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Image Requests

We receive a significant number of image and file requests from our clients and other vendors that our clients use on a daily basis. We developed a system/formula to charge for these requests to recoup some of the costs for time/supplies/etc. After a rough analysis of these kinds of jobs to date, we discovered that this system isn't really working for us and we're not recouping as much as we think we should. We'd love to hear how some of you handle charges/costs for requests for images and/or hi-res, collected files of completed materials so that we can get a better idea of what other places charge for similar requests.

Here are a few examples of some requests:

(9) Hi-res files of images from brochure X sent on disk to company Y Hi-res, collected files of all fonts, documents, images, etc. from poster Z uploaded onto FTP server for company A

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Kathi Sheehan Coyne Communications

These can be difficult charges to justify. Clients don't always understand how much time it takes to retrieve and deliver such digital files, particularly when the archived volume is high. Plus, our creative people hated the task. These requests were getting hard for us to manage profitably so about two years ago, we created a web-based storage tool that houses all our digital files. The tool makes it easy for us to store, edit, manage, find and deliver digital items. We used the tool so much that clients started asking us about the tool, and now we offer it as a fee per user service. Clients pay less for the service than they would if we had to retrieve and mail the items to them and it gives the clients the power to control their digital brand assets. It's a win/win. We call our tool....ASAP!Jack.

Mary Henry Kleier Communications

Please provide what you charge your clients as an hourly rate for the example you showed, and then a total charge on this example's invoice. I can better understand how to advise you if I know these two things.

Kay --

We just simply charge time and materials...the hourly rate for the person searching, compiling, sending, etc. and disk, postage, etc.

User

Due to changes in technology, it is harder to define the stages of the job because everything is done intangibly. However, the actual stages of the work haven't changed, they are just harder to explain because they are less clear cut. Even though artwork is produced on a computer, and often done from start to finish by the same person, there are two distinct levels of work, design and production, that should have separate billing rates. In the design phase, the client is paying for the intellectual property portion of the project, the design and creativity, and in the production phase they are paying to have that vision turned into a usable/printable product. Gathering images, files, etc. is all part of delivering a usable piece, but it should be billed at a lower rate than the design phase.

If you have a lot of requests for images and files that come from outside delivery of the original piece, there are several ways that you can handle it. First, you should track exactly how much time is actually being spent on these projects each month for the client. This is lost billable hours that could have been spent on other projects. I think you have several options, which could be presented to the client to choose from: If the client is otherwise profitable, you can build an increase into your estimates to the client to cover the additional time as hidden cost of doing business with the client; You can bill the client a monthly retainer amount each month to cover handling the average volume of requests; You can revamp the way you store images and files for this client to make it easier and more cost effective to pull materials for requests and charge a flat fee per request to cover the average cost per request. (at one employer in the past, when computers were updated, one of the old computers was converted to a dedicated "photo album" for a client who had lots of product shots, which made it easier to find images, fonts etc. This employer charged a flat $50 disk fee for all requests after the initial delivery of collected files to the original printer. ) Or you could open a monthly ticket, and bill the client by month for the extra time as graphic files management, and detail what was sent where.

Alex Luken Traffic Manager Marketing - 8 HUM Alex Luken