Rates, 2026
What should a graphic designer charge in a smaller market?
About $600 a day for a graphic designer who is working and booked in a smaller US market. $425 in the first years, $775 when senior. A design project runs about $3,325.
Other markets: New York or LA · a major city · remote
First years
$425
a day · $55 an hour
Working, booked
$600
a day · $75 an hour
Senior, sought after
$775
a day · $95 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$600 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$75 per hour
- A design project$3,325 per project
Sold a project fee, by the day, by the hour. The outcome is the unit; the day rate is for when a client wants your time instead.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for a smaller US market: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Social template set (10 to 15 templates)$550 to $1,750 per set
- Logo and basic identity$1,050 to $4,200 per project
- Pitch deck design (15 to 25 slides)$850 to $2,800 per deck
- Motion graphics, per finished minute$550 to $2,100 per minute
- Landing page design$1,050 to $3,500 per page
- Thumbnail$30 to $100 per thumbnail
- Revision round past the two included$100 to $275 per round
How the number is made
Graphic designers at this level in this market day at about $600 ($500 to $1,200 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A design project runs $1,500 to $8,000 and takes about 30 hours of your time; at your hourly that is $2,250. The number is the higher of the two, because the client is buying the outcome, not the hours.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a graphic designer in a smaller US market?
- About $600 a day for someone working and booked, $425 in the first years, $775 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- How much is a design project?
- $3,325 at a working level in this market. The client is buying the outcome, so the price is the higher of what the market pays for it and what your hours in it are worth.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
Pick your level and market, get a card you can send the next client who asks. Then RostrLab quotes, papers, invoices and chases every job with it: free for 14 days, $29 a month, never a cut.
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