Back in May I did a blog posting here talking about the mis-perception that my design services are too expensive for most clients. At the time I wrote: "Something I hear quite frequently runs something like this: 'You'd have been perfect for our project, and I'd have hired you in a minute, but you know, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford you.'"

I'm still getting feedback from many of you out there that you believe what I do is too pricey for your budgets. While that may be true in some cases—such as in national advertising or corporate logos, I do pride myself on my ability to tailor what I do to a client's needs and (more and more) to limited budgets. Here's another case in point.

I was contacted by a photographer from Berlin named Tanja Ortmaier ("Spooky Sally") who does predominantly 1940s style pin-up photography under the name "Cherrymuffin Studios". She asked if I would be willing to design a new logo for her that she could use on her website and could be adapted for various other uses such as signage. While her budget was fairly modest, I was impressed with her work (it's not every day that I get to work with a pinup photographer!) and her enthusiasm was, to put it mildly, infectious! Below are two samples of what I was able to do for her: Upper: for use on website | Lower: for use on signage

Because of her openness and her ability to accept certain limitations, we were both able to bring this project to a successful conclusion in a very short amount of time. Here's a few comments from her:

"Hey Michael, Again - this is awesome! Great how you captured the details of the camera! ...and I'm very happy with the flashlight as well!...YES I'm really happy with all that! Thank you for such a great work! Yippiejaiyeah, Sally."

So while yes—I am in it for the money—I don't have specific rates: hourly, daily or otherwise. I try to evaluate each project on it's own merits, and come up with a price that is fair for all involved. If a client has a set budget (e.g. such as a specific limited rate for a magazine cover) I try to figure out how I can best meet their needs while not overextending myself. Sometimes I can come up with a solution that's a lot simpler than what might have been envisioned. Many times I can figure out a way to successfully solve a design problem that doesn't take me a long time, yet more than satisfies the needs of the project. So please, just remember—if you're in doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask me!