Web Design Forums

irmacreative · 24-02-2007, 18:21

I'm a self taught freelance web designer who has slowly built my business over the last 7 years. I've been getting a lot of work lately and have been revising my contract, payment policies, rates, etc. As I was analyzing my past work, I started wondering where I measure up in terms of efficiency. I'd be very interested to know the average hours it takes someone to design a site with these parameters:
design mockup in PSD (up to 4)
10-15 pages of content
css layout
photo editing (3-5 photos/page)
graphics work (logo creation, banners, menu icons, background)
basic SEO
creating a customized and hyperlinked user manual so client can do non-technical copy updates themselves

I do bigger and smaller projects than this but thought these parameters might give me a good idea of where I "rank" so I can adjust the estimates I provide to clients. Any thoughts?

sixtysixmhz · 24-02-2007, 20:17

I think it's hard to give out an average for myself. Some projects I finish very quickly, especially if the client already has ideas and knows what he wants. If I have to start from scratch and I have complete freedom on what to do I get the mock up in Photoshop done within the first 3 days usually. Sometimes I go through a lot of revisions and delete everything and start over from scratch.. I don't know if thats just me or if it happens to everyone.

bender · 25-02-2007, 00:13

I find I usually have the first photshop mockups done in 2-3 days, sometimes more if I have loads of other work.

irmacreative · 26-02-2007, 05:34

Thanks for your replies. I know the intial concept process varies, depending on what ideas the client has to begin with and how inspired the designer is by the project. I guess I'm more interested to know about the hours it takes after the mockup is created for the actual work of creating graphics, coding the layout, plugging in content, etc. A site designed using the parameters I listed in my initial post usually takes me 10-13 billed hours to take from a photoshop mockup to a live site. When I give a client my estimate, I break it down to them so they know why I am charging X amount and I was just wondering if the hours I spend on a project is below average - or hey! I might even be normal for once!

Airea · 26-02-2007, 12:23

hmmm difficult one this.

i usually mock the site up in photoshop within 3 - 4 hours, try to anyways. Then coding the main page in HTML/CSS takes me around 3 - 4 hours again to get it spot on, then working on seperate pages takes hardly any time at all due to kind of using the main page as a template.

bender · 26-02-2007, 19:38

You mean you can have a finished site within a day? That's fast service.
Hope the quality doesn't suffer in the process.

2Dfruit · 26-02-2007, 20:10

On the template note. What method do you use? php includes? DW templates.
I tried using DW templates once. The code was seriously fucked up.

mystique824 · 14-03-2007, 18:45

i usually need 1.5 day to come up with a new website homepage and followup page. after that any other pages are derived. Taking less time for an initial design usually results in reusing old habits and tricks... designers should claim time to teach/train themselves to learn new things during the proces as well.

emmelai · 15-03-2007, 12:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airea

hmmm difficult one this.

i usually mock the site up in photoshop within 3 - 4 hours, try to anyways. Then coding the main page in HTML/CSS takes me around 3 - 4 hours again to get it spot on, then working on seperate pages takes hardly any time at all due to kind of using the main page as a template.

Do you teach any classes to share your method? I am slow as hell compared to you....

DigiSquid · 16-03-2007, 19:39

I've been a designer since about 1994 and while my methods have changed my timeframes have remained oddly consistent. I give myself about 3 days for a design mockup in Photoshop. Actual time worked on this part is hard to gauge since I design a little and then stop and come back to it (unless I'm in a groove). I've rarely ever completed a design in a single sitting.

After this it's that unpredictable time where you send the design out and you either get a response in five minutes or five days. Upon approval HTML / CSS Template creation is usually one full day though often I'll actually get the home page done as well. From there on out I can pound out a few pages an hour depending on content.

Depending on workload, and the site of course, I can turn around about one full site per week.

brewern · 16-03-2007, 22:09

If I'm having a creative day concepting is usually about 3-4 hours....then about a day to code the site completely...including photoshoping, xhtml & css validating, basic seo. But there are times when it takes me 2 days to come up with a concept I like, rare, but happens. Music generally helps me to be creative

vdesigns · 17-03-2007, 05:10

4-5 Days.

longisland6 · 22-03-2007, 11:28

how do you let your clients change the copy themselves?

