Psychology-Driven Brand Design. Creating and Refining Remarkable Brand Identities.

Design Pricing

What you should know about pricing for print design pieces... and a few ways to keep costs down.

Industry Standards for Pricing

Hint: They don't exist.

If you’re looking for a set standard for graphic design pricing, you’ll be hard-pressed to find it.  Costs will vary by project type and by designer.

There are a few reasons why you may have a need for a graphic designer. These reasons typically boil down into two categories (not always completely distinct from each other): either identity or promotion. When we say identity, we mean pieces that are used to identify your company — including logos, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, rack cards, email signatures, social media banners, trade show displays, etc. When we say promoting, we mean you’re communicating a very specific message that often has a call to action involved, such as event flyers, product brochures, direct mail, print advertisements, online banner ads, etc. Generally the cost to get something designed is a direct correlation of the amount of time and effort it takes to design it, plus sometimes, the expected longevity and reach of the piece. 

Because there are so many types of design projects, and so many nuances that factor in to each one, we won’t even attempt to define specific pricing guidelines here. You may find a fresh college graduate who simply charges an hourly rate of $20, and you may find an agency that charges upwards of $150/hour. You’ll find designers who calculate purely hourly rates, and those who quote a flat project fee.

Here at n-Vision Designs, the best way to determine your cost is to simply request a quote. Once we know details about your project, we can give you an estimate.

Helpful Tips

To keep costs down

Regardless of who you work with, here are ways you may be able to keep your costs down:

  1. Be prepared with content. Know what you want your piece to say and be able to provide proofed copy in a digital format. Most designers will charge extra fees for copywriting or even for having to transcribe your content from a barely legible fax you sent them.
  2. If you already have a printer for your project, let your designer know as soon as possible so that they can make sure your file is set up correctly for that printer.
  3. Have your high quality photos ready at the beginning of the project, if you are providing images. This also goes for your logo…make sure you are able to provide it in a scalable vector format (normally .eps).