I've been planning to launch a web design business for musicians/artists for years, and I'm finally going to do it. I'm a professional musician so I have a built-in market - and after doing sites for friends/colleagues, I know the ins & outs of what musicians need. HOWEVER...I can't do it by myself, and I'll need to outsource some of the design work. (This is not a Marketplace listing, I just want some opinions/advice) How do most businesses split profits? Does it make sense to have a team of 2-3 designers? I've charged WAY too little over the years, working for colleagues. Looking online, companies doing similar work charge $800-1500 for full sites with content management systems. Is 50% typical for this kind of work (for the designer)? I realize I can save $$ by doing it all myself, but it would be at the risk of sleep & sanity. I'm not looking to wring anybody dry (either the artist, or my design team) but I would need to cover the costs of development, etc. Advice is greatly appreciated!
I can't speak for everyone, each designer/developer has different rates based on experience & skill sets. Myself, I'm primarily a 2D Vector graphics designer / illustrator. I've divided my business into both Products & services. As far as products, I illustrate theme based vector packages & sell them anywhere between $9.99 & $69.99. As far as custom illustration services (Logo / Caricature / Mascot / Ads / Web page Theme / Etc.) I have a $150.00 base rate that covers initial research of the clients target market, as well as competition (first 3 hours of work). I then charge $40.00 per additional hour past the first 3. (I also own over 15 commercially licensed design software's, thus allowing me to deliver graphics in up to 78 different file extensions.) As far as payment arrangements go, I normally stick with 50% down (Non-refundable) & 50% on completion for all projects over $200.00. Payment methods would be Paypal, Credit Card (Visa, mastercard, Amex, Discover), or Echeck. As I mentioned before, I'm mainly a Vector designer, so my rates may differ greatly from you typical website designer (coder) & or Developers. I've been in this industry for about 3 years now & I'm sure my rates will rise again within the next year or 2 as my track record & client base continues to build. Hope that gives you general idea of cost, at least for my market anyways I wish you & your business the best of Success! Eric Lyon Scorpion Agency
It does depend on the type of work / graphics you are wanting to be created. Businesses usually pay their designers a base rate, if they are new to the industry (i.e. right out of school / training) they'll probably pay them a base rate of $25 or so. I did a 3-month job at $28 several years ago to get some industry experience. Obviously in the industry you can pay anywhere from $10 (outsourced abroad) to $200 (elite) per hour for design work. Overall though, you can find a solid designer for $50-$80 per hour. From my experiences (as a designer/employer) I prefer to pay slightly more per hour and only deal with one individual. Depending on the extent of the graphic / design work needed and the timeline to complete, its much easier to get one designer to follow a vision than three. And, all things considered, they usually turnover faster if its an individual. Just because they coded / designed it their way and understand it. 50% down is typical, larger projects and certain individuals do 1/3 down, 1/3 halfway, 1/3 at completion. A company is going to cost as much, if not more, than dealing with an individual highend designer. Unless the company outsources