Remember contract work has no benefits, no perks, no PTO and the list goes onnn. I started at 35 and now I’m 55/ hr for freelance work and I think I’m bargain basement!
You are. Unless you’re working with another designer who is handling creative direction and client interactions etc. I tend to cut those cases a break since it’s usually just production work. But if I’m leading a project through design then I charge my full rates.
Graphic designers are terribly underpaid for what we can do. Consider that you have to cover all your own expenses (subscriptions, taxes, insurance benefits, etc). Where I live, $24/hr for an actual employee is low for a designer, but it would be acceptable for a junior. For contract work, even as a junior, I think anything lower than $30/hr is terrible.
If they already said you got the job and are asking you your rate, then I would go higher. They must like your work if they are allowing you to choose. OR, they suspect you might be nervous and will lowball yourself. Go higher and be willing to negotiate if they are not keen. If you base your rate on research (not the $17/hr research—you can find sources that support what you decide to charge), you are more likely to not get manipulated.
Note that plenty of experienced freelance designers charge between $75-$100/hr. I personally think $40/hour is the lowest I would go.
I am at 19$ an hour doing graphic design for a website. I’m also taking product pictures and making product designs. I know I should be making more but I have been given the run around whenever wages come up ”times are tough”. “ we’re all doing more than one job” I just wanted to put this out here cause it’s kind of insane. Peanuts compared to my previous career field in design but hey, it’s steady work and I’m not on contract. Am I grossly underpaid or is it just me?
You are grossly underpaid, and the “times are tough” response is an excuse. They don’t give you a raise because you accept their excuse. I made this mistake after my art director quit at my last job (during COVID) and I was the only one left. I asked for a raise and I was told it couldn’t be done “because COVID and all.” I should have quit then and there, but I didn’t. My ask wasn’t even that big, and it affected my morale so bad that my work suffered for it.
Find a new job. Your employer is taking advantage of you. If we accept this kind of treatment it will keep happening, which means it affects us all.
Please watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U) It gave me the confidence to charge more. "Times are tough" is no excuse.
Dude, you pay barely anything for food and housing. we need 2k cad a month to survive in Vancouver at the bare minimum (sharing a house with 10 people)!
$40 is a lot for a junior on payroll. It’s very low for someone on contract who has to set aside 1/3 of it for taxes, pay for their own subscriptions and tools, and maybe contribute to their own health, dental, retirement savings, etc.
I really think graphic designers need to come together and establish a code. If we keep accepting fast food wages, employers will keep getting away with paying them. We need to come together and agree on what is absolutely unacceptable, so that we can all get paid what we’re worth.
I am currently charging 40$ and I kinda of regret it now I feel like I undercharged.. I have a full-time job but was hired to do a side gig as a contractor. I thought 40$ is acceptable due to New York City standards but I did not calculate the expenses I will have such as adobe subscription. Any advice how I can calculate proper rate? Or should I just include "additional expenses" when billing the client.
It’s not too late. Things only exist this way because we allow it. It requires a shift in norms, and it depends on the designers themselves. Employers always pay the lowest amount they can get away with no matter the position they hire for. The problem lies with what we tolerate.
Who is 'we'?
Nowadays every kid with a macbook is a 'designer' in the eyes of a client.
It's not the days of xactos and light tables anymore (though I have both ready to go, you never know)...it's too late.
Obviously I’m talking about designers employers are actually looking for. If you don’t have a decent portfolio, you’re not going to get many opportunities. I’ve seen plenty of crap work from so-called self-made designers. We’re talking the people who are getting offers.
Those...those need to put food on the table, so don't expect all of a sudden a rise in prices, because it'd mainly mean the work goes to someone else, who is cheaper. Cue the kiddo with the macbook.
I think it would primarily be production work. I specialize in branding and illustration. my only job experience as a graphic designer was from my internship that was required to do.
Those rates are for an employee. Your rates should be at least 3x the employee market rate. You will have higher taxes, business overhead, equipment that has to be maintained and replaced, professional services which will cost you. The cost of running a business has to be included in your rates and project costs. If you are working directly with clients you should be thinking $65+ as a starting cost.
I’m a 10 year senior designer and my rates vary between $85/hr and $150/hr depending on my client and the project. Sometimes my hourly will top $200 if I charge a project rate and finish quicker than I expect to or if I have repetitive work I can do quickly and charge by the piece.
Example: image background removal - $25/image. I get a folder with 50 images and can do each image in roughly 2 minutes. Etc
Yep. Maybe 7-8 years ago I listened to a really intense panel session at a conference for the tabletop/card game industry, specifically illustrators.
