How Much Should You Charge For A Poster Design

Poster creation and business vary by themselves. The diverse type, model, design, ideas, and workers can shift the fee and pricing. But for graphic designers that are trying to jump into the career path, it is best to know the real rate of your work. So, how exactly is the rate, and how much do you need to charge for your poster design? 

Surprisingly enough, generating the proper fee charge for your graphic designer career might not be the easiest thing to do. It is especially true if you consider how versatile the job can be. If you are working with a company, the charge for a poster design might already be set. But if you are doing your startup or simply trying the experience, be sure to check these details. 

The General Fee And Charge 

To give the best answer of how much you should charge, you need to give more details. The point is that every person and designer might offer different charges based on many considerations. It can be a skill, job difficulties, and many more. But if you are not sure where to start, you can always pick the general or the market price for poster design around you. 

It is very important since every area might offer an unalike price for their design work and poster product. Other than the area, the charges largely depend on your skill and customer. The point is most startups or graphic designers that just started tend to charge almost for nothing, aka for free. It is not to underrate your work but to build your market. 

Most of the time, people start the job with less information about their ability, skill, and proper charge of the service. That is why some people will start with basically nothing for their poster design. The free charge philosophy and ideas are the best way to pitch the market and look for proper customers. Nothing wrong with it, but you will eventually start building a market.  

So, how much is the general fee and charge? Since you need to put the scale on your skill, try to start with flat rates. It is easier to start and compare to other designers; at the same time, you can also change it accordingly. If you are looking at online jobs and offers, the normal charge can start from $15 to $50. It is also according to the client's conditions. 

For starters, the $15 charge is the minimum. You can give revisions and other changes accordingly. For a poster design, you can also pay attention to the content and the complexity. Sometimes, it can take over $50-90. If you are considering more professional charges, the price can get into hourly fees. It can start from $50 per hour to $100 per hour. 

Sometimes, you can also consider the customer budget and job scale. If you are working for a big company poster, the charge can reach up to 2-5K USD. Yes, it is enough. But for a small startup, you can offer some 1-2K USD. Again, you need to balance the charge fee with your skills and poster design abilities. If you feel it is too high, use the normal and minimum price. 

If you want, the best options should be $15-50. That is the bare minimum which is like not that bad but also not too much to get. You can raise or lower the flat charge to balance with the work requirement. Sometimes, clients can ask more or less depending on the need. Such as extra work on a logo, taking pictures, and creating a custom illustration. 

That is why you can ask more if you find the job is too much. Another consideration that you need to put into your work is the express delivery or work. If your client wants a quick or instant project, ask more or increase the poster design charge by $10. You deserve it since immediate work is harder to do.

Tips On charging the design fee 

In the design world, you are bound to find people that are underestimating the job. Some clients that have no idea about the work might think your work is overpriced. To prevent this thinking on your first-time startup, start with a flat rate. Sometimes it is easier for clients to see the value and compare it with other designers. 

Do not worry; the start of your career is not about gaining an exponential profit. Your focus is to spread your work, let customers introduce your business, and get a bigger market. In other words, you are trying to market your business. Sometimes, the starting point is the hardest to go through since you might charge very low. But it benefits you to increase popularity. 

One thing to point out is that you are starting with an affordable charge for a poster design. Take an example of charging $100 to design a flyer. It helps you get clients, for starters. After that, you can gradually increase the poster and design charge over time. Raise the price from 100 to 150, 160, 175, 190, 200, and so on.

Increasing the charge over time helps your client stay in your grasp. It also aids you in seeing people or clients' reactions. But remember to not undervalue your work. If you find the poster design request is too much tasking and you got to charge more, do so. Be sure you explain the fact to your client, including the increasing difficulty. It will be better than losing them for no reason. 

Consideration 

1. Flat Rate And Hourly Billing 

Before you decide on the charge, you can consider whether to use a flat rate or hourly billing. If you are just a starter, working with a flat rate for your design fee is better. It is very clear and simple for newcomers. You can also specify what you will give to the client, including the best example of the poster and the design. 

Flat rate is also easier to identify if you are working in a high-demand platform, such as an online service marketplace or something similar. It also allows potential poster design clients to find out what they pay and what they get. If you are into this kind of flat rate, you can charge the price as low as possible as long as the price and project are worked out well. 

But again, this kind of rate also has its ups and downs. You can charge a poster that you design for an hour for more than $200. Yes, it is normal. Some professionals can also charge the design for their poster $1,000. But, you might hear some clients question the price. Why do they have to pay 1K for an hour of poster work? It happens and possibly hits you the same. 

This is the time when you need to consider the job difficulty, skills, and intricacy. Yes, you can charge based on the work difficulty. A simple poster is around $50, a medium $80, a complex $100, and an ultimate original poster design for $200. Whatever you find to fit the requirement of the client. But this fair and flat price will need adjustment in the future. 

If possible, you can also use hourly billing. Some professionals do this option to help them get the best fee for the client. In this case, the longer you work, the more you get. Sometimes, it includes revisions and changes that make you take more time to work. To avoid a bad reputation, it is better to alternate.  

