Pricing Picasso

Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.

"It's you -- Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist."

So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the woman his work of art.

"It's perfect!" she gushed. "You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?"

"Five thousand dollars," the artist replied.

"B-b-but, what?" the woman sputtered. "How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!"

To which Picasso responded, "Madame, it took me my entire life."

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Throughout college one of my main questions about graphic design was how much to charge clients. Do the research and you'll get the same answers... it depends on the client/company, the project, the timescale. And then of course you wonder whether or not you should charge someone per hour, or by base price. Even better, sometimes you get the friends who expect you to spend time designing something for free. Let them know how much you'd typically charge someone and they'll ask something like, "why so much?!" with a seemingly altered persona because they are apparently offended that you'd charge "so much" for a friend.

Many people wonder why design is priced how it is because "they can do it themselves, but they just don't have time to." Alright, then find time and get it done for free. Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't do pro-bono work occasionally or that you should never give friends discounts... that's all personal decisions based on your preferences. Then there are the people (typically high schoolers) who advertise themselves at $10 per subpar logo design, which always gets people wanting them at those prices because now they've seen it for that price.

Now why am I even saying all of this?  I don't really know. I saw the excerpt on David Airey's blog and thought it was an interesting concept. As a graphic designer, it's not just the hours of work you put into a project. It's a lifetime of experience. It's every college course, every client interaction, every struggle, and every triumph. It's an entire knowledge base. Look at the story above. Picasso was going to charge $5,000 for a single stroke of a pencil. The client loved the result, but was dumbfounded by the pricing. I'm not the expert on pricing. I've dealt with numerous clients myself, but the majority of them were through my internship.  The company I worked for had prices decided ahead of time. When it came to clients who were asking me about pricing for projects, I was never sure of what price to give them.

The fact of the matter is, pricing is a grey area. It's difficult to figure out. You shouldn't gouge your clients, but you shouldn't under charge either. It's a process that takes time to figure out. Just take a second to think about it. 

billyfasig.com version 2.0

I’ve spent the last few weeks designing a new website. I really liked my old one, but I feel like the new one fits my design aesthetic a lot more. That’s not the only reason I changed it however. My old website (which can still be visited on billyfasig.prosite.com) was supported on Behance. I decided to switch to SquareSpace for the new website. I found the functionality to be a lot better and the features benefited my personal preferences.

On top of a new web design, I’ve also designed a new logo. The design is based on a camera aperture. In the middle of the aperture is a box. Seeing as though the aperture is surrounding the box, it brings reference to the idea that I’m always thinking outside of the box. Simple and clean.

I’m very pleased with all the recent changes and I hope you all are as well.

And the job search begins

Right after I graduated, I spent a while gathering my portfolio, résumé, and cover letter. Everything is basically done now and I’ve sent in applications to a few places. I’m hoping to hear back, but I’ve also been doing a lot of research of other companies in my area as well as places like Chicago, New York, California, etc. It’s a lot to take in. I haven’t ever pictured myself moving to a big city straight out of college. I figured I would spend quite a bit of time gathering myself in my home state and see where it takes me. At a certain point, the ideal option is just that… the ideal. I need to stop focusing on what might be perfect for me and start thinking about what else could be. It’s a big jump and it’s a lot to take in. I have no idea what the cost of living in some of these places is, not to mention I don’t have family anywhere but in the southeast. That’s what the internet is for… research. There hasn’t been a time in my life where I’ve been away from my family like I would be if a company in a city like that were to take interest in me.

I’d like to think that I have a lot to offer a company. I’m not a cocky person, but I know that I am a strong candidate. I’m just ready for the opportunity to prove it. That’s all I need… the opportunity.

www.billyfasig.com

Grade Reports

So I can finally say that I finished my semester strong. It was a lot of hard work and dedication, but I did my best and it has all worked out. I’m finishing college with a 3.493 GPA and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. I’m very excited about the next part of my life. Currently, I’m preparing my portfolio, finishing my resume, and getting ready to apply for my dream jobs. I already know where I’d like to work and hopefully everything works out so that I can accomplish that goal.

As for now, I’m officially a University of South Carolina graduate with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, a minor in Art History and photography So that’s where I’m at now. And here’s to hoping for a bright future ahead.

Life Continues

Without frequent updates, you lose track of what’s going on in people’s lives. In all honesty, my life has been crazy lately and I haven’t had much extra time to update everyone on what’s going on… so here’s my update:

The last semester of my college career is quickly wrapping up and my final projects are in motion. I can say that I’m extremely proud of all of them. I haven’t posted them online yet, but that time will come soon. I’m simply trying to catch up on everything at the moment. My website should be launched within the next week. There are three projects left in my last semester. I will be applying for my dream jobs in the next month. Etc etc.

For my internship I’ve done a lot of work during my internship that isn’t 100% design, but rather social networking, blogging, web, etc. However, as far as the designs go I’ve mostly been working on rebranding a few companies. In the future, you’ll be seeing my rebrands for Sub Station II (a sandwich shop which now has over 40 locations), Safe Life Senior (a personal emergency response services company which was previously known as Pilot Club), and The Protocol School of Washington (a global leader in business etiquette and international protocol training). I am waiting for final decisions on which logos they have chosen before I post them anywhere.

Graduation is just over a month away. I will be applying for jobs in the upstate. I have one company that I’m shooting for, but I will be keeping my options open until something comes along.

A word of advice to all those who have been stressing lately: remove yourself from social networking. Remove Facebook from your phone. Remove Twitter. Remove Tumblr. Just stop. Breathe. Enjoy the fresh air. Enjoy the people around you. Stop looking at the phone in your hand. It’s distracting and takes away from everything around you. That’s what I’ve done recently. I plan to continue it also.

There are ups and downs in everyone’s lives. Things happen which make you question if what you’re doing is right. Things happen which makes you wonder whether or not you should pick a different path. We all know that life changes. Mine has changed drastically just in the last month. Don’t get me wrong… that’s not a complaint. Change can be good. It all depends on your outlook.

Life moves on and I’m ready for the ride to continue.