Bad pricing isn’t usually about a low number — it’s about pricing the wrong thing. Here’s the framework I use.
Price the usage, not the hours
A logo for a one-person Etsy shop and a logo for a national rebrand are not the same job. The work might be similar; the value isn’t.
Build revisions into the quote
Two structured rounds of feedback are part of every project. Open-ended revisions are how illustrators go bankrupt.
Hold the line on rush fees
A 50% rush surcharge isn’t punishment. It compensates for the work bumped out of the schedule.
Walk away from “exposure”
If they can’t pay for illustration, they can’t pay for the lawyer they’ll need when their unpaid intern uses your work without permission.
