It's all about you

Because all design projects are as unique as the organisation's behind them, their specific goals, the resources needed (or already available) to complete them, the cost of a design project is based on the sum of these factors.

Following an initial project briefing, a project specification is established where time allowances to complete key phases are allocated. The sum of these hours is then multiplied by Nous Communications' hourly rate ($100 per hour excluding GST).

Price guide

The following are rough estimates for most standard instances of the items listed, however these can vary significantly based on individual briefs, client needs and unique job specifications. Prices include GST. Group 1 are 1st year ABN holders (entitled to a 50% discount), group 2 are 2nd year ABN holders (entitled to a 75% discount), and group 3 are businesses who have held their ABN for over 2 years.

Item	Time	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3
Logo design	8-20 hours	$440 to $1100	$660 to $1650	$880 to $2200
Business card	3-5 hours	$165 to $275	$247.50 to $412.50	$330 to $550
Letterhead (A4)	2-4 hours	$110 to $220	$165 to $330	$220 to $440
DL brochure (6 panels)	6-12 hours	$330 to $660	$495 to $990	$660 to $1320
Website (4 pages)	15-40 hours	$825 to $2200	$1237.50 to $3300	$1650 to $4400
Signage (main panel)	4-7 hours	$220 to $385	$330 to $577.50	$440 to $770
A4 publication (20 pages)	16-20 hours	$880 to $1100	$1320 to $1650	$1760 to $2200
A4 flyer (doube-sided)	8-12 hours	$330 to $660	$660 to $990	$880 to $1320
DL flyer (double-sided)	5-8 hours	$275 to $440	$412.50 to $660	$550 to $880
Advertisement	3-8 hours	$165 to $440	$247.50 to $660	$330 to $880
Poster	6-9 hours	$330 to $495	$495 to $742.50	$660 to $990
Packaging	12-20 hours	$660 to $1100	$990 to $1650	$1320 to $2200

But it's still a bit out of my budget?

Nous Communications makes all effort to work closely with you to realistically assess your business requirements, opportunities and the resources you have to pursue your goals so that your investment in design can play an accountable and hard-working part. This includes working to existing budgets where they are indicated. If the resulting project estimate still exceeds the investment you're able to make, estimates can be collaboratively reviewed by re-specifying the agreed deliverables or scope of the project (to bring necessary hours, and hence cost, down to a more manageable or realistic level).

Hourly versus flat fees

Due to the relative premium a client is asked to pay to guarantee a flat fee's 'all inclusive' feasibility before the actual requirements of an uncommenced and undelivered project can be known, Nous Communications does not offer flat fees for projects (i.e. where a flat 'quotation' differs to a time-based 'estimate').

In terms of creative or strategic services, flat fee costing structures need to build too much 'contingency padding' to accommodate the inevitable collaborative exchanges that occur during the project timeline. In short, flat fees are based on a lot of pre-emptive guesswork rather than reality, which means clients often pay more than they need to for things that aren't mutually clear.

Because an investment in customised design services is not about choosing pre-packaged items off a menu board, the cost itself is a product of valuable time shared between the client and the designer.

Timesheeted transparency

At Nous Communications, detailed timesheets are maintained upon commencement of work, with all hours carefully and transparently itemised. This method helps with realtime monitoring of a project's efficiency when mapped to the original project specification, keeping it on brief, on budget and on time for delivery.

Estimates provided beforehand act as safe allowances to inform budgetary planning, and final invoices are typically 70 to 90% of these original figures. Clients are informed at key increments in the project timeline as to percentages of the original estimate used so that the deliverables stay on budget and deadline targets. Where project timelines are reaching 100% of the original estimate, this is typically due to client-side contingencies or the overall specifications changing midway. If this is likely to happen, clients are notified in advance to negotiate an appropriate way forward.