I've been asked to submit a quote for something that's an order of magnitude longer (literally 10x) than what I usually do. Should I just 10x my usual quote, ie enough to buy a brand new car? Or is that insane? I know there are lots of blog posts out there about how to price graphic design projects, but either they are too vague or they focus on things I don't do (logos, illustration, etc). I just need a sanity check here, and if you want to share some of your pricing strategies that would be appreciated.
I'm a solo freelance graphic designer. I do a LOT of report design, mostly bridging the space between technical/scientific teams to public outreach materials. I charge a bit more than average because I have 10+ years experience in a niche area and I offer proofreading as part of the package. Also, I don't quote hourly because I find it makes my breed of clients uncomfortable and puts me at a disadvantage relative to other designers.
My usual report falls somewhere between 20 - 40 pages, with about 200 - 400 words per page depending on how dense vs 'designy' they want it. My usual rate is ballpark $2,000-$4,000 for a report of this size (keeping in mind this is CAD not USD, but input from Americans is welcome). The overall word count for these reports can vary a huge amount, but the absolute max is 10,000 words. If infographics are included I price those separately, per piece.
I've been asked to quote on a report that is going to be 85,000-90,000 words. (!!!) Based on some very rough calculations it'll be about 240-450 pages. Would it be reasonable to quote this at $24,000-$45,000? Have you designed a report of this size before (or contracted someone else for this), and do you feel like this is in the right ballpark?
I haven't done something of this size so maybe this price tag is totally reasonable and I'm just a bit nervous? I do feel confident I can pull it off, and I have a reliable subcontractor on tap if necessary. If it matters, the client will be getting other quotes because they are a government-linked nonprofit. |
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