To charge or not to charge?...

Ross mccluskey

Ross mccluskey

Member
Hi guys,

I've recently offered to help a friend out runs a small business.

He has no online/social media presence and his logo is very dated. So, in order to keep him relavant i thought it would be good to refresh his logo firstly.

I have worked on some concepts and still to present to him. The only issue i have is whether to charge or not? Is there such a thing as 'mates rates' in the creative industry?

It would be interesting to hear everyones thoughts.

Thanks
 
Can you suggest he does some work for you in return, instead of money passing hands? This is what I've done in the past.
 
I'd never offer to help anyone out then charge them for it.

Then again, I'd never start doing work on something without talking to them about a price for the work.

The situation you're in, you offered to help him out, possibly free of charge, then went and did a load of work that you weren't asked to do or even talked about. It would be some cheek to turn around and say - hey you owe me 200 quid now.

Talk to your mate first. Discuss their logo requirements, the budgets and then start offering ideas and suggestions.
 
Wardy said:
Can you suggest he does some work for you in return, instead of money passing hands? This is what I've done in the past.
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The kind of service he offers is molar crowns/bridges to dental surgeries. So, no option of trading work.

hankscorpio said:
I'd never offer to help anyone out then charge them for it.

Then again, I'd never start doing work on something without talking to them about a price for the work.

The situation you're in, you offered to help him out, possibly free of charge, then went and did a load of work that you weren't asked to do or even talked about. It would be some cheek to turn around and say - hey you owe me 200 quid now.

Talk to your mate first. Discuss their logo requirements, the budgets and then start offering ideas and suggestions.
Click to expand...

Yeah totally. This is why i felt awkward about even suggesting payment.

He did agree for me to work on some ideas before i started so its not like ive went off on a tangent, spending loads of time on ideas etc.

Originally, he had mentioned that he was looking to expand his client list & i asked if he had a website or social media presence, to which he replied no. I did say that I could help him out with building a website, in turn making his business more professional and accessible to new clients.I asked for him to send me his logo, which has never been altered and was designed in 1991 when they first started trading. In order for me to fulfil his ambitions of attracting new cleints, i thought this was necessary.

Once a logo/branding has been decided on he will be looking for stationary, website, social media & brochure/price list.

Because i feel really awkward about charging friends i was planning on waiting to see if he offered or asked about cost.
 
Technically he should pay. Treat it like any other client. If you want to offer a lower hourly rate, then go for it.
 
I'd be quick to do the initial work - pass on the artwork to him and suggest they find another designer.

Your friendship won't be worth any fallout.
 
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