Charging for Creative by the Hour is Dumb

There, I said it.  And now, I'll repeat it:  Charging by the hour is dumb.

It's dumb for creatives.  Dumb for writers.  Dumb for artists.  Dumb for editors.
Dumb for clients.  Even dumb for bean counters.

Dumb.

Here's why:

Unlike many other professions, there is not a 1:1 correlation between creative and time.  Those who think there is, are vainly trying to make order out of chaos.

Inspiration can occur in the first five minutes or two weeks in.  It can happen as the assignment is given or hours before it's due.  It may never come and the retreads pour out of the closet.  (In those instances, you hope that the old NBC approach works, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you.")

If you've been writing/designing/editing for years, you know how to approach a challenge the instant you get the assignment.  Compare that to your first year in the business.

Non-advertising case in point:  If my car is making a funny sound, I'll bring it to a skilled mechanic who can identify the problem in seconds, then fix it much quicker than a newbie who may have never heard that particular sound before.  Is the former's 10-second evaluation less valuable than the latter's 3-hour exploration?  I think not. 

But, you may argue, that's why you now charge more per hour.  I counter, and rightly so, that as a rookie, chances are you took exponentially more time.  And, chances are, you weren't as good then as you are now.

Either way, the value should be based on the end result.  It should make no difference how long it takes to hit the mark, as long as the project is delivered when promised.

But, you may argue, some projects inherently take longer.  I counter, and rightly so (once again), that you should accurately gauge the value and not be beholden to the clock.  (The reality is, you usually put in more than you bill anyway.)

For instance, taglines may appear to be a mere several words on a page (even if you put one line per page, everybody knows what's going on here).  However, a successful line for a national campaign is worth more than sweating out 10 pages of brochure copy.  It's just a fact.

But, you may argue, some aspects of the business, like editing, are a function of time.  For the last time in this post I counter, the same concept holds true.  After years of editing, you're faster, better and know more shortcuts that work.  Again, you're exponentially better.  It still boils down to the value of the final product.


And here's the other reason to stay off the clock:  Projects tend to go all Goldfish on you.  A goldfish grows in relation to the size of its tank.  Little tank, little goldfish.  Big tank, big goldfish.  The same holds true for projects.  If given a day, it'll take a day; if given a month, it'll take, well, you get the idea.

As long as there is an agreed-upon rate, all involved, especially clients, are liberated to focus on the creative, rather than the clock.

Otherwise, charging by the hour is just dumb.

-Ed
edrothshow@gmail.com

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