Dollars & Sense: Setting the Perfect Rates
How much do I charge? How much is too much? How much is too little? I wonder if they will they pay that? Is my time worth that little? Oh my, if only I had a dollar for every time I read someone asking what the appropriate amount to charge for their services. You see it so often because there isn't a simple guide on what rates are appropriate. Although I can not choose your pricing for you, by the end of this article you should have a good idea of where to look to set your rates.
Setting the perfect rates is an important part of starting a web design company. If you charge too much you will likely not get much work, however if you charge to little you'll likely be worked to death. So how do you find the right balance? It is my belief that you do so by an understanding of the main types of charging available and the factors that go into positioning yourself. There are many different ways to charge your clients and we don't have enough time to adequately cover all of them so we are going to focus on the major three:
- hourly
- by project
- residual/payment plan
Writing Web Design Contracts for the Non-Legal
At some point we all need a contract. Nobody likes them, everybody hates them, yet we can't live without them. They are a vitally important step in our web design business. In their absence a he said, she said, you said game is just waiting to happen. Learn what's the difference between a proposal and a contract, what to include, and download a sample to get you started.
Don't overlook this aspect of setting up your web business. If you do, you'll be sorry. Sooner rather than later you'll have a run in with someone who might say, "That's not what we discussed." Then they'll proceed to take you on a roller coaster ride of changes, just because the vision they had at the beginning isn't panning out the way it did in their head. With that said, having a contract won't protect you 100% from clients like that and it won't even be a 100% slam dunk to defend in court either. It'll just help your case tremendously.
Unsung Hero: White Space
Many of us as designers are finding "white space" to be a very important and often overlooked element to all our new designs.
History:
Once upon a time white space wasn't even discussed let alone focused on. When the web industry started utilizing fluid layouts instead of fixed width ones, every square inch was covered with something. Not suprisingly, with the increase in advertising and revenue generation avenues, ads are filling in those once barren spaces. Great for revenue, bad for the viewer. Things started getting cluttered looking, hard to navigate and often times these new statues hindered the usability of the site.
On to the Present:
As with all things, times change. The importance of including white space into your designs is becoming increasingly popular. Finding creative ways to incorporate them and draw the users eyes to the elements you want them to see.
The point:
So what exactly is my point in this rambling? Simple, use the white space. Do not feel the need to cover every square inch of your design/page with some text, some graphic, or some element. Don't feel the need to do what advertisers are doing, going so far as to stamp eggs with ads. Consider yourself a creative director, designing something that invites, directs, and grabs the user/browser while at the same time presents a clean, simple and functioning webpage.
Don't be confused:
Ahh yes, lest I forget to explain that white space doesn't mean "white" in the color sense, but more empty or void. Leave some space (each heading on this article has white space surrounding it) around elements and text.
What are you waiting for, give that unsung hero some room in your next design.
Proper Page Titles
Proper Page Titles for Usability:
A wonderful take on the proper page title structure. Take a look, take a chance and being to implement. I am increasingly getting the feeling that you'll even see the Search Engine benefits. Your page titles will immediately appear more relevant than the others, who list the site name first.
A great resource: Photoshop TV
I have shared this site with many of my friends. Anyone who knows me knows that I watch this VideoCast. I can not tell you personally how much they have taught me. There is a bit of cheesy-ness to it, but the information, tutorials, and examples are truly stellar. Watch one and see for yourself.