good money

Here at Uprint.id, we have designers working with us. Out there, we have many designer friends. That is why we know a lot about designers, the works that they do, the process undertaken to create a good design, how people value them, and more.

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With respect to less appreciation for designers, we have heard stories and we have had our own experiences too, so we feel what designers out there feel when they are not appreciated for the works that they do. Believe it or not, there are people who refuse to pay for design. In the past, we got some clients who came to us for printing. They did not have their own materials ready, so they asked us to first help them design prior to print. What was unbelievable was that they did not want to pay for our design and just wanted to pay for the papers. Another example, there was one client (let us call this client John) who asked for our help to design a brochure for his client because he thought the design was terrible. So, we accepted it and told him how much we would charge for this service. He was extremely surprised to hear it and rejected us immediately. His reason was that he didnt charge his client. He then said to us that designing a brochure was an easy job, all we had to do was just putting this and that here and there and its done. Next, he asked us: why would you charge that much for a simple job like that?

The two examples above are just a few of many real cases that designers encounter most of the time when they offer their services. We hope that after reading this piece of article, people will give more appreciation to designers (willing to pay for good design) and designers will be encouraged to do what they are supposed to do.

REASONS PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR GOOD DESIGN

People out there can differentiate between good and bad designs, between the professional and the unprofessional ones. When they see a great design, they will immediately say: What an awesome design! This is so cool! But alas, most of them are not willing to pay designers money that is equally worth those awesome designs. People just cannot see why good designs come with high rates. What is happening is that people opt to hire less professional designers just because these designers offer much lower rates!

So how could this happen? Why are good designers not paid what they are truly worth? The following are some of the reasons people do not want to pay for high quality designs:

People think high quality designs cannot be that expensive; it is not worth it spending a lot of money only for designs

People love good designs. What is surprising, they are aware that good designs are both necessary and effective to attract audience. However, they believe that the cost shouldnt be that high. Why do they think so? Because somehow they believe, psychologically, that they are at some level creative, that they can actually do it too even though it is not their area of expertise. Moreover, there is a tendency that people value designs not in an objective way.

People, who are non-designers, are overconfident that they can design much better than professional designers

We may not understand why, but this is a fact: when asked why they will not pay a lot for a good design, they would answer that they could actually do what designers do and they believe they could do it even better. Therefore, when people think they can do it well (though, most of the time, it is not true), they will not consider the works of designers that valuable. They will not understand when designers try to explain the process they are going through. As a result, good design is not that hard to do, it looks easy and simple to them. Despite this, we also have to take into account that not all the time it is the fault of the clients. There are many designers who undervalue their work and charge clients too low compared to the industry standards. That is why people do not take them very seriously.

The absurdity of an incredible design

What is absurd about an incredible design is that people acknowledge its awesomeness, but they do not think that it is very hard and complicated to do. They compare designers with people who do repetitive jobs, such as those working in the fields of IT, accounting, administration and banking. What these people dont know is that it takes sweat, blood and tears to create a really good design.

Low education level

Particularly in Indonesia, the education level of some people is still low. They do not understand design, which is why they do not appreciate design.

WHAT DESIGNERS CAN DO

Knowing this kind of situation, what can designers do then?

First, do not be afraid to set yourself high. If you are really that good, then be confident to stand your ground. Do not follow those designers who will accept whatever job offered to them with the cheapest prices, because once you accept a low rate, you will have to go with that low rate for quite a while, and it will be difficult for you when you are trying to higher your rate. What happens when you higher your rate? People will mind. So, make sure that you do not undervalue yourself.

Second, with many design jobs offered to you, we suggest you choose the jobs with the highest rates, though in number these high-paying jobs are smaller compared to the low-paying jobs. Once you can prove your quality and earn their trusts, more offers will come to you as the word of mouth is very powerful.