james_lee27 Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 I am a newly trained photographer and I feel that design should get done by a designer not a photographer. Not to mention my design skills are horrible. With this in mind I need to ask all the gurus out there what is the reasonable going rate for a design is, what is reasonable turnaround time is, and what kind of quality I should expect from a designer. Please help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy_york Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 My favorite is Forbeyon, but there pricey. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john at storybook pages Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 We design albums for photographers at $15/spread + $1/image. So for a 40 page (sides) album with 21 spreads (19 two-page spreads and 2 single-page spreads) and using 100 images (typical)...our design charge is $415. And we'll make changes to 20% of the spreads at no charge. Changes beyond that are subject to $15/spread. We'll typically have a design ready to proof online in about 1 week from the time we get the images. And clients then have a choice - we can send them the designs and they have them printed and bound - or we'll handle the printing and binding using top album companies like Graphi, Leather Craftsmen, Asuka Book, Zookbinders, VisionArt. Then we deliver the complete album to the photogrpher ready to present to their client. As important as money is, it's even more about finding somone whose designs match your style and whose work does justice to your images: someone you like working with. Because album design is so personal, we will generally do a free design audition before we take a client on. They send 20-30 images and we design several spreads and post them online for them to evaluate. Free. No obligation. Just to see how we like working with one another. IMO, getting together on style and working relationship is just as important (maybe more so..)as getting together on price. advice, details: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooke_moore Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 While some may be willing to have another person design I am not at all sure that it is a reasonable way to have a good finished product. Since you are getting started why not get started and take control of your final product as well as the images that go into it. There are simple design systems to begin with, like using a major lab and working with the provided templates to start with and making modifications to incorporate your ideas. Keep in mind that photographers created great film based albums using a set of mats for decades and the albums were fun and showcased a day very well. Too much design does not always increase the impact of the product. Look around and see if you have the skill to put the images into a reasonable order and then using the templates to make a design that reflects your client and your perception of the day. Nothing against the Storybookpages concept but it does make for an extreemly high priced end product which is probably not a good balance with a staring photographer's client. Brooke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooke_moore Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 James On turnaround time from MillersLab I uploaded a panoramic album, 12x12 on Monday am and had the finished product at my studio yesterday. Amazing turn around. I estimate that it takes me less time to design and upload an album than it did to put prints and mats into an album. The digital time is the same for either a standard printed book or a digital one. I do press books which are very economical but love the look of the assembled flush books with totally flat pano spreads. I can do a 40 side design in about 1-2 hours as long as the images are corrected before hand. Brooke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubejammin Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 When not desinging an album by myself, I use www.blendedmotion.com. Excellent work, 2 week turn around, and cost is $10/page (or $20/spread). No extra charge for changes within a certain number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_marby Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 Another lab that designs & prints the album is Hallmark Labs in Turners Falls, MA. http://www.hallmarklabs.com Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_lee27 Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 Thank you so much for all the info guys, Great help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willpursell Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 <p>I use nooncreative.com they have the best custom designs I have seen so far. customer service is amazing and they really care about the designs. I think they are priced pretty well!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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