Pricing creative work is hard. If you design a logo for a mom-and-pop shop, it might be worth $500. If you design the same logo for Nike, it's worth $50,000. Why? Because the value is in the usage, not the hours.
Most designers make the mistake of sending an invoice that just says "Logo Design - 10 Hours." This caps your earning potential. You need to separate your Labor from your IP (Intellectual Property).
Line Item 1: The Creative Fee
This pays for your time and talent. It covers:
- Research & Moodboarding
- Sketching & Concepts
- Vectorization & Revisions
- Client Meetings
This ensures that even if the client decides not to use the logo, you still got paid for the work you did.
Line Item 2: The Usage License
This is where the profit is. You are selling them the right to use the artwork. Be specific in your invoice description:
By separating this, you give yourself negotiating power.
The Negotiation: If a client says "$5,000 is too much," you don't lower your hourly rate. You say, "Okay, we can lower the price to $3,000, but the license will be restricted to 'North America Only' for '2 Years'." You reduce the value, not your worth.
Line Item 3: File Delivery
Don't forget to charge for the deliverables. Creating a brand guide, exporting assets in 20 different formats (JPG, PNG, SVG, EPS), and organizing files takes time. Add a line item for "Final Asset Package Preparation."
Use our Graphic Design Invoice Template which is pre-formatted with these sections to help you look like a high-end agency.