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Question about my first logo job for a weird food truck in Austin
Honestly, the guy wanted a logo for his 'Pickle & Ice Cream' truck and offered to pay me with free sandwiches for a year. Ngl, I took the deal because I was desperate, but now I'm stuck eating weird combos every weekend. How do you even put a cash price on your first project when the client's whole thing is a joke?
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the_logan6mo ago
Took my first real logo job for a friend's tiny record shop. He paid me half in cash, half in store credit. Honestly, that credit forced me to actually value my own work every time I bought a vinyl, because I was literally spending my fee. Next client, I just took that total number and made it my flat rate. Felt way more real than just picking a random price out of thin air.
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craig.parker6mo ago
Start by tracking the hours you spent and putting a fair hourly rate on that time, even if you got paid in pickles. That number is your baseline for the next real client. Spencerross is right about the wild story, but you need a real number in your head to move past the barter system. I still have a line in my portfolio for "Sandwich Valuation" from a similar early gig.
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spencerross6mo ago
Ever hear about my buddy who designed a logo for a dog bakery that paid him in custom pupcakes? He ended up with a freezer full of them and had to give them away at every party for months. Sometimes that first gig is more about the wild story than the money, but it can be tough to set a real price later. Maybe think of it as building your portfolio with a conversation starter piece.
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kai8395mo ago
Honestly the weirdest part is how those barter deals can totally warp your sense of value. Like, you start thinking a logo is worth twenty fancy cupcakes because that's what you got once.
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