24-02-2007, 18:21	#1 (permalink)
irmacreative Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2	average hours to complete site I'm a self taught freelance web designer who has slowly built my business over the last 7 years. I've been getting a lot of work lately and have been revising my contract, payment policies, rates, etc. As I was analyzing my past work, I started wondering where I measure up in terms of efficiency. I'd be very interested to know the average hours it takes someone to design a site with these parameters: design mockup in PSD (up to 4) 10-15 pages of content css layout photo editing (3-5 photos/page) graphics work (logo creation, banners, menu icons, background) basic SEO creating a customized and hyperlinked user manual so client can do non-technical copy updates themselves I do bigger and smaller projects than this but thought these parameters might give me a good idea of where I "rank" so I can adjust the estimates I provide to clients. Any thoughts?

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24-02-2007, 20:17	#2 (permalink)
sixtysixmhz Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 2	I think it's hard to give out an average for myself. Some projects I finish very quickly, especially if the client already has ideas and knows what he wants. If I have to start from scratch and I have complete freedom on what to do I get the mock up in Photoshop done within the first 3 days usually. Sometimes I go through a lot of revisions and delete everything and start over from scratch.. I don't know if thats just me or if it happens to everyone.

25-02-2007, 00:13	#3 (permalink)
bender I'd hit it Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Helsinki Posts: 371	I find I usually have the first photshop mockups done in 2-3 days, sometimes more if I have loads of other work.

26-02-2007, 05:34	#4 (permalink)
irmacreative Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2	Thanks for your replies. I know the intial concept process varies, depending on what ideas the client has to begin with and how inspired the designer is by the project. I guess I'm more interested to know about the hours it takes after the mockup is created for the actual work of creating graphics, coding the layout, plugging in content, etc. A site designed using the parameters I listed in my initial post usually takes me 10-13 billed hours to take from a photoshop mockup to a live site. When I give a client my estimate, I break it down to them so they know why I am charging X amount and I was just wondering if the hours I spend on a project is below average - or hey! I might even be normal for once!

26-02-2007, 12:23	#5 (permalink)
Airea I Like Cookies & Hip Hop Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 28	hmmm difficult one this. i usually mock the site up in photoshop within 3 - 4 hours, try to anyways. Then coding the main page in HTML/CSS takes me around 3 - 4 hours again to get it spot on, then working on seperate pages takes hardly any time at all due to kind of using the main page as a template.

26-02-2007, 19:38	#6 (permalink)
bender I'd hit it Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Helsinki Posts: 371	You mean you can have a finished site within a day? That's fast service. Hope the quality doesn't suffer in the process.

26-02-2007, 20:10	#7 (permalink)
2Dfruit Biscuit Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,073	On the template note. What method do you use? php includes? DW templates. I tried using DW templates once. The code was seriously fucked up.

14-03-2007, 18:45	#8 (permalink)
mystique824 Creative Director Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands/Europe) Posts: 8	i usually need 1.5 day to come up with a new website homepage and followup page. after that any other pages are derived. Taking less time for an initial design usually results in reusing old habits and tricks... designers should claim time to teach/train themselves to learn new things during the proces as well.

16-03-2007, 19:39	#10 (permalink)
DigiSquid The Big Squid Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 8	I've been a designer since about 1994 and while my methods have changed my timeframes have remained oddly consistent. I give myself about 3 days for a design mockup in Photoshop. Actual time worked on this part is hard to gauge since I design a little and then stop and come back to it (unless I'm in a groove). I've rarely ever completed a design in a single sitting. After this it's that unpredictable time where you send the design out and you either get a response in five minutes or five days. Upon approval HTML / CSS Template creation is usually one full day though often I'll actually get the home page done as well. From there on out I can pound out a few pages an hour depending on content. Depending on workload, and the site of course, I can turn around about one full site per week.

16-03-2007, 22:09	#11 (permalink)
brewern Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 19	If I'm having a creative day concepting is usually about 3-4 hours....then about a day to code the site completely...including photoshoping, xhtml & css validating, basic seo. But there are times when it takes me 2 days to come up with a concept I like, rare, but happens. Music generally helps me to be creative

17-03-2007, 05:10	#12 (permalink)
vdesigns Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 91	4-5 Days.

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22-03-2007, 11:28	#13 (permalink)
longisland6 stephen eighmey Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: earth Posts: 165	how do you let your clients change the copy themselves?