How much should you charge clients as a freelance designer?
by Penelope Stephens
Here's an uncomfortable question: when did you last raise your rates.
If you're hesitating, that's your answer.
Pricing is the part of freelance design nobody teaches you. You get good at your craft, you land some clients... and then you guess your rate based on what feels "not too expensive" and pray they say yes. Sound familiar.
It doesn't have to work this way.
Why most designers are undercharging
There are a few reasons designers chronically underprice themselves, and fear of the conversation is only part of it.
The bigger issue is comparison. If you've ever quoted a job, felt unsure, and then googled "what should I charge for logo design" — you've probably landed on a number that either felt insultingly low or completely out of reach. The problem is most publicly available rate guides pull from global averages that include markets where $30/hr is considered solid money.
You're not in those markets. You shouldn't be pricing like you are.
In Australia, a mid-level designer on a full-time salary earns roughly $65,000–$80,000 a year. Factor in super, sick leave, and annual leave entitlements — and that breaks down to around $34–$40/hr at absolute minimum. As a freelancer, you don't have any of that. No sick leave. No leave loading. No employer super contributions. No guaranteed income between jobs. You're running a business. Your rate needs to reflect that reality.
Freelance designer rates in Australia: actual benchmarks
There's no single perfect number, but here's a realistic breakdown for 2026:
- Entry-level: $50–$70/hr
- Mid-level: $80–$100/hr
- Senior or specialist: $100–$150/hr+
If those numbers feel high, that's worth sitting with. Because the instinct to discount is almost never about market reality — it's almost always about confidence.
"Business and working for yourself is 90% confidence, 10% skill." We've said this in almost every piece of content we've ever made, and nowhere is it more true than in how you price your work.
If you want immediate confidence, Creative Business OS sets you up to be an autonomous six-figure studio owner by taking care of the system that controls your business.
Why you should stop charging by the hour
Once you've got two or three years of solid client work behind you, hourly billing is actively working against you.
Here's the problem: the better you get at design, the faster you work. A brand identity that once took you 15 hours now takes 8. Your skill has improved. Your instincts are sharper. Your efficiency is better. And your hourly earnings have... gone down. That's completely backwards.
Project-based pricing fixes this. When a client is paying for an outcome — not your time — you're being compensated for the value you deliver, not the hours you sat at your desk getting there.
Some rough benchmarks to work from:
- Logo and brand identity: $1,500–$5,000+
- Full brand suite (identity, guidelines, asset library): $5,000–$15,000
- Website design: $2,500–$10,000+
- Monthly design retainer: $1,500–$4,000/month
These are starting points. Not ceilings. Your niche, your positioning, and your track record all push these numbers higher.
How to raise your rates without losing all your clients
The fear of raising rates usually sounds like this: I'll raise my prices, my clients will leave, I'll have no work, everything will fall apart.
That's not what happens.
When you raise your rates, two things tend to occur. Budget clients leave — which, genuinely, is a good thing. They were the ones emailing on Sundays, asking for unlimited revisions, and paying the slowest. Better clients come in to replace them. The kind who have actual budgets, respect timelines, and understand what good work costs.
Your total workload might drop slightly. Your income stays the same or improves. Your energy isn't completely burned by mid-month.
Start with new clients, not existing ones. On your next project enquiry, quote 20% higher than you normally would. See what happens. Most of the time, they just say yes.
When it's time to raise rates with existing clients, give 30 days notice and frame it simply — your experience has grown, the market has shifted, and this reflects where your work is now. No apology needed.
Building a rate you can actually stand behind
The best place to start is knowing your minimum — not your ideal rate, your floor. The lowest number at which you can take a project, cover your costs, and pay yourself a liveable income.
From there, think about your positioning. Specialist designers consistently charge more than generalists. If you're doing everything for everyone, you're competing in the biggest pool possible and your time becomes a commodity. The more clearly you can articulate what you do, who you do it for, and what outcomes you deliver — the eer it becomes to charge accordingly.
If you want to justify higher rates, the fastest paths are:
- Niche down, even slightly
- Build case studies that speak to business outcomes, not just aesthetics
- Collect testimonials that describe results, not just vibes
- Treat your portfolio like a sales document, not a gallery
Your portfolio should answer the question: "why would I hire this person." Make sure it does.
The short version
Stop undercharging. Know your floor. Shift toward project-based pricing. Raise your rates before you feel ready. The clients worth having won't walk away over a number that reflects your actual value.
If you want to stop guessing and start pricing with confidence — we've built resources in the studio to help you work out exactly what to charge, model your project rates, and build a business that actually covers its costs.
Written by Penelope Stephens, Co-Founder & Writer at Boring Studios. Penelope studied Journalism at the University of Melbourne and has worked across copywriting, content creation, and creative direction before co-founding Boring Studios.