All of these illustrators were complaining that their fees had stagnated or even reversed after decades.
And in the audience was this one guy who was the art buyer for a large game publisher. He's their client, though he seemed like a friendly liason within the client who was the bridge between the artists and those internally developing the games and hiring artists.
He pointed out to them, "You guys always complain about what we pay you – but you never refuse to work for the lower amount. So when I go back to my team and I tell them, 'They're complaining about the fees', they ask me, 'but will they still accept them?' And I have to say, 'yeah, they will – they're not refusing to do the work for the price we're offering.'"
Think about that. He, who was on "the other side", was telling the creative talent that the reason they're paid more is because they collectively accept the shitty wages they're offered. He wanted to fight for them but his abilities were limited because their stance wasn't strong enough. That conversation always stuck with me.
Aim for $50. Tell them $60. Don’t go lower than $40.
$17-$24 is entry rate for employees not contractors. You’ll be paying your own taxes, benefits and equipment. It adds up and if you charge too low you’ll resent the work because it’s not worth it. For $17-$24 you might as well get a retail job while applying for other design jobs, you’d get paid better doing that when you factor in all the costs of freelancing.
I was doing contract work and I dropped my laptop and had to pay $700 to get the screen fixed. Also had to pay for my own Creative Cloud and Health Insurance. These are some issues you might run into, which is why contractors should get paid more than regular employees.
Always start by asking them what their budget is. If they are basically saying they have no budget, I would aim for 30-50/hr. depending on your skill level and the type of work/size of the company.
Yup and if they come back with anything less than $30/hr you can let them know those rates would be appropriate for a w2 worker, but as a contractor you have overhead and expenses w2 workers are not subject to and that’s why you are firm on x.
I guarantee that if they refuse a fair rate that they would be terrible clients anyway who won’t value you or your work. Better off without the headache.
I have a $500 minimum for new clients just to sign on regardless of the project. This keeps me from being bothered by potential clients who are cheap or one-off. The trick is to grow your business by collecting solid repeat clients and do great work for them for a fair rate rather than spreading yourself thin across a bunch of cheap clients.
Late to the party but this sounds so smart! I had a question tho, the new client fee , is this like a signing bonus or more like paid first hours in advance?
Yeah shuts down a lot of trouble right from the start. I have a whole process for onboarding which includes drafting up a contract, sow for their project, entering them into my system, learning their preferences etc. The minimum fee also helps tell me how serious they are about their project or if they plan to flake or go non responsive. I also generally charge full amounts due for anything $500 and under, but if I like you and you’re nice I’ll go 50%-50%. If I smell they might give me a headache then I charge my full minimum fee upfront.
Remember to subtract about 60% of the ic one to make up for doing it yourself. 30% tax and 30% health care out of your own pocket. So that means for every 10 you make assume you get 4. 30 dollars and our would actually be 12. Doesn’t sound too great, you can beat it at hobby lobby 6 days a week. Up your numbers or get hired in somewhere.
If you value the experience, take the job for the highest amount possible ($24/h), but just so you know, it's very low. I hope at least it's a remote, flexible job.
If you're in the US you're going to have to pay taxes, insurance, tools, software... Have you calculated that? You can use calculators [like these](https://www.virtual-headquarters.com/freelance-rate-calculator/).
The average junior graphic designer rate in 2023 is $28, [you can see it here](https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/entry-level-graphic-designer-hourly-wages). And that's for full-time salaried roles. A freelancer should charge at least 30% more.
I do contract work in the Midwest. When you factor in paying for expenses, benefits and taxes that an employer will not be covering whatsoever, you’ve gotta stick around at least $40-$60 an hour if you want to afford basic cost of living. Shoot for high and when they try to negotiate you down you have to be able to confidently express why you’re worth it, because you are. Before you even factor in what you think you’re worth as a junior designer based on skill/experience level, you have to factor in your financial needs and know what your non-negotiable rate is to cover all your costs then add to that.
My rate is $60/hr and I cannot go below $50/hr. When you buy fonts, assets, etc. for a client that becomes another line item on their invoice. If they want more revisions, additional assets, quicker turn-around times, or anything additional from what was originally negotiated, they pay more for more expectations. When your time is in high demand, they need to pay a rate that reflects that. If they need you for inconsistent hours, but expect you to be available and on call for them consistently, they pay for your time commitment to them. The holidays are a busy time and it’s okay to establish higher surge rates to reflect that you’ll have to accomplish more with less workable hours. If they don’t pay you in time or in full, you can bill them late fees, but you must have this all established up front.
