Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines

by Graphic Artists Guild (U. S.)

Covers artwork pricing, standard contract terms, commissions, recent legislative developments, computer graphics, desktop publishing, licensing, and royalties

Genres: Design, Art, Business, Nonfiction, Reference, Art Design, Education

313 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1984

Reviews

[Tim]

This is how to use this book:
1. Client questions the price of your work
2. Show them that you do not charge as much as GAG Handbook

[Michael Rowley]

Here's what I love about these books.
Someone in marketing gets the great idea, 'Hey, let's have a logo design contest and the winner gets... um, $100.'
I feel like saying, 'Hey, our toilet's broken. Let's have a plumbing contest..'
Instead I retain my professionalism and say that's unethical. You see it's so in the Ethical Guidelines of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook.

People woefully underestimate the value of design (both clients and designers). This helps.

[Katelyn Jenkins]

Totally useless.

[Katharine]

I haven't actually read this cover-to-cover; it's not the kind of book you sit down and just read. But it IS a great resource for a freelance graphic designer. This gives an overview of good business practices, with standard forms at the back. That information could be found elsewhere, even online if you spend a little time researching. What I found the most helpful are the detailed descriptions of different kinds of projects, what each might entail, processes and procedures expected, and pricing based on levels of complexity and type of client.

While the handbook gives designers a great basic foundation for deciding on pricing, it is a little more directed at higher-end corporate projects and is less helpful for the kind of small business and personal jobs that I've been working on. That's the reason I gave it four instead of five stars.

Still, I'd recommend buying it. It's definitely a good investment to have all this information handy.

[S Suzanne]

This is a great reference, and I know there are many wonderful reviews here. I mainly want to let people know this updates regularly, and if you want to buy it, visit the GAG website: https://graphicartistsguild.org/the-g...

This is an earlier edition - not sure why Goodreads was recommending it to me, but I would be very angry if I simply ordered it then found there was a newer edition. This is not updated every year.

Anyone buying should get the latest version!

[Jen]

A requirement for a class. This is a handy reference for anyone in the arts, though as I'm not a graphic artist, I was constantly mentally editing out what wasn't applicable. Sometimes it felt as though I were reading want ads for job descriptions that I was unqualified for (the graphic arts comments)... a classmate told me she felt the same way. Good general guidelines, though.

[Evan McB]

This handbook does a good job of providing clear financial and legal information for professional artists of all types. It's got examples of useful forms in the back, like the one for copyrighting a work of the visual arts (Form VA), a cease and desist letter, licensing agreements, and an illustrator's release form for models. Overall, an indispensable but not completely comprehensive resource.

[Inggita]

you need this book if you're a graphic designer/illustrator practicing outside Indonesia. For those in Indonesia, you'll want to check the book as a reference of the myriads of jobs available in the industry and how to use the off-the shelves agreement and quotes.

[Alison]

I would never have survived as a freelance artist without this book. It is a must read for any designer or for anyone planning to hire a designer. It covers everything from pay scales to deliverables and even includes sample contracts and invoices to help new freelancers get started.

[✟⛥☠︎︎~ Kelli ~☠︎︎⛥✟]

A great addition to a Graphic Designers Arsenal.

As a Freelance Graphic designer and now a creative company owner this book really helped me at the start of my journey. Being in the creative industry it is very difficult to prove your work and understand the legalities and such of the creative world. It’s seems no-one wants to talk about it. This is a must have for any designer to defer to and work from. It is written for the US but using knowledge and research and best practices it is very easy to fit within a UK creative world.
Mine is next to my desk at all times and refer to it quite often. I am also a published illustrator and yet to have purchased the illustrator guild but that is next on my list.

[Autumn Uhrig]

I've heard that this book suggests much higher prices than the typical artist will request, but nonetheless, I have found it a great jumping-off point to really professionalize my art career. In the past, I have been very casual and loose about my work, but this has made me feel like I can be more confident and take more control over how I take on and price my work. This book was great at showing me what I needed to improve and gave me ideas on where to start.

Not something to sit and read in one sitting, but instead as a resource to pull out if you have a legal or pricing question.

[Marie]

Very helpful resource for visual/graphic artists. It's useful that there is a section that breaks down legal documents to explain in layman terms the sections that need to be in a contract and what each part means and what's common practice. I appreciated that there were a lot of practical tips of how to do things as a freelancer.

The book does a great job of being thorough in recommending business practices while not being too dry or overwhelming. Also useful were the explanations of sales tax and its nuances, negotiation, and licensing.

