Working on ITPs music video this morning

Is glad she didn’t break Scott’s iPhone, it seems to be working again! *phew*

Thinks this music video is coming along nicely

TheraisaK.com is now offering Holiday Rates and Bonuses. See Site for details: www.theraisak.com!

Hidden Costs in Design: Print Design (Part 1)

Hidden Costs in Design: Print Design (Part 1)
By: Theraisa K
December 4, 2009
http://www.theraisak.com – info@theraisak.com

If you have never dealt with a Freelance Graphic Designer before, you may not realize that you may be paying for more than just the finished design! Do you really know what your latest design project costs from both sides of the coin (your end and the designer’s end)? If not, perhaps this article will help clarify all the costly expenses hidden away in your design project.

Part One: Print Design

Before you kick off any project with a Freelance Graphic Designer be sure to go over all the expenses you may encounter during the project term INCLUDING any hidden expenses that may arise BEFORE beginning the project and more importantly get it all in writing! Many designers offer some sort of initial contract and/or production schedule that contains much of this information – be sure to read and sign off on any contracts or documents the designer provides before work begins – it will save you time and money in the end.

THIRD PARTY EXPENSES

In almost all cases you (the designer’s client) are required to either pay and/or compensate for the use of any third party items, materials, services, etc. Depending on the designer this is mainly based around liability and legal factors. The designer doesn’t want to be caught in a sticky place and will therefore place most of the liability factors on your shoulders.

Stock Items

In many cases the designer will go over in their initial contract the ways in which they handle the use of third party stock items in a design project. Some stock items including photography, illustrations and even fonts.

Some designers may require that the client (you in this case) handle all stock items including the registration/membership of such services, the licensing of the stock items and other fees including legal fees that may arise out of the use of those stock items.

Some designers may provide stock items based on a reimbursement system. That is, the designer registers to the stock service, finds the stock items needed, purchases the stock items and then bills you for it in the end. You may, depending on the designer, also be expected to pay for the effort the designer put into finding and obtaining stock items such as: administration, processing and search times, which the designer may or may not include as part of their fees.

Printers & Manufacturers

Some designers may have the capability to provide the printing and maybe even the manufacturing of the final project and/or have access to a reputable printer and manufacturer; in either case, expect to pay the designer on top of the design costs for any printing and manufacturing done on their behalf.

In cases where the designer doesn’t supply the printing or manufacturing, you will have to find those services on your own and pay them accordingly.

Also you may want to keep in mind, many printers charge not only by the quantity (how many units are being printed) but also by the color (special colors may be extra), paper size, paper type including finish (matte, glossy, etc.), binding method and any special needs such as die cutting, folding or other. Go over these expenses with the printer before giving them your files so you know exactly what expenses to expect.

EQUIPMENT & RENTALS

Photography

Some designers prefer to use their own photography and in many cases will charge you for the rental of such things as: equipment including cameras, lights, props, set pieces; location (if the location has a rental charge); transportation including vehicle rentals; compensation for models, make up artists, stylists, operators; and other based on the project, designer and service being provided.

Printing

If the designer wants to not only provide the final design, but print it themselves and doesn’t own the right type of printer, he/she will charge you for the rental of such printing equipment including any specialized inks, papers and other materials needed to use and process the work.

COMMUNICATIONS & TRANSPORTATION

Most designers require compensation for such things as communication and transportation expenses. This includes things like: telephone charges, fax charges, postal mail (including rush deliveries, priority mail, etc.); compensation for fuel, accommodations, airfare, taxis and so on. All of which is generally billed at the end of the project term at your expense.

LICENSING OF RIGHTS

At some point during the project, you will come across the need to license the rights to some or all of the work created by the designer including third party elements within the work such as stock photography, fonts, etc.

Some designers may include licensing as part of their design costs and some may charge separate prices for each. Generally this information is provided in the initial contract and/or at the very least negotiated before work begins on the project.

By rights, any thing created by the designer remains the property of the designer, and the designer can choose to either lease you the work (license) and/or sell you all the rights to some or all of the work (buyout).

