hey buddy

i dabble in a spectrum of design. i do ads, animation, promo films, web design, etc. i have my first real 3D freelance gig coming up too, im pretty excited about it. anyhow, i sometimes charge a flat fee but feel most compensated when i charge by the hour. i dont think im hotsh*t so i dont charge a huge hourly wage. if i was awesome and i could get a webpage done in a day i might charge $50 - $60 an hour, but i find i spend alot of time troubleshooting my design, referencing books or the web for tips, basically learning, and i dont think it fair to charge customer for that, so taking that into consideration i usually charge $15 - $25 an hour, assuming a part of every hour will actually be dedicated to their project and part of it will be allocated for my own education.

another factor is, are you doing it for a big company that has money and will just use the check they right to you as a tax right off, or is it for some girl that works down at the coffee shop that you want to bone? i do some ad work every month for a bar i drink at, i charge em $40 bucks a month, sometimes its three ads in a month sometimes its one. i have this other guy who owns a party planning/catering empire. i charge him like $25 - $40 bucks an hour for different things. quite simply, he's got the cash.

i feel quilty and awkward sometimes when it comes to the payment.  good luck with it. i'm sure after a few gigs you'll come into your own idea of what kind of compensation you want/need.

shane