Why Charging by the Hour is Not Great For Creatives
(aka: Why Being Fast Shouldn’t Make You Earn Less)
Let’s talk about something weird that happens all the time in the design world:
The better and faster you are… the less you get paid.
Wait, what?
Yep. Imagine this:
Two designers take on the same project.
- Designer A is good, but takes 10 hours.
- Designer B is a total pro, gets it done in 4—and it’s better.
If they both charge hourly, guess who gets paid more?
That’s like tipping your waiter extra because they took forever to bring the food.
The Speed Trap
Hourly rates make sense in some industries. If you’re renting a car or hiring someone to paint your house, sure—time = money. But design? Creative work? That’s a whole different game.
Creativity isn’t about time. It’s about ideas, impact, and execution. It’s about solving problems—sometimes big, business-changing ones—in a way that looks amazing.
If a designer creates something brilliant in 2 hours that transforms a brand, shouldn’t that be worth more than a mediocre design that took all week?
That Freelancer Feeling…
I don't think I'm on my own here but when I was freelancing, I’d sometimes find myself working late into the night—not because I had to, but because I didn’t feel like I’d added enough value to justify the hours I was billing.
I knew the impact of the work I was doing, and I wanted it to feel worth it—for the client and for me.
And yet, even with that mindset, I still found it hard to charge more than the “going rate.” I’d default to a project fee more often than not. It just felt better—like I was passing on the benefits of my experience in financial terms to the client.
But here’s the catch: even then, the full value of the work (and the skill behind it) wasn’t being realised. Not for me. Not for a lot of creatives doing the same thing.
Being Efficient Is Part Of The Skill
Speed doesn’t come from cutting corners—it comes from experience, intuition, and that Jedi-like ability to spot what works. If someone’s fast, it’s usually because they’ve put in the reps. They know what to do, what not to do, and they don’t waste time second-guessing themselves.
Fast and brilliant should = premium. It really should...
So, What’s the Fix?
Instead of billing by the hour, more designers are turning to value-based pricing. That means charging based on the desired outcome—not how long it takes to get there.
The truth is, clients aren’t buying your time—they’re buying what you can deliver:
A logo that makes their brand sing.
A website that turns browsers into buyers.
A campaign that people actually remember.
If that only takes a few hours because you’ve got mad skills, that’s a win. Not a discount.
Final Thought
Being amazing at your job should never mean earning less. If you’re fast, it’s because you know your stuff—and that should be celebrated, not penalised.
Whether you charge per project or by value, the goal is the same: Stop measuring your worth by the clock.
You’re not selling time. You’re selling insight, experience, results—and that’s priceless.