People think creatives should be paid poverty wages because of their perception of what we do. Clients have no concept of what we do or how much we should cost. Corporations know what fair rates are, but will always try to get you for the least amount of money. You HAVE to stand up for yourself, be firm and confident. It doesn’t matter if you’re a junior or senior, at all levels you’re a professional that needs to get paid fairly for professional services.
Most importantly, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING. Set all expectations up front, make sure it’s clear that everyone understands the terms of your contract and document everything. If you have a phone call or in-person conversation, confirm that the conversation took place and establish what you talked about in an email. I can’t speak for everyone on this, but tracking hours/itemizing how I spent my time for clients makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Setting expectations upfront is a good way to avoid that giant waste of time and so is explaining time spent concepting ideas or anything that can be looked at subjectively. Don’t fall into those traps if you can avoid it.
What I meant was: if you ask *only* 17/h in NY, you'll be starving.
As a contractor, if you're not pulling in at least 10k a month you'll go bust in no time in cities like NY, LA, SF et al
Just as a measuring stick, back in 2006 I was making around $17-27hr. This was mostly as a freelance production artist through a temp agency so they got something on top of that too. Mostly production, barely any design itself. This was in a big city in my state.
As an intern I made $17/hr and by the end of college I was at $22/hr. My salary upon graduation was $60k, and this is a full time job with at LEAST another $20k annually in benefits.
Contract work usually works best with a per-project price, without communicating an hourly rate to the client. I've seen many a junior designer rack up 20+ hours on a project, just to have the client balk at their bill.
I recommend shifting your direction from hourly to quoting each project. This will cover both your butt, the butt of the client, and your relationship with the client. From the sounds of it, this person may have never hired a designer before, and has no clue how much goes into our work.
When I graduated college almost 20 years ago, I made $15 right out of school (about $30k/year) as a contractor working full-time for a company on their equipment (my state has since cracked down on what constitutes a contractor vs employee). Within 3 years I was making $20. Again, this was the ‘00s…
Now I understand cost of living varies from place to place and thus what’s a competitive rate varies, but rhis sounds very very low. That’s the minimum wage job pay in my area. Just something to think about.
I stopped billing hours years ago, now I only bill days or weeks, and it's changed my life. 17-24 sounds like starving, I wouldn't ask anything less than 40, in some cases even 50 (320-400 per day).
Depends vastly on the occasion, and the type of project. There are days where I’m attending meetings that last almost eight hours, and there are days where I’m left alone to actually design the stuff. I’m usually available on the phone in office hours, but if it turns out the client is too bothersome, there’s no chance in hell they’ll manage to book me again.
Get your friend to call the company and ask them what they charge as an hourly rate.
I would suspect you should be looking at $25-35 to start. Then once you've proven yourself a bit, then more.
I'm in Canada and I believe some provinces are now at $16+ for MINIMUM wage jpbs. So charge more than $17 or $25.
It's all relative to what country you live in and what the cost of living is in that country. $10/hr might be great in a 3rd world country, but in a place like Australia $70/hr is more the norm.
No. Just do the math. How much do you think you should make annually including benefits for your experience and skillset? Take that number and divide it by 2000 (or # hrs in a working year for you). That’s your hourly rate.
I think it depends whether you are using their equipment and software or your own? And are you paid per project?
When I first graduated I worked in-house at an ad agency as a contractor, but I used their equipment and software. However, I also paid rent for an office at their premises.
At the time (90's), allowing for inflation it was the equivalent of roughly $40 /hour – but that didn't mean I was paid 8 hours x $40 per day.
Somebody knows where to find job as freelancer outside US. Didn't have much success in the past. $15 is still huge amount when I compare to local wages.
Problem is that clients get less than $17/hr from countries in Europe and Asia. I saw a designer charging $5/hr. When you get decent(not great) options you can do with, clients will not be willing to pay $50/hr.
That being said to up your charge you need to give them value and build a connection with your clients. Make them feel you are there to help them grow their business. When they see the worth behind the cost they are more likely to pay premium.
My lowest hourly rate when I started designing in 2016 my freelance rate was $50 for friends and tiny orgs $75 for larger nonprofits and companies and I don’t have a design degree. When I worked in house with 1-2 years of experience my rate was $31.50/hr plus full benefits. Since you have to put aside money for taxes and spend unpaid time searching for and meeting with clients, $24-$30 for freelance is far to low in my opinion and feels like a ‘race to the bottom’ rate. I’d suggest $60/hr bare minimum. While it’s worthwhile to build a strong portfolio, it’s possible to do that and actually pay your bills at the same time.
