Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, 15th Edition

The first version I bought of this book was back in the late 1990's (7th edition, I believe). I've been using one version or another ever since. Every issue in that time has added even more practical and useful information on the business of art. This book covers the most important areas of a graphic artist business - from legal to professional and financial to practical. I especially appreciate the pricing guidelines, negotiation strategies, contracts and forms, as well as those sections specific to illustration, surface design, web/interactive and animation, since I these are the areas most relevant to me. The 16th edition of this book will be coming out in May, and while I plan on picking it up, I will keep this version on hand as well for comparison. It's an essential resource on the business of graphic arts that just keeps getting better and I refer to it often. I've been recommending the Graphic Artists Guild Handbooks for over 20 years and will continue to do so to others working in relevant fields. ** If you found this review helpful, please mark it helpful to let me know and help other buyers. Thanks! **

The book has amazing and valuable information, but it’s a shame that the book is missing a large chunk of information. I’ve ordered this book twice now and returned it because both books I received went from page 368 and then went back to 305. The printing quality is also not great as some pages are splattered with grey. Again, the information that is present is wonderful, but the printer is not good at all. Update: I reached out to the Graphic Artist Guild personally and they were able to provide a book without missing pages. They have excellent customer service and are very helpful!

I've been working freelance for at least 5 years now and I usually charge based on what my peers charge or ask friends in their respective industries for their advice. I got a professional comic job for the first time 2 months ago and instead of pestering my friends yet again, I decided to buy this book to make sure I get paid a fair price for my work. I was excited to see how detailed it is and the contract templates at the end are life savers! Wish other countries had this kind of handbook for artists!

I would call this a key part of success as a creative. It's more than a pricing guide, there's a wealth of information about conducting business as a graphic consultant / illistrator / web designer and so much more. My teacher recommended it when I was wrapping up my BFA and I made myself wait for this new edition and I am so happy with it. My brother is also a graphic designer so we pass it back and forth when we dont know how to proceed.

It might be a great resource. Maybe. But the printer got the pages scrambled. There's a chunk of about a hundred pages of really core information that's entirely missing. In its place is a repetition of a different series of pages that end up in the book twice. Of course, the table of contents says the info that was my whole reason for buying the book was in the missing section. I've requested a replacement from Amazon, but I'm not optimistic that I won't just get another identical defective copy. UPDATE The replacement from Amazon arrived quickly, and its pages are complete and in-order. Where my rating had formerly been one star, I'm adjusting it up to four, only subtracting one for the chaos.

I am using this book now for teaching a professional practices course. It has so much information on the marketing/business aspects of being a graphic designer. How to "think" for a graphic design business. I started out my business using a very early edition of this book. And this was very helpful. The new edition has updated price guides for more areas and very helpful advice.

I am a recent graduate from art school and unfortunately, since I received a B.S. in Visual Arts and not a BFA, I was not taught the ins and outs of marketing my own art, what to charge, and why. This book is an incredible and extensive reference book for literally ANY type of artist, down to the subject matter you are creating. Would recommend 100%, especially as the up to date version.

This book was super useful in drafting contracts for my Illustration business. It breaks down the pricing of work in the field of design and illustration thoroughly and clearly. I would highly recommend any artist keep this book handy to reference when doing commission work.

Recently started as a freelance illustrator and needed something to base my prices on. This book has been incredibly useful for working out what I should be charging my clients. Great resource for those who are just starting out!

Book is good but the pages are stained and dirty

Muy bien. Me lo recomendaron e hice bien en comprarlo.

Incredibly useful, I can’t believe I never new this book existed. Every freelance artist should own one.

This is a flipping fantastic book for any & all creatives looking to further their knowledge on building a pricing strategy for selling their selected medium of art! A lot of it is geared towards digital or fine art but the information can be useful & translatable to tons of various mediums..besides there’s an insane amount that is covered in this book either way. The legal sections are a dry read but highly useful for bridging gaps in knowledge & giving you an idea of what to look into when forming contracts with clients for commissions or other work. The forms at the back of the book also are well worth the money, & having this book on hand as a reference guide when you’re needing a art pricing guide is priceless. I’m very glad I got this!!