A Short thought on Freelance

I’ve recently had some experiences and subsequent discussions about dealing with freelance that prompted me to blog. Admittedly, this is mostly a ‘note to self’, but here goes.

The first thought that springs to mind stems from having a freelance client ask me to reduce thier bill because they hadn’t budgeted for as many hours as I’d taken. I had related to the client how many hours I had taken to complete their first draft, but had failed to update them through three additional rounds of designs. They felt surprised that it took me twice my original amount of hours to complete the additional drafts and urged a reduced bill. I complied in the interest of good relations, as the client was technically a friend’s client, and because I hadn’t kept them updated on the time involved. I relate all this not to bag on clients but to note that clients ought to be updated on the hours each round of additional work are taking. We would have this problem at the studio where I work, particularly with long-term projects, where a client would be surprised at how many hours they were being billed for.

Contracts are another topic of discussion lately. Typically, for a short and straightforward job, I don’t much see the point in requiring one. As the designer, by default, I retain ownership, and invoice the client at the agreed amount. When it comes to something more involved, long-term, or (in the case of recent experience) a spec-work job, I’d like to have something in writing. I was concerned lately that I may have offended a client by suggesting a simple contract, nothing complicated, just a couple points to mutally agree upon to avoid misunderstanding. Twice I was given the advice that contracts are to help maintain a friendship or good business relation, and if someone is offended by using a contract, then they may be a dubious client.