Many designers and freelancers know this problem: hourly rates are not so easy from heaven.
Rather, they are the result of a commercial calculation. Unfortunately, many designers are unsure when it comes to the amount of their own hourly rate.
It is also not always easy to correctly measure your own value, also with regard to the current competition and the minimum earnings limit in order to be able to live on work. This is also shown by periodic fee and salary surveys in the industry.
But that is far from being a reason to despair, dear designers. Because here the BDG-hour rate calculator into play. This free, usable instrument is ideal for quickly determining the commercially sustainable fee with a click that correspond to the individual life and work circumstances of designers.
The BDG hourly rate calculator
The BDG Professional Association of German Communication Designer EV helps to close gaps in the commercial training of designers and support young colleagues in the start of their career.
Among other things, the association has therefore published the BDG founder primer (BDG designer, BDG designer, can order the start-up brisk at a reduced price of € 16.95), which also deals with the calculation of hourly fees.
The BDG hourly rate calculator is the supplementary calculator for the model of logical calculation presented there.
The idea of this model is to calculate the hourly fee that is necessary to ensure a living based on four values - the available working hours and the individual costs as well as entrepreneurial decisions about the risk of failure and the profit expectation.
If the actual hourly fee deviates from the results of the calculator, it becomes clear which risks are not covered and which standard of living is precisely feasible if calculated too low.
"Feeling hourly rates do not do anything. With the calculator, designers receive a safe argumentative basis for honorary negotiations ," emphasizes BDG President Christian Büning. "Hours rates lose their often subordinate arbitrariness. Anyone who can explain what they calculate has a clear advantage. We hope that the colleagues can argue more well with these results towards their clients - which are usually accessible to commercial arguments."
The determined hourly rate is the calculation basis for conception, design, execution and administrative activities such as meetings or presentations. If you do not want to do an effort to check for compliance with usage rights, you can cover the simple usage rights with this hourly rate. If you identify usage rights separately, you can use the BDG fee widget to calculate the usage factor and add up to the design fee.
The BDG hourly rate calculator (sample calculation, screenshot)
The use of the BDG hourly rate calculator is free of charge. The calculator is a gift from the BDG designer to the entire industry.
We hope that the calculator will help prevent price dumping where it arises, namely in the calculation. And we hope that resiliently calculated fee leads to a fairer design market. Because designers can.
Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the field of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Successful completion of a degree in web design as part of a university program (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expressive painting, and theater/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.
A fundamental need for every artistically creative person is likely to be the ability to live off their art.
To secure one's existence, it's essential to earn money with art. In fact, many artists can live well off their creative work today, contrary to the majority's perception. Nevertheless, a vast majority of freelance artists still rely on additional income sources (e.g., giving courses, commissioned work, side jobs, etc.).
Recognition as an artist often does not bring immediate financial security. Therefore, artists are often also life artists.
The opportunities to make a living from one's own art have, however, grown significantly due to the internet and social media. As an artist, however, you must be versatile and flexible to succeed. A certain degree of perseverance is also essential.
Customer care and self-marketing are also important pillars for success as an artist.
In this section, we compile numerous articles, information, tips, and advice to help you make a living from your art.
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