How to Price Design Services Without Underselling
Learn how to price design services: count your time, tools and licence costs, choose hourly, project or package pricing, and present your quote with confidence.
Learning how to price design services starts with knowing your real costs. Estimate how long the project will take, add the cost of the tools and licences you will use, then add a margin that reflects your experience and the value of the work to the client. After that, choose a clear pricing model, hourly, per project or packages, and present it with confidence. This guide breaks each step down with practical examples.
Why beginners usually underprice
New designers often look at the lowest price on a platform and go below it to win the job. Very low prices tend to attract clients who request endless revisions, so you end up working long hours for little return.
- Forgetting the time spent on calls, messages and revisions.
- Ignoring the cost of tools, fonts, photos and templates.
- Not limiting revision rounds.
- Comparing yourself with designers in very different markets.
Step one: work out your hourly cost
- Decide the monthly income you need to cover your living costs.
- Add fixed business costs: internet, hardware, subscriptions and official licences.
- Estimate how many hours a month you will actually bill. Marketing and communication eat a big share of your week.
- Divide the total by billable hours. That is your minimum hourly rate.
This is a floor, not your final price. Add a margin on top based on your skill and the strength of your portfolio.
Billable hours are always fewer than working hours. Plan with realistic numbers, not ideal ones.
Hourly, per project or packages?
Hourly
Good for open ended work such as ongoing edits or monthly support. It protects your time, but clients worry about an open bill, and the faster you get, the less you earn.
Per project
The most common model in design. You estimate the effort and set a fixed price for defined deliverables. Clients know what they will pay, and you benefit as you get faster.
Packages
Group services into tiers, for example a basic logo set, a mid tier identity with a usage guide, and a full tier that adds social media templates. Packages make decisions easier and often nudge clients to a higher tier. For recurring clients, a fixed monthly retainer with a set number of designs works well for both sides.
Do not forget tools and licences
If a stock photo, paid font or template ends up in a client deliverable, it needs a licence that covers that commercial use. That cost belongs in your price or as a separate line item.
- Official tool subscriptions: spread their monthly cost across projects.
- Stock licences: libraries such as Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and Envato each have their own terms, so read them first.
- Fonts: some are free for personal use only.
For a plain language overview, read stock photo and video licences explained.
Shared access through ZTOOLZ is useful for learning, drafts and skill building, but it gives no licence or commercial rights. Client and commercial work needs an official plan from the tool or library itself, so treat that cost as a core part of your pricing.
Pricing by value, not only by cost
Cost sets the minimum; value to the client sets how much you can ask. A logo for a tiny new project is different from a full identity a company will print across products and branches. Ask where the design will be used, whether it supports a paid campaign, whether the client needs a rush job, and whether they want editable source files.
How to present your quote
- Ask enough questions before naming a number.
- Send a written quote listing deliverables, sizes, revisions, deadline and delivery format.
- Offer two or three options.
- Set payment terms, such as a deposit before you start.
- Add a line for extra revisions beyond the agreed rounds.
This package includes three initial logo concepts, two revision rounds, files for print and social media, and a short colour and font guide. Extra revisions are billed separately. Any paid stock images or fonts will be agreed before use.
An AI writing assistant can help you draft tidy quotes; see our ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini comparison to pick one.
When should you raise your prices?
Signs it is time: your calendar is usually full, clients accept quotes without pushback, your portfolio has grown stronger, or you have specialised. Raise prices for new clients first and give existing ones fair notice.
FAQ
How do I know the market rate?
Look at similar services from designers at your level in your market, but let your own hourly cost be the foundation. The market is a reference, not a rule.
Should licence costs be a separate line?
Either works. A separate line is clearer when a project uses many stock assets or paid fonts; bundling is simpler for small jobs.
What if a client says I am too expensive?
Reduce the scope instead of the rate: fewer designs, fewer revisions or a simpler package.
Is hourly pricing better for beginners?
Project pricing is usually clearer for both sides, as long as deliverables and revision rounds are defined precisely.
