Choosing between a 2-year contract or hourly for a big client in Denver was a real head-scratcher.

I went with the hourly rate after my lawyer said, 'A fixed price locks you into their scope creep,' and it saved me nearly $15k when they added three extra revisions last month, but does anyone think a retainer would have been a smarter middle ground?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_susan1mo ago

My Denver client last year had a retainer and it just turned into a flat monthly fee for unlimited work. Hourly kept you honest about the extra revisions, which sounds like it worked. I mean, you saved the money, so maybe you already found the right middle ground.

harperwright17d ago

Wait, they turned a retainer into unlimited work for a flat fee? That's wild. I had a client try that once, asking for a "quick logo tweak" every single morning like it was their daily coffee. It wasn't even real revisions, just changing their mind back and forth. A flat fee for that would have killed me.

josephmurray1mo ago

Yeah, "hourly kept you honest" is a good point. I read a blog post from a designer who said retainers can get messy if the client starts asking for tiny changes every day, treating it like a subscription. Your hourly model made them think twice before asking for those extra revisions, which probably saved you time and stress too. Ever run into a client who tried to push the limits of an hourly agreement?