Freelance magazine design costing

October 21, 2009 2:05 PM

Freelance magazine layout costing in the UK: A publication company is looking to outsource the layout for a journal, 64 pages, full colour, using existing layout, not from new. It is possible but not probable that I will have existing layouts to work from electronically. I has been told this publication is produced monthly, takes the existing designer a week and a half, and am being offered a flat fee for doing the job for each issue. How much would one expect to be paid for that sort of job, if of average/medium weight experience?
posted by spyke23 to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

I own a company publishes magazines that sound a lot like what you describe. It's hard to answer your question without more specifics.

For example, needless to say if you -don't- get existing layouts to start with, you're going to have to re-create the magazine from scratch. This can be VERY involved.

There are many more details needed before agreeing to a flat fee. The figure of a week and a half could be way off in either direction ... is there any way to talk to the current designer to find out how many actual hours are involved? Pre-press production "days" often involve still being at work at 2 in the morning. On the other hand, it could be a quick, fun and easy job.

Some questions to ask: What software are they currently using? How many of the 64 pages come camera ready? If there are ads, will you have to design them? How about the cover? Are there a lot of photos that will need to be Photoshopped for each issue? How many will stay the same from issue to issue? What happens to the "flat fee" if the magazine becomes smaller or larger?

If there is a lot of involved design and Photoshop work required, or work that involves complex content management systems, you might be expect to be paid perhaps £1000 to £1600 per issue, maybe more if it's a really high end publication. If it's fairly simple stuff, or you're working for a threadbare nonprofit, it might be as little as £500 in this economy. If you know what you're doing, in time you might find you can crank out each issue much more quickly than your predecessor.

That's another question -- why are they searching for a new designer? Are they expecting an upgrade to the design?

Hope that helps.
posted by dacoit at 10:03 PM on October 21, 2009

If it turns out there isn't a viable electronic layout to work from, you need to cost and schedule that aspect separately. Don't skimp on it, as the fewer layout bodges you have to do each month the better.

And I'd be very careful/strict about pricing for at least the first issue or two. Attach lots of conditions (delivery dates for content, handling last-minute changes, etc.) and make it clear how much you'll charge if it strays outside of those conditions. They're probably going to try your patience by getting perilously close to the print deadline each time.

As for how much to ask for, well as ever it depends on how much they're willing to pay and how much you're willing to accept. Do you really need the work? Will you be permitted to feature it in your portfolio?
The right figure could be anywhere from several hundred to a couple of thousand.
posted by malevolent at 12:52 AM on October 22, 2009

How many revisions does it include, if any? Keep that in mind. There's no way for you to estimate this job without knowing if you have to create the files from scratch, that's most of the work and could double your cost (of the first issue at least). I would also want to ensure that I received all of the content at once if possible so I could just get to work. If you're getting it piecemeal it will take longer.
posted by Bunglegirl at 4:18 PM on October 22, 2009