Designers lose their margin to "quick tweaks" that pile up across a project. GhostBill Pro turns every scope change into a signed, billed line item, runs your retainers, and gets clients to approve and pay without the back-and-forth.
A logo project includes three concepts and two revision rounds. By the end, the client has asked for seven rounds, a color variant pack, and "while you're in there" tweaks to their business card. None of it was re-quoted. Your effective hourly rate quietly collapsed.
You start a brand identity project on good faith with no deposit. Three weeks in, the client goes quiet. Now you are owed for real work with no money down and little leverage to collect. The deposit is what funds the work and proves commitment.
A monthly retainer is meant to cover a set amount of work. Without a clear record of what is in scope and what is extra, the retainer becomes unlimited design at a fixed price, and the client has no reason to ever commission a separate project.
When the request goes past the scoped rounds, send an additional invoice with the cost and get a quick sign-off before you open the file. The client sees the price, approves from their phone, and the extra work is billed instead of absorbed.
Send a quote with a deposit due to begin. The client pays from their phone and the project is funded before you invest the hours. A client who pays a deposit is a client who shows up for the rest of the engagement.
Bill the retainer on a schedule, and when a request exceeds the retainer scope, bill it as its own approved line item. The client always knows what the retainer covers and what costs extra, which protects both the relationship and your rate.
Scope changes billed instead of absorbed, deposits before the first concept, and retainers that stay profitable. The hours you work are the hours you get paid for.
Define the included rounds and deliverables in the original quote, then re-quote anything beyond that scope before you do the work. The discipline is sending the additional invoice the moment the request exceeds scope, with a quick sign-off, rather than absorbing "quick changes" and billing them later, if at all.
Yes. A 25 to 50 percent deposit due before work begins is standard for freelance design, especially on brand and identity projects. The deposit funds the work, filters out clients who were never serious, and gives you leverage if a project stalls.
Bill the retainer on a fixed schedule (usually monthly, in advance) for a defined scope of work. When a request exceeds that scope, bill it as a separate approved line item rather than absorbing it. A clear line between retainer scope and extra work is what keeps a retainer profitable.
The deliverable, the number of concepts and revision rounds included, line items for any scope additions or extra rounds, the deposit already paid, the balance due, a specific due date, and a pay link. Itemizing the rounds and additions is what makes the total defensible.
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