Price

[glorybound]

It's a fine line to bill clients. Typically, I charge per image, which makes it easy, until the image I supply initiates design changes. I mean, I like that because my work helps them make better design, but it adds work. The job that I am working on now has changed 3-4 times; I haven't complained, but I also don't want to assume that they appreciate it. Or, even worse, not bill them extra when they were actually anticipating it. However, I don't want them to look back at a number that was huge and deter them from working with me again.

How do you guys handle this? I know "the contract"... Are you pretty relaxed with changes, or are you billing everything above and beyond the initial scope?

[Neilg]

We bill per image and outline the process we'll be following - camera selection, locking down the model/architecture, locking down material/lighting and then the final stage for people and small details.
We get sign off on each stage in writing before moving onto the next one, so if anyone goes back a stage and tries to change the architecture or view when we're knee deep in preview then we start billing them hourly to get back to where we were. We only allow a set number of revisions in each stage too - it shouldn't take them seeing it 4 times to tell us that something is wrong, so that means they're changing their mind and we start billing hourly.
You may not get away with being so strict - we work pretty late in the construction process so typically all the design has been locked down and we never need to do this. it's just in the contract so when they do scrap an interior design super late in the project or someone who's not been in a single meeting for months comes back and makes changes to throw their weight around we are somewhat protected.

[glorybound]

I once used ConceptShare, which handles the process, you mention well. Basically, the client picks the "Approved" button, which lock in the design. I kinda still do it, but I don't enforce things. I send the client a grayscale, for their approval, before I move into texture mapping. The problem is, they'll look at the grayscale and make changes based on it. Once I start adding color, they'll do the same thing and make color and material changes based on the low quality proofs stills. Most of the time things look good in 2D, but just doesn't work in 3D. We, architectural illustrators, probably need to monetize the value we bring. It still might be a $1,200 rendering, but it took $3,000 to get there, which made a better design. So, on paper, the rendering is still affordable.

[tricky]

I think one of the biggest factors here is that the whole construction industry (and, of course, many, many other industries) took a big knock back in 2009 where a lot of confidence was lost. It will take a while to regain that confidence and charge 'proper' rates for work.

5 pound render anyone?

[glorybound]

First, we have to define "proper" rates. At some point it is not worth the time.

[tricky]

First, we have to define "proper" rates.

Firstly, charging for the work you do and not contemplating doing extra work for free

[glorybound]

Amen! The problem is, having loose drawings early in the design process, having to make a ton of assumptions, and not having all the assets at the beginning. Things like, "oh yah, here is the stone we are going to use", which is some exotic stone and I'm given a small web graphic to go by. Or, hours before deadline, being asked for people and they should be mostly female and in there 20's. Hu??? Next time I'll double my quote if I don't feel I have enough information to complete my task.

[hoppergrass]

More often than not I let charges for changes go, that is until they become silly or there just isn't enough time to implement them.

[glorybound]

I do aim to please, but at some point I need to benefit for the extra mile. Like tonight... It'll be an all-nighter to take care of last minute changes for an A.M. meeting that they are having with their client. As long as it is appreciated and brings more work, it might be worth it, but from my experience they rarely do appreciate it.

[hoppergrass]

It always a good idea (and you probably already do, do it) but tell the client the implications that last minute changes have, eg all nighters. Whether you charge for them is another matter. Often they dont understand how long things take, and with a bit of explanation they do become appreciative.

Often last minute changes are not going to be so critical that they will loose the job, unless of course there is a blatant mistake, but more to do with some designers just dont know when to stop fiddling.

[glorybound]

A lot of the time I deal with interns and the project goes upstream; someone new each step with their own feedback. Once it gets to the top, it goes to their client, and then back to me. I think it's simply my poor communication. 90% of my projects goes without a problem, so I get relaxed with communication, and then I get one that is a headache.

[hoppergrass]

A project manager friend of mine gave me this suggestion, give a return brief for changes, in writing. In other words, when changes are requested, send an email saying what the request was and how long it will take, keep it simple, then CC it to the client, in particular their boss.

It's a bit pedantic and not always practical, but it does work in minimizing silly requests.

I hate the upstream process, with each tier trying to guess what the next tier will like, then you get to the boss and its nothing like what he originally asked for. Too much politics involved, and often takes 10 times longer to process.

[glorybound]

It seems like good advice and I might just take it.

[Vizioen]

I have problems on this subject too. Sometimes I spend 2 weeks modelling every tiny little detail of a project and when it's almost done and before you can even send a grayscale draft, a new email pops up with the request for a few changes, that most of the time translates into a day or two of extra work, sometimes this is repeated two or three times. Then in the end the time you spend modelling is twice the time you estimated and they only saw the final model. Explaining that is a huge PITA. How do you guys tackle a situation like that?

[glorybound]

I guess all the problems we have are caused by our lack of communication. It should be, we model from their submitted drawings and changes are extra. Once the gray scale is approved, any changes are an extra. High resolution materials need to me provided or it'll cost extra to build the texture from scratch (this one has become an issue lately). I try to send people to a survey, which asks some basic questions, but sometimes I forget. This last time I forgot and it cost me a day's worth of work. If you have anything that would be nice to add to the survey, please let me know.