[thelist] Logo Contest Question

[Robert Gormley]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org 
> [mailto:thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org] On Behalf Of Peter Chen
> Sent: Wednesday, 8 February 2006 6:59 AM
> To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
> Subject: Re: [thelist] Logo Contest Question
> 
> Here's my question to the naysayers: If a programmer can earn 
> $6,000 a month, a mid-level marketing person $4,000, and an 
> administrative assistant $3,000, then why do people complain 
> when a FREELANCE designer (who has to pay his/her own 
> insurance and other office expenses) charges $6,000 for a 
> logo that can end up taking 2 months to develop? In this 
> light, it truly is not unreasonable. What IS unreasonable is 
> people expecting designers to slave away their time and 
> experience for close to nothing! 

I don't expect that. But I also cannot see myself being that designer's
only client, and that work on my logo being full time, 9-5, every day
for 2 months.

The analogy doesn't work like that - the other jobs you mention are
fulltime positions.

Being a designer? Fulltime.

Being in your own business, but only having one client? Unwise.

More accurately, you could reverse this to note that one designer could
quite easily handle several clients like this in that same space of
time, working on interleaving clients while stuff is at press, with
client, etc. They're then able to make $20,000 in that two months, that
covers their costs far better.

I pay for their design and the time and effort that goes into it. I
expect a designer (or anyone) to factor in their business overheads. But
you can't complain that your overheads are too high and that it is
somehow my responsibility as a client to subsidise your
inefficient/suboptimal/weak economy, etc.

Rob, playing the devil's advocate.