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Anyone want me to make them a website?
- Thread starter M-I-5
- Start date
The problem I have with it is that offering a product free degrades the value of it for people who do it for a living. its like having 2 grocery stores in town and one charges an acceptable price according to national standards and the other gives away everything free of charge. obviously you're going to go to the free store. which means every employ at the store that charges is going to lose their job and suffer because the owner of the free store decided give things away instead of having competative prices.
Another flaw in it is that you're doing comp work. that is free work to show examples to a posible client. your time is as valuable as his/her's so you should charge for your time coming up with the ideas. You should as get a breif on what your client wants before diving into a project. that way you save time in the long run you can get the project done ahead of schedule and get a bonus.
I mean sure I love doing design but if someone is giving it away free it makes all my investments in equipment and education useless. I might as well be a Philosophy major. (if anyone is a philsophy major sorry but I really don't see how it would be useful in any career)
had to edit some obvious grammar... obviously not an English major
Another flaw in it is that you're doing comp work. that is free work to show examples to a posible client. your time is as valuable as his/her's so you should charge for your time coming up with the ideas. You should as get a breif on what your client wants before diving into a project. that way you save time in the long run you can get the project done ahead of schedule and get a bonus.
I mean sure I love doing design but if someone is giving it away free it makes all my investments in equipment and education useless. I might as well be a Philosophy major. (if anyone is a philsophy major sorry but I really don't see how it would be useful in any career)
had to edit some obvious grammar... obviously not an English major
It's a tough world out there for sure. I do freebies, less than what my checkbook would like me to charge sites and site right on the money. I don't have a flat rate/package that I post. I look at each project and base my fees on that. So many post $$ for sites across the board and it really doesn't apply to all that way and can cause potential clients to move on without giving you a chance. Be open to ideas, be well informed of your clients market, be on top of the coding game in your area and remember...the customer is always right. You can suggest but don't demand. You can show them why it may be better to go this way then their way but they are the ones paying you. I always give them a few templates to look at, my views and their requests. Usually it ends up being a combination of both. You will find many that have no idea what they want so you have to think on both sides of the fence to jump start them in the right direction. It's hard being out there on your own. Just try to stay positive and learn from the ones that will turn you down. Ask yourself why did they go with company B? What didn't I offer that they needed? Sounds like you are going in the right direction. Just remember your site is a reflection of you and your work. If you want professional work, make sure the site is professional, quick to load for modem users, not 100% java and verify your site constantly to ensure all links are working, all gifs are showing up, etc. :} :}
M-I-5 said:
Hmmm I would say this is your first run at brain storming! Grab a piece of paper and pencil and let the ideas flow. Then when you find one your like, chances are the domain is already taken! lol Happened to me! grrrrrr
Let us know what you come up with and why you chose that name. :}
AppleCider
Power User
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WARNING: Brainspin here
You know, when I read M-I-5's first post, my first thought is "that's silly" (My apologies, M-I-5; I was wrong)
Here's the deal, as I see it. Someone who (supposedly) can design a site needs a) ideas for a site to get the creative juices going, and b) a portfolio so he/she can get jobs in the future. We've all been there.
What if....we can use this forum as a "make a portfolio" thread, and at the same time, do some good?
Anyone who has a charity, a grassroots organization, can post a request for design. Understood is it would be free. ALSO understood is that it would be a simple site...no backend programming, unless the people involved would agree on it.
NO commercial sites. If you charge AT ALL, you're not eligible.
The payoff: For the organization itself, they get a site, for free (hosting etc is not included). For the designer, he/she gets to start a portfolio.
Initial design only. Unless the two parties agree on something else (like updates, etc.)
This can also include logo design.
The organization/charity would have the final say on "bids."
You could tell your friends who do run charitable/grassroots organizations to check this out.
Caveats: No organizations that are hate-based, racial or otherwise. No illegal sites (illegal downloads, warez sites, etc) No adult or porno sites, free or otherwise.
Thoughts? Ideas? Mark, if there's interest, can we have a forum for this?
You know, when I read M-I-5's first post, my first thought is "that's silly" (My apologies, M-I-5; I was wrong)
Here's the deal, as I see it. Someone who (supposedly) can design a site needs a) ideas for a site to get the creative juices going, and b) a portfolio so he/she can get jobs in the future. We've all been there.
What if....we can use this forum as a "make a portfolio" thread, and at the same time, do some good?
Anyone who has a charity, a grassroots organization, can post a request for design. Understood is it would be free. ALSO understood is that it would be a simple site...no backend programming, unless the people involved would agree on it.
NO commercial sites. If you charge AT ALL, you're not eligible.
The payoff: For the organization itself, they get a site, for free (hosting etc is not included). For the designer, he/she gets to start a portfolio.
Initial design only. Unless the two parties agree on something else (like updates, etc.)
This can also include logo design.
The organization/charity would have the final say on "bids."
You could tell your friends who do run charitable/grassroots organizations to check this out.
Caveats: No organizations that are hate-based, racial or otherwise. No illegal sites (illegal downloads, warez sites, etc) No adult or porno sites, free or otherwise.
