Graphic Designer's Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting Revised Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "You're probably wondering why you picked up this damn book in the first place..." (more)
Key Phrases: cost overages, master meeting, graphic design business (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

6 3/4 x 10 North American Distribution graphic design Whether you're a start-up business or an experienced owner, The Graphic Designer's Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting, Revised Edition, provides a one-stop source of indispensable, innovative methods for achieving productivity and profitability in every area of a graphic design business. This brand-new and completely updated edition offers practical guidelines for setting rates, dealing with clients' budgets, preparing an estimate, and establishing profitability. Readers will also discover step-by-step strategies for pricing on the Internet, negotiating effective pricing with clients, and developing options to traditional pricing. Plus, the easy-to-read sidebars throughout this valuable guide offer dozens of creative, resourceful success tips for running a top-notch business.

About the Author

Theo Stephan Williams is the founder of Real Art Design Group, Inc., an award-winning, full-service graphic design firm whose international client base includes Universal Studios Hollywood, the Walt Disney Company, and Mead Corporation. The author of The Streetwise Guide to Freelance Graphic Design and Illustration, she lives in Los Alamos, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 1st edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581150989
• ISBN-13: 978-1581150988
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,064 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most of the book is not about pricing and estimating, April 29, 2004

By	energuy (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

The title doesn't really describe this book. Two of the 14 chapters pertain to pricing and estimates, but don't expect a GAG PEG-style list of suggested numbers. In fact, actual fees are seldom mentioned.

This book mostly covers the business of graphic design, from hiring to self promo to client relations. If you're getting the Creative Business newsletter, you're already getting this information. If not, this is a practical guide. Williams is experienced, and her advice makes good sense. Her writing style is casual, and the book is a quick read.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great business resource, carefuly written, September 8, 2002

By	Alden Kroll (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Of all the books in my business/design library, I think this one has proven to be the most valuable. While I am not quite to the point where I can reasonably charge some of the prices that Theo recommends, I still feel like this book is a great resource for much of the business of design. If anything, I think this book does a good job of building confidence in pricing and business as a whole. The writing style is very smooth and easy to follow, and her personal accounts help tie in real-world experiences to justify her recommendations.
Theo Williams also does a pretty good job of covering a broader sense of project management and client relations, though not in too great of detail (which is okay, as that is not the point of the book). The end of the book provides us with some rough business forms (invoices, estimates, etc.) which I also found greatly helpful.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better grasp on how to go about figuring out prices for design projects.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough concrete information., September 18, 2007

By	Amanda Ko (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

I have been operating a freelance graphic-design business on a casual basis for over 10 year and have just recently decided to take it to a more professional level. I purchased this book because I thought it would help me streamline my billing system and teach me something I didn't already know. Unfortunately, I found that this book was much more chatty than informative and that the information was a bit too vague. It would have also helped if the forms at the back of the book were more fully discussed in the book itself.

While I found it interesting and somewhat insightful to read about the author's opinions and experience (which is credible), I did not feel that I gained much new insight from the book. Another book that I found more pragmatic and useful was Cameron Foote's "The Business Side of Creativity". Even though that book covers all aspects of running a graphic design business, it also includes a section on billing with advice that is both practical and concrete (including how to deal with clients who are price-sensitive in an assertive manner). While this book may help someone who is completely new at billing clients for graphic-design services, I personally gained more from Foote's book than this one.