1. There is no standard pricing system

When you go to purchase a house, you have SOME idea of what you’ll be paying upfront. You know that in a particular neighborhood, homes with so many bedrooms and so many bathrooms are going for a certain price. When you go to purchase a car, you understand the differences in price ranges depending on whether you plan to buy a Mercedes or a Ford, a compact car or an SUV.

But, with design —and especially with web design — there is no set pricing system. Potential clients have NO IDEA what to expect when they are asking for an estimate. Because they don’t know what to expect, almost any price is a shock, no matter if it’s $5,000.00 or $500.00. It’s only natural that that initial shock would turn into a “Let’s Make a Deal” situation.

2. Our prices aren’t posted upfront

Look around the webisphere, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a designer posting their prices upfront. It makes sense — there are so many variables that it’s really just not possible to quote a job without speaking with the client first. Not only that, but designers with different knowledge sets and different experience levels will have different rates. It would be almost impossible to post flat rates for every type of project, and because of that, clients have no idea what to expect when they email asking for a quote. Perhaps if they had some idea upfront what type of price range they were looking at, potential clients would be more prepared when they see their project estimate for the first time. Until then, designers will have to deal with clients begging and pleading (sometimes yelling) for reduced rates.

3. The design firms who ARE posting their prices upfront are cheap-o crowd-sourcing sites or cheese-ball do-it-yourself template sites

Although most respectable designers aren’t able to post flat-rate prices upfront because of the difficulty involved in pricing out jobs on an individual basis, large crowd-sourcing or out-sourcing sites are more than willing to blast their prices all over their homepage. “Websites starting at $100!” Factory assembly-line design firms that crank out site after site from the same template are equally cheap, and proud of it. Clients looking for a website don’t know the difference between one of those sites and custom design from an experienced designer. All they know is that they saw websites advertised starting at $100, and that’s the price they are expecting from you. If you give into this rationale, you’re guaranteed to get screwed.

4. People REALLY don’t understand what we do

It’s hard to justify the price of something that someone doesn’t understand. It’s a very abstract purchase. How do you explain to someone what really goes into a website design? People think they are just paying for you to put pictures and text on the web. But, really, there is so much more to it than that. A good web designer will work with the client to evaluate their goals for the site, and then keeping those goals in mind, reorganize the content into a structure that promotes a user-friendly environment for the end-user and encourages the user to take action, find information, or make a purchase. As designers, this is meaningful to us (and at this point in the description, we haven’t even made it to the wireframing stage, much less started designing or coding!!), but to a client, this is just a bunch of gibberish that they’d rather not pay for. Arguing that all of these steps will give them a better result can, unfortunately, be a tough argument when you are dealing with a person who is only concerned with saving money.

5. People don’t understand the time and talent involved in what we do

It’s one of the great Graphic Design Myths of our time: design is easy. Anyone can do it. Clients only see the end result. Once it’s on their screen or printed on paper, it’s all so obvious. “Well, I could do that. I could draw that logo,” or “The computer does all of the work.” Because so much of what we do is abstract and behind the scenes: creative thinking, generating ideas, sketching, research, etc., it is hard for those outside of the design field to appreciate the work that goes into a professional logo or a website coded with valid XHTML and CSS. They don’t understand all of the steps in between a blank sheet of paper and a finished product, and because of that, they have a hard time understanding why they have to pay for what they can’t see.

6. Every client is different, making it almost impossible to estimate accurately

Clients rarely understand this, but as designers we know that for the most part, it is the client who drives the pace of a project. I’ve worked with some clients who look at the three comps I send them, they pick one, and we’re done. I have other clients that want to change the background color 15 times before going back to the first option. Some clients insist on more revisions, some suck up your time with lengthy phone calls, and some ask more questions than most design students. Once you’ve dealt with any of these clients once, you can estimate accordingly. I know that one of my favorite clients is very easy to work with and very rarely has any revisions. I always quote his projects lower because I know they won’t take long. I have other clients for whom I automatically tack on extra hours for extra revisions, because they are notorious for multiple changes to every detail of every page.

