Art budget?

[3Deep]

While reading another post this question came to mine, what is your normal art budget just about a round about figure.  Our budget here range from $30 to $150 which in my area $150 is on the high side, could be the size of the orders which range from 35 to 72 shirt orders.   If the orders are of nice size sometimes I can add the art charge within the order but most times I have to break the art out on it's own.

[GraphicDisorder]

We bill always art separate. Art and printing are not the same thing, this stops confusion of ownership of artwork and allows the customer to use the artwork for other items as they almost always will want to.

We wont do much of anything less than $100 bucks unless we are talking very very very basic like font on a shirt we wouldn't charge for that.

Drawn illustrations are normally $350+  We often see art bills north of $500 and as we've been into 4 figures on many projects.

[3Deep]

Brandt is that all car art your talking about, or general art also, I can't ever remember us ever billing over 500 bills for art.

[GraphicDisorder]

Brandt is that all car art your talking about, or general art also, I can't ever remember us ever billing over 500 bills for art.

All art, we dont much of anything for less than $100. We also dont put just a few minutes into art either.

[Stinkhorn Press]

Brandt is that all car art your talking about, or general art also, I can't ever remember us ever billing over 500 bills for art.

All art, we dont much of anything for less than $100. We also dont put just a few minutes into art either.

do you mind spelling out exactly how you breakdown art pricing? simply per hour basis? how long it should take (or how long it really did)? something else?
if you've already spelled it out on your site, I'll dig it up there... thanks!

[GraphicDisorder]

Over the years we kind of know how long things will take us and the general amount of time we will have in any changes. So we quote/go by a flat rate. Obviously we tell a customer changes within reason. We make sure we get a good idea what they want prior to quote/charging them. Payment is made art goes on calendar and we do the art when it comes up in the que. Often we are 5-10 business days on artwork, sometimes 7-14 like right now.

Don't get bit very often but our customers seem happy as they own the artwork so they can take it wherever they want. Be it for something we do or don't offer. Never been a fan of holding artwork hostage like many shops do.

[Sbrem]

If you want to go inexpensive for art charges, your computer art skills need to be sharp, not too much wondering how to attack it, because that takes time. Also, something we do is direct customers to Shutterstock or the like, give them the search parameters, and let them browse. Then they can let us know the item number, we download it add text, and voila! Somewhat low cost really good art. That being said we have an in house artist who is very good and can create from scratch (as can I but I don't always have time)...

Steve

[3Deep]

Now that is something we do around here is get a very good idea of what the customer is looking for so we can price, if I will do it in house or send it out.  I,m going to say also customers look at your sample prints and art on your website and determine what they might expect to pay, Brandt has a nice site and his art looks pricey where my site is kind of cheap looking  so we know who spends more time on what.  Still in my area people just don't like spending money for good art it's like pulling hens teeth around here, so I do what I can.

[GraphicDisorder]

Now that is something we do around here is get a very good idea of what the customer is looking for so we can price, if I will do it in house or send it out.  I,m going to say also customers look at your sample prints and art on your website and determine what they might expect to pay, Brandt has a nice site and his art looks pricey where my site is kind of cheap looking  so we know who spends more time on what.  Still in my area people just don't like spending money for good art it's like pulling hens teeth around here, so I do what I can.

My customers didn't want to spend for art either over 10 years ago. Everything is a progression.

Let me ask you, to the common consumer.... do you REALLY think your printing sets you apart. Keep in mind to the common consumer. Not a educated one or one you have pointed out differences to. My guess is the common consumer assuming you print the artwork the in the colors they want on the garment they ask at the size they expect has no idea if you are a good printer or not.

Now that said, if your artwork is basic and boring, do you think a lot of people will ask them where they got that shirt/artwork? I tend to believe that the better art you print the more work you will do as people tend to ask, who did that art or printed that shirt?

Monkeys can screen print at a average level pretty easily at this point. The difference between a epic screen printer and a average one is pretty minor to the common consumer. So how do you intend to stand apart?

[3Deep]

You got a very good point there Brandt which is something that I've always known that good art attract fly's so to speak, yes we've had our moments where we've gotten new customers because of the artwork we've done for other's, but that old price knocks some out.  Example a race customer came in last year and brought in a shirt another company did for him of his race car, Brandt kid you not it look like a 10 year old child had drawn the art, so we hooked him up and he was happy to pay the price, now other race owners at the track saw his shirt's and they called us, but was very unwilling to pay the price he had, now how do you get pass that other than giving it to them

[GraphicDisorder]

You got a very good point there Brandt which is something that I've always known that good art attract fly's so to speak, yes we've had our moments where we've gotten new customers because of the artwork we've done for other's, but that old price knocks some out.  Example a race customer came in last year and brought in a shirt another company did for him of his race car, Brandt kid you not it look like a 10 year old child had drawn the art, so we hooked him up and he was happy to pay the price, now other race owners at the track saw his shirt's and they called us, but was very unwilling to pay the price he had, now how do you get pass that other than giving it to them

Improve the art even more for the guy that is buying on his next shirts. This will eventually get you somewhere with some of them. Nobody is going to ask though where that clip art race car came from with his name in Arial Bold with it. They dont care about who printed it or what it cost. It looks too basic.