Topic: Career questions?

Since I guess there is no longer a section for this i will post it here. If I am mistaken please feel free to move it.

I just a got a small opportuninty to do a very basic web page. It will consist of a scanned in single color geometric logo, that I am sure I will need to recreate in Photoshop. A burgundy color scheme and basic content taken from a company brochure.

I had no Idea what to quote the guy. He wanted to look classy and he needs it fast. Online by Monday. I figured I would have to recreate the graphic logo becasue the scanner letter head would suck and type and layout the content. I threw out $200 as a quote for this and he didn't even balk at said that would be fine. ANy opinions. Was that too much, to little, just right?

He plans on filling in the site in much more detail soon and I would most likely get to do it. What should I charge for the additional work and is cool to charge a month maintenance fee if he wants me to administer it and how much should that be?

Quarath-
Actually there IS a section for this. It's called "Outpatient Counseling" Check it out

"I think when a person has been found guilty of rape he should be castrated. That would stop him pretty quick." -Billy Graham -

Too true, I *did* rename the career section. Still, you said online by Monday? This monday? (I write this on a saturday!) We don't have much time so I'll handle this right now, we can always move the thread later. Chances are you're working on this tonight, and will also be working on it tomorrow till late,, maybe into the morning. How many hours is that going to be? 20, 24 hours, maybe? More? And these are weekend hours, remember, time and a half if you were working a factory job.

So! Anyone who can do math can see where I'm leading to with this, by these calculations you're working cheap, very cheap. If you can train yourself to think this way while the client is talking to you, you can pull out a pencil and do some notes, while talking and calculating aloud, like so...

"So, let's see! I'll have to work all weekend to get this done for you, no going out for me! Hmm, I see 20, maybe 24 hours before I get this to you Monday morning, I'll be working late. Usually I charge [$20?] and hour, but since this is a rush I'll have to charge you time and a half, is that OK with you?" (waits for agreement) "Good? Ok then... " (scribble scribble with your pencil, what's 20x30? 24x30?) "That'd come out to between $600 and $720, depending on how much time I'll have to take fixing your logo up for you, but at least afterwards you'll have a sharp copy for your archives!" (I'd take this opportunity to poke fun at whomever lost that EPS logo the first time, heh) "So! I should get started, any questions before I go? No? OK then, you'll have this on your desk monday, I'll drop off a bill with the exact hours when I'm done!"

That's part of the patter, and would've netted you a better profit. I usually carry a bitty calculator with me, and write out what I'm going to be doing and jotting a time in hours next to it, then add it all up and multiply rates. Clients dig it if you can make the estimate look like science! If you're going to be doing freelance, this is almost more important than learning the work, gotta get paid!

Your pal, -doc-

I sure hope that he didn't miss the response from you Doc by this thread being moved.
I have loss track of a thread that way before...............

Well, if the deadline was truly tomorrow and not a week from now, I suspect he would have missed it anyways! Not much that could have been done about it in that case, anyway, too late to change the quote.

Your pal, -doc-

Actually I got It and thank you very much. Time wise I think I will spening a lot of time later in the follow up but the intial page buy monday is going to be pretty down and dirty. I am definatley going push for more for something this quick again. This the first comercial venture at doing a page. It was refferd to me by my manager at work as was pretty much a sure thing in that refferal. I honestly was not sure what a simple 1 page document with maybe one or 2 real rather simple graphics was worth. I was kind of afraid that he would say $200 was too much but the reality is he didn't have a lot of choice because he needs it done now. I will definately pull more later and probably charge hourly. I am hoping this can be good stepping point for somw word of mouth refferals later so I want him to be happy with this page and thrilled with the whole thing when it is done. A quick preview of 3 possibilities is at www.finlinson.com/westerra I have all the content typed in now and will be formatting it today.

Hmm, I like the silvery one in the middle, but I don't think I like the effects done ont he white logo/name, the inset doesn't really help the presentation there. I'd opt for a white on maroon text, no real text effect, I think it'd be stronger. Still, it was a first commercial job, and the ice is now broken! Now you can become a ruthless, money-grubbing consultant, and rake in the *big* bucks! Heh. Congratulations!

Your pal, -doc-

OK here's the quick and dirty version www.westerrarealty.com

Links are not suposed to work yet as per instructions.
Also I have not tested in other thatn IE5.5 so if any of you find anything funny in other browsers let me know.

[This message has been edited by Quarath (edited 09-24-2001).]

Yah, this works in a liquid fashion with Netscape 4.72 on the Mac, chances are that means it'll work everywhere else too! It's smooth and clean, but the text treatment is boring to me, maybe we could break it up somewhat with some playing with CSS styles for the text and/or headers?

Your pal, -doc-

Someone should point out the spelling mistake in the main logo.

Oh - I just did.

Quarath- Im so glad you caught it before the deadline. I agree the white/maroon is sweet looking and much better suited.

-lol sonicsnail


"I think when a person has been found guilty of rape he should be castrated. That would stop him pretty quick." -Billy Graham -

*searches for spelling mistake*

"Managment" Check the page title.

"Mangment" In the logo.

Management both times, and we're happy

Ya I got the spelling mistake fixed. Damn sticky keyboard. Spell Check worked fine for html but kinda does work in graphics.

I have really only just begun using CSS and have read a bit on it but only tried using the most basic here. Just assigning colo, size,font to a command like H2 or something. I started this using max's wonderful little program but could not find any help with CSS on it right away and did not want to try to learn right now so pulled in up in Dreamweaver Ultradev. Also made it easy for me to add the outside frame table and set the graphics in so I could see that they were working ok.

I love max's program though I haven't tried to use it much till now, but far and above in ease of use compared to any code based program I have ever seen. I just need to practice and pickup more coding skills. I can't write javascript on the fly or others very well mostly becasue of lack of time to really apply myself. I like apps like dreamweaver when you don't know how to code it but I prefer the control of being able to code it.

Doc, I would like to know more about what you have in mind as I will need to add more to this later. Now the initial page is there I can use this to learn more about CSS and others as I go. I want this to be something I can add to portfolio in the web site section.





[This message has been edited by Quarath (edited 09-25-2001).]