Recently I quoted a new client for a new logo design. It was three times more than her previous quotes, not because I wanted to overcharge her, but because I knew from experience the time and effort it takes to navigate through the branding process. It’s not something that can be rushed if you want the best results. The discovery element alone can take many hours. But it’s essential as it’s a great opportunity to learn and understand someone else’s business, target audience and objectives, as well as discussing any ideas they have. From then onwards, we use our skills to create a selection of quality logo concepts from scratch, which the client then gets to see and feedback on.

Once the shock of the higher price had faded, the client looked at all the quotes in detail and considered everything we would be providing. She also took note of our principles, in particular the partnership approach, our unlimited amends policy and the Pixooma guarantee. She knew that because of the way she worked, she would benefit from a more collaborative approach and appreciated the fact that the proposal was comprehensive promising no extra charges, or nasty surprises. I am delighted to say that she went ahead with the work.

To me, being flexible and transparent is paramount. Our default approach is always to go for an ‘all-inclusive’ proposal as this provides the greatest value to the client. However, because everything we do is bespoke, it means we are able to strip out or add in elements as and when required. This ensures the client always knows what they are paying for and why it’s necessary.