Today I’m going to step away from our normal line of articles and participate in Blog Action Day 2008. Today, October 15th, bloggers from around the world are uniting to share their hearts on a common subject: Poverty. Each blogger, will talk about this subject from the perspective of their field.

As designers, how does poverty effect us? Or do we have the opportunity to affect change ourselves? One of the hardest things for me is knowing how to price my work. Too many times, I’ve seen clients get taken to the cleaners by a designer or developer who convince them that they must spend thousands of dollars to get top quality work. Often this venture leaves the client broke with no real success to show for it.

As a freelancer and now a business owner, it’s the desire of my heart to provide top quality work to those that can’t afford to go and hire a big design firm or ad agency in LA and NYC. What I offer them instead is cutting edge design and access to all the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years for an affordable price.

When I sit and meet with a new client, I find myself drawn in by their stories of struggle, success and triumph. These small businesses, ministries and individuals are often seeking an alternative to the big business world they see at work. Due to budget constraints and their commitment to "starting small", they are unable to compete with the big dogs at these bigger companies.

This is where I provide a solution. I can help the smaller, struggling businesses that are in need of good design for a cheap budget.

How do I do it?

1. Start small. I explain up front that the rates and information I am giving them are directly proportional to the size and demand of their small establishment. By doing this, I allow a sliding room, so that as their ministry grows, my fees too, can grow with them. By doing this, I establish a connection with the client, they know that I want them to succeed!

2. Show them reality. I have a list of "standard" prices that I charge. Which is true and fair, and I do stick to them with larger companies that I work for. But when I’m working for Joe Schmoe in Backwoods, OK, I print out my price list and then mark through the regular prices and give them their price based on the information that they have provided.

3. Judge the personality. One of the hardest things to do, is perceive whether a client will be easy to work with or difficult. I have been burned by this only once. I agreed to do a rush job for a lady that was creating a book as a gift. She was a very sweet lady and I had worked with her daughter before so I thought I would be safe. Unfortunately I didn’t count on another friend of hers being involved in the process. After rushing to complete the job, pulling an all-nighter and practically giving it away for nothing–the project became a nightmare. After the initial proofing was finished, I was asked to continue making changes, in fact one day alone, I received over 35 emails from that individual with minor tweaks and changes. In the end, I finally was forced to draw the line and severe the relationship and end the project.

As designers we have the opportunity to spread a little goodwill and sunshine to those that can’t afford our services but know they have a need for good design. Remember that each person you help will plant seed that you can reap later!

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