But, when you get a brand new client, how do you estimate? High? Low? You have no idea what type of person you are dealing with. Even the craziest person can sound normal in an introductory email conversation. Often, you’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and price the project in the normal range. And, then, when your new client turns out to be “Revisionzilla” from the land of “Let’s schedule another call to discuss that,” you’ll soon realize that you have gone way beyond your estimated hours, and find yourself screwed once again.

7. The details aren’t clear in the initial estimate

Designers often screw themselves by not being clear in the initial project estimate. How is the client supposed to know that they only get so many revisions if you don’t tell them? How will they know how many comps to expect? It is up to us as designers to make it crystal clear that the client only gets x amount of revisions. Any additional revisions are extra. They only get x number of comps to choose from. Any additional comps are going to cost more money. We need to let clients know what is and isn’t included throughout the entire project. Are you going to provide support for their new website? Will you charge for phone calls or shipping or stock photography? Make yourself clear!! Or, risk losing money on your project.

8. As freelancers, we don’t have any back up

When I was a full-time designer, it was easy to argue with clients over price. I worked for a decent-sized company and we had set prices. There was no haggling, and if someone wanted to give me a hard time, I only had to hand the phone over to the owner. I don’t have that advantage as a freelancer. It’s just me. And people know it. Potential clients expect to pay less because I am on my own. They understand paying a lot to a large company with overhead and employees and insurance, but feel that I as one person should not be charging as much. And, without a boss to back me up, the arguments can become exhausting.

9. Creative people don’t always have the best business sense

I don’t mean to offend anyone; it’s just a simple fact. Most people who are naturally inclined toward business, finance, and accounting are not naturally creatively talented. On the other hand, we creative types tend not to be money people or numbers people. I don’t know about you, but my nightmare job would be to spend all day every day working in Excel. It actually makes my stomach turn. Because so many of us aren’t naturally brimming with business-related skills, we sometimes get taken advantage of by clients who ARE professional business people.

10. Designers are just too nice

Let’s face it. We designers can be wimps. I’ve given into more than one sob story about someone who lost their job and is trying to make ends meet by selling this or that out of their house: “I’ve scraped together all of the money I have just for this website. Can’t you do it for $X?” And, what about the, “Oh, while you’re designing my site, feel free to tweak my logo.” Ugh! What’s worse? Designing a website around a hideous eye-sore of a logo, or designing a new one for free as part of the web design job? We are suckers! We’re just too nice! The funny thing is that, 99% of the time, I feel completely blessed to be in a field where my colleagues are so darned nice. We help each other, recommend one another, post advice for free on our blogs, support each other…it’s great! But, when it comes to getting paid what we deserve, our niceness oftentimes comes back to bite us in the behind.

So, it’s easy to see why designers get screwed. What can we do about it? Look for a post next week outlining steps we can take as freelance designers to start getting paid what we deserve for the work we do.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Why do you think designers get screwed? Do you have any stories to share?

I’m going to go a different way. I’m going to respond to some of the most common (and weakest) complaints. And, yes, I do know the risks. I’ll be called a “Fanboy,” and an “Apple lover” and will be seen as a person who is defending a product just because it comes from Apple. Fine. Whatever. That’s a chance I’ll have to take. I don’t purchase things because they have an Apple logo on them. I purchase things that work for me and my business. I have an Apple computer, and a Logitech mouse. I have a strong dislike for the Magic Mouse, and you’ll never see me using one. I use what works. End of story. So, let’s see what people are saying about the iPad:

1. No OSX

The iPad was not created to be a laptop without a keyboard. What would be the point of that? As if the folding screen is such a huge burden? This little machine is meant for entertainment and light work. If you have serious work to do, get a laptop. Or, any number of PC tablets available with a complete operating system in place. But, don’t be surprised if the touch screen is frustrating on your tablet PC. The OS wasn’t created for touch, so it’s not going to be user-friendly. Everything available for the iPad was created specifically with touch in mind, so I’m expecting a much more pleasing experience. Perhaps someday when Apple has time to reinvent OSX for touch, you’ll see an iPad with a full OS.

