Using Graphic Design Salary Tools

Determining your freelance rates with graphic design salary tools
By Jennifer Randle By using graphic design salary tools, such as salary calculators and rate surveys, you can determine what you should charge for your freelance design services. Understanding the many components that must be considered in your graphic designer salary is important when setting your fees.

Many designers who take the freelance plunge mistakenly undercharge for their services, neglecting to take all the factors into account when determining freelance graphic designer pay. It's important to include such things as benefits and overhead costs along with several other considerations when establishing fees.

1. Graphic designer wages should always be based on the amount of experience and expertise you possess.

2. Refer to graphic design salary tools for information on rates in your local area, as well as recent graphic designer wage trends, to price accordingly.

3. You'll also want to adjust your rates based on the type, difficulty, and length of the client's project.

Determine graphic designer salaries with an online rate calculator

If you are a new freelancer, a rate calculator is a graphic design salary tool you can't be without. There are many websites available that provide formulas to help you determine how much you should charge, as well as some that have forms you can fill out to arrive at a rate. Many are not specific to salaries for graphic designers, but the calculations can apply to any field.
Try:  A thorough and easy-to-use hourly rate calculator is available at the FreelanceSwitch website. Best of all, it's free and provides both an ideal hourly rate and a break-even rate. Another fill-in-the-blank rate calculator, specific to the design industry, is offered by Freelance Tipster.

Check annual surveys for freelance graphic design salaries in your geographic area

Many of the well-known annual surveys covering graphic design salary information also have results on average freelancer salaries. Knowing what the typical freelance graphic designer makes in your geographic location can provide a gauge as to what you can successfully charge.
Try:  Coroflot offers filtered survey results, allowing you to select an area of design concentration and "Freelance" as the job title. The search will display low, average, and high salaries throughout the United States, as well as internationally. AIGA's annual survey PDF has a section titled "Solo Designers," which provides a detailed report of the average salary for a graphic designer working freelance for every major metro area in the U.S.

Read industry website articles with hints and tips on determining your graphic designer pay

It's not difficult to find advice on how to determine what you should charge. A simple search for graphic designer salaries will undoubtedly turn up a multitude of articles. To stay on the right track, though, stick with website articles from well-known and respected organizations in the industry.
Try:  HOW magazine is an excellent source of up-to-date design information and features a Pricing section containing helpful articles on its website. Also, visit CreativePro.com for an article on setting your rates, along with useful newsletters and blog entries.

• Join a business network, preferably specializing in graphic design, to gain valuable advice from seasoned professionals on graphic designer wages. Online communities also offer forums where you can ask for advice from its members.