In our weekly installment of Clients from Hell, a hilarious collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers, we present “When they don't value your work.” For previous posts, click here .
I was in talks with a major client for a multi-million dollar project. I cannot stress this enough. This project was worth many millions of dollars for this client.
Client: Would LOVE to work with you! What’s your rate for a piece?
Me: It depends on the usage, size, etc. Could you provide more info?
Client: We’re looking for 13 illustrations.
I drew up a few options for them, based on use scenarios and buyout options, and sent them along.
Client: This makes no sense – you’re asking for thousands of dollars for a few drawings.
Me: Right, but I’m delivering a professional product for a major project, and there are several options for what you might want. If price is a concern, then I’ve included a presentation-only fee that I think is quite reasonable for a project this size.
Client: We would consider $5,000 for 20 illustrations and full buyout in perpetuity.
That was less than the quote I did for a presentation-only fee for 13 illustrations. I didn’t answer.
The client sent me the URL of another illustrator’s portfolio.
Client: He’ll do it for $300-500 each. He’s amazing!