2. The Name Sucks

Oh please. Have you never used a PAD of paper? Have you not ever jotted something down on a notePAD? Do you giggle and think of feminine products every time you use a legal PAD during a meeting? I think we can let this go.

3. No Flash

I’ll give this one to the naysayers. Surfing the web without Flash is not going to be fun. On one hand, I’ll like skipping all of the annoying banner ads. On the other hand, I’m not sure what I’ll do without Hulu.

4. No Web Cam

Everyone is devastated that they won’t be able to use their iPads for Skyping on the go. I can see their point, but I’m going to be selfish here. You know all of those annoying people on the trains having very loud conversations on their cell phones during your commute? Just imagine them all Skyping on the train. The horror!! Plus, who wants to Skype or video-conference with someone holding their own camera? I don’t want to get nauseous watching you bounce around my screen. Use your laptop webcam instead.

5. No Stylus

I’m not sure what a stylus would be useful for other than drawing. When is the last time you even used a device with a stylus? They seem to have faded away — assumingly because people prefer to work without one. And, on a device where all available applications were designed for multi-touch, I’m guessing a stylus will hardly be necessary.

6. No Phone

This one always makes me laugh. Really? You want to have phone conversations on a device that is over 9.5 inches tall?

7. No Camera

Again, I can’t really see myself pulling out this large tablet to take a photo. I’m assuming that later versions will include a camera, but I still can’t imagine it will be as useful as people think. If my dog is doing something adorable, I’m going to whip out my iPad to take a photo? I have a camera on my phone, and being a designer, I carry a small cheap-o digital camera with me everywhere I go. Taking a photo on an iPad wouldn’t be too different than turning my laptop webcam around to snap a photo of my dog. Just doesn’t seem natural.

8. Reader Doesn’t Use e-Ink

Someday, I’m sure we’ll have devices that allow us to switch between a backlit screen and an e-ink screen. I’m a little surprised that it was expected this soon in the iPad though. I’m not going to get into a big e-ink vs. backlit argument, I’m just going to say that at this point in time, no device (that I know of) is pulling off an e-ink/backlit switch option. If you’re really that attached to e-ink, get a Kindle. The iPad is more than just an e-reader, so it needs to have a backlit, color screen.

9. No Handwriting Recognition

I know I’m not the only person out there who can type faster than they can write. Do you really want to write out emails and notes instead of type them?

10. No Multi-Tasking

iPad (and iPhone) apps are created so that when you close them, they reopen in the same place you left off. What is the big advantage to having multiple apps open at once? As long as you pick up in the same place, is that not good enough? I, for one, will take a longer battery life over multi-tasking any day.

There are a few things that I’m nervous about myself: no expandable memory, availability of the ebooks I want (design and web design training books please!), and AT&T’s service. Some of the iPad complaints have been valid, but you have to admit, some are simply ridiculous. And, when it comes down to it, I just don’t think it’s right to jump all over a product before you’ve even tried it.

What do you think? Will you be preordering an iPad?

Myth #9: Graphic Designers Fix Computers

I’m not sure what it is, but there is a mass confusion about the limitless knowledge of graphic designers. Apparently because I work on a computer all day, I also know how to take one apart and build it from scratch. I know how to set up networks, load memory, rid computers of viruses, and use any and all programs — no matter if they are design-related or not.

Graphic designers are DESIGNERS. We are not IT specialists. We are not members of the Geek Squad. And we are not software developers or sales associates at your local computer store. Please stop calling us for help with your computers.

Myth #10: Designers Prefer Trades to Cash

I don’t know why, but it seems that the Barter System is alive and well in the world of graphic design. What is it about the services we provide as designers that so few people think we deserve to be paid in cash? Everyone wants to make a trade! If you design my website, I’ll make you a pie. If you create posters for our event, we’ll give you a free ticket to attend.

Designers don’t do what we do for fun. This is our job! We design websites and posters so that we can buy food and electricity. We take cash, and checks, and credit cards, and paypal payments. Not pies. Would you pay your hairstylist, doctor, or mechanic in pies? No? Then, please give designers the same respect and hire them only when you have the budget to pay with real money.

