There’s a maxim to pricing freelance work that goes something like this: you can have two of the following three elements: fast, cheap, and good. When I first started out, I tried to be all three. Naturally, there ended up being some compromise, most notably with respect to the “fast” and “good” elements of the equation. As I grew as a designer and a businessperson (it still sounds funny calling myself that), the scales shifted: my prices increased as the quality of my work and process increased.

For some time, I struggled with the idea of offering clients their choice between fast and cheap, but I’m coming to realize that this, too, is impractical on a larger scale—I’m so consistently busy that it simply doesn’t make sense for me to take on very many lower-paying gigs, regardless of how spread out their timelines may be. I really prefer working on projects with shorter timelines, anyway: the work-to-reward cycle is so much shorter (and thereby more gratifying), and a more rapid cycle of development means that the project remains fresher in my mind—I don’t forget details or need to re-learn anything as we progress. So, unless it’s a case ofhey-I-really-did-need-this-yesterday, in which case a priority placement and rapid-turnaround can be secured with a rush fee (although I’ve found most clients with urgent projects suddenly decide it can wait a little, after all, when they discover that it’ll cost more), “fast” is non-negotiable. Quality, naturally, is even less negotiable

As a result, my fees have been steadily increasing. A while ago, I switched to pricing projects using a flat rate based on an hourly model, with certain discounting for clients and projects I like (conversely, of course, there’s also a hidden “pain in the ass” fee that’s tacked on for work that’s going to drive me to the bottle). The per-project model makes me feel more comfortable about pricing negotiations, which I’ve always been terrible at, and as a result have an awful tendency to under-price myself.

Ooh, shiny.

I think my problem with properly pricing myself has always been an issue of perception: I still see myself, fundamentally, as a little girl who simply has no idea what’s going on. People are always surprised when I admit to this, which is gratifying—at least I don’t come off as naive and insecure as I often feel!—and logically, I know that this isn’t how it is. I’m twenty-six, which means I’m officially Very Much a Grown-up; I’ve been running my own business for years and can still afford gorgeous shoes, which means I must have some sort of head for it; and my clients are happy with my work, which means that I’m producing good work. And so, every time I increase my prices, the logical part of my brain forcibly overrides the insecure, insane part.

Every time I increase my price in some way, I feel uncomfortable about it, but force myself to manage the discomfort. And every time, it pays off: I feel more valued, I feel happier in my work, and I can afford nicer shoes!

I think the shoe comparison works here: I used to buy $20 shoes. Now, my standards are higher: I won’t buy a pair that’s made of plastic, or that originally cost less than $100, simply because I realize that these will be of inferior quality. I no longer want to save money at the expense of quality, and this is a characteristic I’m looking for in my clients. I don’t want you to work with me because I’m cheap; I want you to work with me because I produce great work.

And ultimately, the higher my prices are, the better work I’ll be able to produce—both because I’ll be able to spend more time focusing on the minutia of the project, and because I’ll be able to spend more of my “spare” time developing my skills. While I’ll probably never be tackling million-dollar accounts (and because I keep my overhead low, I really don’t need to charge nearly as much as an agency would), I am no longer a low-cost solution. I’m a high-quality solution, and the more I charge, the better I’ll be.

Right now, I’m a pair of well-fitted leather Nine Wests. Eventually, I’ll be a pair of Louboutins. (And then I’ll be able to afford a pair!)

Apparently I can work the topic of shoes into every single subject ever. Eventually this website will stop pretending to be about design and will just go on and on, at length, about footwear. I’m beginning to believe I have a problem.

We spend so much time complaining about the bad clients that it’s sometimes easy to overlook the good clients. Lately, I’ve been working with a few really great clients, and I’ve been so happy because of it. Where a bad client can make you feel as though you’re losing your soul, a good client reminds you of why you fell in love with design in the first place and makes you feel as though you’re doing a good job. It’s the sort of warm-fuzzy feeling I associate with boys who bring me flowers and strangers complimenting me on my shoes.

Winning your designer’s love, regardless of any other factors, will mean that you will receive a level of service and quality that surpasses that most Troublesome Clients receive. When I love a client and feel that my client respects me as a professional, I invest more of my mental energies into their project. A good client makes you want to do an amazing job, where a bad client experience will often just make you want to finish as fast as possible and get the heck out.

So, how do you go about making sure you’re the greatest client ever, and ensuring your designer feels as passionate about your project as you do? Here, a few tips culled directly from my Dream Clients:

1. Pay your bills as fast as humanly possible.

Nothing says “you’re not worth much to me” like a leisurely bill payment. Freelance designers suffer so much stress about unpaid bills and cash flow—it’s hard when you don’t have a regular stream of income—that late-paid bills are a major problem.

I have one client in particular who sends me a full payment, via electronic means, within 24 hours of receiving an invoice. Every time it happens, I am utterly delighted. The rapid work-reward cycle means that I feel more compelled to finish work rapidly, knowing that I’ll be rewarded immediately upon completion. If, on the other hand, it takes more than a month to put a cheque in the mail (there is a due date on there, you know!), I’m going to feel much less inclined to speed through the project.

