Information

Proper pricing and proper, just remuneration of the work produced by a graphic designer and/or illustrator in Cyprus remains as one of the most inconvenient topics/issues within the community.

The Cyprus Association of Graphic Designers and Illustrators aims to elaborate on the issue by prompting a conversation on the matter.

The recent financial turmoil that took place in Cyprus and generally in Europe has affected most, if not all sectors of the market and consequently the field on visual communication. Furthermore, the lack of a proper culture and education on matters pertaining to visual communication in general, results to the a gradual and nonvarying, if not declining, appreciation of the importance and value of the applied visual arts in Cyprus. Despite the influx of properly trained individuals in the community and despite the passion and intention to create and offer to the community they bring with them, what they come across is a disappointing “status quo”. The particularity of our field in Cyprus in which professionals are called to work and create, is rendered to a great extent by compromising and interference that inevitably affect and the outcome of the work  as well as the costing and invoicing of the work. In most cases, professionals of the field find themselves in a so-called “cul de sac” in terms of invoicing; a dead-end that forces them to compromisingly charge for their work in relation to the competition within the field.

All the above further result to the deduction of charges and consequently to the income of designers and illustrators of the Cypriot creative community. The phenomenon of undercharging could be justified as a means of survival in an intensely competitive environment, under the aforementioned circumstances, however this contributes to the further degradation of the appreciation the overall market bears for our field and gravely affects the perception of the relationship between quality and price.

The Cyprus Association of Graphic Designers and Illustrators is aiming to initiate an effective conversation on the hot topic of proper pricing by organizing open to the public lectures and talks directed by and between members of the association. Our aim as the official Graphic Designer and Illustrator association, is to bring the vocations that are pertinent to our field back to a trajectory of growth and nourish a proper education and culture in regards to the field.

The Cyprus Association of Graphic Designers and Illustrators urges its members to bear the following in mind in the process of invoicing:

• The actual value of the work created as well as its potential
• The Prospects of a properly executed work
• The originality and creativity offered to the client
• The time required to complete the work
• Additional running fees (Materials, bills, software, mockups and drafts, maintenance etc.)
• The visibility range of your client (how many people will your completed work reach)
• Your education and training as professionals both from a technical point of view, as well as the artistic aspect of it (the client buys your experience in the field)
• The research required for each project
• Your working time on the project
• Consult with an expert on the matter in regards to financial and legal matters