Myth #11: Designers Love to Haggle

Let’s get one more money myth out of the way. It has become a popular belief that purchasing a website is like purchasing a car. Potential clients ask, how much is this going to cost? We ask them questions, get an idea of what they want, put together an estimate, and send it over. And what comes back? Not a simple “Let’s do it” or “Sorry, that’s out of my price range,” but a counter-offer! What?!?!

This myth has become so out of hand, that I’m about ready to change my system. Instead of telling a potential client how much it will cost to do what they want, I need to start asking them what their budget is — and then telling them what they can get for that price. That may give me a break from this myth — and save me and my potential clients a lot of time.

Myth #12: There is a quick-fix Filter or Plugin for almost every Situation

Surprisingly, this is one myth that I hear from both designers and non-designers. I’ve had both students and professionals ask me how to achieve a certain look or build a specific functionality, and as I’m describing the steps they interrupt with, “Isn’t there an easier way?” Isn’t there a magic button I can push to give my website the grunge look? Isn’t there a special setting that will turn my psd into a working website with no work on my part?

Non-designers are equally guilty of this myth. I get a lot of, “Why is that taking so long?” and “This should be a quick change (or a quick project),” because obviously if I have Photoshop, I have a magic genie to finish every job in a flash.

Design takes time. And a lot of hard work, concentration, and attention to detail. Yes, there are some filters to give you a basic look. But, if you want to push any treatment to a professional level, there will be serious work involved. And, yes, there are some plugins that are a major benefit in web design — but they still usually have to be customized for the project at hand. The truth is, if you see something, and are impressed by it, somebody put a lot of time and work into it. No magic involved.

Myth #13: Drawing with a Mouse is Easier than Drawing with a Pencil

You may be surprised by this one. It sounds like a myth, right? But I hear it all of the time from students: “I don’t know how to draw. But it’s okay, I’m going to work on a computer.” What makes people think that it’s easier to draw with a mouse? Chances are, if you can’t draw with a pencil, your skills aren’t going to improve when you start drawing with a mouse. Please, all of you aspiring designers, get a pencil and a sketchbook you love, and practice drawing. Those skills are going to help you tremendously when you have to switch over to creating art with a mouse.

Myth #14: Designers don’t need General Education Classes

There are so many students in design school loving their design courses, and barely scraping by in their math, English, and history classes — rolling their eyes, sketching during lectures, and ignoring their instructors. Why? Because somewhere along the line, the unfortunate and untrue news has spread that general education courses are unnecessary for designers. Not only are they necessary, they could make or break your career.

How is it that students expect to successfully create an 8-panel roll-fold brochure, or a complex tradeshow booth without math? And, if you ever expect to own your own business, those math skills are going to come in handy when you have to do your own estimates, billing and taxes.

Writing and grammar skills may be the most underrated of the general education classes. I can’t imagine that any designer will manage to get through his or her career without doing at least a little copywriting, and without doing a whole lot of proofing. And, how will you ever make a convincing sales pitch or present a concept to a client without the skills you’ll acquire in speech class?

Even the classes that seem completely out of the realm of design — science, history, and social study classes — will be vital to your career. As a designer, you have to be a chameleon — creating a website for the finance industry one day, and working on a brochure for the construction industry the next. EVERY one of those classes is going to be helpful to you in your career. Please don’t take them for granted.

Myth #15: Designers are Mind Readers

Occasionally people have a hard time communicating their thoughts. And, that’s okay. But, it does make the job of the designer very difficult. Sometimes impossible. “I want a logo, but I don’t know what I want. I’ll know it when I see it.” So, you want me to just keep creating logos until you find one you like? How many years do you expect this to take?

