The short answer to the question about why I use Design Proposals when I work with clients is this: The design proposals are to make sure we both agree what needs to be done.
In my experience, if we don’t clearly write down what was asked and promised, frustrations and misunderstandings can occur. A written design proposal that we both agree upon protects both client and designer.
I don’t send out design proposals to be overly formal, paranoid or difficult. I do it to make sure we both agree to the scope of the job I’ve quoted, and will complete.
How I send out Design Proposals
I start each inquiry about my web design services, I’ll schedule a call to get to know you better and talk with you about your business or organization, your needs, and your goals. After we talk about your proposed website design project, I’ll draw up a design proposal. In it, I will specify what we talked about during the call. and the solutions I’ll provide for you to help you grow.
I’ll send these design proposals as an Adobe PDF document, which you can open in any PDF reader.
If you agree to this PDF Design Proposal, I’ll have Adobe Sign send you a digital signature request. If you’re having trouble getting this to work, I have another app I can send it through, just to acknowledge we agreed to those terms.
About the Money issue
I try to be upfront about the cost of a professional website design, and other services I provide. I no longer offer pre-set packages with set prices, as each project is unique, and it’s hard to give a quote until I’ve had a chance to talk with you about your website design project.
My full website projects average $5000 for just design and $7500 for design plus copywriting help.
I charge $75 per hour for helping you out with errors on your WordPress website or other technical issues with your website. I usually can accurately guess how long it will take to fix things (and it’s usually an hour or two for these kinds of jobs).
I like to say, you’re not just paying for my time. You’re also paying for my 30 years of experience to get the job done efficiently and accurately.
Why do I require a Deposit?
A 50% deposit is required before I get started on your design project. I require this upfront to cover any expenses I have associated with this project.
This also helps my clients have the rather large expense of a new website spread out over several small payments instead of one large one.
On the practical side, as a freelancer, the deposits also help me to have a more steady cash flow, rather than going a month without payment while I work on a couple of large projects.
Sadly, I also require deposits because I’ve had people stiff me as soon as they got their website completed, having never (apparently) had any intention of paying a designer, or who were hoping to have the money by that time but did not. Deposits separate out those who are serious about professional web design from those who are not ready to hire a designer.
I have plenty of free info on my website for those who are in still in the DIY stage of entrepreneurship. 🙂