Pricing of the big boys?

[Philip Konya]

I would like to know if any of you know of a site that posts what the "big boys" pull in for the sites they do for clients.
I have heard a lot of things about pricing, and am trying to determine some things. I heard (read actually) nike paid $80,000. + for one of their sites. Is there a source where we can see:
1. How much $ per site (and see what the client got for their $$$)
2. Who the client was
3. How much time it took

[pk]

[aversion]

The biggest budgets belong to sites you've probably never seen by designers you've probably never heard of. In a past job I worked on a project with a $600k budget for a website, and I know some of the big sites out there, big corporate sites, have cost well into 7 figures.

I don't know of any source, people generally consider talking about their earnings quite vulgar, especially when they're making more than everyone else

I know some famous designer firms who regularly do sites for $100k+ and others, who you might think are as 'big time' who do similar sites for less than $10k.

[Philip Konya]

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to get some concrete info as research in knowing what to quote potential clients. I am the creative designer in a small company.
We have very good prospects on closing a deal with a hollywood production company. I think we quoted them rediculously low, and am trying to prove it to the higher ups. (Everyone else in this company is in IT.)

I worked on a project with a $600k budget for a website

Can you tell me the address?

I know some famous designer firms who regularly do sites for $100k+

Could you give me some names?

Thanks for your input.
[pk]

[erova]

why would anyone post such competitive data on a site?

this site you're looking for sounds like a pricing version of the smoking gun site.

doesn't surprise me at all that nike would drop a lot of cake on one of their sites by odopod.

also consider what the major IT consulting companies are working for, like EDS (my job), Accenture, PwC, etc....those gigs aren't 50 large, that's for sure...

[aversion]

You're really not going to find out this kind of data, I wouldn't devulge the names of studios whose budgets I know because it's private information. The only way you can get this kind of data would be from looking at proposals but most proposal sites for projects this large need a paid subscription.

Originally posted by Philip Konya
Can you tell me the address?

it's not online anymore.

[MG315]

the total price is irrelevant, you should be more concerned with hourly rates. a company could change $1000 and $100,000 for two different sites if they had a rate of $100/hr and they thought they'd spend 10 hours and 1000 hours respectively


the larger design firms charge more because they spend more time working on the project. there's much more involved than designing something in flash or coding...

[pastthepresent]

Nicely said MG315. There are other factors like project management, design and layout, meetings, testing, modifications, etc.

aversion, what are these subscription sites your are talking about? sounds interesting.

[Philip Konya]

Thanks for the replys. I understand the importance of protecting sources. I also understand the competitive nature of the question. Let me ask you this, is there a place where I can find out how long
"said" took for completion?
I would like to know how I fair in reguard to my work pace.

[pk]

[deadbeat]

The length of time any given project took to complete is probably not very relevant information, as it will depend largely on the size of the team involved...

K.

[aversion]

All the information you're looking for just isn't the kind of information that companies give out willingly, you might find details of the odd project if you search hard enough but I don't think you'll ever find a site that compiles this kind of information.

Originally posted by pastthepresent
aversion, what are these subscription sites your are talking about? sounds interesting.

www.merx.com for example.

[chrismerkle]

Unless you are the god of the design heavens, dont even worry about charging a "hollywood" production company 100k for a website.

If you can keep your prices lower than the competition, that's a good thing. Look at Walmart.

It doesnt matter how much you charge, it matters how well you do the design. Like one of the Bacardi websites can go for 50K+, because the Bacardi executives have more money to spend, and they have no clue that people in India would do the same site for under 3K.

The first thing i would have done before giving that company a quote, is ask them their advertising budget. that is what i do when i first speak with a company. after i find out how much they are bringing to the table, then i figure out how much time and how in depth i can go into the project.

...that's my two cents.

[MG315]

they pay for security. Although you could probably get the same work 2advanced does from some Indian for 1/100 of the cost, companies feel better going with an established, well known business because they don't have to worry (as much) about the project not being completed right (or completed at all)

[pastthepresent]

People buy out of fear and greed. You are going to pay more for something you fear less. Check out some sitepoint articles for more on this theory.

On top of that, I hear a lot of US companies are coming back to the states b/c the Indian companies suck. Yeah they may charge less, but the quality of work and communication goes out the window.

[Philip Konya]

I guess there is really no way of knowing what some big companies charge. Oh well.
I do not think charging the cheapest is ever acceptable because:
1. If I charge "low" price the next guy does the same, and we cut our own profits by lowering the market prices.
2. People get a very different feeling paying more for a product. We never "bid" a client as the lowest bidder. People get a sense of security, peace of mind, satisfaction, and no longer worry about it when they spend more. Thinking is:
$=Good quality
$$=Great quality
$$$=Outstanding

3. Lowest price can imply desperation for work. We are in need of the work. Even if we are, we do not communicate that. Bad PR.

Thanks so much for your input and replies.

[EllisStudios]

India, Okay show one example of Hiqh quality design work from India. You wont, India seems to me to be more developers. No doubt because you can develop with a 166 with 32mb memory however fat chance trying to render with that. India is a poor country $0.75 hour is good pay.

They simply cannot afford a nice tablet that can run up to $3000.

[eraser_ad]

it doesn't make any difference if your tablet cost $3000 and you can't design. IMO the problem why their design looks different is because of cultural differences. go try to explain week-end BBQ to someone in India who never seen beef burger patties.

[MG315]

eraser_ad is right. It isn't the technology that divides us, its our cultural backgrounds. That's why coding (and other backend stuff that the end user doesnt see) is great outsourced, but things like design which can mean different things to different people is better left to someone "on the same page" as the client.

However, I will say that almost all the logos from www.logoyes.com were designed overseas (we did touch them up after receiving them, but the basic designs stayed the same)

[MAC01]

Originally posted by EllisStudios
India, Okay show one example of Hiqh quality design work from India. You wont, India seems to me to be more developers. No doubt because you can develop with a 166 with 32mb memory however fat chance trying to render with that. India is a poor country $0.75 hour is good pay.

They simply cannot afford a nice tablet that can run up to $3000.

uh, cost of equipment has nothing to do with it, most of the work gets done through outsourcing companies that have the resource to buy them anyway...

however professions in the field of web design/print/ad etc etc. wont be as susceptible to outsourcing as some other 'tech'jobs...

[EllisStudios]

Originally posted by MAC01
uh, cost of equipment has nothing to do with it

Alright explain how cost isnt a factor. I would love to know. Yes a designer must have a degree of creativity and some knowledge of the culture. But explain this, how can a swedish company create a site for an american company based on an american tradition?

Have you ever done a high poly render? It can take a day a frame on a very nice machine (dual xenon 3ghz+ 4gb ram) and hours with a farm.

Cost is a factor, it is a factor in every thing we do. Atleast in my world.

[Philip Konya]

I don't think cultural difference is a hindrance, but a blessing. I think the freshness and diversity cultural influence can bring is something to be embraced, not repelled! The market can get so saturated with similar style and approach as taught through said host country, that it is nice to have a different take on things!
I think people are jumping on the silly "outsourcing" bandwagon a little to quickley. If an artist is good ascetically, graphically, and communicatively, then they have a lethal combination. There are SO many incredible designers I know, here in Hungary, that will never get the "work" because they don't have the connections! It's about relationships. Not talent, charm, budget constraints, style, but relationships...in more cases then I wish to mention.

[pk]