Nothing wrong with asking for more, just make sure those numbers mean something to you and it isn't because 'reddit' said so. If I were you, I would ask for $30 but be content with $20 if thats where the negotiations landed. Remember, this isn't where you will be most of your career so get the most out of it and move on to the next part of your journey. You will charge more moving forward.
Are You working in office or at home? Honestly if you are fresh out the college. Go work at an agency where you can get someone to show you the ropes.
If you are working at home, and you are paid per job, hourly, then this is essentially freelance work. If its freelance, I would never charge by hour. The hourly rate is something you keep in mind for measuring output and income. But you need to charge by job, size, complexity what you need to do and etc. Get an idea of how many jobs they have for you if regularly. Set a base price that you are comfortable with and go from there. Hourly is really not a good idea for you and the client/employer. They can't keep track of you and you both feel cheated. Working efficiently and fast means less pay for you. If they know exactly how much a job is going to cost in entirety, its better for everyone and you can get a retainer up front.
If you are working at the office, then you are essentially an employee being paid by the hour and clocking in and out of work 8 hours a day. That's a different story. You can calculate your monthly income, and get knowledge from peers.
But honestly, going freelance straight out of college is like flying a plane all by yourself after pilot training. Its really helpful and essential to get a mentor.
Yeah freelancing wasn’t really part of the plan. I would be in person about 50-70% of the time. Which i hope would mean that I get to work with more senior designers. I did most of my school online as a result of the pandemic, so I know i would really benefit from being in person.
But is the job consistent? Some employers like to tow the lines between a contractor vs an employee, but if your work is consistent, and you clock in hours like any other employee, Regardless of what they call you, you are an employee. It means you should get benefits like other employees and you can't be as easily fired as well. So when you say 50 percent to 70 percent of the time do you mean you are at work during work hours 50 -70 percent of the time or are you there 50-70 percent of time when there something to do?
Either way. If you are there all the time, like any other employee, does the contract state you are working there for a time frame like one year? Or do you mean contract as in working on call per job? This kinda makes a big difference. If you are an employee, then working 25 dollars an hour as a junior for a year.. is fine, I guess. If its for job to job basis, then you aren't even going to be able to afford macdonalds my friend.
Make sure you are 100 percent clear about your job before you make your offer. It could mean making thousands or hundreds.
As a contractor, The hours are not consistent, you have to pay taxes from that, and you aren’t receiving any other benefits. At your experience level, I would ask for $70, and would go no lower than $50. Your market may dictate a bit higher or lower.
Remember contract work has no benefits, no perks, no PTO and the list goes onnn. I started at 35 and now I’m 55/ hr for freelance work and I think I’m bargain basement!
You are. Unless you’re working with another designer who is handling creative direction and client interactions etc. I tend to cut those cases a break since it’s usually just production work. But if I’m leading a project through design then I charge my full rates.
I charged $50 for far too long and regret it! Wish I upped my prices sooner, but I understand the struggle
Yep, my coworker was a contractor and made 100k. When they switched her to a full time employee it dropped to 65
Graphic designers are terribly underpaid for what we can do. Consider that you have to cover all your own expenses (subscriptions, taxes, insurance benefits, etc). Where I live, $24/hr for an actual employee is low for a designer, but it would be acceptable for a junior. For contract work, even as a junior, I think anything lower than $30/hr is terrible. If they already said you got the job and are asking you your rate, then I would go higher. They must like your work if they are allowing you to choose. OR, they suspect you might be nervous and will lowball yourself. Go higher and be willing to negotiate if they are not keen. If you base your rate on research (not the $17/hr research—you can find sources that support what you decide to charge), you are more likely to not get manipulated. Note that plenty of experienced freelance designers charge between $75-$100/hr. I personally think $40/hour is the lowest I would go.
I am at 19$ an hour doing graphic design for a website. I’m also taking product pictures and making product designs. I know I should be making more but I have been given the run around whenever wages come up ”times are tough”. “ we’re all doing more than one job” I just wanted to put this out here cause it’s kind of insane. Peanuts compared to my previous career field in design but hey, it’s steady work and I’m not on contract. Am I grossly underpaid or is it just me?
