Design Priced by sq.ft. ...Really?

[Kentucky Wraps]

So I noticed in the latest "Let's talk shop" article by Charity Jackson in Wraps Magazine, there is some information about pricing wrap designs....by the square foot.
Square Foot!!!

Here is an excerpt: "[FONT=&quot]According to Freeborg his company starts the design charge at $2 per square foot and then takes into consideration the size of the job, the complexity of the vehicle, and the labor that will go into prepping the vehicle. The price for design will then go up or down from there."
[/FONT]
I may be way off but do ANY of you folks that do wraps for a living use the square foot of the vehicle for pricing your design?

Like, Oh wow, that box truck is huge, designing that is going to be way more than if we were to design your Smart Car. Am I crazy for thinking this is crazy?
This is supposed to be an article to help the industry with techniques and information. But this has just started a great bit of jokes between my graphic designer and myself.

And in case you're thinking (like me), she probably just made a mistake and that was supposed to go in the INSTALLATION segment...nope. That part is at the bottom of the article. They happen to start at $2 a sq. ft. and go up or down from there. Either this is poor editorial work and he was misquoted or I've been pricing my design work all wrong.
Thoughts?

 

[CSOCSO]

here is a trick. Have them design a sign in 10th size of the truck. have them design it in 720dpi. Once its done and its 10th the price of the original price of the truck design have them print that out in 1000 scale 72dpi. boom you have a cheap design.

So I noticed in the latest "Let's talk shop" article by Charity Jackson in Wraps Magazine, there is some information about pricing wrap designs....by the square foot.
Square Foot!!!

Here is an excerpt: "[FONT=&amp]According to Freeborg his company starts the design charge at $2 per square foot and then takes into consideration the size of the job, the complexity of the vehicle, and the labor that will go into prepping the vehicle. The price for design will then go up or down from there."
[/FONT]
I may be way off but do ANY of you folks that do wraps for a living use the square foot of the vehicle for pricing your design?

Like, Oh wow, that box truck is huge, designing that is going to be way more than if we were to design your Smart Car. Am I crazy for thinking this is crazy?
This is supposed to be an article to help the industry with techniques and information. But this has just started a great bit of jokes between my graphic designer and myself.

And in case you're thinking (like me), she probably just made a mistake and that was supposed to go in the INSTALLATION segment...nope. That part is at the bottom of the article. They happen to start at $2 a sq. ft. and go up or down from there. Either this is poor editorial work and he was misquoted or I've been pricing my design work all wrong.
Thoughts?

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

and those are the type of jokes I'm talking about. This article is just fodder for funniness. There's no way it was for real...right?

 

[threeputt]

Agreed. The pricing of wraps allows (should allow) for so many factors and components that are many and varied.

Square foot pricing is for carpeting!!!!

 

[TheSnowman]

HA! Every time I have Phillip design me a giant banner, he always wants to charge me by the square foot! He doesn't...but he wishes he could!

 

[Kwiksigns]

I would have loved to price every food truck and trailer like that... That sounds like nonsense

 

[T_K]

Considering the vehicle graphics I've done in the past, that pricing method wouldn't work. The box truck customers want cheap spot graphics, where the cars and trucks will super complex body lines want full coverage, detailed graphics. So my design work has always been heavier on the smaller vehicles.

That said, the $/sq.ft. method does give you a easily communicated pricing strategy, while still allowing for flexibility. While there may be better ways to price it, this is a quick and easy method.

I'd love to see some of their actual quotes and get a look at this method in action.

