook cover

The most difficult decision for designers is how much to charge for their services finding the answer seems simple enough.

It really is a question of how much your business should charge in order to pay for its operation, which includes your salary, and enough to put a little aside for a rainy day when bills pile up and every client you have seems to be on vacation. Take a look at the big picture.

Read: M. Patton Web Design Interview

Any advice for people starting out?
"Never do anything for free or for a discount. It's bad business. If you want to do something to entice people in, offer an additional service free of charge with specific limits. You could work 60+ hours a week on free or cheap work and never pay your bills. I made that mistake when I was starting, worked for basically nothing, as I got busier and started developing a reputation, those "clients" didn't want to pay me what I was worth but still wanted my constant attention to their accounts. It became a messy situation. Know your worth. "

Purchase or Borrow

The Graphic Artist Guild Pricing and Ethical Handbook

The Handbook is Updated yearly and it includes:

  •  Web interactive hourly freelance rates
  •  Comparative fees for website design
  •  Web interactive design development additional fees.
  • The book goes into great detail on cancellation and rejection fees.

The book helps you charge your true worth. The information in the book is intended to encourage illustrators to evaluate the true worth of their work and seek it aggressively.

  • Illustration hourly freelance rates
  • Many examples like comparative fees for book interior illustration
  • Comparative for use for children's picture book illustration
  • Royalty contract terms are included
  • Natural Science illustration
  • Medical illustration
  • Technical illustration 
  • Photographing the artwork
  • Magazine cartooning
  • Animation prices and trade customs and so much more!

The book includes graphic designers invoice form, digital media invoice, invoices for all forms of illustration, and Design 

*Ask a parent, older sibling or mentor what monthly costs to fill in if you are not sure.

Save your "Pricing your work" form as a pdf and submit to this assignment.