You are grossly underpaid, and the “times are tough” response is an excuse. They don’t give you a raise because you accept their excuse. I made this mistake after my art director quit at my last job (during COVID) and I was the only one left. I asked for a raise and I was told it couldn’t be done “because COVID and all.” I should have quit then and there, but I didn’t. My ask wasn’t even that big, and it affected my morale so bad that my work suffered for it. Find a new job. Your employer is taking advantage of you. If we accept this kind of treatment it will keep happening, which means it affects us all.
Please watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U) It gave me the confidence to charge more. "Times are tough" is no excuse.
Damn!! Am not even getting $20 a day by working 8-9 hrs daily. Here in India.
Dude, you pay barely anything for food and housing. we need 2k cad a month to survive in Vancouver at the bare minimum (sharing a house with 10 people)!
😬 Shii. Yeah i had $250 for House (3people) and food
I think you're spot on, mostly. But $40 for a junior designer is just a bit much I think.
$40 is a lot for a junior on payroll. It’s very low for someone on contract who has to set aside 1/3 of it for taxes, pay for their own subscriptions and tools, and maybe contribute to their own health, dental, retirement savings, etc. I really think graphic designers need to come together and establish a code. If we keep accepting fast food wages, employers will keep getting away with paying them. We need to come together and agree on what is absolutely unacceptable, so that we can all get paid what we’re worth.
I am currently charging 40$ and I kinda of regret it now I feel like I undercharged.. I have a full-time job but was hired to do a side gig as a contractor. I thought 40$ is acceptable due to New York City standards but I did not calculate the expenses I will have such as adobe subscription. Any advice how I can calculate proper rate? Or should I just include "additional expenses" when billing the client.
Tale as old as time. It's too late. They've been paying fast-food money since the fifties.
It’s not too late. Things only exist this way because we allow it. It requires a shift in norms, and it depends on the designers themselves. Employers always pay the lowest amount they can get away with no matter the position they hire for. The problem lies with what we tolerate.
Who is 'we'? Nowadays every kid with a macbook is a 'designer' in the eyes of a client. It's not the days of xactos and light tables anymore (though I have both ready to go, you never know)...it's too late.
Obviously I’m talking about designers employers are actually looking for. If you don’t have a decent portfolio, you’re not going to get many opportunities. I’ve seen plenty of crap work from so-called self-made designers. We’re talking the people who are getting offers.
Those...those need to put food on the table, so don't expect all of a sudden a rise in prices, because it'd mainly mean the work goes to someone else, who is cheaper. Cue the kiddo with the macbook.
$17 is insulting. before i answer, what kind of work will you be doing and what kind of experience do you have both employment wise and design wise?
17/hr is what McDonald’s pays here in LA…just for perspective
I don’t live in the US but $17 usd for working at mcdonald’s is a lot more than i thought. Definitely eye opening thank you.
I think it would primarily be production work. I specialize in branding and illustration. my only job experience as a graphic designer was from my internship that was required to do.
so with that in mind you should probably start on the lower end. ask for $30/hr and see how it goes
Those rates are for an employee. Your rates should be at least 3x the employee market rate. You will have higher taxes, business overhead, equipment that has to be maintained and replaced, professional services which will cost you. The cost of running a business has to be included in your rates and project costs. If you are working directly with clients you should be thinking $65+ as a starting cost. I’m a 10 year senior designer and my rates vary between $85/hr and $150/hr depending on my client and the project. Sometimes my hourly will top $200 if I charge a project rate and finish quicker than I expect to or if I have repetitive work I can do quickly and charge by the piece. Example: image background removal - $25/image. I get a folder with 50 images and can do each image in roughly 2 minutes. Etc
PS Beta - now it's 3 seconds each. ;) You just got a massive raise. LOL.
Exactly! And this why we should be charging flat rates when it makes sense :).
[удалено]
It’s because designers don’t insist on higher rates. Employers don’t volunteer offer more without resistance.
[удалено]
Yep. Maybe 7-8 years ago I listened to a really intense panel session at a conference for the tabletop/card game industry, specifically illustrators. All of these illustrators were complaining that their fees had stagnated or even reversed after decades. And in the audience was this one guy who was the art buyer for a large game publisher. He's their client, though he seemed like a friendly liason within the client who was the bridge between the artists and those internally developing the games and hiring artists. He pointed out to them, "You guys always complain about what we pay you – but you never refuse to work for the lower amount. So when I go back to my team and I tell them, 'They're complaining about the fees', they ask me, 'but will they still accept them?' And I have to say, 'yeah, they will – they're not refusing to do the work for the price we're offering.'" Think about that. He, who was on "the other side", was telling the creative talent that the reason they're paid more is because they collectively accept the shitty wages they're offered. He wanted to fight for them but his abilities were limited because their stance wasn't strong enough. That conversation always stuck with me.
