

How to Find the Right Designer - trevmckendrick
http://www.trevormckendrick.com/how-to-find-the-right-designer/

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trevmckendrick
I had to learn this the hard way.

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dylangs1030
Very well written, I'm glad I'm following this series.

However, I don't agree with stating a number upfront, at least not always. I'm
not a designer, but in my own freelance development work I've personally never
minded if a number wasn't given up front because it left more room for
negotiation (for both parties).

While that's anecdotal, I feel it makes sense. If a non-technical person comes
to me with a budget of $2000 and doesn't know that what they're asking could
be done by any seasoned developer for $500, they're maximizing their budget
up.

In general, I feel you should try to not state the first number. True, many
developers and designers are more expensive than this, but many will also
gladly tell you a rate (usually a combination of expected project length *
hourly rate for one large fee). If you are patient, you might find it's lower
than your budget, in which case you benefit by not stating a budget upfront.

This is all just from the "other side's" perspective. Negotiation functions a
bit differently in freelance work than it does in a salary situation, but I
feel that both parties should at least have a vague idea of whether or not
they can work together and what the project is before they crunch the numbers.

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trevmckendrick
Great points. For me it had been hard getting developers' attention before
that (looking in places other than dribbble). Even with the budget I didn't
get responses from everyone I emailed.

From a bargaining perspective I agree, I would normally wait to hear the other
person's number, especially when I have the option to turn them down.

In this case though I needed to get up and running quickly, and including the
budget increased the chances of hearing back.

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dylangs1030
I suppose that does make sense, if time is of the essence it will help in
getting attention.

