“Choose the best two out of three.” That’s the advice I frequently give my clients. On almost a daily basis I deal with clients who want high quality work done “as soon as possible” and “for cheap”. Unfortunately finding a perfect balance of speed, quality and cost in graphic design is virtually impossible. Let me explain:
Speed and low costs mean the quality will suffer
This is the most frequent request I get as a graphic designer. “Can we have it quickly and at a low cost?” Many times I try to assure them I can work quickly and economically but I try to explain that the quality of the design will suffer because of it. Solution? I tell my clients that with sufficient time and funds, I can produce superior work.
Speed & Quality means you pay more
The second most frequent request I get goes something like this: “It’s got to be fast and it’s got to be great!” My response is usually an optimistic one becuase I explain to them that in order to have it both quickly and top-notch quality, I will need to charge them more.
Demanding quality and low costs means it takes more time
The truth of the matter is, a client can certainly have great work for little money. The only problem is, his job is likely to take low priority on my list.
My advice to clients? Choose two. Decide which of the three options are most important to you. Is money an issue? Then sacrifice a little time or quality. Is quality most important? Then be prepared to pay more money or allow more time to finish. Lastly, if time is of the essence, realize you may have to sacrifice quality or cost-effectiveness to get the job done on schedule.
Loading ...
This is not only for graphic design, it is applicable for any type of commissioned work, including software development, web design, photography, copywriting, etc.
→ Reply to this comment
@tylertravitz
Great post Preston! So true.
→ Reply to this comment
@christopherburd
It’s a lot like the Project Management Triangle: Time vs. Budget vs. Scope. (Strictly speaking Scope is more about feature set than quality, but quality comes into it.)
→ Reply to this comment
@adproducts_mc
I really like this post, and a similar type of thing can be applied to all sorts of commissioned work as Tang Li said in a comment, but other things as well.
For example – Purchasing a car. Power, Build Quality, Price – pick any two.
You can get a powerful car at a cheap price – but it’s won’t be a quality vehicle.
A Powerful, well built car – won’t be cheap.
A high quality build car, that’s cheap – won’t be very powerful.
All these are true because in the end something has to give!
→ Reply to this comment
@Archimer
This is the exact rule-of-thumb that my graphic design teacher in school used to use. These are very sound words of wisdom indeed that all clients working with a firm or independent artist should understand!
→ Reply to this comment