# Pricing Guide for New Designers

**Course:** Graphic Designing Mastery — ARTTECHES Nexus | **Instructor:** Ali Akbar Shah

> Important: every price below is an **ILLUSTRATIVE example — research your own market**. Prices differ by country, platform, client type, and your experience. These examples teach you *how to structure* pricing, not what to charge. **No income is promised or guaranteed.**

---

## 1. Three Ways to Set a Price

### a) Time × Rate
Estimate your hours, multiply by your hourly rate.
Example: a logo takes you 6 hours and your rate is [your rate]/hour → 6 × [rate] = your price.
As a beginner, track how long real projects take you — most beginners underestimate time.

### b) Value to the Client
A logo for a small home business and a logo for a growing company take similar effort, but the value differs. Charge more when the work matters more to the client's business (bigger audience, more usage, longer lifespan).

### c) Packages
Combine related services into a pack with one clear price (see the 4 sample packs below). Packages are easier to sell than long itemized lists, and they raise your average order value.

### What raises or lowers a price
- **Raises it:** tight deadline (rush fee), many revisions, full ownership/buyout of source files, large company, complex illustration work.
- **Lowers it:** simple one-page task, long-term monthly client (discount for retainer), portfolio-building project you chose yourself.

---

## 2. Four Sample Service Packs (ILLUSTRATIVE examples — research your own market)

Each pack shows a structure. Replace the prices with your own after researching Fiverr, Upwork, and local designers in your market.

### Pack A — Logo Design Pack
- 2 logo concepts, vector-built in CorelDRAW
- Color + black-and-white versions
- Final files: CDR/PDF (vector), PNG (transparent), JPG
- 2 revision rounds
- Delivery in 4 working days
- *Example structure price: [YOUR PRICE] — ILLUSTRATIVE example only*

### Pack B — Social Media Monthly Pack
- 12 post designs per month (1080 × 1080 and story size 1080 × 1920)
- Consistent brand colors and fonts across all posts
- Editable source files included
- 2 revision rounds per batch of posts
- *Example structure price: [YOUR PRICE] per month — ILLUSTRATIVE example only*

### Pack C — Brand Identity Pack
- Logo (3 concepts) + final vector files
- Color palette and typography sheet
- Business card + letterhead design (print-ready PDF, CMYK, with bleed)
- Mini brand guidelines document (logo usage, clear space, colors, fonts)
- 3 revision rounds
- *Example structure price: [YOUR PRICE] — ILLUSTRATIVE example only*

### Pack D — Print Design Pack
- Business card (front + back), print-ready
- A5 flyer (front + back), print-ready
- Files in CMYK PDF with 3 mm bleed and crop marks
- 2 revision rounds
- *Example structure price: [YOUR PRICE] — ILLUSTRATIVE example only*

---

## 3. Pricing Rules for Beginners

1. **Never work for free for strangers.** Free work for your own portfolio is your choice; free work for a business that profits from it is not.
2. **Always agree on price BEFORE starting.** Use the quotation template in Client-Communication-Templates.md.
3. **Charge for revisions beyond the included rounds.** State your revision price in the proposal.
4. **Ask for 50% advance** on larger projects (or use platform milestones on Upwork). This protects your time.
5. **Raise prices gradually.** After 5–10 happy clients and good reviews, increase your prices by a small step. Do not jump from beginner prices to expert prices overnight.
6. **Keep a price list** in a document so your quotes are consistent.

---

## 4. What NOT to Do

- Do not copy another designer's prices blindly — their market and costs differ from yours.
- Do not promise earnings to yourself or others based on these examples. Client flow is uncertain, especially at the start.
- Do not lower your price to zero to "get the first client". A very low but real price keeps your work valued.

---

*Next: 90-Day-Earning-Roadmap.md — a realistic week-by-week plan for your first 90 days after the course.*