How much do you pay your Graphics Guy?

[Boudica]

I think.... It's complicated. Whenever there are "easy answers" vastly different from each other, it's complicated. Less tolerance from the person who wants dignity, no matter what the job they are performing, to the intolerant customer, client, boss.
Or, I read way to many headlines re tick tock users sharing some outrageous experience. Can we end tick tock yet?

 

[Johnny Best]

Yea but you also eat for free at fast food places.

 

[texas33]

So it sounds like you are currently farming out all your design stuff.
So the rate is usually dictated by the designer. I would think that they would bill you by each project.
That being said, if it's your company I would put in the time to learn different design software and some basic layout concepts.

Also remember that almost all 'art' is subjective and the opinion that matters is the person writing the check.

If you are looking at hiring in house, at my shops I was making $24-26 an hour with full benefits and retirement.

Actually no, everything we do is in house. I'm a small 2 person business currently but once I find a new location I'll bring in a dedicated Sales Person. I'm shooting to have that done by year's end. My Graphics Guy does all of the design(he's well versed in several design programs as well as CAD), printing, small installs(I'll help if it's a bigger job), and does material pickup runs. He brings in jobs as well whenever he can. I pay him by the job right now but for the Youth Sports side, it's a percentage of the job and design fee. Youth sports is a completely different animal than Banners, Store Fronts, Trailers, etc. The jobs are smaller but there's more of them, especially during the busy season when teams are gearing up. I've been on the Youth Sports side for a while so I've had all of that figured out for a while already. The Sign side though is completely new to me. I know it's a learning process, so I want to make sure I start off on the right foot.

 

[AKwrapguy]

Actually no, everything we do is in house. I'm a small 2 person business currently but once I find a new location I'll bring in a dedicated Sales Person. I'm shooting to have that done by year's end. My Graphics Guy does all of the design(he's well versed in several design programs as well as CAD), printing, small installs(I'll help if it's a bigger job), and does material pickup runs. He brings in jobs as well whenever he can. I pay him by the job right now but for the Youth Sports side, it's a percentage of the job and design fee. Youth sports is a completely different animal than Banners, Store Fronts, Trailers, etc. The jobs are smaller but there's more of them, especially during the busy season when teams are gearing up. I've been on the Youth Sports side for a while so I've had all of that figured out for a while already. The Sign side though is completely new to me. I know it's a learning process, so I want to make sure I start off on the right foot.

That sounds more complicated than I think it needs to be. So does he's price change? Let's say you quote out a price, client accepts than you negotiate with your employee for the job?

 

[Gino]

Speaking of the right foot..........

Do you have a written contract with this second person ??
Do you pay any employee health insurance, vacation or sick pay ??
Do you provide the tools and supplies ??
Do you pay his social security and medicare taxes ??
Do you withhold federal, state, local taxes and unemployment taxes ??

 

[Big Rice Field]

As a freelance designer pre COVID I charged $35 an hour. After COVID, I reduced my rate to $25 an hour.

 

[Abraxas Aguilera]

Hi everyone, new here so if this has already been asked I apologize. Anyways, for those of you that have Graphics Guys, how do you pay them? Is it hourly, by the job or another way? My company started out doing helmets decals for Youth Sports but we've since expanded and do jobs outside of sports now, i.e. Wall Graphics, Store Fronts, Trailers, etc. I've attached some images from past jobs we've done for reference. This is a completely different arena from sports decals abd new territory for me so I want to make sure I'm going about this the right way. Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated!

We switched at the beginning of 2022 to using easel.ly. They've been great!

 

[texas33]

We switched at the beginning of 2022 to using easel.ly. They've been great!

What is that? I've never heard of it.

 

[Abraxas Aguilera]

What is that? I've never heard of it.

They have a squad of designers, with different specialties. We let our designer go, because they are faster, better, and know the sign industry and what you need to make an actual sign, not just a pretty design.

 

[JamesLam]

What about Fivvr? Do people on there do this kind of thing?

For a lark I tried Fivvr for some logo concepts. Like anything you get what you pay for. The two people (5 star ratings) that came back with options provided very substandard work.

My impression was that this was a side hustle and when you look at what they make from this the interest is waning.

And honestly there is no accountability from the artists or Fivvr. You can leave a good rating which they will use to promote their platform or a poor rating which is ignored.

 

[JamesLam]

I've been a "sign designer" for years with the same sign company. I feel I'm being paid well and right on target for this area. I consider myself a "Graphic Designer" not just a sign designer. I do anything from simple yard signs, banners, tradeshow displays, logo design as well as logo re-draws to very complex vehicle wraps. I also aid in production, open the shop every morning, clean bathrooms, sweep/mop floors, take out the garbage 3 times a day, cut vinyl, plot templates, manage production to ensure timelines are met. I also assist with off-site installs and /or do the complete install. Even do simple vehicle applications.

So, anyway, there's a current job posting at a competitive sign company that is looking for all those same skills and starting pay is $5-15 an hour more than what I make here. So why not jump? My current job is 2.8 miles from my home, this job is 12 miles more and a $3 bridge toll each way and a lot heavier traffic. My wife works from home so I go home for lunch and we eat and take a walk every day. I also have a pension from the military so I can't really see the benefit to make the move.

Sounds like you own the company.

 

[Muhammad Naeem]

I have designer team. I have own sportswear and fashion products business. I have designers team. I can provide you services. If you are interested please DM.

 

[SignDesignLady]

I am also in the Houston area. There are design freelancers you can find and work with for specific projects, U.S. regional based designers. Just be prepared to pay them well. I started out as a designer and learned the business from there. Now owning the business I don't have time to do as much "actual design" as I would like. I have used Fiver for some small projects, but it is hard to find someone who will give you exactly what you need there, especially if they are from another country. Maybe look at hiring a "sign shop assistant" vs. a designer if you get very basic jobs. Just a suggestion.

 

[GJ Design]

Hi - I'm a newbie here, but long time in the sign biz. In my experience, top designers can get $25-$30/hr. You can find an entry level designer for less than $20/hr, but like everything you get what you pay for. A good designer can actually save you headaches & $$. To echo what was said before, a good designer won't design a sign that can't be built. They can value engineer a project so that it meets the clients budget rather that something that looks great, but the client can't afford. If an engineers stamps is required for permitting, a good designer can create the shop drawing for the engineer to review rather than having the engineer determine how the sign will be installed. This saves engineer costs and usually fabrication/install cost. Generally speaking, engineers pay little concern to client's budgets. If you can't afford to hire a full time designer, it might be worth it to hire a good freelance designer. I have actually moved to per page pricing rather than per hour pricing so my clients have a better idea of what their design cost will be upfront. Just my 2 cents - cheers