Here are some tips on how to set the right price points for your surface pattern or print designs & attract dream clients.

A commonly asked question among creatives in the surface pattern or print design industry is how to strategically price their work. We want a price point that attracts our dream clients, pays the bills, and grows our business.  

If you’re planning to license out your work or do non-exclusive designs, you’ll want to decide what market you’re selling in and research in that area. Several factors impact how you price surface pattern or print designs. These include market expectations, revision rounds, turnaround speed, repeats, and required colorways.

It can be beneficial to have a rate sheet in place before you begin negotiating with clients for custom work. This ensures you’re covered when tasks beyond the original project scope arise. Examples include sudden change requests or adding a design in repeat. You can let them view your hourly rates and ask how they wish to proceed. You’ll want to be very clear at the beginning on what’s included with custom work. 

If you’re an independent contractor, it works best to have a bit of wiggle room for things like taxes, personal insurance, and personal insurance expenses. You can ask to review your rate sheet with a fellow designer in your industry or in a community you’re in to make sure that you’re pricing yourself out according to industry standards.  

Having a baseline by knowing your market helps you become more confident in presenting your rates to your clients. This confidence in the quotes that we give our clients is essential because it fosters a give-and-take client relationship that brings us joy rather than stress and anxiety because we did not quote enough. This ensures we earn pay that reflects the value of the work we deliver.

For apparel print design, exclusive licenses are the most common. And these can range from about 550 USD to about 750 USD for a custom piece or commissioned job. Another factor is whether the design is in repeat or requires multiple colorways. At our studio, we previously charged extra for these features at the $550 price point. But I like to say that at the 650 price point, the repeat should be included and potentially one alternate colorway. When considering repeats, evaluate the print’s intricacy, type, and layout. These factors help determine how long the repeat will take to create.

Experience is also a pricing factor. Seasoned surface patterns or print designers may put themselves in that range because maybe their eye is already very trained in color. If you’re newer to the apparel print design industry, you may lean toward the lower end of the range. This approach can provide valuable experience and help get your foot in the door. We must consider the lifetime value of the apparel print design client. If they are likely to be repeat buyers or purchase in bulk, they offer greater long-term value. Because of this, you can negotiate a lower rate while still benefiting overall.

Ask for a rate that is fair to you. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. Clients view premium rates as justified when your work feels unique, specialized, or higher in perceived value. Positioning yourself as a specialist allows you to charge above the standard market rate. You can charge a premium, but pricing still falls within a standard range, both above and below the baseline.

Be aware of your place in the apparel print design industry and be confident about what you have to offer. Remove the fear of losing the client, losing the job, losing the print, or losing our prospects to our competitors. This way, we can start putting our own work and price points out there and our price points out there with confidence, knowing that we’re providing value. 

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