 

[OldPaint]

#1. sq ft is a std of measurement to give you a good idea of what your gona use in materials(comes in rolls(like carpet)and you WILL USE so many sq ft of it to finish your WRAP))))
i been in this business for longer then most of ya been livin........and PRICING BY THE SQ FT for me has worked all these years)))))) i see some on here doing the mathematic gymnastics with time, overhead, shop labor $$$, materials and jackin those to double........lot of figerin for nothing!!!
I DONT DO WRAPS, DONT WANT AND never wanted to hang wallpaper either.
and that shouldn't make any difference where you put the vinyl........on boards or on a car or box truck.
its really simple folks.......quit making it complicated.
you buy MATERIAL/INK............the cost of the printer will pay for itself if your pricing right and not giving it away.
SQUARE FOOT WORKS BEST. $2 IS BULLSCAT)))) and giving it away.
look at it really slimple.
i buy a roll of SHINE RITE VINYL. 24" X 150 FEET or 2' X150' or 300 sq feet of vinyl. OK??? now i got a roll of transfer tape 24" X 300' or 2 ft X 300 ft.
ROLL OF VINYL $78.00
ROLL OF TRANSFER TAPE $75.00 total for the 2 is $153.00 for 600 sq ft of material that wil make me money if priced out at more then what they cost me + cost of doing business.
i got $153.00 and 600 sq ft of material............i figured bout $4 sq ft.........MY COST.........(the actual figure is less, i know, but to maintain a business, you wil have UNFORSEEN EXPENSES like paper towels, cleaners, trash hauling, mistakes........hehehehehe)
SO I NEVER SELL ANYTHING FOR $2 A SQ FT!!!!!
all these years i have maintained a selling price of ANY SIGN(i could measure and get sq size of)sold at SQ FT PRICING.
BOX TRUCKS are nothing more the then big boards. std pricing for a 4' X 8' sign..........on alumicore, MDO, .40 ALUM i never do one for less the $6-7.50 sq ft + material. and you can mark up material but i never do a DOUBLE ITS PRICE.
so figure wise 4 x8=32sf x $10=320.00 at $5 st it would be $160.00 @ $7.50 it would $160+$80=$240. PLUS MATERIAL COST.
now for a BOX TRUCK no materials.......so a 8 ft X 12' box goes like this........if your covering all of it.......144 sq ft each side. doin the back door. 6 X 8 or 48sq ft. now.....your vinyl. ink/overhead cost will be covered and to make a profit you will have to charge X$ PERSQ FT.LIKE I SAID EARLIER.......I DO NOTHING FOR LESS THEN $5 SQ FT. so i know i make profit and cover cost of materials and cost of being in business. those of you with rent, electric, and other expenses........need to maintain even more.
so the box truck goes like this:
per side: 8 X 12 = 144sq ft for figureing iam gona go at $10 sq ft price.
144 X 10= $1440.00 X 2=$2880.00 + 48 sf or $480.00 for a total of $3360.00
total sq ft 336.
NOW........ you dont want to charge $10 sq ft and wish to charge $5 sf? cut the $3360.00 IN HALF........$1680.00. SIMPLE AND EASY.
you want to charge $7.50 sq ft, 1/2 again the $1680= $840, add that to the $1680 for $2520.00 i would be good with that.

 

[neato]

HA! Every time I have Phillip design me a giant banner, he always wants to charge me by the square foot! He doesn't...but he wishes he could!

Good idea Kraig! Thanks

 

[T_K]

#1. sq ft is a std of measurement to give you a good idea of what your gona use in materials(comes in rolls(like carpet)

You missed the part where the article was about pricing *DESIGN* work. We're not talking about materials and installation yet. Just design.

Here is an excerpt: "According to Freeborg his company starts the design charge at $2 per square foot and then takes into consideration the size of the job, the complexity of the vehicle, and the labor that will go into prepping the vehicle. The price for design will then go up or down from there."

Most places I've seen have charged design by the hour or by a flat fee for a specified amount of work (usually based on an estimated # of hours).

I have never heard of anyone basing their design work on the size of the product before. So this is a different approach.

