My early pricing disasters - and what they taught me about better collaboration.

If you’ve been in the creative industry for a while, you know - pricing is not about numbers alone. It’s about making things clear and transparent. Making sure both the artist and the client feel respected, well-informed, and taken care of.

I pride myself on knowing how to price and plan my projects well now - but believe you me, it wasn’t like that in the beginning. I’ve made tons of mistakes that make me cringe big time today. Some felt small at the time, but they ended up creating confusion, tension, and, surprise, surprise, burnout on my end.

This post isn’t supposed to be a rant. It’s a reflection - my honest thoughts, shared in case it helps another creative (or a client!) understand the moments where pricing and project workflow meet. Here’s what I got wrong and what I do differently now:

1. Not charging for extra feedback rounds

Or - to put it differently - not making sure we all understand that every piece of feedback means additional work and time.

The client might not be familiar with the creative workflow, and they have every right not to be. At the beginning of my career, I didn’t want to seem difficult. If a client had another round of feedback, I’d just keep going.

I know my fellow creatives and illustrators are rolling their eyes right now - it makes the market worse, I know. Rookie mistake of someone just starting out.

Now I know that without a clear structure, revisions can spiral out of control. And that doesn’t feel great for either side. Now I include a specific number of feedback rounds in my proposals.

Anything beyond that is, of course, doable - but priced and planned in accordingly. That way, the client knows exactly what’s included, and I can plan my time better.

2. Not defining what a revision or a feedback round means

Both words seem simple, but I learned the hard way that they can mean very different things to different people. For an artist, it might be a small adjustment to the colour palette. For a client, it might mean a full rework of the concept.

There’s no right or wrong here - we just need to be aligned. Now I make sure we talk about what feedback rounds mean and how big of a change is possible to accommodate at each stage of the project workflow. It saves a lot of time and uncertainty later on.

3. Agreeing to urgent timelines without adjusting the fee

Sometimes projects start off with a normal schedule and become urgent as we go. Other times, a client needs something very fast from the beginning. Since I can work quickly, I used to say yes without adjusting my rate.

But I’ve learned that urgency really impacts your priorities. If I’m working late or reworking my schedule, it’s fair to include that in the pricing. I feel this is about valuing everyone’s time and making sure I can show up with full focus.

4. Giving away licensing without understanding the value

Let’s just say I’ve handed over a lot of rights in the past, without understanding what I was giving away.

Licensing your work requires a really thoughtful approach, I know that now. I don’t see it as a formality - it’s part of the creative value of your work. When both sides understand the terms, it makes the whole collaboration smoother and more professional.

5. Prepping print files without an additional fee

You know the drill - the work is done, you’re happy, the client’s happy, no feedback, all is good to go. And then you get an email with technical specs the client just received from the printer.

The task sounds easy enough, but it’s not just clicking “export.” Preparing files for print requires a different skill set: checking colour profiles, bleeds, margins, file types… You name it.

Now I treat print-ready files as a separate deliverable, with a clear scope and timeline. It keeps expectations clear and avoids last-minute pressure for both sides.

Now I’m a little bit wiser, and a lot clearer.

Each of these failures taught me something valuable. Yes, they’re about pricing - but they also touch on communication skills, setting healthy boundaries, and simply setting up the project for success.

The more transparent I’ve learned to be, the better collaborations go. Clients feel informed and taken care of, both sides feel respected, and the creative work flows smoothly.

If you’re an illustrator just starting out, I really hope this saves you a few headaches. And if you’re a client reading this - thank you for being the kind of person who values the process as much as the result!