Promo Prep

> Is it that time of year again already? The piles assembly line in my studio says yes! I've got a bag full of blank padded envelopes, a box with finished, labeled envelopes, a stack of trimmed cards, with a bigger stack of cards still needing to be trimmed, and two boxes emitting a sweet minty, fresh aroma (wintergreen, of course).

> As much work as there is in putting all the pieces together—from trying to figure out what the gift will be, then designing all the individual components, then labeling and assembling all of them, and don't even get me started on the post office...(although I have figured out a pretty good way to lessen that negative impact)—it's definitely a labor of love. 

> Here's a sneak peek of part of this year's promotion. And stay tuned...in a couple weeks, I'll share pics of the finished gift.

Wanting to do Everything

> I've read from countless sources, that if a designer's prices are acceptable to everyone who asks for a proposal, they're not charging enough. Logically, I'm sure that's true. But I hate it! I design because I love it. Because designing is a part of what makes me feel like myself. If I was doing it just for the money, I'd be working more than full-time hours at an ad agency, trying for promotions and higher pay regardless of how much (or little) I enjoyed my work.

> I hate that feeling when I learn I'm outside of a potential client's budget. Especially if I really like the sound of the project. I want to say, "Oh, I'm sorry the price is higher than you expected. Tell me what your budget is and I'll make it work out."

> I've heard about a cafe in Salt Lake that doesn't have a typical menu. Each day, the chef/owner just creates what he wants to, and serves it to the customers, who are asked to pay what they feel the meal is worth. The friend who told me about the place said it was good food, so, kind of a neat idea, huh? Hopefully people are generous, but aren't there also plenty of people who would pay less just because they could?  

> It makes me wonder, could a design business work using this kind of pricing system? Would it start to devalue what I do? Or would it simply allow me to create whatever I want and feel good about it regardless of what I'm paid. Kind of an interesting thought.