What to charge as a graphic designer
Design is usually sold by the project and costed by the day, and the gap between those two is where the money goes missing. A project fee is a bet on how many days the work takes, and the bet is lost in the revision rounds nobody wrote down. Work out the day rate first, then price the project against it with the rounds stated.
Start from your own numbers
The day rate at the top is the floor. The project estimate underneath turns it into a quote.
What designers actually charge
A sanity check rather than a target. Rates vary enormously by specialism, city and client size, and a single average hides most of what matters.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US freelance graphic designer, average hourly | $38.06 | PayScale, 234 profiles, updated June 2026 |
| US freelance graphic designer, median hourly | $38.06 | PayScale, 234 profiles, updated June 2026 |
| 10th percentile | $20.68 | PayScale, June 2026 |
| 90th percentile | $85.11 | PayScale, June 2026 |
The spread is the useful part. A four-times gap between the tenth and ninetieth percentile is not mostly explained by skill. It is explained by who the client is, whether the work is priced by the hour or by its value to the business, and whether the designer is selling execution or judgement.
Where project fees go wrong
Revisions without a number. "Reasonable revisions" is not a term, it is an argument waiting to happen. Two rounds within the agreed brief, further rounds at a stated figure, and a definition of what counts as a new brief rather than a revision.
Scope that arrives sideways. The logo becomes the logo plus social variants plus a one-page brand sheet plus a favicon, each request small enough that refusing feels petty. Price the deliverables as a list, and treat anything not on the list as a new quote rather than a favour.
Files at the end. Decide up front what the client receives and what they do not, and say whether source files are included and at what price. This is a normal commercial term, not a trick, and it is far easier to state at the start than to negotiate on the last day.
Kill fees. A project cancelled halfway has still cost you the days. A stated cancellation term, commonly a percentage of the fee depending on the stage reached, is standard in the trade and costs nothing to include.
Questions people ask
Day rate or project fee?
Quote projects, cost them in days. A client buying a project is buying an outcome and a known price, which is what most want, and a day rate invites them to manage your time rather than the result. You still need the day rate, because it is the only way to know whether the project fee you quoted was any good.
Should I put prices on my website?
A starting figure filters out the enquiries that were never going to become work, which is worth a great deal when the invoiceable share of your week is the thing setting your rate. A full price list is harder, because design work varies too much for a menu to be accurate, and a menu invites people to compare on price alone.
How do I raise rates with existing clients?
Set a date, give notice well ahead of it, apply it to new projects rather than work in progress, and do not apologise or explain at length. The most common outcome is that the client agrees. The second most common is that you lose the client who was paying least, which usually raises your effective rate on its own.
Are my figures uploaded?
No. Everything is worked out in this tab, there is no email box and nothing is stored when you close it. Turn off your wifi and the page still works, which is the quickest way to check.
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Everything on this page is worked out in your browser. The numbers you type are never sent anywhere, there is no email box, and nothing is stored when you close the tab. That is worth saying because most rate calculators are lead capture with arithmetic attached, and your income is not a thing you should have to hand over to find out what to charge.