Designers aren’t mind readers. We don’t know you hate the color yellow or that clouds give you nightmares. I believe it is our job, as designers, to ask as many questions as we can. But it is hard to cover everything, and sometimes you (the client) aren’t very good at describing what you want. THIS is why most designers will do more than one composition design. I personally do two out of the box, and then use the feedback from those to work on a third that will hopefully be a home run. All we ask as designers, though, is that you be a little patient if we don’t create a perfect layout or logo on the first try — we aren’t mind readers. We just try to be.

Myth #16: Design is so Easy that Anyone can Learn it in a One-Hour Session & We Would LOVE to Teach You!

This myth is the one that bothers me the most. I went to college for four years (and have quite a bit of debt to show for it), and worked two —sometimes three — jobs at a time while I was starting out as a designer. I read every design book and design blog I could get my hands on (and I still do). I’ve been working and teaching in the design industry for over twelve years. Twelve! And, I get this all of the time: “I don’t want to pay you to do it. Couldn’t you just show me how to do it?”

No. I can’t, and I won’t. Go to school, get good grades, purchase and read every book you can get your hands on, complete every tutorial you come across, purchase the programs and equipment, write the lesson plans and teach the classes, climb the ladder, and spend all of your spare time studying, sketching, and learning. After all of that, you should be able to handle design on your own. Then give me a call. I’ll set you up with my other clients so that you can teach them all you’ve learned in a single one-hour session.

So, there you have it! 8 more design myths. Curious about the first 8? Check them out in: 8 Common Graphic Design Myths Revealed.

But here I am, blogging again. Because I missed it. A lot. Even as I went about my day, rushing to finish deadline-driven projects, I found myself jotting notes for future blog post ideas, and sketching ideas for a new Creative Opera website. I can’t do it. I can’t give it up. I’m back. And, I don’t think I’m going anywhere anytime soon.

So, here are the top 5 things I missed about blogging:

1. Having a Voice

This is the reason I believe that social media has been so successful. It gives people a voice. Landed a new job? No need to yell it from the rooftops — just post it on your Facebook wall. Disappointed in that blockbuster movie you just saw? Don’t call all of your friends. Tweet it.

Blogging is even better than that. I get to voice my opinion, express my thoughts, and vent my frustrations. I have a voice — and I’m able to tell people what I think.

2. Having a Purpose

I love what I do. I couldn’t be happier. I never get tired of design, and I love every aspect of my field. But, am I really helping anyone? Am I making the world a better place? Not really.

Blogging advice to new and aspiring designers is a small way for me to share something useful with the rest of the world. It feels so good when I am able to help someone avoid mistakes I made, or give them the confidence they need to ace an interview. I know it’s not exactly curing diseases and wiping out evil — but it makes me feel like I’m making a teeny-tiny difference, and that feels pretty good.

3. Having a Conversation

I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to put something out there (ideas, opinions, advice, inspiration, etc.) and get a response. Your comments and emails mean so much. There have been so many times that I’ve been having a just plain crappy day — and I get an email from someone on the other side of the world about how they enjoyed one of my posts. It completely turns me around. It’s an indescribably good feeling.

Also, as a freelance designer, I don’t have the luxury of an office full of design nerds like myself who get my nerdy jokes and references. After I wrote 8 Common Graphic Design Myths Revealed, it was great to find that so many of you had similar experiences and could relate. The conversations have to be my favorite part of blogging — and what I’ve missed most these last few months.

4. Having a Connection

I’ve been in the design industry for 12 years now. But, I never before felt like I was part of the design industry the way I do now that I’ve been blogging at Creative Opera. All of the sudden, I feel like I’m part of something. A member in a club. I’ve made connections with designers I never would have been able to speak with or meet — had it not been for the blog.

5. Having a Clue

Blogging forces me to stay in tune with the design industry. News, trends, opinions, and research are a daily part of life for me when I’m actively blogging. It’s my job to stay on top of things so I can translate that to my readers. These last few months, I’ve tried to keep up with technology news — but I lost the real pulse of the design industry. I’m excited to jump back in with both feet, and find out what I’ve missed.

So, there you have it. I’ve missed blogging, and I’m going to stick with it for good. I can’t promise I won’t get busy and have to go a few days even weeks here and there without a post — but I won’t stay away for long. Because, for the me, the benefits of blogging outweigh the time saved by not blogging, and I’m glad to be back.

