Hi there everyone how are you? :)
This is an important thread for us. First of all I would like to thank everyone who shared some love, and to the ones that criticized, thanks for the opinions and pls read my replies below and write back. Dialogue is a great source for evolution, very much appreciated.
I've decided to quote many people who replied to this thread because to me it was the most efficient way to address what's being discussed, not leaving any perspectives or relevant inputs. For the ones without patience, sorry, it's a rather long post but I believe it's important to share our thoughts and explain everything in detail! :winkwink:
Quote:
Originally Posted by chapecito
(Post 15400450)
How much on average is Dickman's charging for a regular tour site? what about other quality designers? prices went up right for designers?
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Chapecito, thanks for starting the thread. We have prices and ballpark figures on our website -
www.dickmansdesign.com.
Our hourly rate is around $85 at the moment. It depends on the volume of hours negotiated and the type and level of expertise in question. We charge more than that for consulting and motion graphics services, and we would charge less than that for junior tasks such as photo correction.
In addition to visiting our site, you can always contact our account managers, Johnny and Pedro. Their icq numbers are 73102174 and 100100989 and their MSN Messengers are
[email protected] and
[email protected]
Now answering your other question, in my opinion,
YES, design prices went up in general, specially because of the devaluation of the dollar against most currencies worldwide. In addition, I believe design is gaining more and more attention and respect. It used to be that ugly duck of the adult industry that people looked down to, but
I'm proud to be part of a select group of companies that helped the "adult design field" to be recognized as a very important component of any adult operation.
The work we do for companies in branding, consulting, planning and design helped brands increase in perceived value and the performance orientation we have in our mindset has helped companies make way more money than they would with generic, unspired work.
It's very important to remember that as the adult industry becomes more and more competitive, companies need more than good results -
everyone needs the best possible result. In addition, does it make sense to invest 3-8k in a exclusive scene, shoot 50 of those and then NOT invest in something that radically changes the performance and the "marketability" of that content? That's some food for thought. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by PBucksJohn
(Post 15401139)
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Thank you very much John!
It's an honor have Too Much Media as a client and to see the new identity and the online! I hope to see you in LA @ the XbizConference so we can have a drink, talk more and get everything else you need rolling!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Porn Producer
(Post 15401702)
how much did it set you back? (toomuchmedia.com)
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PornProducer, this was a very long project that started with the total make over of the Too Much Media identity. "Long project" means "not cheap". At the same time, the most important question here is
"how much more money will TMM be able to make? Not only in adult but in mainstream, with their awesome new identity and with a site that converts and persuades way more than the previous one?"
Another important question is...
how much stickier is the new TMM identity?
TMM is a solid company with sensible amounts of marketing budget. They are everywhere: shows, magazines, forums and news sites. The performance of their ads with the new identity is way higher. The values of their brand and desired positioning are very clear now.
The cost to be inside the mind of their targets with a clear message went down. This applies not only to Too Much Media but to all of our clients, who are usually large and careful with the growth or maintainance of their brand value.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zuzana Designs
(Post 15401662)
WOW they did do a good job.. The site looks great !!
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Thanks a lot hon =)
Quote:
Originally Posted by DamageX
(Post 15401903)
Not to knock down on Dickman's, but I'd say more than half the price is for the "hype". Especially when you can get similar (or better) results conversion-wise from people charging way less.
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Hi there DX, how are you buddy?
Sorry to disagree, but our price is definitely not hyped. We are a generously sized company, but very compact, lean and efficient. We have even dropped most of our development jobs, as they were creating more layers that were turning us into a more expensive operation. In the future we plan to drop it completely and only do what we do best: consulting, branding & high end design.
At the same time, we're based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the most expensive cities on the planet, and fortunately abundant with talent and creativity.
The Brazilian design & advertising industries have worldwide recognition and most, if not all of the big ad conglomerates, have operations here. That means we fight with giants such as BBDO, DDB and Ogilvy for talent.
We hire the best, so we have to pay accordingly.
Another factor that made us bump our prices lower, as mentioned above, is the poor performance of the US dollar against the Brazilian Real. Our margins were very short in 2008 and thankfully with the crisis (lol) the dollar value went up a bit and improved our operation.
Now, regarding the conversions,
I wouldnt believe that the companies choose and stick with us out of hype. They have smart, ROI conscious decision makers, and are with us because we created what they want, and also what they need. Some companies get fancy sites from us, some get simpler looking sites from us, but all of them are created with performance in mind. Ask our clients. My guess is they would be happy to share the good word. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyndalie
(Post 15402282)
Dickmans is the best for corporate sites.
But for surfer sites you could find just as good quality for much less.
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Thanks for the kind words CynD! Makes my day when I hear we're the best at something. :)
Now for surfer sites... I really don't think we're expensive.
Some clients like OrgyCash order ellaborate sites for their flagship properties and very simple layouts for their other paysites. They get good results with both, and the rates paid for the simpler layouts are very competitive. It's great when there's trust and creative freedom. We are able to deliver quickly what we believe works for that situation and thus we charge less than we charge on projects that demand intensive labour. We're known for the sites that really are big standouts, because we're one of the few companies making such tours, but we design tons of sites that are not as expensive and unique, but deliver the desired results for that particular situation.
ALL of our projects are done with the very same line of thought: we like to say that at Dickmans Passion Meets Performance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by czarina
(Post 15402283)
I like to think of Myself as a Quality Designer. I am for sure one of the few around here that when you HIRE ME, I AM THE ONE that does the design. I dont hand it over to someone else..
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Hi czarina, how are you?
You have some cool work. Keep it up. :)
Being a one person operation works too. There's the personality thing going, although we're large and do have a strong personality, and your costs are low, thus you're able to charge less per hour.
At the same time, you're unable to have the very best expert in each of the facets of the design business. Here we have account managers who know tons about the needs of our clients and are great project managers.. we have planners and information architects who are always thinking about whats next but also about what works... we have concept artists who are creative and add tons of quality and wow effect to our work and we have production guys who are fast and efficient.
Everything is done inhouse. The only position that makes sense having outside as we're based in Brazil is copywriting. We work with Stewart AKA Relentless, a passionate, experienced copywriter - in our opinion, the best in adult. (cheers bro!)
Also, we have the scale.
We're able to deliver tons of projects to our large clients, at the pace they need. It's actually never the pace they need! lol They are some very hungry fellas! But we do our best! :)
Cool stuff that your operation works for you and your clients. Keep up the good work!
Quote:
Originally Posted by devine
(Post 15403073)
I was thinking the same. They're simply amazing, but their adult tours are usually between those that convert worse as opposed to simpler designs that convert way better. Now, if you have the money and you need an aff program or mainstream design, they're second to none :thumbsup
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Hey devine! As I wrote above,
although we're known for fancy tours, we design tons of "down to earth" sites. If you look at the work we do for paperstreetcash to name just one, you'll see it's all a matter of desired positioning.
www.oyeloca.com and
www.therealworkout.com are great examples. Now, this doesnt mean the other sites dont convert. They are the best tours our clients can get.
You must also always take into account that there are multiple factors that define conversions. Content is a HUGE one and as you can imagine, it's out of our control.