The Art of Business: Another Look at the King of Graphics Business Books
There are plenty of graphic arts business books out there, and most contribute a great deal to the understanding of the business of graphic arts. But like Elvis, there’s only one king, and that perennial bestseller in the category is Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines. It scored an Amazon sales rank of 2,060 on the day this article was written. The closest competition is The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide for Running a Graphic Design or Communications Business by Cameron S. Foote, ranking at 25,454.
The Graphic Arts Guild Handbook was first published in 1973 as a 24-page booklet. Now it’s a 332-page guide (slimmed down from the last edition’s 464 pages) packed with practical advice, trade customs, pricing surveys, business forms, and glossaries.
New Look
There’s just something about iterations that make a book both deep and brisk all at once. And the fact that the book is slimmer this time out helps. It feels like a good piece of software that’s seen a number of versions — and that’s what you see in this handbook as well. Updated or expanded areas include:
- Revised model contracts;
- The latest pricing surveys for both buyers and sellers;
- An updated chapter on digital media and web design to help you keep pace;
- Revised salary information with expanded job descriptions.
The book is divided into 15 major sections including chapters covering project planning, proposal development, budgeting, legal and intellectual property, contractual issues, working with artists’ representatives, billing procedures, credit, and more. It’s all covered in depth and organized in a clear and concise format, with step-by-step information and resources.
The price of the book (list $34.95, available on amazon.com for under $25) is well spent alone for the chapter on standard contracts and business tools. The chapter starts with a general overview of contracts, and includes a glossary of common contract terms. But then the chapter goes deeper, exploring the differences, for example, of a project-based retainer versus a service retainer, and it suggests remedies for disagreements or breaches of contract.
It’s worth 10 times its price if you do nothing but read the slim section titled “before calling a lawyer.” And you can save even more by utilizing the copies of contract and legal forms included in the section.
Feature Highlights
But the handbook really shines in its middle sections, the hefty chapters that deal with the key arenas of graphic design, illustration, cartooning, animation, surface design, and others. Starting with the premise that the reader knows little or nothing, the chapters begin with quick overviews of the basics. But rather than seeming elementary, the writing style is so clear and concise that the reading is enlightening even for pros. It’s like reading the Declaration of Independence and suddenly remembering all those rights you’ve taken for granted.
For graphic designers, for instance, the handbook establishes 12 historical trade practices, all in the space of less than one page. But these 12 cover a wide range of fundamental business and contractual elements, from rush fees to major revisions and alterations. The graphic designer chapter then goes on to spend considerably more time explaining specific and prickly subjects like options and considerations for retouching projects.
The result is a deft balance of overview and detail that works for all types of readers. Plus the information is presented in a visually sparse style, meager bulleted lists, and simple tables without shadow boxes and other bells and whistles. The result is a book that is very readable.
Fixing and Bugs
Previous editions of the guide had been criticized for being slow to focus on the Internet and New Media. The 10th edition, for example, dedicated as many pages to the subject as to cartooning — and the advice was off the mark or behind the times in more than a few respects.
The editors apparently got the message. They’ve expanded and updated the coverage and designers can now hope to get some worthwhile information in this area.
The other major problem with the book remains the fee guides. Thirty dollars an hour for a freelance designer? And $55 an hour for an art director? Many a designer would go flat broke using the GAG’s recommendations.
The editors are quick to point out that the fees listed in the guidebook are compiled from national surveys. While this may certainly be true, it’s helpful to keep in mind that averages are incorrect for everyone except the average. Use the pricing guides with more than a pinch of salt and make adjustments based on your experience, region, client base, and so forth.
One final thought: This book would be priceless if the editors would include a CD-ROM containing electronic versions of the business forms and contracts. That way readers wouldn’t have to fish around and retype them from the book.
Should You Upgrade?
If you have a recent but earlier version of the guide, there’s not much reason to buy a new one, unless you think the Web and digital media chapters will help you. If you need help in these areas, it might be best to purchase books dedicated to these subjects, such as Pricing Guide for Web Services: How to Make Money on the Information Data Highway by Robert C. Brenner (limited availability), or The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build & Maintain a Successful Web-based Business by Janice Reynolds and Roya Mofazali.
If you have a much earlier version of the guide or no copy at all, purchasing the 11th edition is a no-brainer, because it is a worthy reference that you will turn to again and again.
This article was last modified on December 14, 2022
This article was first published on June 28, 2004
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