What Does A Presentation Designer Charge?
Having your in-house marketing team design important presentation decks and other marketing and pitch collateral might seem like the obvious option. However, as they are not experts – and have plenty of other things to do too – it’s often a false economy. A properly designed and executed presentation document can give you that extra edge over your competitors.
Hiring a presentation designer is likely to cost a tiny fraction of the potential upside. But it’s vital to know what you’re getting and what it will cost you before committing. Here we’ll talk you through how and why presentation designers charge so you know what to look for – and what to avoid. Presentation designers offer a range of services, and pricing varies.
Make confident, informed decisions about presentation design costs and avoid:
- Misunderstandings and problems
- Sub-par work and missed deadlines
- Paying more than you anticipated
Common pricing models for presentation designers
Charging by the hour, or hourly rate
Some presentation designers will quote an hourly rate and invoice their clients when the work is done. This provides certain challenges. Although a designer might give you a general idea of how long they think it will take, the final cost might be far higher. So, one complex slide could take an hour, but so could multiple simpler ones.
As a client you have no control over the amount eventually invoiced, and this often leads to disputes. As well as complex slides taking longer than more simple ones, a lot of work can go into preparation. Neither of these things are generally ‘obvious’.
Without extensive guidelines and expectations being set very clearly on both sides, paying by the hour is not generally recommended. The main exception would be when a project has finished or changed scope and limited additional work is required.
Advantages: you can hire a freelance designer for a certain number of hours to work on a specific project.
Disadvantages: the final cost could be a lot more than you anticipate.
Charging by the day, or day rate
Charging for a project by the day can lead to similar issues as with hourly rates. While a designer can suggest an anticipated amount of time necessary, it could end up costing more than expected.
Equally, you could employ a freelance presentation designer on a day rate and expect them to complete a certain amount of work in that time. This might be unrealistic, or you might end up paying for time they have to spend dealing with unexpected issues with tech, for example.
Clients paying day rates often expect designers to be available and at their desk during their office hours. Most freelance presentation designers don’t work on a typical 9-5 basis, however. They might work late at night or first thing in the morning, or whenever they feel most creative. They’re also likely to spend plenty of time thinking about your presentation when they’re not at their desks. On a day rate, the pressure to ‘produce’ during certain hours can often lead to less thinking time and creativity.
This all tends to undervalue the creative process and, at the same time, best use of the client’s money. It can lead to unhappy surprises and a loss of trust.
Advantages: you have a freelance presentation designer on tap as if they were a part of your in-house team.
Disadvantages: projects can take a lot longer than expected and therefore cost more than anticipated or get rushed. No one is creative for a full workday.
Charging by the project, or project-based pricing
With project-based pricing, clients get a price based on the scope of the project. The designer will ask all the questions they need to work out how intricate and time-consuming a project will be. They quote based on this and the price the client is given is the price the client pays. This can also be quoted as a per-slide price for a project.
The only risk is then to the designer. If they underestimate the complexity of a project and it takes them twice as long as they had anticipated, they lose out. (Great presentation designers get very good at pricing projects very quickly – but we still make mistakes sometimes. Then you’ll find us up all night, trying to get things finished!)
Advantages: you know what a project will cost before you start and there are no hidden surprises.
Disadvantages: you need to know exactly what your project entails when you commission it because changing the scope could lead to extra costs.
What’s included in a presentation designer’s costs?
Most freelance presentation designers will include two rounds of edits in a project-based quote. This allows the client to make any last-minute tweaks or changes that are necessary.
When would a presentation designer need to charge extra?
Additional charges to a project-based price can sometimes occur. However, they should be clearly communicated in advance and will be outside the scope of the original agreement. This can occur because, for example:
- Changes are requested to a finished project (these changes can sometimes be charged on an hourly basis).
- The scope of the project changes during the design phase. This will be clearly scoped, quoted, and agreed before any further work is done. Clients may also be invoiced at this stage for work already completed. They should then be able to either accept or decline the new quote.
When would a presentation designer charge less?
Some presentation designers will charge less if they have previously designed the client’s presentation templates.
Template design can involve fixing, refreshing, or creating a template and the costs will vary accordingly. They may also require some ‘user testing’ to get them exactly right. Not many designers know how to build templates correctly, so this is an area where it is particularly worth investing in a designer who knows what they are doing.
At power your point, we offer 20% off the final invoice for any presentations using a template we have designed - as we know we won’t have to spend time fixing things.
Contracts and budgets for presentation design
Freelance presentation designers will start work once the scope is agreed and the contract signed – and they are often asked to work to tight deadlines. That’s why you’ll be asked for a deposit payment. It protects you as the designer’s time is then dedicated to your work. It also protects the designer from clients who change their minds after work has already started.
With project pricing, if budgets are tight, we can often offer a scaled-back alternative that will meet your needs.
What you’re really paying for
With freelance presentation designers, you’re not just paying for hours or slides.
You’re paying for:
- Our years of training and experience
- Clarity and professionalism in your presentations
- Peace of mind
power your point focuses on quality and getting your presentations as good as they can be. With us you’re making an investment in your message, your pitch, and your success – without any nasty surprises. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help you succeed.
Image: Cottonbro Studio