I Need Help Coming Up With Compensation For Four Prototypes!

[Shelleypark]

Hello. I am new here and I desperately need some advice. I have been chosen to make four prototype pieces for a small company in Long Island, NY. The founder gave me guidelines on what he wanted and I am to design these pieces in clay form first and then it is to be slipcasted and sold in his stores and online. How much should I ask for? $20 an hour to make the prototypes? Someone recommended that I charge double for materials. Someone also said I should consider royalty but the founder also said that the design will be owned by his company so does that mean no royalty? They never said anything about hiring me at their company but they are interested in working with me in this project. So maybe $1000 for just the job or should I suggest the $20 an hour? Thank you so much for reading this. I need an answer ASAP.

[Chris Campbell]

Take a deep breath and realize that you have time to research this a bit before you answer them. Hopefully you have until Monday at least!

 

If it were me I would spend some time online looking at every facet of this ... Google artist legal agreements every way you can think of until you find some samples of what established artists do. Search for people who do this for a living and see what their terms are ... I know there are professionals doing this. Do not let them steam roll you into doing something quickly that may end up being a nightmare loser for you. Get a signed agreement with your terms and timeline. Make sure their responsibilities are included as well as yours defined. Payments should be defined in no iffy terms.

 

One of the "red flags" of business is people trying to rush you, so don't let them freak you out with the 'hurry up' routine.

[Mark C.]

I'm a bit fuzzy on details are these your designs or theirs? Sounds like they need a clay designer which is you.

The slipwork and all that sounds like its done by others?

This sounds not like royalties but design work-which is by the job or hour-you both need to agree on which.

I would decide on a hourly or bid for the whole job which would include enough to run over whatever time you think this will take and give them a range to cost as you do not know how long this will take exactly.

Mark

[Wyndham]

You said you were chosen, does this indicate you were selected from others based on your designs? If so you have intellectual rights to your designs, unless you have signed them away already, that's worth money.

 

The company wants tocontract with you for "work for hire" so that they have allrights and you have none.

If this is acceptable to you, get enough money up front as that will all that will be.

How big is the potential market?

has the company done this before with other artist?

 A lot to think about

Wyndham

[Shelleypark]

Hi guys,

 

I would like to thank you all for your helpful replies! Sorry I did not thank you guys sooner. I am currently at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts for ceramics and their internet here is shoddy. The employer thought I was too expensive for hire but the information you guys have given me is very valuable. Thank you so much for your qquick responses!

 

-Shelley Park

[TJR]

Shelley;

You can probably breathe a sign of releif. You avoided a morass of contracts and product ownership, and under-cutting the artist. Most of us have been there, and a lot of us would not take this on again.

TJR.

[Benzine]

That's how I sometimes feel, when a project, usually a favor, I've been asked to do, falls through.  Not that I wouldn't have put my best effort into them, but I've got enough on my plate most times.

[TJR]

That's how I sometimes feel, when a project, usually a favor, I've been asked to do, falls through.  Not that I wouldn't have put my best effort into them, but I've got enough on my plate most times.

Ditto;

My apologies. I spelled "breathe" without an "e". Thought it looked odd. I guess the summer holidays are causing my brain to leak out.

T.