I used to charge by the hour, now I only do flat project fees after a client in Seattle took 8 weeks to approve a simple logo.

For my first two years, I billed hourly because I thought it was fair. That Seattle client kept asking for tiny changes over email, dragging a two day job into two months of billed hours. It felt wrong, so I switched to flat rates with three clear revision rounds. My income got steadier and clients make decisions faster. What's your take on billing methods for design work?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan_patel3mo ago

Oh man, that's the classic hourly billing trap. Been there. Flat fees with set revisions are the only way to go, it puts a hard stop on endless tweaks. Clients actually think about what they want before asking, because they know it's not a free change. My stress levels dropped big time after I switched. What do you do if a client blows past the revision limit?

loganhart2mo ago

Wait, do people actually let their clients keep making changes after the limit? That's on you for not sticking to the terms. I just send them the invoice for the next round and don't start work until it's paid. Simple as that. If they push back, I remind them the contract is clear and I'm not a charity. Some people need a firm boundary to take you seriously.

cameron7243mo ago

Tell them the next round is at my "I'm losing my mind" rate, which is basically double. I learned that the hard way after letting one client treat me like a human undo button for six months. Now it's in the contract, bold and underlined.