Design pricing calculator for freelancers and small studios

Start with the year, not the project

Decide what you need to earn in the next twelve months, then count the hours you can actually bill. Not hours you work. Hours a client pays for. For most solo designers that is 18 to 25 a week once you subtract sales, admin, email and the proposal you'll write for free.

Divide the goal by the hours and you have the hourly rate your business needs to survive. You will never say this number to a client, but every price you quote has to clear it.

Estimate hours honestly, then add the hours you forget

A logo isn't eight hours. There's the kickoff call, the research, the three directions you explore and throw away, the revision round the client asks for by text message, the file export, the handoff. The calculator uses realistic totals for each project type based on what finished projects actually take.

If your own history says you take longer, you're not slow, the estimate was wrong. Use your real number.

Multiply by experience, then by the client

The same logo is worth different amounts to different buyers. A solo founder with a $2,000 budget and a funded startup with a brand launch in six weeks are not the same client, and they shouldn't get the same price. The calculator applies a client multiplier before it applies yours.

Experience matters because of risk, not because of talent. A senior designer removes the risk that the project goes sideways. Clients pay for that.

Specialists charge more because they're easier to buy

A designer who only does brand identities for restaurants doesn't have to convince a restaurant owner they understand restaurants. The sale is shorter, the work is faster, and the referrals come from the same room. That's worth a premium, which is why the specialist box adds 25%.

If you're a generalist, the fastest way to raise your prices is not a new portfolio. It's picking a lane.

Quote a price, never an hour

Hourly billing punishes you for getting good. The designer who solves the brief in two days earns less than the one who takes two weeks. Quote the Standard package price. Use the hourly column only as a private check that the project won't put you underwater.

When a client asks for your hourly rate, answer with the project price and what it includes. Almost nobody pushes back twice.

Build three packages so the client picks a yes

A single price is a yes-or-no question. Three prices turn it into which-one. Starter trims scope and rounds, Standard is the real recommendation, Premium adds a strategy day or more deliverables. Most clients choose the middle, some choose the top, and the bottom makes the middle look reasonable.

Never build the Starter package below your needed hourly. A cheap yes is still a loss.

Raise prices on the next client, not the current one

Every new inquiry is a free experiment. Quote 10 to 15% more than last time and see what happens. If three clients in a row say yes without hesitation, you're still too cheap. If you lose a few, you've found the current ceiling and can work on moving it with better positioning and proof.

The designers in the community who doubled their rates didn't do it in one jump. They did it in six.

Watch the projects-per-year number

If the calculator says you need 40 projects a year to hit your goal, you don't have a pricing problem, you have a model problem. Forty projects means forty sales calls, forty kickoffs and forty invoices. Either the price goes up, the client goes up-market, or the scope grows into a retainer.

A healthy solo practice usually runs 12 to 24 real projects a year. If your number is far above that, change the inputs until it isn't, then go find that client.

How much should I charge for a logo as a freelancer?

In 2026, freelance logo-only projects run from about $300 for someone starting out to $2,500 or more for an experienced designer working with an established company. If the client also needs colors, type and basic brand assets, you're quoting an identity, not a logo, and the range starts around $2,000 and rises quickly with client size.

How much should I charge for a small business website?

A designed and built 5 to 8 page site for a small business typically runs $3,000 to $10,000 for a freelancer, and $10,000 or more from a studio. The difference is usually strategy, copywriting direction, and whether the designer handles the build. Price the whole outcome, not the pages.

Should I charge hourly or per project?

Per project, almost always. Hourly pricing caps your income at the hours in a week and penalizes you for being fast. Use an hourly figure privately to check a project price won't lose money, then quote the project price with a clear scope.

How do I calculate my hourly rate as a designer?

Take your revenue goal for the year and divide it by your billable hours. Billable hours are the ones a client pays for, usually 18 to 25 a week for a solo designer, times the weeks you actually work, usually 42 to 46. A $100,000 goal on 1,000 billable hours needs $100 an hour. Everything you quote has to clear that.

What is value-based pricing for designers?

Pricing based on what the result is worth to the client rather than the time it takes you. A rebrand that lets a company raise prices 20% is worth more than one for a hobby project, even if the hours are identical. The calculator's client multiplier is a simple form of this.

How do I raise my prices without losing clients?

Raise them on new inquiries first, 10 to 15% at a time. Keep existing clients at their rate until the next project, then move them with notice. Add proof to your portfolio as you go: results, testimonials, and the kind of client you want more of. Losing some price-sensitive leads is the point.

How many projects should a freelance designer take per year?

Most sustainable solo practices run 12 to 24 real projects a year, with retainers filling the gaps. If your math requires 40 or more, the prices or the clients need to change, not your work ethic.

Should I show prices on my website?

Starting prices, yes. "Brand identity projects start at $6,000" filters out the people who were never going to pay it and makes the ones who can trust you more. Full price lists lock you into numbers before you understand the project.

What should a design deposit be?

50% up front is standard for projects under about $10,000, with the balance before final files are released. Larger projects are often split into thirds tied to milestones. Never start without a deposit; it's the clearest signal of whether a client is serious.

Where do these calculator baselines come from?

From published 2026 pricing guides for freelance and agency design work, cross-checked against what members of the Brand University community report charging. They're starting points for US and Canadian clients. Adjust them for your market, and tell us if your experience differs.