[pops]

Hi people,
I am having a bit of a problem.
Where can i find reference pricing on illustrations? I have some demand on illustrations i make but i hardly ever know what to charge when people ask for an estimate. I know i should guess how long it takes etc,... but that obviously cannot be the only deciding factor. And of course its difficult to guess how long it takes to render a picture.
I am from Belgium, so i guess there is a differance on charging between Europe and US because of the differant taxes and all...
Maybe people like Joachim Barrum and Beet can put some light on this subject being in Europe.
Hope someone can help.
Pops

[General Confusion]

pops

I'm in America, so I don't know if what I have to say would help, but I belong to a place called the Graphic Artists Guild. (located in NY)
www.gag.org

they publish a book with pricing guidelines, that could possibly give you a ballpark of figures, but keep in mind that these figures are formed by the members who are veteran professionals, so they are inflated (done so, so the industry isn't driven down by low pricing artists)

I tell you this, cause I don't know what level you work at, but more than likely, don't expect to get what the guidelines state. Use them as just that a guideline, not an end to a means. But when pricing figure what you feel you're worth hourly, then estimate how long the job will take. (And yes its hard to estimate, but that's not you're commissions concern) estimate enough for your self to give you some leeway, then add and hour or two for safe measure. Include any material costs, travel time, even ftp sending time usage, then you should get a figure... And you may also want to include free AA's (artist adjustments-clients option for any changes fixes) and state that you're invoice includes lets say 3 AA's... and if the client goes over that, then you have to reasess the original charges and rebill them... it's common practice, so don't be afriad to include.

but ultimately it comes down to you're estimate, so the better informed of what expected of you so on and so forth, the better prepared you'll be....

and if you underestimate, then that's you're problem, so always like I said give your self some breathing room..

hope that helps

good luck

[Frog]

Hiya pops,

I know nothing about belgium but I can tell you about the UK, where I practice.

there's two methods of billing:

1) based on time, you estimate how long a job would take once you have seen a detailed brief and then charge daily or hourly. It is a good practice to add between 30-50% extra to give yourself some leeway for unexpected problems and the inevitable client changes & revisions. If you have a high enough fee agreed upfront then you won't mind making amends, and 90% of clients will have some.

2) for usage/rights. This is a more professional approach, where you don't charge for your time but for the use of your intellectual property. You price according to what use a client will put your image to. This can vary a lot, say �500 for some leaflets or an ad in a small circulation magazine to �15000/�20000 for a national advertising campaign. The best way to figure out how to price this sort of work is to either use an agent or to join an association like GAG mentioned above or whatever equivalent you have in Belgium. I am a member of it's UK equivalent, the Association of Illustrators.

Most freelance illustrators should use the second method of price setting, only those who work in-house at firms or on special projects where the copyright does not belong to the illustrator should charge for their time.

Last point: many illustrators are bad businessmen and therefore set their prices too low. This is bad for illsutrators as a whole and will end up hurting everyone. Our skills are rare and in demand, so make sure you charge enough!!

Good luck