How to Charge More for Your Design Services
Ready to start charging more for design? You deserve to charge well for the high-value service you provide!
When we first started our business 2 years ago, we didn’t know how to structure our services, what to charge, and if clients would even be willing to pay us what we wanted.
We understand that it’s hard to know when and how to increase your rates, which is why we’re sharing with you today exactly how we went from charging just $1K for our first brand & web design project to now charging $5-$10,000.
You are completely capable of working towards charging your dream prices for your services! Here’s our best tips for getting there:
THE KEY IS TO FOCUS ON “BRAND STRATEGY”
First, what is Brand Strategy? Brand Strategy is a combination of creative messaging, the brand’s promise to their customer, their brand personality and voice, and brand visuals.
If you aren’t providing your client with a solid foundation of Brand Strategy along with your design, you’re doing them a disservice, and you’re likely missing out on charging the kind of money that you want to make.
It’s your job to educate your clients on the importance of Brand Strategy as part of the process. Once your client understands the value that Brand Strategy can provide for their business long-term, they will be more willing to pay a higher price for your work.
We incorporate Brand Strategy into our process by hosting a 1.5-2 hour long Brand Strategy Session at the very start of the project, then delivering a Brand Strategy & Direction Presentation, a Logo & Branding Proposal, and a Brand Style Guide.
Not sure how to conduct a Brand Strategy Meeting? We use a template Google Doc full of strategy meeting questions that we ask every client. You can download a free copy of our Brand Strategy Questions Template HERE.
OFFERING A LUXE EXPERIENCE WITH BRAND STRATEGY WILL ALLOW YOU TO CHARGE MORE FOR YOUR SERVICE.
In order to show your client the full value of your service throughout the design process, we recommend using presentation templates that you either create yourself, or purchase from our shop, for three important stages in the process.
These are the three high-value brand templates we use for every stage in our design process:
TEMPLATE 01: THE BRAND STRATEGY & DIRECTION PRESENTATION
(Delivered one week after the Brand Strategy Session)
A Brand Strategy & Direction Presentation helps you convey your brand strategy and design direction ideas to your client before you begin the design process. It’s so important to make sure you and your client are on the same page from the beginning, helping you reduce the amount of time spent on revisions later on.
TEMPLATE 02: THE BRAND & LOGO PROPOSAL PRESENTATION
(Presented to the client 4-6 weeks into the design process)
We present the Brand & Logo Proposal to the client after we’ve fully developed the branding and web design and are ready for feedback and revisions. Using a template for this stage with pre-written prompts and gorgeous, organized pages will help you explain the thoughtfulness and strategy behind the final designs you’ve created. Explaining the strategy behind your work in a refined way will ultimately help limit the number of revisions the client will request.
TEMPLATE 03: THE BRAND STYLE GUIDE
(Delivered at the end of the project)
The purpose of a Brand Style Guide is to provide your client with valuable instructions on how to successfully use their branding and strategic messaging long-term. This will ensure that you provide your client with all of the tools and resources they need to succeed post-launch. Offering this to your clients will leave them feeling confident and empowered to manage their brand on their own.
You deserve to charge well for your design services.
By implementing Brand Strategy into your process, you can immediately start provide the immense value that your ideal client will want to pay you TOP-DOLLAR for!