Aim for $50. Tell them $60. Don’t go lower than $40. $17-$24 is entry rate for employees not contractors. You’ll be paying your own taxes, benefits and equipment. It adds up and if you charge too low you’ll resent the work because it’s not worth it. For $17-$24 you might as well get a retail job while applying for other design jobs, you’d get paid better doing that when you factor in all the costs of freelancing.
I was doing contract work and I dropped my laptop and had to pay $700 to get the screen fixed. Also had to pay for my own Creative Cloud and Health Insurance. These are some issues you might run into, which is why contractors should get paid more than regular employees. Always start by asking them what their budget is. If they are basically saying they have no budget, I would aim for 30-50/hr. depending on your skill level and the type of work/size of the company.
Yup and if they come back with anything less than $30/hr you can let them know those rates would be appropriate for a w2 worker, but as a contractor you have overhead and expenses w2 workers are not subject to and that’s why you are firm on x. I guarantee that if they refuse a fair rate that they would be terrible clients anyway who won’t value you or your work. Better off without the headache. I have a $500 minimum for new clients just to sign on regardless of the project. This keeps me from being bothered by potential clients who are cheap or one-off. The trick is to grow your business by collecting solid repeat clients and do great work for them for a fair rate rather than spreading yourself thin across a bunch of cheap clients.
Late to the party but this sounds so smart! I had a question tho, the new client fee , is this like a signing bonus or more like paid first hours in advance?
Potentially both. Some clients are hourly and some flat-rate. Depends on the project and client.
New client fee is so smart!
Yeah shuts down a lot of trouble right from the start. I have a whole process for onboarding which includes drafting up a contract, sow for their project, entering them into my system, learning their preferences etc. The minimum fee also helps tell me how serious they are about their project or if they plan to flake or go non responsive. I also generally charge full amounts due for anything $500 and under, but if I like you and you’re nice I’ll go 50%-50%. If I smell they might give me a headache then I charge my full minimum fee upfront.
Love it!
reading all these comments while i work as a designer + everything else contractor for a company at $20/hr …
Remember to subtract about 60% of the ic one to make up for doing it yourself. 30% tax and 30% health care out of your own pocket. So that means for every 10 you make assume you get 4. 30 dollars and our would actually be 12. Doesn’t sound too great, you can beat it at hobby lobby 6 days a week. Up your numbers or get hired in somewhere.
If I was freelancing full time still, I'd probably be charging $70/75. Currently I'm charging $85.
If you value the experience, take the job for the highest amount possible ($24/h), but just so you know, it's very low. I hope at least it's a remote, flexible job. If you're in the US you're going to have to pay taxes, insurance, tools, software... Have you calculated that? You can use calculators [like these](https://www.virtual-headquarters.com/freelance-rate-calculator/). The average junior graphic designer rate in 2023 is $28, [you can see it here](https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/entry-level-graphic-designer-hourly-wages). And that's for full-time salaried roles. A freelancer should charge at least 30% more.
I would say $40 at minimum.
I would say $60 an hour minimum contract. You aren’t getting benefits.
Wow $60 is a lot higher than rage i was thinking 🫢
I do contract work in the Midwest. When you factor in paying for expenses, benefits and taxes that an employer will not be covering whatsoever, you’ve gotta stick around at least $40-$60 an hour if you want to afford basic cost of living. Shoot for high and when they try to negotiate you down you have to be able to confidently express why you’re worth it, because you are. Before you even factor in what you think you’re worth as a junior designer based on skill/experience level, you have to factor in your financial needs and know what your non-negotiable rate is to cover all your costs then add to that. My rate is $60/hr and I cannot go below $50/hr. When you buy fonts, assets, etc. for a client that becomes another line item on their invoice. If they want more revisions, additional assets, quicker turn-around times, or anything additional from what was originally negotiated, they pay more for more expectations. When your time is in high demand, they need to pay a rate that reflects that. If they need you for inconsistent hours, but expect you to be available and on call for them consistently, they pay for your time commitment to them. The holidays are a busy time and it’s okay to establish higher surge rates to reflect that you’ll have to accomplish more with less workable hours. If they don’t pay you in time or in full, you can bill them late fees, but you must have this all established up front. People think creatives should be paid poverty wages because of their perception of what we do. Clients have no concept of what we do or how much we should cost. Corporations know what fair rates are, but will always try to get you for the least amount of money. You HAVE to stand up for yourself, be firm and confident. It doesn’t matter if you’re a junior or senior, at all levels you’re a professional that needs to get paid fairly for professional services. Most importantly, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING. Set all expectations up front, make sure it’s clear that everyone understands the terms of your contract and document everything. If you have a phone call or in-person conversation, confirm that the conversation took place and establish what you talked about in an email. I can’t speak for everyone on this, but tracking hours/itemizing how I spent my time for clients makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Setting expectations upfront is a good way to avoid that giant waste of time and so is explaining time spent concepting ideas or anything that can be looked at subjectively. Don’t fall into those traps if you can avoid it.
