Rum Bottle Design

Out of context: Reply #7

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  • mrbrandnew0

    When budgeting a project, you need to break the project up into phases that you can estimate out like meetings, research, initial concepting, refining directions, final polish on chosen direction, managing the printing. But usually budget is a show-stopper, and I've put hours and hours into proposals before getting a sense of the client's budget and it's all a waste because if there's no way you can go through the necessary process to deliver a good project at their tiny budget (let's pretend it's 2k), then there's no point in you wasting time on them by creating a proposal. This is something you need to be comfortable asking them up front, while explaining that you don't half-ass projects, and you've got a process to create great results for your clients, and that process starts at X amount based on your basic understanding of the deliverables.

    If their budget is above your MINIMUM cost (# of hours total x your hourly rate) to take it on and do a good/decent job, then you should use provide 2 budgets, one for the minimum that you would do it for, and one for the upper end of their budget. With each number, you will explain to them how much input they will get (like number of revisions), how much exploration you will do, and how much responsibility you will bear (will you manage the printing too?). Then after they understand that they get what they pay for, you TAILOR THE PROJECT TO THEIR BUDGET AND EXPECTATIONS. The reason I put that in caps is because you're obviously new at this, and a big mistake is to just take 20% or so off to meet their budget, without lowering project scope, which is something that will make you hate the project in the end because you're giving them the same amount for less rather than less scope for less cash. Lowering your rate is the same as devaluing yourself, and you will hate yourself later for doing this.

    So, figure out the minimum to take on the project, then figure out the maximum, and roughly outline what each entails. Then have a conversation with your potential client and ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS (go in with a big pre-created list). Get a full understanding of what they are expecting, and help them understand how a designer goes about doing this job.

    Now, if you're a fledgling designer who is thinking about taking it on even though they have no budget, you need to remember that when taking on a project, you have to have at least 2 of the following 3 things:

    A. Time
    B. Money
    C. Creative freedom

    If you aren't getting paid for your work, then they should give you tons of creative freedom and tons of time. I've taken on projects like this, and when they're bugging you to deliver a project when they aren't paying you a dime, and you could be spending time with your wife or family instead, you don't feel like finishing it.

    Good luck dude.

    mrbrandnew 0Permalink
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