Make sure you understand the difference between licensing and a buyout of “all rights” and know which type of licensing you want for your project – either way the expense will be coming out of your pocket, so make sure you’re getting the most out of your money!

RESOURCES & MATERIALS

Any resources and/or materials the designer uses will more than likely be figured into the final cost of the project, either directly or indirectly. Make sure you are aware of these costs before starting a project, as you may be able to negotiate a better method and/or cheaper materials that could be used.

MODIFICATION FEES

Many designers offer freebies up to a certain point when it comes to changing elements or aspects within a project. Most base their fees on the complexity and time it took to make the changes. If it’s a simple change, such as changing the color of one word that took .002 seconds to do they may even waive the charges. But if it’s something more complex or even outside the scope of the original project started, you can expect to pay mega bucks to have the corrections made. Also, many designers charge to change things after the project is done – again based mostly on time and complexity.

DESIGNER’S FEES

Some designers figure the following into their hourly wage and/or rates but may or may not present them upfront or in writing: administration fees, processing fees, archival fees (and/or the process in which they store your project, materials, etc. for future use), search and/or research fees (browsing the web for fonts, stock items, etc.), file session fees (the opening and closing of a file being worked on) and many others fees based on the designer.

To sum it up, anything the designer is required to pay during the project term out of his/her own pocket is generally sent your way in the final project bill! Anything the designer doesn’t want to pay, you can expect to pay out of your pocket on your own time outside the scope of the project. Everything in between, will probably come out of your pocket as well; so before you start a project with a Freelance Graphic Designer be aware of all the hidden expenses you may incur and plan your project accordingly; it may just save you a few hundred dollars in the end!

Article by Theraisa K © 2009 TheraisaK.com. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article shall be reproduced, copied, transmitted or other without written permission. http://www.theraisak.com – info@theraisak.com

How to get the most out of your Designer by the Hour

“How to get the most out of your Designer by the Hour”
By: Theraisa K

http://www.theraisak.com

If you’re looking to contract a Graphic Designer that pays by the hour, below are a few steps to help insure that your job gets done quickly and efficiently without costing you an arm and a leg in the end.

Step 1: Know what you want

Before you start looking for a Designer (of any sort) sit yourself down and plan out in your mind or on paper EXACTLY what you want. Including where (roughly) all the elements/pieces should go, what colors, fonts, graphics, photos and other items you will need to get the job done.

A Designer can help you refine your rough plan or offer new ideas with their expertise and knowledge, but having a solid idea already in your head of what you want and how you want it displayed will move the job along quicker.

Having a solid idea will also help keep design modifications of the job to a minimum. Some Designer’s charge extra (on top of their hourly wage) for modifications after a certain point and even more if the changes are outside of the original scope of the project (i.e. what you originally contract the Designer for); not to mention almost all Designers charge for any modifications needing to be made after the job is done!

Step 2: Have what you need

Once you have a solid idea in your head of what you need to make your job visually appealing, make sure you have all the content and elements on hand to give to the Designer. Things like stock photography or illustrations; information and figures for graphs and charts; copy and/or text elements; and any other information or elements needed to complete the job.

The more information you have on hand before contracting a Designer the more money you will save in the end because the less the Designer will have to create from scratch and/or obtain from another source – a third party – which could include extra expenses such as membership fees, registration fees, stock fees, equipment rentals, licensing fees and so forth.

Having all you need on hand will also help keep “back and forth” communications with the Designer to a minimum. Some Designer’s charge extra for communication expenses such as telephone charges, fax charges and even transportation charges if they have to drive/fly/etc. to meet you in person.

Step 3: Contract the right Designer for the Job

Once you have an idea and most of what you will need to complete the job, make sure you contract the right Designer for your job.

The field of Graphic Design is enormous and sub-divided into many, many, many areas of specialization! Most Designers wear many hats and specialize in many areas of Design, but generally have one area of expertise. Finding the right Designer may seem like finding a needle in a haystack, but in the end will be worth your effort and will save you time and money.

