So...I have a potential customer who wants a graphic of a fly rod running down the length of his boat. I've spent 2 hours searching for the above. Not just a fishing rod, but a fly rod. No luck. I'd like to charge him for my time searching from here on out. Is this bad form? What should a customer expect from me in a situation like this? Ok...lemme have it.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Draw it. it would be much faster.
Or scan it and vector it yerself.. still faster. probably. or ,,,Buy it,, still faster..
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Tell ya the truth Tisha, when a customer asks me for a fly rod or an fish to paint on his boat or vehicle, the first thing I ask in return is a photo or picture of what it is exactly he wants. This way I can scan it, blow it up, and get over the humps, so to speak.
Time is money and whether or not I'm executing the job itself, everything relating to the project is work, up until the job is finished.
Hope this helps
[ July 29, 2003, 08:51 PM: Message edited by: Joey Madden ]
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Of course you can't charge him. A customer has the right to expect that anyone involved in "Graphics" will simply illustrate the object and reproduce it. You can't charge a customer for your shortcomings. or?.......................
k31
Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
Spend 5 or 10 minutes searching & if you don't come up with anything it's time to put pen to paper and hand to mouse.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
You can charge for design time but that detail needs to be worked out in advance, you are basically screwed now because you didn't do that. Now the customer is gonna be faced with an unexpected design bill, and you just cannot do that.
I found photos of all kinds of flyrods to use for reference within 30 seconds of a search on Yahoo.
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
I reread your post Tisha and didnt see any mention if your search was for reference material or clipart. I myself can draw well and have no idea of the difference of a fly rod, so I would have to find a reference myself.
Of course knowing this in advance I would explain this to the customer, ask him to produce an image or I'd have to charge him for the search.
But all would be disclosed before hand.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
like Joey said... Have him bring his fly rod & $100 design fee & then go away, by the next day you should have a good looking graphic for him. If you have difficulty drawing it for him, then try anyway, you will probably benefit from the practice. If that fails you can spend more time looking, knowing you will at least get the $100.
I don't reccommend spending 2 hours for "potential customers" just be confident you will be able to deliver a satisfactory graphic & always get a deposit.
Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :
Tisha, I bet the reason this customer is still 'potential' is that you are doing his layout on speculation BEFORE you actually have the job. Now you know just one of the reasons that is seldom a good idea.
If I read your question right, you want to know if it's ok to START charging 'from here on out', and the answer is a tentative yes. Somebody has to do the research, and if it's you, then you should be paid. Personally, I would tell him the price of the entire job, with the flyrod art being somewhat of a wildcard at the moment. Any layouts or further hunting for graphics would be done AFTER he has signed an order and/or given a deposit.
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
I've run into that situation a lot with boat owners - they want pictures of images and they don't realize what they're asking for. I tell them to bring me an image and I can reproduce it. If they have no source for an image then quote them a price BEFORE you spend time developing a picture. If you have no idea what to charge try calling a professional graphic artist in your area and ask them what they would charge. I've fallen into the trap of thinking that the burden is on me to produce the artwork in situations where the client has only a vague idea of what they want. If they are willing to pay you an hourly rate for art time, that's fine. But a lot of boat owners will not want to go to that expense.
Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
The guy here at the paper who has a graphic design business on the side charges $100 an hour for everything.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
A woman stopped by yesterday looking to have me "do an eagle in gold" on her hubby's pickup truck. You should have seen the look on her face when I asked her if she wanted it airbrushed, hand painted, or made from Signgold...lol.
Personalized vehicles are always fun, but getting an idea from a customer is sometimes the toughest part to them. I try to have them get a picture before going too far out on my own with an idea.
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