 

[OldPaint]

i left out the "design work" as it is a whole nuther way of FIGURING TIME AND VALUE.
most of old guys...........with art ability, can design on the fly..........one of the things that separate artists from sticker shops........and having that ability(and not having to struggle with that end)is why most of us "old guys" do this. for us its a no brainer to design.
now as to CHARGING FOR IT........what i have seen in the last couple years......from the newbie shops is nothing worth charging for. sorry but layin down a line a text, poppin a piece of clip art is not designing. it doing the job your paid to do. or when they bring you what they want and you make a sign....no design...........just the time to layout what you have been given.
NOW THIS IS ON YOU........if your slow to bad, cant charge for your lack of speed))))
also unless it is something that YOU ACTUALLY BUILT from scratch, then you can charge a design fee. now that got to HOW WELL and how good the design is...NOT THE TIME YOU GOT IN IT)))

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

#1. sq ft is a std of measurement to give you a good idea of what your gona use in materials(comes in rolls(like carpet)and you WILL USE so many sq ft of it to finish your WRAP))))
i been in this business for longer then most of ya been livin........and PRICING BY THE SQ FT for me has worked all these years)))))) i see some on here doing the mathematic gymnastics with time, overhead, shop labor $$$, materials and jackin those to double........lot of figerin for nothing!!!
I DONT DO WRAPS, DONT WANT AND never wanted to hang wallpaper either.
and that shouldn't make any difference where you put the vinyl........on boards or on a car or box truck.
its really simple folks.......quit making it complicated.
you buy MATERIAL/INK............the cost of the printer will pay for itself if your pricing right and not giving it away.
SQUARE FOOT WORKS BEST. $2 IS BULLSCAT)))) and giving it away.
look at it really slimple.
i buy a roll of SHINE RITE VINYL. 24" X 150 FEET or 2' X150' or 300 sq feet of vinyl. OK??? now i got a roll of transfer tape 24" X 300' or 2 ft X 300 ft.
ROLL OF VINYL $78.00
ROLL OF TRANSFER TAPE $75.00 total for the 2 is $153.00 for 600 sq ft of material that wil make me money if priced out at more then what they cost me + cost of doing business.
i got $153.00 and 600 sq ft of material............i figured bout $4 sq ft.........MY COST.........(the actual figure is less, i know, but to maintain a business, you wil have UNFORSEEN EXPENSES like paper towels, cleaners, trash hauling, mistakes........hehehehehe)
SO I NEVER SELL ANYTHING FOR $2 A SQ FT!!!!!
all these years i have maintained a selling price of ANY SIGN(i could measure and get sq size of)sold at SQ FT PRICING.
BOX TRUCKS are nothing more the then big boards. std pricing for a 4' X 8' sign..........on alumicore, MDO, .40 ALUM i never do one for less the $6-7.50 sq ft + material. and you can mark up material but i never do a DOUBLE ITS PRICE.
so figure wise 4 x8=32sf x $10=320.00 at $5 st it would be $160.00 @ $7.50 it would $160+$80=$240. PLUS MATERIAL COST.
now for a BOX TRUCK no materials.......so a 8 ft X 12' box goes like this........if your covering all of it.......144 sq ft each side. doin the back door. 6 X 8 or 48sq ft. now.....your vinyl. ink/overhead cost will be covered and to make a profit you will have to charge X$ PERSQ FT.LIKE I SAID EARLIER.......I DO NOTHING FOR LESS THEN $5 SQ FT. so i know i make profit and cover cost of materials and cost of being in business. those of you with rent, electric, and other expenses........need to maintain even more.
so the box truck goes like this:
per side: 8 X 12 = 144sq ft for figureing iam gona go at $10 sq ft price.
144 X 10= $1440.00 X 2=$2880.00 + 48 sf or $480.00 for a total of $3360.00
total sq ft 336.
NOW........ you dont want to charge $10 sq ft and wish to charge $5 sf? cut the $3360.00 IN HALF........$1680.00. SIMPLE AND EASY.
you want to charge $7.50 sq ft, 1/2 again the $1680= $840, add that to the $1680 for $2520.00 i would be good with that.

