Why do some designers feel guilty about charging more for creative services? Why charge $50 for a logo? Why continue to charge so little?

In this episode, Ben Burns joins us on the show as he recounts stories about getting started in design and charging clients $50 for a logo. He was happy and felt a sense of validation. Later on, he heard about other designers like Aaron Draplin charging $20k. While his eyes opened to this new reality, he still believed he couldn't do the same. Is this a problem you're facing?

It’s hard to believe now that Mr. Ben Burns used to charge $50 for logos and find projects on Odesk (now Upwork). One of the main reasons why he started out charging so little for his design work was that he had no idea or reference of what other designers were charging.

Once he had context from someone like Aaron Draplin, Ben learned his process was really no different. His skill wasn’t that far off from Draplin’s. But then came the next question: where are these high-ticket projects anyway?

Websites like Elance and Fiverr don’t house opportunities for higher-paying design projects. There’s a price for convenience like this, where the client posts the job and sets the budget. You’ve already lost control of determining the price of the project, and on top of that, have to compete with other people.

There’s a lack of symmetry in people’s logic. Design work requires empathy, strategic thinking, creativity, craftsmanship, and connecting the dots. To price work like this for a measly $50 is a major head-scratcher.

Time is your most valuable resource. Designers who find themselves revising a logo 10, 12, or 20 times for clients are simply giving their time away for free. There’s nothing shady or weird in asking clients for overage fees, or asking for more money when the projects steers out of scope.

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