Freelance designers are not the power company—if you don’t pay us, we can’t eat (or buy pretty shoes)! Pay your bills promptly, please.

2. Know what you want.

It’s your designer’s job to gently guide you and to help you figure out what you want, then create a visual representation of your needs. If you approach a project without knowing what you want, the whole process goes to hell. Essentially, if you don’t know what you want—and you don’t need to have every detail planned out, but you do need a rough idea—I can’t figure out how to build it for you. It’s like if you were to hire an architect to design you a house; you’d want to figure out how many bathrooms you want before asking for blueprints.

Beware the phrase “you’re the designer”, as in “Well, you’re the designer, you figure it out!”. While I think usually this is used with good intentions, it will make the vast majority of designers cringe. To us, it sounds like you’re saying “you’re the magician!” (See also: “Can’t you just Photoshop that?” Design is not magic; Photoshop is not a magic button. It’s mostly work, training, and lots of patience.)

3. Understand that I probably know what I’m doing (and that’s why you hired me, right?)

This directly contrasts the “well, you’re the designer!” mindset, and clients usually tend towards one extreme or another, where a balance is really preferable. A micromanaging client, however, will almost always be less popular than a hands-off client. This is an almost guaranteed way to make your designer want to throw himself off the nearest bridge, skyscraper, or touristy landmark.

Of course, there’s a fine line between giving feedback and micro-managing. How to tell the difference? If you’re into the sixth round of revisions, and all the revisions read something like so: “Make the logo 40% bigger, and move it 3 inches to the right. Make the text all white, and the background purple. Headings should be right-aligned and in 4pt red Comic Sans. Can we add a few animated gifs throughout the page in order to make it ‘pop’?” (Please note: often these sorts of phrases are then followed by “Well, you’re the designer! Can’t you just make it look better?” and then repeated ad nauseum until all gadgets that receive email or phone calls are smashed into little bitty pieces.)

Remember: you hired your designer (I hope!) because you think they do great work and know what they’re doing. They’ve probably been building websites longer than you. While ultimately the final judgement call is yours, realize that a good designer will work with you to give you a final product that both suits you and your business and looks good. Remember that we have your best interests in mind, and give us enough freedom to create something beautiful for you.

4. Communicate effectively.

The client-designer relationship is much like any other relationship: emotions are involved, everyone’s a little nervous to begin with, you need to make sure everyone’s happy and nobody’s being taken for granted, etc. This is why, of course, good designer-client relationships generate brilliant work, and bad ones leave all parties unhappy. So, like with any other relationship, good communication is vital. Make sure you’re being clear about how you feel and what you want, and treat your designer with respect and consideration. (This means no phone calls at 2am, no matter how dire you think the emergency is, right? In theory, I am sleeping then.) Your designer needs your feedback in order to know that they’re on the right track—make sure that you can give useful, constructive feedback in a timely manner.

And when all else fails, sending presents works, too. I once had a client who mailed me a box of chocolate brownies when my computer died, in order to “aid the recovery process”, and another client who made me a heart-shaped chocolate cake. Chocolate generally engenders love and loyalty, but really, all that’s required is a polite thank you for a wonderful job, and I’ll move mountains for you.

The Keshen Goodman library is one of my favourites, but wow, have libraries ever changed since I was a kid. Of course the card catalogues are long gone, but now the library is full of loud, obnoxious high school students play-fighting and giggling away in the study carrels. Whatever happened to libraries being akin to a place of worship, where you’d be shushed for speaking above a whisper?

At any rate, I was amazed to discover that not only is it totally kosher to eat in the library, but they also have a little cafe in the corner, which is actually rather lovely if you’re making a twelve-hour-day of it. Every day it’s the same girl working there, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her crack a smile, not once. I usually try to be excessively polite and friendly to people working service jobs (God knows I’ve had my share!), but she never once cracked. Today, though, as I went for my usual can of Diet Coke, there was a new girl working. It took her about five minutes and some outside help to figure out what I wanted, and then another minute or so to ring it in, but she smiled and seemed human!

As I trotted off with my caffeinated beverage, I thought to myself, “Well, the other one was more competent, but I like this one so much more.” (I suspect that when I was working service jobs myself, I was the efficient-but-snarly server.)

Clearly, this is a lesson I ought to take to heart, and start applying to my own life and business.

I am, naturally, enamoured.

In other news, I’m moving out of my little room in my little apartment into a commercial space just up Lincoln Street—it’s an oddly-shaped little three-room affair with hardwood floors and just the sort of character I like. I‘m hoping this will help me segregate my home from my work life and give me a little more space to stretch out in. As an added bonus, I won’t need to clean up my apartment when a client comes to visit!

A few new projects have been added to the website, and there should be more finishing soon.