Why designers price in packages rather than by the hour

An hourly rate tells a client nothing

Somebody deciding whether to commission you cannot tell whether the job is two hours or twenty. An hourly rate therefore reads as an open-ended commitment, and open-ended commitments are easy to postpone.

The rate may be perfectly reasonable. The uncertainty is what stops the sale.

A package is a decision somebody can actually make

A defined piece of work at a firm price can be said yes to. It also forces both sides to agree what is included before anything starts, which prevents most later disagreements.

• What is being made
• What you receive at the end
• How many revisions are included
• Roughly how long it takes

It protects the designer too

Hourly billing penalises speed: the better you get, the less you earn for the same work. A fixed price rewards experience instead.

It also caps the open-ended request. Revisions are included in a stated number rather than continuing until somebody gives up.

Where the number comes from

A sensible package price is still built from hours — the designer estimates the work and applies their rate. The difference is that the client sees a total rather than a meter.

That is why an honest hour estimate matters. Underestimating does not make you cheaper; it makes you underpaid.

When hourly is still right

Genuinely open-ended work — ongoing support, an unclear scope, a retainer. For a defined deliverable, a package is better for everyone.

What a good package description contains

A name somebody understands, a plain sentence on what they get, the hours behind it, and how many revisions are included. Four things, and most disputes come from one of them being left out.

Be honest about the hours. The price is calculated from them and it is what you will be paid for.

Review your rate when you are busy, not when you are quiet

A freelancer with more enquiries than capacity is being told their price is low. Raising it when work is scarce feels risky; raising it when there is a queue is simply accurate.

Packages make this straightforward — the totals move with the rate and every quote after that reflects it.

Two or three packages, not eight

A long list of options makes a decision harder, not easier. Most designers do well with a small entry option, a main one that suits most enquiries, and something larger for a full set of pieces.

Anything outside those is a conversation, which is fine. Packages exist so the ordinary case can be bought without one.

How to start

Everything runs through one place. Artists sign in at the artist studio, upload work, choose which products each piece suits, and see what they have earned. Customers browse the artwork, pick a design, and choose what to put it on.

Nothing about it is exclusive. You can sell the same work elsewhere at the same time, and there is no listing fee and no minimum.

• Apply with three pieces so we can see how you work
• Choose which products each design belongs on
• Get paid by bank transfer on what sells

Common questions