[Mrs.]

An awesome reference book!

[Victoria G]

Review on the 16th edition*: So this is a very hard book to read :) It's filled to the brim with tons of information so if you really want to get the maximum out of it, you definitely need breaks between chapters. However, it's worth it as some of the info inside of it is invaluable.

I've been freelancing as a graphic designer since 2016 and I work primarily with US clients even though I'm based in Europe. I have a successful career, I've read a lot about design, I've practiced for over 10 years, I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees and yet, reading this book was an eye opener when it comes to some of the details of an artist/client relationship in the US.

I feel like it gave me a lot of perspective and I learned a lot, even though about 30% of the book wasn't applicable to me since I'm not US based. One of my fave parts was the interviews at the end! Love hearing from accomplished artists, even though they were generally way older than the audience of the Guide so their advice wasn't truly applicable because times are so different now.

One thing I don't agree with is that the pricing quoted is too high. I feel like it's really reasonable, and if you're not charging at least at the low end of the quoted pricing, you definitely need to up your prices and/or services quality :)

*I figured that it's a different book on here late and wanted to save my notes and updates so I'll repost my review here as well as on the 16th edition version.

[Sam]

While I have yet to read this beast the whole way, though as another reviewer said, it's not necessary, from what I have read and glanced through, this is an INVALUABLE book for any artist of any kind! Graphic design, illustration, children's books, comics, book covers, animations, you name it! They don't brush over any detail and give you straight up what you need. It's intelligently organized, very easy to find exactly what information you're looking for, and very eloquently written.

If you've ever had any questions regarding freelancing, legalities, pay, contracts, etc., then you NEED this book. It's a fantastic reference to add to your collection! (I really couldn't recommend this enough!)

[A.H. Taylor]

A must-have tool in every creative's arsenal...sound advice from a trusted source. The chapters break down many common themes and structures, associated with the various sectors of illustrated works. A go-to for the tenderfoot trying to carve a path in this competitive industry, yet feels at home with the seasoned professional. An extra gem within this annual print, are the sample forms in the back of the book, that will visually give you accepted structure in handling the "business" side of your career. Highly recommended...a must-have, indeed!

[Cara]

Got this by ILL. Unfortunately, it's the 2002 edition. Not too useful for a book about the current laws and pricing standards for my industry. Oh well. It did open my eyes to one thing: apparently all the "work for hire" I've been doing as a freelancer is actually not legally eligible to be considered "work for hire," at least by the laws of 2002. If I wanted to pursue some of these rights, I might have a case.

[Andrea]

I'm a writer looking to work with an illustrator for the first time, & this was very helpful to me in learning what price range I should expect/offer, the different rights it's necessary to discuss, what points to include in a proposal & a contract, etc. The information I gleaned from this book will help protect me as well as the illustrator.

[Chrissy]

There were some helpful tidbits to help get my design business going, but for the most part I found the pricing suggestions to be astronomically higher than anyone in this area charges, and the formalities advised for dealing with clients were too, well, formal to be much use to me.

[Marisa]

Possibly the Graphic Designers' very own bible. Has nearly everything a graphic designer or illustrator could ever want to know about selling their art. Be it freelance or working for a company. Highly recommended!

[Ashley the Magnificent™]

*Spoiler Alert!!! After you read this book you'll be a smarter designer.

Sure, you can design without having business sense. Unless you want to make money. :) I found this brick very useful when I was first starting out, and still occasionally turn to it for advice. GREAT resource!

[Brittany O'Barr]

Haven't read this from cover to cover, but that isn't necessary. This is a must read for graphic designers, illustrators, stationery designers(👋🏼), and anything else art related. Great to know for pricing, how to break into your market, etc.

[Toby]

A simple must if you freelance, if you don't have it don't talk to me about freelancing. :D

[Eric p-h]

this is the coolest thing, like, ever.

[Patrick Wood]

Covers a lot of material critical to being in the media business.

[Lindsay]

Must own for any freelance designer. Really helps figure out everything it takes to get the job done and cover your business bases.

[Melissa]

A must have and invaluable resource for designers working both in studio, in-house, or freelance settings.

[Katrina Sutton]

This book is suppose to be helpful in understanding how to price, do contracts, and other things when it comes to working with clients and vice-versus.

[Eldes]

Excellent reference tool for day-to-day of my illustration studio - especially when setting up a business proposal.

[Natalie]

An indispensable guide for anyone starting out in the graphic design or illustration industry.