“I charged $20 for a DJ logo when I started, then watched my rate stay flat even as my skills and speed grew. Hourly punishes you for getting faster, so I moved to flat fees and packaged tiers because clients pay for clarity and certainty, not hours.”
“I charged $35 an hour for my first freelance projects too, and I stayed stuck there until I realized clients compare hourly rates to plumbers and lawyers, not to the value of a new identity. The $2,000 flat rate isn't a different game; it's someone pricing the outcome instead of the clock, which is exactly what I teach now.”
“I used to price logos at £50 an hour, so a £500 job felt fine until I productized the same work into a one-day branding workshop at £1,500 with no pushback. Flat rates aren't a different game, they're how you stop being punished for getting faster and better.”
“I stopped selling hours years ago because every hourly quote trains the client to watch the clock and question every email. A logo isn't time, it's the transformation it brings to their business, so price the outcome, not the cursor on a screen.”
“$35 an hour for logo work only makes sense if the total hours match the value, not the other way around. A $2,000 flat fee usually means someone is selling the outcome and the revisions, not the clock.”
“$35 an hour for logo work is almost certainly leaving money on the table, especially if the client is comparing you to a $2,000 flat bid. I price design work based on the value of the deliverable and the scope, not just the hours, because a logo that takes me six hours can still drive a client's business for years.”
“I stopped quoting hourly for logos once I realized clients were paying for the decision, not my clock. A flat rate lets you price the value of a finished mark that carries their business, not the hours it took you to sketch it.”
“I stopped billing hourly for brand work because it trains the client to watch the clock instead of trusting the outcome. A flat rate is not a different game; it is the same work priced by the value of the asset, not the hours it took me to make it.”