How we use Day Rates for Returning Clients

Day rates have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years in the design industry. We have chosen not to use day rates for branding projects but have found that using the day rate structure to serve our past branding clients has been a game-changer for our business. Not only have they helped us to protect our time & energy, but they have been a fantastic way to serve and love on the past Studio Antheia clients.

First things first: What is a day rate?

Day rates (Also often called intensives or VIP days) are when your clients can book you for just one day at a time. You would then dedicate your entire day to working with them on whatever design tasks they needed. When the day ends, the project is over, you get paid, and the client can walk away with the new designs. 

Some designers have chosen to use day rates for their branding projects because they can be a great way to serve clients with a smaller budget while still valuing their time (Day rates can be incredibly profitable!) At Studio Antheia, we’ve chosen to use the day rate model strictly for recurring SA clients.

The problem before day rates:

Before day rates, our past branding clients would reach out and need help with a new project, updating their website or branding, requiring new collateral, etc. We would quote them the estimated hours it would take and then try to fit it somewhere in our schedule. Because these requests were unpredictable, they often made us feel scattered — We also felt like it would take away from our current branding projects. To be completely transparent, we struggled to find the balance of continuously caring for our past clients, especially as we got more and more clients under our belt. I believe that caring for your past clients well is SO important — but when you’ve worked with 75+ brands, it can get complicated!

Enter: Day Rates

Day rates have helped us and our workload TREMENDOUSLY. Why do we love day rates for past clients?

1. They are super straightforward & clean (so no work dragging on and on!)

2. They help protect your time and schedule because you don’t have random tasks cutting into your projects.

3. Clients love them because they know what to expect and when to expect it.

4. They are more profitable than hourly work and create an amazing additional income stream.

Ok, So how do they work?

As I’m off-boarding, I explain our day-rate services to our clients. (we explain it in our off-boarding template, as well as our off-boarding call) When a client reaches out, we explain the process and the cost and send them a calendar link to book their date.

Depending on what they need, we will often schedule a phone call before the day to discuss their goals. Remember, these are past clients that you are working with, so you already know them, their audience, and their brand very well.


How to figure out your day rate pricing?

While it depends on your business and the types of clients you work with, it’s Industry-standard to charge anywhere from 1-3k+ for a day rate project.

At a minimum, multiply your base hourly price by 8 (for roughly 8 hours). We add on a couple of hours to account for emails, admin work, and discovery calls.


What does a typical day rate day look like?

Before the Day: We go into the day rate, already understanding what is needed. This often means setting up a call before the day rate that goes over what they are looking for, what they can expect, a communication plan, and a rough outline of the day. (note: this isn’t always needed. Sometimes a client wants something as simple as social graphics & since we created their brand, we have a good idea of what is needed)

Morning - We start with an email telling them that we are getting started & am excited about our day together. We will let them know when they can expect us to check in.

Lunch(ish) — Check-in Email & loom recording (or a call if necessary)

3 pm - Afternoon check-in/finalization

5 pm - Final files sent over & final loom


Do you do any planning and/or give the client homework before the actual day of service?

Short answer: It depends! If they are just looking for some supporting social graphics, we often find that a call is unnecessary. However, if they are launching something new, such as a podcast, getting on a call to understand their goals is very important. When in doubt, we recommend setting up a call.

How do you handle feedback that day?
We frequently check in throughout the day and occasionally even hop on a Zoom call if necessary. The key to Day Rates is being ok with showing in-progress work. We often utilize Loom and voice memos throughout the day for quick communication.

(Again, keep in mind that these are past clients, so you already know their brand & created their brand guidelines)

What happens if you can’t complete the list of items your client wants done that day?
We try to be very realistic about what we can get done. If we think something may not be doable within the day, we will say that this may take two days to get done, but we can start with the full day to see how far we can get.

I always like to er on the side of caution when sharing what we think we can accomplish. We also make sure to talk through a priority list before the day so that we can work through things accordingly.

How often do you schedule day rates?
Having one day rate every other week is a good fit for us. However, you can schedule them as much or as little as you would like. The key is figuring out which works best for you.

How do you handle payment?
We usually just send over the contract & invoice automated when they book. Whereas we usually set up payment plans for our regular branding clients, we request full payment to reserve the day for day rates.

HELPFUL RESOURCES TO GO ALONG WITH THIS POST
*You do not need any of these to start implementing day rates, but these are some resources we use and love.

The Designed to Thrive Shop - Thoughtfully designed templates to uplevel your client process – including the off-boarding template mentioned in this post!

Honeybook to accept payments, send out proposals, questionnaires, etc.

Loom - To record check-ins throughout your day rate.

Calendly - To automate your scheduling.

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