Earlier this year, someone posted on Threads looking for seasoned designers. I replied, dropped my portfolio link, and moved on.
"Best UX of any site or portfolio I've seen so far. Thanks. Send me a DM please?"
So I did. We moved the conversation to email. I listened to what she needed — brand identity, supporting design, and two WordPress websites — and I came back with a full proposal. Nine pages. Scope, timeline, milestones, pricing, relevant experience. The kind of document that shows you've done this before and you take the work seriously.
Then nothing. No response. No "thanks but no thanks." Just silence.
I wasn't shocked. I've seen this before. But it stuck with me — because she had specifically asked for seasoned designers. And when a seasoned designer showed up with seasoned-designer pricing, the conversation ended.
The Proposal
This wasn't a number on a napkin.
The scope I put together wasn't arbitrary. She needed two things: a brand identity system and a 5-page WordPress build. These are distinct bodies of work that require different thinking, different tools, and different phases of execution.
For the brand identity: a discovery session, 2–3 logo directions, refinement rounds, a defined typography and color system, a brand guideline PDF, and a final file package in every format she'd ever need. For the WordPress build: site planning, custom page design, responsive development, contact form integration, QA, and launch support.
Discovery, logo directions, refinement, typography, color, brand guidelines, final file package.
Site planning, custom design, responsive build, contact form, QA, and launch support.
Both scopes together with milestone-based invoicing. 1/3 upfront so neither party is overexposed.
That's not a number pulled from thin air. That's a number that reflects what the work actually is.
The Reality
You're not paying for hours at a keyboard.
Here's what clients sometimes don't see when they look at a project quote: they see the deliverable, not the thinking behind it.
When I price a brand identity system, I'm charging for knowing which questions to ask in discovery — not just for the hours spent in Illustrator.
I'm charging for understanding how a logo will scale across a billboard and a favicon. For the experience of having built these systems before and knowing where things go wrong if you skip steps. For a WordPress build that a non-technical client can actually manage after I hand it off. For accessibility baked in from the start, not bolted on at the end.
Seven years of doing this work professionally — inside a real organization, on real deadlines, with real stakeholders — is what you're buying. Not just the finished files.
How It Works
Flexible model, non-negotiable rates.
I don't have a single pricing structure because not every engagement is the same.
Project-based work. For a brand identity, a website build, or any defined deliverable with clear scope — I quote by project. The client gets a known number to plan around. I get the ability to scope the work properly without watching the clock.
Hourly work. For ongoing support, retainers, or work that evolves as we go — I work hourly. This usually comes after we've gotten to know each other and I understand what they actually need. Trust goes both ways.
Retainer relationships. The best working relationships often settle into a retainer structure over time. It's predictable for both sides and it's built on an established foundation — not a cold inquiry.
The model is flexible because good client relationships are flexible. But the rates aren't negotiable just because someone is surprised by them.
The Ghost
Silence is information.
When someone goes silent after seeing a proposal, it's tempting to second-guess yourself. Was it too much? Should I have come in lower?
Maybe. But consider the alternative: you discount your rate, you take the project, and now you're doing senior-level work for junior-level pay with a client who already showed you they don't value what you bring. That's not a win.
The ghost is information. It tells you the fit wasn't right — not that your pricing was wrong.
The clients worth working with don't flinch at fair pricing. They might negotiate scope. They might phase the project. But they don't disappear — because they understand that good work costs what it costs.
The Closing Thought
I'm building for the right client.
I still think about that Threads exchange sometimes. She said my portfolio had the best UX she'd seen. She asked me to DM her. I showed up prepared, professional, and priced appropriately for the work she asked for.
And then she was gone.
That's okay. The proposal I sent was one I'm proud of. The pricing reflects the work. And somewhere out there is a client who sees that document and thinks — yes, this is exactly what I've been looking for.
That's who I'm building for.
