Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines [Paperback]

Graphic Artists Guild Staff (Author)

Book Description

Series: Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines | Publication Date: December 15, 2003

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, 11th Edition is the industry bible, containing information all graphic artists and their clients need to buy and sell work in a totally professional manner. This edition has been revised and updated to provide all the information you need to compete in an industry moving at lightning speed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Artists Guild; 11 edition (December 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932102123
• ISBN-13: 978-0932102126
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the best of what's available, March 18, 2004

By 

Travis Kramer (Kansas City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Paperback)

Pros: Covers a lot of ground; defined creative terms and boundaries for the profession, fees, moral issues, client relationships, salaries, photographer relationships, illustrator relationships, etc. Rare is the book that has the guts to put actual numbers on project fees, rarer still to see it in this field. The only guide of its kind available.

Cons: Shape/bindery of the piece. It's a pain to even open it wide. (This was designed by the guild?) Some of the fee quotes/ideas are too vague, to the point of offering little guidance. The flow of the chapters is odd. Example: It starts with illustrator relationships(?!), when you'd think the first chapter would be an overall state of industry, issues facing communication arts employees and employers, trends, etc. The section on digital/non traditional media is still a little shaky, but better than it was.

Last thoughts: To the review that said they need a new version, they've done two in the last 3 or 4 years. The most recent being 2003. To everyone else: it's a guide, not a law book. The prices are at once too high and too low. Fees/salaries will vary no matter how accurate it is.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Updated again and more useful than ever!, March 1, 2004

By 

itsjoev "itsjoev" (Kalamazoo, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Paperback)

The 11th edition is out,(although Amazon may not be displaying the most recent cover) and they did it again. The Graphic Artists Guild has produced the definitive industry resource for designers, illustrators and anyone even remotely interested in making a living in the graphics field. The book provides a terrific introduction to professional practices for anyone expanding their existing business to include web projects. This is a publication that keeps improving with age. Trying to encapsulate all situations is impossible, but the care taken in putting this survey together shows. Ta da! Even the web design section catches up to the situation on the ground.

At first glance it seems slimmer than previous editions, but a deeper look reveals that more information makes it onto each page, with a more efficient typographic treatment, and some judicious editing deleting duplicate information in some chapters

Please note: The prices reported in the book are the results of a survey of real working professionals. A spot check reveals that some reported price ranges have increased over the intervening years since the 10th edition. Some are the same, or similar. In the end, the producer (that's you!) has to insist on higher prices, you can't expect a book to negotiate for you, can you?

Some of the charts are improved. For instance, the Chart and Map Design section is more useful, including ranges for 4 different possible uses for a piece: advertising, in-house, editorial and textbook. this replaces the not-always-useful "client annual revenues" breakdowns in the 10th edition.

In the age of easy image stealing a new cease and desist form letter is included on p. 250 for you to use. May you never need it!

Hats off to the Guild for putting facts and figures at every working graphic artists disposal. It's a lumbering, exploding field where standards are in short supply on the fringes, but solid guidance is only a bookshelf away. I'll say it again... If you're unsure about what to charge, or how to structure an agreement (you're using an agreement aren't you?), it'll pay for itself with your next job.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Precise-But are the fees to EXPENSIVE?, September 4, 2006

By 

Scott E. Vezina "thevez" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Paperback)

I have read most of the reviews for this book and most everyone seems unanimous that the fees suggested are "high" and don't work with an unsophisticated client.

Most of the pricing has come from designers and agencies alike that are in the large populated cities and will quote a higher price. One review stated that: "In a small city like mine, (pop. 100k) a lot of businesses are run by people that have little to no education or running a business, much less knowledge of the importance of graphic design. I find that I have to go way under what is usually recommended for certain projects." That's INEXCUSABLE!!! Part of your job as a designer is to sell your ideas and creativity. To inform the client of why they need to have the appropriate design and creativity to build and maintain their brand. The lower you quote your prices, the faster this industry will become overcompetitive and turn into a photoshop nation.

I sacrificed lot's of business in the pursute of a higher price and eventually it paid off. Some of the fees for certain design work-ie: Graphic Design- seem to be on the high side, but mostly it is just demographics more than anything. This book will help you with that process. It is definately a MUST HAVE!