#wopro

It’s important when working out what to charge for clients to take not just the work into consideration but other factors. If you are just starting out and trying to build your portfolio you may choose to charge less than a more experienced illustrator. If you have a good reputation and strong work history you may be able to charge more than the standard rate as the client might want you specifically. 

Reading through the AOI articles regarding pricing they listed specific things to consider when deciding on pricing.

Usage - You also need to consider the client, if they are a large brand or small independent business and how visible your work will be.

Where is will be used - UK only, Europe, America or worldwide, the bigger the audience the higher the fee.

How long it will be used for - Is it for a one off event or the branding of a product. 

The rights to an image needs to be agreed between both the illustrator and client. On the AOI website they recommend going by:

Territory – Duration  – Usage

E.g: UK Licence, 1 Year, illustration for Printed Postcard ONLY

Worldwide Licence, 5 years, full coverage illustration for whiskey label ONLY

I found this guide regarding copyright laws and illustration really helpful and have saved it here for future reference. The key point for me is that your illustration is always copyrighted by you whether you mark it as so or not. The only time you loose the copyright is if you sell it. 

https://theillustratorsguide.com/copyright-for-illustrators/

‘Understanding copyright for illustrators doesn’t need to be complicated. Every illustration you create is your property – you own it, you are the copyright holder. You can give permission for other people to use the illustration for free or for money, or you can sell the entire copyright. It is yours to do with what you want.

The illustration business operates on the basis that you grant clients a licence to use your intellectual property for different purposes, in different places and for different lengths of time. The artist is still the owner of the illustration and has the right to copy it (copyright). Clients pay to be able to use your work in predetermined ways for a certain amount of time in the form of a licence.

Increasingly, clients are asking for the transfer of copyright in their contracts, which means they will own your illustration outright. It is in your best interests to keep hold of your copyright.’ (Copyright for illustrators, 2018)

Admittedly when I have completed paid work I haven’t usually considered all the points listed above. My paid work so far has always been for one off illustrations for friends, wedding invites etc. I genrally charge using the number of hours it takes to complete the work x £10ph rate. Which is probably under charging. I have also done work in place of buying a wedding gift!  Moving forward I want to consider all the factors above when working with a client. Even if I am doing the work as a gift I think it would be valuable to estimate how much I should charge. 

References

Lee, G., 2019. How To Price Your Illustrations. [online] Digital Arts. Available at: <https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/creative-business/how-to-price-illustrations/> [Accessed 21 August 2020].

The AOI. n.d. Negotiating Pricing. [online] Available at: <https://theaoi.com/resources/pricing/negotiating-pricing/> [Accessed 21 August 2020].

The AOI. n.d. Price It Right – Pricing Basics. [online] Available at: <https://theaoi.com/resources/pricing/price-it-right-pricing-basics/> [Accessed 21 August 2020].