1. Avatars Change Fast! Who are these People?

There are arguments all over the web about the evils of changing your avatar, about how it is part of your brand, and why it should stay the same until the end of time. There are also arguments on the other side. If I’ve changed my look, how will people recognize me if I never update my avatar? I don’t have strong feelings either way — and I guess I’ve avoided the problem entirely by choosing an avatar without my own face on it (another no-no according to experts) — but it is a little shocking to see a stream of new faces in TweetDeck. It’s like I left the party to go to the restroom, and came back to a room full of different people. Of course, they’re the same people — but it took a little getting used to.

2. Is this Spam, or am I on Facebook?

I think I’ve made it pretty clear to anyone who will listen that I’m not a big fan of Facebook. Finding old friends from highschool and college? That part I love. Mafia wars and hugs and drinks and quizzes and quizzes and quizzes? Not so much. Last I checked, I had over 70 invites for various crap from Facebook friends. I love these people, but not enough to participate in “What zoo animal are you?”

Twitter, it seemed, was finally something I could get on board with. People like me — designers working from home, frustrated with IE6 — people I could relate to! Tons of great links, endless resources, funny videos — good stuff! I leave for a month, and what do I come back to? “Hey Manda, I just voted ‘Windows’ on ‘Which operating system do you use,’” and “Free products to lose the most weight in just a few weeks!” And, will the mafia wars ever end?

I’m ignoring it for now. I’m hoping it’s temporary. But, if someone on Twitter sends me a “drink” I may just have to shut it down.

3. It’s Easy to be a Celebrity on Twitter

I’m sure Alyssa Milano is a lovely person. Maybe the best person. Ever. But, come on! Is there a prize being given out for the person who can suck up to her the best? Apparently, any celebrity who will respond to an @ or will RT something becomes everyone’s best friend instantly. Note to anyone famous: pay just a little bit of attention to your followers. It is — apparently — greatly appreciated.

4. FollowFridays seem to have Died

I was so excited this last Friday — to recommend my favorite designers, bloggers, and friends during FollowFriday. I sent out tweets throughout the day explaining why each person should be followed. But I was alone. I only saw a few FollowFridays sent out the entire day. A couple of people sent out links to their blogs with their recommendations — but mostly, it was business as usual. Did everyone get tired of FollowFriday? I know there have been quite a few blog posts on the right and wrong ways to participate in FollowFriday, but I have to admit, I didn’t see this coming. I’m surprised to see that it has all but disappeared. So, in lieu of FollowFriday, I too will be creating a blog post with a list of my favorites on Twitter. Farewell, FollowFriday.

5. I have a lot of Catching Up to do

Twitter has been my main source of news — especially design-related news — for the past six months. After one month away, I feel like I’ve been left in a time warp. I’ve missed out on blog launches, new app and software releases, conference updates, and regular news (government, business, entertainment, etc.) too. People have new jobs, new babies, and are living in new places. What was I thinking — relying on TV and online news? I feel so left behind.

6. People Noticed I was Away!

How lovely to return to Twitter to “Welcome Back” messages. Thank you to all of you — that really made my week!

7. My Design Mojo is Back

I shut down Twitter for one reason: to get stuff done. Actually, I shut down a lot of things. I only concentrated on work. And, I got a lot done. But, I’ll tell you, toward the end, I was starting to get sour. My drive was weakening, and my excitement for my work was deteriorating. Now that I’m back on Twitter, I feel refreshed and inspired again. There is great power in Twitter for me. I work alone in my office as a freelancer — without the interaction and conversation of an office. Twitter gives me a group of colleagues, a constant source of news and information, and a lot of laughs. It makes me a better designer.

Even though I was able to get through a large amount of work last week, I realize now how important it is to stay connected to Twitter. Even if I don’t take the time to participate as much on busy days, those few minutes lost tweeting are easily made up for in inspiration, motivation, and the camaraderie of  my fellow designers.

I’ll see you all on Twitter!