It is good for business to formalize processes and have systems in place for pricing. Still at times I go away from those processes and systems. Sometimes breaking out of an accepted process is a good way to grow as a designer and a person.

It’s a big weakness of mine. I’m majoring in Computer Science and the same thing happens in Calculus/Physics.

Managing your projects and time is in EVERYTHING. But luckily I’ve been coding for a few years now, so I’m learning the trade. I know developers that charge 100+ per hour, but they are extremely efficient with their time. Now I know why. I just hate brushing quality for a rushed piece, it bothers me. I just have to find balance between time management and quality control.

I really like the fact that you have a system for pricing, as opposed to just trying to stick a price on a certain part of work. This means we can estimate prices for nearly any project, granted we done similar jobs before.

With the pricing, I set a rate for myself that I want to earn per hour. When a client asks how much something will cost I estimate how many hours I think the project will take me to complete and then multiply those hours by my hourly rate to come up with a price estimate.

I’ll usually adjust that estimate some before giving it to the client, but that’s how it starts.

Hope that helps.

- MexiChriS