[.ca] Graphic Artists Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (ISBN 0932102131)

the best of what's available:
Pros: Covers a lot of ground; defined creative terms and boundaries for the profession, fees, moral issues, client relationships, salaries, photographer relationships, illustrator relationships, etc. Rare is the book that has the guts to put actual numbers on project fees, rarer still to see it in this field. The only guide of its kind available. Cons: Shape/bindery of the piece. It's a pain to even open it wide. (This was designed by the guild?) Some of the fee quotes/ideas are too vague, to the point of offering little guidance. The flow of the chapters is odd. Example: It starts with illustrator relationships(?!), when you'd think the first chapter would be an overall state of industry, issues facing communication arts employees and employers, trends, etc. The section on digital/non traditional media is still a little shaky, but better than it was. Last thoughts: To the review that said they need a new version, they've done two in the last 3 or 4 years. The most recent being 2003. To everyone else: it's a guide, not a law book. The prices are at once too high and too low. Fees/salaries will vary no matter how accurate it is.

The Unreal Pricing Guidlines:
I found that the prices given in this book were way off for my demographic and line of work. With the knowledge of bidding my own freelance jobs and hiring designers for the firm that I work for that the pay scales in this book are way out of wack. I'm not saying that they are all over priced like other readers might assume. I found that many estimates to be quite low. You run the risk of losing a job because your bidding estimate is to high in some instances and in other given estimates you are going to lose a lot of money. The given freelance hourly rate for an Art Director is $55.00. That is way under what the market pays in the area and industry that I work in. You will also find pricing like this: National advertising campaign (Print Media) between $11,000-$25,000. There are no specific variables given to this enormous disparity in pricing. There is a heap of useful information in this book, but pricing isn't one of them. In fact it's bloody useless.

Updated again and more useful than ever!:
The 11th edition is out,(although Amazon may not be displaying the most recent cover) and they did it again. The Graphic Artists Guild has produced the definitive industry resource for designers, illustrators and anyone even remotely interested in making a living in the graphics field. The book provides a terrific introduction to professional practices for anyone expanding their existing business to include web projects. This is a publication that keeps improving with age. Trying to encapsulate all situations is impossible, but the care taken in putting this survey together shows. Ta da! Even the web design section catches up to the situation on the ground. At first glance it seems slimmer than previous editions, but a deeper look reveals that more information makes it onto each page, with a more efficient typographic treatment, and some judicious editing deleting duplicate information in some chapters Please note: The prices reported in the book are the results of a survey of real working professionals. A spot check reveals that some reported price ranges have increased over the intervening years since the 10th edition. Some are the same, or similar. In the end, the producer (that's you!) has to insist on higher prices, you can't expect a book to negotiate for you, can you? Some of the charts are improved. For instance, the Chart and Map Design section is more useful, including ranges for 4 different possible uses for a piece: advertising, in-house, editorial and textbook. this replaces the not-always-useful "client annual revenues" breakdowns in the 10th edition. In the age of easy image stealing a new cease and desist form letter is included on p. 250 for you to use. May you never need it! Hats off to the Guild for putting facts and figures at every working graphic artists disposal. It's a lumbering, exploding field where standards are in short supply on the fringes, but solid guidance is only a bookshelf away. I'll say it again... If you're unsure about what to charge, or how to structure an agreement (you're using an agreement aren't you?), it'll pay for itself with your next job.

Useful, but time for a new edition:
I find the book very useful for many purposes, and it was right on the mark when it came out four years ago. However, considering how quickly technology and the internet change, I think it's time for a new edition; a lot of the "digital design" information is woefully out of date. For instance, under "Questions to ask when designing a web site," the book asks, "Does the client understand the difference between the Web and an online e-mail service such as American (cq) Online?" In addition, pricing is based on "screens" or "pages" for web sites. The overall rates in the book seem to be realistic, but it would be helpful to know exactly how projects are priced. In the rapidly evolving world of database-driven and fully animated sites, "pages" don't mean much anymore. This is a fine reference, but don't expect it to keep you on the cutting-edge of technology. Go into a client's office and talk about "American Online" and I can almost guarantee you won't get the job!

A MUST for students, recent grads, and freelance designers:
Like most college design students, and recent graduates, the way you financially support yourself while waiting for that great fuul-time job, is by picking up freelance jobs. As I found shortly after graduation, I had absolutely no idea what I should have been charging, and I was being vastly taken advantage of. This book will tell you EXACTLY what you should be charging, for every possible job. It is not only for newcomers to the field. Every designer and artist I know, agrees that this book is a must to have on your shelf, and reference often.