For example: it wouldn’t be wise to contract someone who is a MySpace design coding expert with umpteen years of web design experience to design your 10 page company brochure booklet with hand stitched binding and special die cut out sections. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they’d be able to slap it together, but it would probably take them twice as long and probably wouldn’t look as appealing as someone who specializes in designing brochures and/or corporate branding materials.

My point is: If you’re working on a web job – contract a web designer, working on a logo – contract a logo designer, working on a photo that needs touch-ups – contract a photo editor and so on. It just makes sense!

Step 4: Get it in Writing

After you’ve found a Designer for your project and before you begin any work, make sure you go over everything that you want done to the very last detail with the Designer.

Generally this is considered as your Proposal and the Designer will usually counter with a cost Estimate for the project (how much he/she thinks the project will cost based on the info you provide in your Proposal). If both sides agree on the information exchanged, sign a contract to those effects! This will insure that both parties know what’s expected of each other, the time frames in which the work is to be done, and when payments are to be met, etc.

Signing a contract with a Designer should help keep the project on track and give you a better sense of when certain elements will be completed and roughly how much it will cost you in the end. Also, you will have a written and signed agreement, which may help in any disputes or legal matters that may arise down the road.

By following these four simple steps, you should be able to help your hourly wage Designer work quickly and efficient on your job while keeping your costs down.

Keep in mind, every job and Designer is different and not all of the above steps will apply to your specific job or needs! These steps are provided as an example of what generally helps get and keep a job on track while saving some expenses along the way.

Written by Theraisa K © 2009 TheraisaK.com. All Rights Reserved. http://www.theraisak.com – info@theraisak.com

Updated my Twitter page. Think I might watch the Victoria Secret thing on TV tonight.

Limited Time Holiday Promotion Offer at TheraisaK.com

For Immediate Release

Limited Time Holiday Promotion Offer at TheraisaK.com

TheraisaK.com is running a special Holiday Promotion on now until December 15th, 2009 for all Christmas and/or Holiday related Projects.

Brantford, ON – TheraisaK.com one of Brantford’s leading Freelance Graphic and Creative Design services is currently running a Holiday Promotion for up to $200 off the final project price of any Holiday Themed Project started before December 15th, 2009.

“The purpose of our Promotion is to help you create and/or make custom gifts and items for this upcoming Holiday Season,” stated Theraisa K, freelance graphic designer and sole proprietor of TheraisaK.com. “We know how much ‘gifts from the heart’ can mean to that special person in your life and we want to help you create that perfect gift for them. We also want to help businesses and individuals who need help with their Holiday design needs.”

TheraisaK.com’s is offering their services in: Graphic Design, Print Design, Photo Editing, Web Design, Digital Art, Creative Writing as well as Custom services needed to help you meet your Holiday Project needs.

“This Promotion is only available for Holiday spirited or themed projects,” Theraisa K states. “Meaning, they must either contain some form of Holiday saying, lyric or graphic element such as a photograph or custom stock item, to be considered.”

Examples of Holiday spirited projects include but are not limited to: personal and custom made gifts to family and friends such as digital illustrations, photos with holiday captions, festive scrapbook pages, spirited photo collages and/or photo/DVD slide shows as well as address labels, tags, letterheads, logos, cards, advertisements, web graphics and other business and/or personal holiday projects.

For more information visit the Holiday Promotion page at http://www.theraisak.com and/or book your Holiday Project today by emailing Theraisa K at info@theraisak.com

***
About:
TheraisaK.com is one of Brantford’s Leading Freelance Graphic and Creative Design Services – providing over 12 years of reliable and affordable services in: Graphic & Logo Design, Photo Services & Editing, Digital Illustrations & Art, File Conversions and Custom Creations for personal and business projects of all sizes.

Contact:

URL: http://www.theraisak.com
Email: info@theraisak.com

I think I have most of my web profiles updated now. Sure are a lot of them!

Is writing press releases this morning