This is a need-to-know topic because
most of you work with freelancers,
and—like every other aspect of business in
today’s economy—the buying of freelance
services seems more complex and difficult
than it used to be. You want value for your freelance
dollar, yet there have not been (until now) standard
buying practices. You never learned how to hire in
art school, and Human Resources usually only steps
in when you are dealing with a staffer. You need to
stay out of trouble on copyright issues … but at the
same time you want the purchasing process to be
easier and more efficient.
Ultimately, your goal is to save time and energy,
reduce stress, and increase your comfort and security
level when selecting and hiring freelancers. These
professionals are working members of your creative
team, and your choice can make or break your project!
Here are some factors to review to help you sort
the process out.
They’re in business, too.
One of the most important concepts to remember is
that the freelancers you select and hire are fi rst and
foremost owners of businesses. As business owners,
they are responsible for all of the aspects of their
own management, marketing, accounting, and production
of services. An independent must conduct
business properly and profi tably to continue providing
you with these services. The money you pay
does not go into the freelancer’s bank account like
a paycheck. The freelancer—like the company you
work for—has overhead operational costs to cover
to stay in business. In addition, the freelancer bears
the cost of the research and development of new
technology—signifi cantly, hardware and software,
but not confi ned to these—designed to better meet
your needs.
Get started now.
Whether your job is marketing products, selling
services, communicating to the corporation’s shareholders,
or attracting prospects to your trade show
booth, a harmonious creative team effort will always
improve on the end result. The relationships you
need for this team effort must be built before you
need them. It is more efficient and less stressful to
have a team of freelance sources already in place
before a project launches. Looking frantically for
freelance assistance at the last minute often leads to
more time and money spent than it would take to
develop your team ahead of time.
Art and photography buyers often face
situations where they have little control over such
problems as short deadlines, reduced budgets, or lessthan-
photogenic assets. You can’t get the help you
need to solve these kinds of problems from strangers,
but you can be confi dent of getting service above and
beyond the call of duty from your proven team of
qualified freelancers.
In other words, good relationships with your
freelancers will see you through the rough spots that
are part of your job.
You were planning to work with a professional,
weren’t you?
If you want to work with professionals, start with
professional organizations. Since you need to have a
“short list” or file of freelancers, look to professional
associations first. Take the time to evaluate the
resources available in relation to the creative services
you may need and schedule periodic updates of this
file. Check out the recommended resources in the
center column.
What about usage?
To get usage information on licensing creative work,
you’ll need to ask definitive questions beyond the
vague and out-of-date “What’s your hourly rate?”
Today, you have Picture Licensing Universal System
(PLUS), a new system of industry standards for
usage language created and approved by a worldwide
coalition of clients and freelancers. PLUS does not
address price but it is your starting place to address
usage. The PLUS components have created a new,
universal licensing language that is easy to understand
and easy to use. Learn more about PLUS by
visiting www.useplus.org.
Once you have the usage language defined, keep
in mind that the creative services/usage fee from a
freelancer is a combination of many factors including
style, technique, expertise, equipment, experience,
product knowledge, reputation, time, complexity,
level of responsibility … and of course the manner in
which you plan to use any images.
Again: This “fee” does not go into the professional’s
pocket as a salary; in any case, the freelancer
is not your employee. Fees are not net profi ts for
freelancers. Just like any business owner, freelancers
will have to pay all of the expenses of running a business
before they see any income.
You’ll probably need to negotiate.
Before you ask for a price for freelance services, be
prepared to negotiate. If you’re going to pay less
for freelance creative services, you’re going to get
less—there is no way around this issue. You should
know how much less you are getting and not be
surprised later.
If you need to pay less, you can reduce what you
are buying or offer the freelancer something tangible
in exchange for the price consideration. For example,
to conserve cash you can get less usage (this may
mean using a smaller image, or using it in just one
medium, say, print only instead of both print and
web), fewer materials, reduced revisions, or longer
delivery time.
You can also offer the freelancer something
tangible such as a quantity of printed samples or
better payment terms. No business owner (your
freelancer) can stay in business while reducing prices
without some consideration made to the project
description or terms. (By the way, the promise of
future jobs is not tangible, therefore not of value as
a consideration.)
Keep everyone on goal.
As a buyer, you intend to create projects that will
accomplish specifi c goals. Whatever your goals are
for the work, you and your freelancers are on the
same team. Remember the acronym for TEAM:
“Together everyone achieves more.”
Recommended resources:
There’s no substitute for a personal recommendation, but next to that, check professional organizations if you’re looking for creative professionals to add to your team:
