Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
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Scheduling
Howmuchtimedowehave?Howmuchtimedoweneed?
Howmuchtimedoeseachteammemberneed?Doweneedtojuggleseveralprojects
simultaneously?Howdoesthataffectus?
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The Client
Haveweworkedforthisclientbefore?Aretheydecisiveorpronetorevisions?Are
therelayersofmanagementthatmustbeappeasedoristhereonedecisionmaker?
Howavailableisthatperson?
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Collaborators
Beyonddesigners,whoelseneedstoworkonthisproject?
Whatwilltheydo?Whatwillitcost?Howmuchwillbeprovideddirectlybytheclient?
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Quality
Whataretheclient'sexpectations?Aretheywillingtopayforit?Havewedonesome-
thinglikethisbefore?Willtherebealotofresearch,orcanweimmediatelygetto
work?
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Expertise
Dowehaveit?Howsteepisthelearningcurveifwedon't?
Howwillweknowwhenwehaveagreatdesignforthisclient?
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Cash Flow
Whatotherjobsarein-houserightnow?Howmuchmoneydoweneed?Designisa
business, and all businesses have real financial requirements and obligations. What
areours?
The answers to these questions have cost implications. The more experienced a design
manager is at answering and anticipating these tough questions and the better his or
her documented records are on previous projects, the more accurate the design man-
ager will be in pricing and budgeting projects.
Determine Your Rate
Youcandetermineanhourlyratefordesignservicesinseveralways.Manydesignorga-
nizationsworldwidehavepublishedthiskindofinformationasareference.Forexample,
in the United States, the AIGA publishes an annual wage and salary survey. You can
divide the average annual salary reported in the survey by the number of billable hours
inayear(1,500hoursisagoodround-numberaveragetouse).Thiscalculationgives
youanhourlyratebasedontheorganization'smembersubmissioninformation.Adis-
cussion with peers and colleagues may yield a ballpark idea of what they charge per
hour.However,manypeopleshyawayfromthiskindofconversationandoftendon'ttell
the truth. If they trust you, and don't directly compete with you for client business, they
may reveal this information.
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