Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Amazon.ca: Graphic Artists Guild: Books

Product Description

First published in 1973, the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook has become the essential source for fair prices and practice. Assembled by the national organization for graphic artists, this 10th edition contains the latest information on business, pricing and ethical standards for nearly every discipline in the visual communications industry, from advertising to publishing to corporate markets.
NEW! important updates on technology standards, practices and pricing for Web and multimedia design
NEW! updated sample contracts and definitions of contract terminology
NEW! coverage on stock and royalty-free images, with pricing information from both the buyer's and seller's point of view
NEW! legal affairs section discusses the impact of current legislation on copyright and sales tax issues
NEW! expanded index for quicker, easier reference

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

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3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Memorize Ethical/Legal Guidelines; Beware DECLINING Prices!, Jun 5 2001

By

C. Toelke (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Artists Guild Handbook (Paperback)

The Copyright, Legal, and Professional Issues and information, and Trade Customs in this book are an invaluable and comprehensive resource for freelancers, art buyers, and business managers--a real bible. I gave the previous edition of this book a 4 star rating for those reasons and continue to give that large portion of the book the same rating. The Pricing charts for freelance illustration however, need a strong ALERT. If one quotes the fees in these charts or budgets these figures with no adjustments, the fees in these charts will remain the same, year after year, ad infiniteum because the same figures will continue to be reported. In comparing figures from previous editions, many of these figures in these have remained exactly the same or even gone down for at least a decade. THE FEES WERE HIGHER IN 1991, TEN YEARS AGO Even in places where they have gone up, and if one considers inflationary adjustments, the scenario is even more negative. From 1991-2001, the inflationary adjustment based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index is 31%. To compare, if the price for the front cover of a paperback trade book, major distribution is suggested in the1991 edition to be $3000, and in the 2001 edition the range of fees reported is $1500- $3000, something is wrong. That inflation adjusted fee of $3000 in 1991 would be almost $4000 today. The scenario is no better in other areas like advertising, corporate, and magazine editiorial. If a freelancer does 2 dozen jobs like this a year, at the stagnated fee, if would mean a $24,000 loss of income compared to 1991. That loss is even higher when you factor in capital expenditures in technology-computers, printers, scanners, websites--which didn't exist before. I am not saying that this book is to blame for declining or stagnating prices. the reasons for that are many and complicated: wild discounting by stock houses, and increased competition caused by easy access to national/international markets, increased pressure on copyright usage caused by globalization, electronic uses and corporate conglomerates, to name a few. But freelancers using the reported fees in this book for quoting and accepting fees won't even maintain the status quo ad infiniteum, to the delight of client business mangagers.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Unreal Pricing Guidlines, Nov 20 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Graphic Artists Guild Handbook (Paperback)

I found that the prices given in this book were way off for my demographic and line of work. With the knowledge of bidding my own freelance jobs and hiring designers for the firm that I work for that the pay scales in this book are way out of wack. I'm not saying that they are all over priced like other readers might assume. I found that many estimates to be quite low.

You run the risk of losing a job because your bidding estimate is to high in some instances and in other given estimates you are going to lose a lot of money. The given freelance hourly rate for an Art Director is $55.00. That is way under what the market pays in the area and industry that I work in.

You will also find pricing like this: National advertising campaign (Print Media) between $11,000-$25,000. There are no specific variables given to this enormous disparity in pricing.

There is a heap of useful information in this book, but pricing isn't one of them. In fact it's bloody useless.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but time for a new edition, Feb 22 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Graphic Artists Guild Handbook (Paperback)

I find the book very useful for many purposes, and it was right on the mark when it came out four years ago. However, considering how quickly technology and the internet change, I think it's time for a new edition; a lot of the "digital design" information is woefully out of date. For instance, under "Questions to ask when designing a web site," the book asks, "Does the client understand the difference between the Web and an online e-mail service such as American (cq) Online?"

In addition, pricing is based on "screens" or "pages" for web sites. The overall rates in the book seem to be realistic, but it would be helpful to know exactly how projects are priced. In the rapidly evolving world of database-driven and fully animated sites, "pages" don't mean much anymore. This is a fine reference, but don't expect it to keep you on the cutting-edge of technology. Go into a client's office and talk about "American Online" and I can almost guarantee you won't get the job!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for students, recent grads, and freelance designers
Like most college design students, and recent graduates, the way you financially support yourself while waiting for that great fuul-time job, is by picking up freelance jobs. Read more

Published on Aug 15 2003 by Bethany Primrose

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD PRICE
If your going to Fairleigh Dickinson University you will need this book if your taking Digital Design and Graphics Price is GOOD

Published on Jun 27 2003 by Chris Youngs