HIRING GUIDES

Hiring design professionals

Identities, sites and campaigns from independent designers. 13 guides, each with a sourced cost range, the questions to ask, and the red flags.

Typical rates in design

$650–$2,500per project9 guides

$65–$100per hour3 guides

$900per month1 guide

All cost guides

Photo showing denim, fabric and texture.

$300–$2,500 per projectApparel designer

What an apparel designer actually delivers, what artwork and tech packs cost, and how to hire one who designs for the way garments are really made.

Photo showing book, lavender and book pages.

$300–$2,000 per projectBook cover designer

What a book cover designer really delivers, what a cover costs, and how to hire one who designs for your genre and every place the book sells.

$400–$5,000 per projectBrand designer

What a brand designer actually does, what it costs to hire one, and how to tell a great one from a template-flipper.

Photo showing emailers template, email marketing and email icon.

$250–$1,500 per projectEmail designer

What an email designer actually builds, what coded, tested templates cost, and how to hire one who makes email render right everywhere, not just in preview.

Photo showing laptop, mockup and graphics tablet.

$35–$120 per hourGraphic designer

What a graphic designer covers (and doesn't), typical hourly rates, and how to brief one so the first draft lands close.

$200–$3,000 per projectIllustrator

What an illustrator creates, what original artwork costs, and how to hire one whose style fits your project and whose contract covers your usage.

$60–$160 per hourMotion designer

What a motion designer makes, what the hourly rate really buys, and how to hire one who can animate an idea, not just move logos around.

Photo showing art, packaging and design.

$800–$6,000 per projectPackaging designer

What a packaging designer actually delivers, what dielines and print-ready files cost, and how to hire one who won't blow your print run.

Photo showing office, computer and collaboration.

$300–$2,500 per projectPresentation designer

What a presentation designer actually does to your slides, what a polished deck costs, and how to hire one who improves the argument, not just the fonts.

Photo showing letters, printing press and metal letters.

$250–$2,000 per projectPrint designer

What a print designer produces, what press-ready files cost, and how to hire one who understands ink and paper, not just pixels.

Photo showing web design, facebook and facebook page.

$400–$2,000 per monthSocial media designer

What a social media designer produces each month, what a monthly retainer buys, and how to hire one who builds a system instead of one-off posts.

$50–$150 per hourUI/UX designer

What UI/UX designers actually do, what they charge per hour, and how to hire one without needing a design department.

Photo showing plans, design and web design.

$500–$8,000 per projectWeb designer

What a web designer actually delivers, what a small-business site costs, and how to avoid paying for a pretty mockup nobody can build.

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