Thanks for the detailed response 😃 I'll have to redo my T&C's as they are quite out of date now.
I see what you mean about charging less for large design agencies. At the minute, I think my fees are the same because I am already charging quite low fees.
At least, I think my fees are low anyway! Some agencies find them shockingly low, but other agencies want to try and haggle me down even lower!
Here is the pricing structure I have so far that applies to both my own clients and design agencies. Of course, prices may vary depending on how simple / complex the job is, but this should give the general idea.
Does that sound very cheap in your opinion? I don't think I could really go any lower than that, but some agencies expect ridiculous amounts of work for a really measley fee.
For example, I spoke to one agency who wanted (for a website) 3 different homepage concepts, together with the HTML for the chosen concept for £300!! I wouldn't be able to carry out that sort of work for any less than £500 really.
Do my prices sound unreasonable to you? Or should I think about increasing them?
I work as a freelance web designer, but I operate on 'two fronts'.
1. Most of my work comes from local web design companies and other freelancers
2. I have my own business which is targeted towards UK companies that need a new website
With regards to the 2nd point, I am always sure to get money upfront before starting any work. I find this is generally quite easy as I am in full control of the project, managing everything from start to finish.
But as I said, most of my work comes from other website design companies. I've noticed with several of them that there have been delays in the projects due to them waiting to hear from their clients.
This can therefore lead to a considerable delay in me getting paid.
I find that I am developing good, long-term relationships with many of the web companies / freelancers I work with, and so I am generally quite happy to do the work and get paid later.
Should I start requesting that these clients also pay me some of the money up front? I have a feeling this may put them off and seek another freelancer to do the work instead. It could also add a lot of extra time onto projects, as it normally takes a couple of weeks for my invoices to be paid.
Therefore if I demand some money upfront it could greatly increase the time it takes to finish off a project. If they want a quick turnaround then I shouldn't think they'll want the hassle of paying deposits.
What does everybody else think?
Also, should I charge the same fees to web companies as I do to my own clients? I've always been treating them the same, however some web companies I've spoken to expect me to charge less for them than I do for my own clients.