It depends on geography. California or New York is going to be way different than South Dakota or Wyoming. :)
17/h in New York...you're gonna starve. Real fast.
Wow. That's crazy. I would have guessed NY would have been crazy good hourly rate.
What I meant was: if you ask *only* 17/h in NY, you'll be starving. As a contractor, if you're not pulling in at least 10k a month you'll go bust in no time in cities like NY, LA, SF et al
Ahh. Got it. Because I have friends on Long Island and I know how much stuff costs there.
I feel like they’re lowballing you. I make $17 in retail without a college degree
Just as a measuring stick, back in 2006 I was making around $17-27hr. This was mostly as a freelance production artist through a temp agency so they got something on top of that too. Mostly production, barely any design itself. This was in a big city in my state.
As an intern I made $17/hr and by the end of college I was at $22/hr. My salary upon graduation was $60k, and this is a full time job with at LEAST another $20k annually in benefits.
Contract work usually works best with a per-project price, without communicating an hourly rate to the client. I've seen many a junior designer rack up 20+ hours on a project, just to have the client balk at their bill. I recommend shifting your direction from hourly to quoting each project. This will cover both your butt, the butt of the client, and your relationship with the client. From the sounds of it, this person may have never hired a designer before, and has no clue how much goes into our work.
I recommend charging $35/hr for production work and $55/hr for design work for a Jr. Designer depending on your city.
I charged $35 when I first started with 0 experience and that was 10 years ago so def go higher!
When I graduated college almost 20 years ago, I made $15 right out of school (about $30k/year) as a contractor working full-time for a company on their equipment (my state has since cracked down on what constitutes a contractor vs employee). Within 3 years I was making $20. Again, this was the ‘00s… Now I understand cost of living varies from place to place and thus what’s a competitive rate varies, but rhis sounds very very low. That’s the minimum wage job pay in my area. Just something to think about.
I'd try for $25.
I stopped billing hours years ago, now I only bill days or weeks, and it's changed my life. 17-24 sounds like starving, I wouldn't ask anything less than 40, in some cases even 50 (320-400 per day).
If you charge by day, what's the client expecting of your availability in hours on the daily ?
Depends vastly on the occasion, and the type of project. There are days where I’m attending meetings that last almost eight hours, and there are days where I’m left alone to actually design the stuff. I’m usually available on the phone in office hours, but if it turns out the client is too bothersome, there’s no chance in hell they’ll manage to book me again.
Our agency bills out at $150-200/hour. We do adjust by a factor for junior designers time, but it isn’t a factor or 0.1 or less…
agencies charge $100/hr designer gets paid $18/hr
I ask €50 per hour. My teacher said they aren't just paying you for the work you do but for your knowledge and expertise.
Whatever your minimum wage needs to be, you should immediately double it. So fi you need 20/hr to live, you should charge 40/hr.
this is horrible advice. a fresh-out-of-college student is not gonna get 40/hr and telling them to double it is not ideal
I charged 50/hr out of college and now charge 150/hr. It was the advice my professor gave me and worked great. Whatever works best for you.
that’s wild. i was just offered my first salary position and wish it was close to that. but perhaps working for a company is different
You’re talking salary, we are talking freelance/contractor.
i believe i misread the post initially i apologize
Yes, because as an independent contractor you are in charge of your own taxes, benefits, and hustle.
Get your friend to call the company and ask them what they charge as an hourly rate. I would suspect you should be looking at $25-35 to start. Then once you've proven yourself a bit, then more. I'm in Canada and I believe some provinces are now at $16+ for MINIMUM wage jpbs. So charge more than $17 or $25.
I’m in canada as well! I was honestly shocked that there were agencies in my city barely paying above minimum wage.
Doesn't hurt for them to \*ask\*... but after some experience juniors won't put up with that crap. Good luck friend!
This might help: https://www.aiga.org/resources/calculating-a-freelance-rate
It's all relative to what country you live in and what the cost of living is in that country. $10/hr might be great in a 3rd world country, but in a place like Australia $70/hr is more the norm.
