> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://connect.aaronembrey.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Three Numbers Every Creative Pro Needs to Know - URL: https://connect.aaronembrey.com/the-three-numbers-every-creative-needs-to-know/ - Published: 2026-04-03T15:17:38.000Z - Updated: 2026-04-03T17:52:25.000Z - Description: Before you price anything (a painting, a logo, a photo session, a brochure) you need to know three numbers. (Just three!) - Author: Aaron Embrey - Tags: Creative Tools There's a conversation I wish someone had sat down and had with me early on in my career (especially before I undercharged my first client, before I said yes to “exposure” projects like it was a paycheck, and ESPECIALLY before I spent hours on a project and walked away with less than minimum wage. 🫠🫠 So! I thought I’d have it with you now! Before you price anything *(a painting, a logo, a photo session, a brochure)* you need to know three numbers. (Just three!) And if you hold onto them, they’ll protect you for the rest of your creative life. --- ### Number one: Your hourly RATE. Not what you think you're worth someday. What you need to earn right now, per hour, to make this work worth your time. Even $15–25/hr is a real starting point when you're building a portfolio. Write the number down. Own it. ### Number two: Your TIME. How many hours does this kind of project actually take — start to finish? Not the fun part. All of it. The back-and-forth emails, the revisions, the exporting, the printing run. Start clocking your school projects now. That data will be worth more than any pricing guide I can hand you. ### Number three: Your COSTS. Canvas. Paint. Software subscriptions. Printing. Gas to a photoshoot. The things that quietly eat your margin before you've even invoiced. Put them together and you get your floor: ``` Base price = (Hourly rate × Hours) + Costs ``` Never go below it. That number isn't what you want to charge. THIS the minimum below which you are paying someone else to use your talent. --- ### A few things worth knowing, based on [**type of creative work**](https://wildcreating.com/pricing-worksheet.html?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com): **Original paintings:** Research comparable artists at your level on Etsy, local galleries, and Instagram. A common formula adds **(canvas cost × 3)** on top of your labor. Don't forget framing, portfolio photography, listing fees! *They add up.* **Prints/Reproductions:** Price below the original, but not embarrassingly so. Calculate your **print cost plus platform fees, then mark up 2–3×**. *Limited editions can command more*. **Illustration commissions:** Tier your pricing by complexity (is it a sketch, flat color, full detail, commercial use). Usage rights matter enormously: personal use costs less than commercial. **Student starting ranges:** **$50–150 for personal, $150–500+ for commercial.** **Photography:** A *1-hour shoot* can mean *3–5 hours of editing*. That time is part of your session fee. Portrait starting range for emerging photographers: **$75–200/session**. **Logo design:** Flat rate works better than hourly her. Clients get nervous watching a clock. Package it! *Logo + file formats + one revision round.* **Student range: $150–400\.** And always include a licensing clause. YOU own the files. They own the right to use the logo. **Trifold brochures:** Ask upfront whether they're providing copy and photos or whether you're sourcing them. That changes the scope (and the price) significantly. **Student range: $100–250**. --- **And three things I want you to always keep in mind:** **“Exposure” is not payment.** Selective, intentional free or reduced-cost work for a strong portfolio piece? That's a strategy. Doing it by default because you feel like you can't ask for more? That's a habit to break early. **You are not selling hours. You are selling hours shaped by years of practice.** A logo that takes a professional four hours took years of training to be doable in four hours. That expertise is in the price. **Have a plan to raise your rates.** Price where you are right now, and mark a checkpoint **every 3–5 completed projects**. Growth isn’t accidental. You have to build it in! --- ### A few resources worth bookmarking: - [Graphic Artists Guild Handbook](https://graphicartistsguild.org/the-graphic-artists-guild-handbook-pricing-ethical-guidelines/?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com): the industry standard for pricing illustration and design - The Futur ([thefutur.com](https://www.thefutur.com/?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com) / [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/c/thefuturishere/videos?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com)): practical, no-nonsense pricing content for young designers - ASMP ([asmp.org](https://www.asmp.org/?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com)): photography pricing guides - [*Pricing Design*](https://pricingdesignbook.com/?ref=connect.aaronembrey.com) by Dan Mall: short, readable, design-specific - Etsy seller analytics: underrated for researching what comparable work actually sells for in the real world --- ### You have real skills. Price like it. With so much love for where you’re headed, more soon! Aaron