A) Did you even read the title of the thread, much less anything in the body of it?
B) "that shouldn't make any difference where you put the vinyl........on boards or on a car or box truck.
its really simple folks.......quit making it complicated." Sooo... wrapping a helmet or a yard sign is all the same to you because it takes the same amount of vinyl? It's not that we're "making it complicated" it's that it IS COMPLICATED which is probably the reason you "DON'T DO WRAPS".
C) You are posting sq.ft. prices and dimensions etc. in this forum...with prices that aren't universal to every shop in the least.
D) I could barely get through your response due to all the weird spelling errors and odd grammar.
E) Your pricing method is HORRIBLE. You buy all the raw materials, add up the cost, then figure how much you need to charge so you aren't upside down. Legitimate shops carry material costs over to future jobs and focus on value price the customer should reasonably pay. Not, how much more than all my material costs and overhead can I charge. Good grief!
F) Did you even read the title of the thread, much less anything in the body of it?

 

[OldPaint]

iam glad to see your still confussed...........
i been in the business probably longer then you been living, and its worked well for me, but IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO THRU ALL THE MATHMATICAL GYMNASTICS... to get the same results as i do...........be my guest..........bottm line is in any business is to make a profit, how you get there is your choice....MINE WORKED WELL FOR 40 YEARS...... and was given to me by people who had been doing it for years before me.
but hey.........struggle on son))))
i just finished this 12' trailer and sure got way more then $2 a sq ft )))))))))
oh......i dont do wraps........CAUSE I AM 71.......and cant stand up more then 5 minutes......then it find chair or fall on my arse))))and really dont see any money in it.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

iam glad to see your still confussed...........
i been in the business probably longer then you been living, and its worked well for me, but IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO THRU ALL THE MATHMATICAL GYMNASTICS... to get the same results as i do...........be my guest..........bottm line is in any business is to make a profit, how you get there is your choice....MINE WORKED WELL FOR 40 YEARS...... and was given to me by people who had been doing it for years before me.
but hey.........struggle on son))))
i just finished this 12' trailer and sure got way more then $2 a sq ft )))))))))
oh......i dont do wraps........CAUSE I AM 71.......and cant stand up more then 5 minutes......then it find chair or fall on my arse))))and really dont see any money in it.

Ugh, you're still the one confused as this was about design priced by the square foot.
I'm guessing you built in some good margins for re-cutting due to grammatical errors in order to stay in business that long. I mean jeesh!

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Sorry to knit-pick the old guy but it's hard not to when he comes in here yelling about how we're convoluted and isn't even on par with the topic of the thread.
Now I'm feeling immature and prideful for going back and forth with him...oh well. It's just a forum. I don't have to say it to his face, or I wouldn't. I'm not THAT mean.

 

[Gino]

:ROFLMAO:

 

[OldPaint]

its from Kentucky.... and its got "grammar police ocd".........NO YOU CANT CHARGE DESIGN BY THE SQ FT.......you charge for that from a TALENT PERSPECTIVE...........the better you are the more money you can ask.......
did i tell you i think grammar police are funny???HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Sign Works]

Op ... Wow! someone pee in your wheaties this morning?

))))))))))) The topic was "WRAP DESIGN PRICING" )))))))))))))

... You do not do wraps or design wraps ...

((((((((((((((((( WHY EVEN COMMENT (((((((((((((((((((

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Hey! ... I thought as one gets older they gain characteristics like wisdom & humility ...

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WTF WTF WTF WTF (((( This is 40 year veteran true artistic talent? )))) WTF WTF WTF WTF

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

its from Kentucky.... and its got "grammar police ocd".........NO YOU CANT CHARGE DESIGN BY THE SQ FT.......you charge for that from a TALENT PERSPECTIVE...........the better you are the more money you can ask.......
did i tell you i think grammar police are funny???HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm in Kentucky...yes. From Southern California but still not sure the relevance. I don't pick on grammar, but when 25% of your comment is rife with it I can't help but mention it.
Sorry for picking on you. Keep doing what you're doing the way you've been doing it if it's working for you.
Just, next time, please read the title and body of the thread before writing a how to book with specific pricing (customers are watching) and sarcastic vitriol that when all is said and done, had nothing to do with the thread to begin with.

 

[OldPaint]

nobody peeded in my Wheaties.....as for the design on the trailer.......i guess you dont dot READ well.....i said "customer got what THEY WANTED" they were happy and liked what THEY came up with......i did my job.........got paid, your opinion.......i can tell you what its worth)))))