johnie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The important thing is to take on board that you > will be bullied, even if your client doesn't > realise they are doing it. You must set boundaries > and refuse to cross them. Don't do endless > reworkings, nor should you do any free preliminary > sketches on spec. You will only have your own > demon, who insists on criticising everything you > do, making you do more work to perfect it. > > Show the client your portfolio, and agree on a > budget for the one piece only (not the letterhead > and business cards to match the menu). State > your revision policy. "I can make x revisions > within budget, thereafter I shall charge my rate > of x per hour". State firmly your terms of > payment. 50% up from (at least), 30% on delivery > of final artwork, remainder before production. IF > you can do better than this, do so. Everything is said right. Every word. I love my clients. But I also understand that they will tear me apart if they feel weak. I work in the main state now, but I always have a portfolio and resume ready - https://resumewritinglab.com/resume-design.html I usually rate work based on complexity. Focus on how much time it takes for you. Ignore if the job seems trivial. if it has a lot of little things or requires monotonous work for many hours - raise the rate. It is better to give up an unpleasant job or an unpleasant client than to heal your nerves.