Thoughts? Ideas? Mark, if there's interest, can we have a forum for this?
tranquil222
Power User
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First of all, yes, design(website or otherwise) is time talent and money and should NOT(excluding promotions, which may be the case here) be given away for free or at an insanely low price. I've seen too many horribly designed websites to go back on that.
The client always gets what they pay for. Seriously, anyone who gets an education on design will have a much better 'grocery store' than someone with little or none. It just seems like he's giving free samples out before he starts charging. The market on design right now is in part so cheap because there are all these programs and companies that have pre-designed layouts and everyone's current mindset that everything having to do with computers/design should be free or cheap...but I sense that soon people will wake up and realize that each company needs to maintain its image with something unique, well thought out, and well designed. Which will not fall into the hands of an amateur, but a graphic designer.
couldnt agree more but a company has got to have an edge otherwise they wouldnt get any business so offering cheaper rates than other places is likely to work. However thinking about charging insanely low prices i have decided against this. If anyone wants any website made i will tell the client how long it took and we can agree on a price. I think that is quite a fair way to play it?
well if we go back to the grocery store anology (I need to go shopping still) and think about samples... they might give you a cracker to try but not a whole box.
of course I agree with the you get what you pay for idea too. like if I get offered next to nothing to do something I'll tell them that its not going to be first priority and it could take a while to do it. cause sure I'll take the cash but I'm gonna get whats paying done first. I'm also probably not going to put a great deal of thought into it... unless I think its going to lead to better projects.
of course I agree with the you get what you pay for idea too. like if I get offered next to nothing to do something I'll tell them that its not going to be first priority and it could take a while to do it. cause sure I'll take the cash but I'm gonna get whats paying done first. I'm also probably not going to put a great deal of thought into it... unless I think its going to lead to better projects.
People are basically cheap, and when you're first starting out, if they can smell you're a noob, they'll try like hell to get more work out of you than what they'll pay for.
I learned this the hard way by making the mistake of telling my first client that I was new to the design business. Never tell anyone you're new, and always charge what you're worth.
In the beginning I did many jobs for free - a logo here, a banner there - just to promote the business. After enough business comes in you can raise your prices and then tell the deadbeats to kiss off.
Graphic design is a tough field to make a living in, unless you're working for a magazine or a company on a full time basis.
I learned this the hard way by making the mistake of telling my first client that I was new to the design business. Never tell anyone you're new, and always charge what you're worth.
In the beginning I did many jobs for free - a logo here, a banner there - just to promote the business. After enough business comes in you can raise your prices and then tell the deadbeats to kiss off.
Graphic design is a tough field to make a living in, unless you're working for a magazine or a company on a full time basis.
Well I am working on my second free site. Both are bringing in paying clients. No matter if I am being paid or doing the work for free I will still give the site 200%. It is a reflection of me and my work so I wouldn't do it any other way. The freebie sites do understand that they take the back burner when a paying job is going on and they never have a problem with that. All I ask is to place a small 88x31 banner on the page that links to my site. I would be willing to help anyone that needed it. They abide by the same contract rules the paying customers do so I never have a problem. I enjoy what I do and I just love to help others. 
same same Linda and agree ......... you give a little and it comes back ten fold right?
I also do some work for chickens
oh okay bugs and prawns really he he he
I have a few clients that just need help to get started...... amazing at how much work they send my way so much so that to this day I still have not advertised, I can't say that I am cheep either I just love what I am doing, like Linda love to help others and promote as much local business as I can so that we can all survive.
We can't all give I understand this because that would throw the ecconomy out the window but just a little every now and then and the world would be a happier better place for all ......... okay back to coffee drip number 3 he he he ;\
sfm
I also do some work for chickens
oh okay bugs and prawns really he he heI have a few clients that just need help to get started...... amazing at how much work they send my way so much so that to this day I still have not advertised, I can't say that I am cheep either I just love what I am doing, like Linda love to help others and promote as much local business as I can so that we can all survive.
We can't all give I understand this because that would throw the ecconomy out the window but just a little every now and then and the world would be a happier better place for all ......... okay back to coffee drip number 3 he he he ;\
sfm
What MIE offered is peanuts compared to the piles of websites out there offering free website templates, and from what I can see they look alot better than many commercial websites.
Two such examples are:
http://www.freelayouts.com/
http://www.freewebtemplates.com/
If you search google for free website templates, you'll get tonnes. So I kinda feel it for the professional people who has to compete against them.
Two such examples are:
http://www.freelayouts.com/
http://www.freewebtemplates.com/
If you search google for free website templates, you'll get tonnes. So I kinda feel it for the professional people who has to compete against them.
Hi dave, yes they may look better but i cant imagine companies wanting templates, some of them on those sites 6000 people have downloaded them ok perhaps half wont actually make them into websites but 3000 with the same site as you? thats kind of stupid. If a company did get one of those its probably to see what impact a website has for their company and then they will go and get someone good to make them one. Free templates are very useful but i just dont think they are the future of webdesign because quite large numbers of people download these. thousands!
M-I-5
M-I-5