Module 05 · Running a Design Practice
Pricing Design Packages for the Pakistani and Global Market
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On this lesson
Course outline
Module 1 · The Modern AI Design Stack
Module 2 · Creative Ideation
Module 3 · Brand Asset Production
Module 4 · Client-Ready Deliverables
Pricing is a scope and risk decision, not a number copied from another designer’s post. Your quote must cover the work promised, revision boundaries, software and payment costs, communication time, taxes or compliance you are responsible for, and enough margin to keep delivering carefully.
By the end of this lesson, you will have three design packages, a private cost model, and a client-facing quote. Nothing in the lesson promises a sale or a market rate; you will research current conditions and test your own assumptions.
// concept
Define the Unit Before the Price
“Branding” is not a billable unit. Describe the exact transformation and boundaries:
START: approved one-page brand brief and supplied legal business name
END: one approved identity direction, primary/secondary lockups, color/type
specification, agreed exports, and file guide
INCLUDED: 2 concept directions, 2 consolidated revision rounds
CLIENT PROVIDES: decision maker, factual copy, feedback within 3 business days
EXCLUDED: naming, trademark clearance, Urdu translation, printing, social campaignPrice the work breakdown privately: discovery, research, concepting, refinement, presentations, revisions, project management, export, quality assurance, and handoff. Add pass-through expenses only when the agreement says how approval, currency conversion, and markup work.
Do not show fake crossed-out prices or “only two slots.” A real deadline or capacity limit can be stated plainly and updated when it changes.
// concept
Calculate a Defensible Floor
Use your own numbers:
Required monthly business income
+ monthly software, internet, power backup, equipment reserve, admin, and tax reserve
= required monthly revenue
required monthly revenue / realistic billable hours = internal floor per billable hour
project hours × floor + direct costs + uncertainty reserve = minimum viable project priceBillable hours are not all working hours. Sales calls, bookkeeping, learning, proposals, and unpaid revisions consume capacity. Track actual time on several projects before trusting an estimate.
For a fixed project, the client buys a defined outcome and risk boundary, not your stopwatch. Use the internal calculation to check viability, then quote the package. When scope is uncertain, offer a paid discovery phase or milestone instead of hiding a large risk buffer.
// concept
Build Three Meaningfully Different Packages
Packages should differ by outcome, not by arbitrary “silver/gold” labels:
| Package | Appropriate boundary |
|---|---|
| Identity Starter | One core direction, essential lockups, palette/type sheet, basic exports |
| Identity + Launch | Starter plus selected launch templates and a compact guideline |
| Identity System | Deeper discovery, expanded applications, team handoff, and implementation review |
State concept count, revision rounds, formats, languages, source-file terms, timeline, review process, and exclusions. “Unlimited revisions” makes schedule and price undefined. A revision round should mean one consolidated set of feedback from the decision owner.
For global platforms, check the fee displayed for the actual contract and the platform’s current official fee page before bidding. Upwork, payment providers, exchange rates, withdrawal costs, and tax treatment can change. Work backward from the net amount you need, but never route a platform client outside the platform in violation of its terms.
// worked_example
Worked Example
The designer runs a discovery call and sends two scoped options. The private estimate for the smaller option includes: brief review, competitor screening, two visual territories, one presentation, two consolidated revision rounds, vector rebuild, six agreed exports, file guide, meetings, and QA. The quote uses the designer’s current cost model; this lesson deliberately supplies no market number.
The client asks for presentation templates after selecting the smaller option. The designer does not squeeze them into “brand kit.” A written change note adds five slide masters, one revision round, a new delivery date, and the approved additional fee.
For a remote client, the quote states currency, invoice schedule, who pays transfer/platform charges, and when conversion occurs. The designer checks the current platform fee shown before submitting and retains invoices and service evidence for their bank and records.
// failure_cases
Failure Cases to Diagnose
7 cases to diagnose
The quote names only a deliverable
add start/end state, inclusions, client inputs, and exclusions.
Price is copied from social media
calculate your own floor and research comparable current offers without treating them as rules.
Unlimited revisions are included
define consolidated rounds, decision owner, and change-control terms.
USD is converted once and forgotten
give the quote an expiry and define currency/payment handling.
Platform fee is remembered from an old video
check the live contract screen and official documentation.
Source files and font rights are vague
state what transfers, what remains licensed, and what the client must obtain.
A low fee removes QA time
reduce scope or decline; do not promise professional checks you cannot afford to perform.
// pakistan_angle
Pakistan Angle
Price in PKR for local clients when that reduces ambiguity, and define tax, withholding, printing, travel, and payment timing in writing. For international work, keep the original invoice, contract, and bank/remittance evidence. SBP’s freelancer-account framework and bank procedures can change, so check the current official circulars and ask your bank or qualified adviser about the rules that apply to you.
USD subscriptions can stack up quickly after conversion, taxes, and card charges. Include only tools the project needs and confirm the current PKR cost before quoting. JazzCash, Easypaisa, bank transfer, marketplace escrow, and foreign payment rails have different dispute and evidence properties; use an approved channel, issue a receipt, and never ask a client to send a CNIC image through an AI chat.
// hands_on
Hands-On Exercise
7 steps
List your real monthly business costs and a realistic number of billable hours.
Calculate a private hourly floor and test it against the time from one past or simulated project.
Define Starter, Launch, and System packages with different outcomes and exact boundaries.
Research three current local and three current global comparable offers; record source, date, scope, and why each is or is not comparable.
Draft a one-page quote with scope, milestones, revision terms, rights, exclusions, payment, validity, and next step.
Calculate the net result under the actual payment or platform fee shown today.
Ask a reviewer to invent three change requests and verify your change-control clause handles them.
// completion_rubric
Completion Rubric
6 checks — tick as you verify
// sources
Sources
// check_yourself
Check yourself
4 questions · answers and options are taken word-for-word from this course
1 / 4 · diagnose
Your work shows this failure mode: “The quote names only a deliverable.” What does the lesson tell you to do about it?