Give a flat price for some clients that are looking for them. Meanwhile, you can also give them a clear rate based on the hourly billing. Regardless of your pick on how to charge for a poster design, be an honest designer. Don't stretch your job time just to get more money. Remember to make the client satisfied. So they will come back again later. 

2. Your Skills 

As said many times, most of the price consideration is your skills. If you find your ability in design is on the newbie level, then ask for the balance charge. You don't need to charge or ask for a professional price. Go with the minimum before increasing the fee according to your poster-creating skills. 

It might sound ridiculous to get $5 per hour. But for some beginners, it is a good stepping stone. You offer a small charge to get people's attention. When you successfully get clients' hearts and experience, step up the price for the poster design work. Believe it or not, some professionals out there also start with lower prices before going higher to $1K per design.

3. Job Difficulty 

Job difficulty is the same as the design complexity. This is why some designers put ranges on their poster work services. You can see some people ask for around $15 to $50 per hour. Or some people ask for around $200-$800 per design. What makes them different? The complexity. Yes, poster design is complex, and your client's request can make it harder. 

So, it is better to know what you work with before giving the charge estimation. See what kind of poster and the message it wants to convey. Remember that some jobs might require some research. Design complexity also includes working with other elements, including create illustrations and logo design ideas, or deciding the color palette. 

The elements might not sound vital. But, it can make your design work harder and more complex. That is why some people and designers can charge more. Another part that you need to see is whether you need to coincide with other marketing pieces, the place is used, the poster size, and other design briefs. You deserve to charge some extra for the poster design. 

4. Business Scale 

Another good point to highlight for the design charge is the business scale, both yours and the clients. If you are a professional with experience and a known reputation, asking over $50 per hour is the ideal charge. You can also increase it to around $100 per hour. But then, you need to deliver and create professional work for the poster design. 

A professional should know how to roundabout the price according to the request difficulty, the time to work, and the estimation revisions. Those abilities aid you in avoiding a backlash from taking a long time. You can also add time for feedback and revisions. What if the client says it is too much? You can always discuss the price. 

In the worst-case scenario, your client might have to pick no poster at all. In other words, the offer might have a bigger loss than your price. You will also need to consider a term or options so you can get a good contract with the client. Yes, you might need to consider the term for a big stake project or company. Charge more, and don't sell yourself cheap.

5. Client Budget 

Sometimes, you can charge based on the client's budget. If you find the client is a big company, it is okay to charge some extra. But again, it should be followed with professional and high-quality posters. It is also considerably okay since higher companies tend to ask for more detailed requests for the poster, such as for marketing with a logo design and company profile. 

6. Duration And Revision 

Asking for an hourly charge helps you get the best for poster design. You can consider the duration of work before working with the client. If you find the request is very complicated and needs proper research, you can start telling the time estimation and the hourly billing. The longer the job takes, the more you gain. But it also means you need to deliver professional work. 

7. The End Product Type 

Some clients might ask for different end products. In this modern era, you can include some files under your normal minimum charge of 15$. Generally, you can send the Jpeg files and the printable files under this gig price. It is also proper to give the original file. But it is also a consideration every poster designer needs to take. 

Some work might include poster design and print. It might only be for design but not the print. So, give the charge according to the request. You need to charge extra for printed products. Think about the printing services, material, time, and uses. Don't forget about the delivery services for your product. If possible, discuss everything. 

8. Contract May Necessary 

A poster design work does not need any contract, except you are dealing with big stakes and companies. A contract is a good law-abiding business process, especially if you are working with some big poster design. Use it if you can enforce what it says. As an example, it is a long design and poster project that takes hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Your contract will aid you in facing courts when something happens, such as busters or scams. Remember to do it if the agreement is worthy. That is used only if the project is worth over 50K. Moreover, charge the poster design according to your need and the project. Don't oversell and ask too much. Or else your client will throw a complaint.

What if you get stiffed or busters client? You likely met clients who either cannot pay or will run with your poster. In this case, charge at least 50% of the overall fee before working on the project. You can reduce the amount depending on the client's credibility. The last thing you can do is be aware of wicked clients. Even some big companies can be assholes, sometimes. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, deciding on the poster design charge can be a bit difficult to do. You need to consider many things, including the job difficulties, your skill, the client budget, the business scale, and the chance of revisions plus the job duration. Your rate can be different from other design and poster artists. All you need is to make sure everything is worthy. 

The idea of worth is you get paid for what you need to do. It should not be undervalued or overvalued your work. That is why you can start with a flat rate or hourly billing. Don't forget to put your skills and company scale measurement. Looking at the general rate also helps you get the best poster price range. 

Regardless of how much you will put the charge in, you got to see and put it according to the client's condition. Sometimes you also need to consider the delivery express options, the end product type, and other possible work additions. Start by looking at your adjacent poster market and adjust accordingly to get the proper charge.

The answer to how much you should charge for poster design on your work and client. You need to measure your skill, job scale, and ability. Some pros that work with company projects can charge thousands. But if you are not on their level, go with the market and adjust accordingly. Don't overvalue yourself, but make sure you don't undervalue it as well.