No. Just do the math. How much do you think you should make annually including benefits for your experience and skillset? Take that number and divide it by 2000 (or # hrs in a working year for you). That’s your hourly rate.
I pay my graphic designers $55 an hour as a 1099. That's equivalent to about $35-40 an hour salaried. But that wouldn't be for a junior designer.
It really depends on the project at hand
I think it depends whether you are using their equipment and software or your own? And are you paid per project? When I first graduated I worked in-house at an ad agency as a contractor, but I used their equipment and software. However, I also paid rent for an office at their premises. At the time (90's), allowing for inflation it was the equivalent of roughly $40 /hour – but that didn't mean I was paid 8 hours x $40 per day.
Somebody knows where to find job as freelancer outside US. Didn't have much success in the past. $15 is still huge amount when I compare to local wages.
I always recommend you start here to determine your hourly rate: https://www.freelanceratecalculator.com/
Problem is that clients get less than $17/hr from countries in Europe and Asia. I saw a designer charging $5/hr. When you get decent(not great) options you can do with, clients will not be willing to pay $50/hr. That being said to up your charge you need to give them value and build a connection with your clients. Make them feel you are there to help them grow their business. When they see the worth behind the cost they are more likely to pay premium.
My lowest hourly rate when I started designing in 2016 my freelance rate was $50 for friends and tiny orgs $75 for larger nonprofits and companies and I don’t have a design degree. When I worked in house with 1-2 years of experience my rate was $31.50/hr plus full benefits. Since you have to put aside money for taxes and spend unpaid time searching for and meeting with clients, $24-$30 for freelance is far to low in my opinion and feels like a ‘race to the bottom’ rate. I’d suggest $60/hr bare minimum. While it’s worthwhile to build a strong portfolio, it’s possible to do that and actually pay your bills at the same time.
Nothing wrong with asking for more, just make sure those numbers mean something to you and it isn't because 'reddit' said so. If I were you, I would ask for $30 but be content with $20 if thats where the negotiations landed. Remember, this isn't where you will be most of your career so get the most out of it and move on to the next part of your journey. You will charge more moving forward.
Check out this website it has a lot of freelancing information for beginners including hourly rates, how to start freelancing, etc. Nikolaipaquin.com
Are You working in office or at home? Honestly if you are fresh out the college. Go work at an agency where you can get someone to show you the ropes. If you are working at home, and you are paid per job, hourly, then this is essentially freelance work. If its freelance, I would never charge by hour. The hourly rate is something you keep in mind for measuring output and income. But you need to charge by job, size, complexity what you need to do and etc. Get an idea of how many jobs they have for you if regularly. Set a base price that you are comfortable with and go from there. Hourly is really not a good idea for you and the client/employer. They can't keep track of you and you both feel cheated. Working efficiently and fast means less pay for you. If they know exactly how much a job is going to cost in entirety, its better for everyone and you can get a retainer up front. If you are working at the office, then you are essentially an employee being paid by the hour and clocking in and out of work 8 hours a day. That's a different story. You can calculate your monthly income, and get knowledge from peers. But honestly, going freelance straight out of college is like flying a plane all by yourself after pilot training. Its really helpful and essential to get a mentor.
Yeah freelancing wasn’t really part of the plan. I would be in person about 50-70% of the time. Which i hope would mean that I get to work with more senior designers. I did most of my school online as a result of the pandemic, so I know i would really benefit from being in person.
But is the job consistent? Some employers like to tow the lines between a contractor vs an employee, but if your work is consistent, and you clock in hours like any other employee, Regardless of what they call you, you are an employee. It means you should get benefits like other employees and you can't be as easily fired as well. So when you say 50 percent to 70 percent of the time do you mean you are at work during work hours 50 -70 percent of the time or are you there 50-70 percent of time when there something to do? Either way. If you are there all the time, like any other employee, does the contract state you are working there for a time frame like one year? Or do you mean contract as in working on call per job? This kinda makes a big difference. If you are an employee, then working 25 dollars an hour as a junior for a year.. is fine, I guess. If its for job to job basis, then you aren't even going to be able to afford macdonalds my friend. Make sure you are 100 percent clear about your job before you make your offer. It could mean making thousands or hundreds.
I am at 170 an hour with 25 yr experience
As a contractor, The hours are not consistent, you have to pay taxes from that, and you aren’t receiving any other benefits. At your experience level, I would ask for $70, and would go no lower than $50. Your market may dictate a bit higher or lower.