I'm just curious.
 

I'm a professional designer. I've been at it for years. Mostly print design but lately more and more web-based design.

I run a forum and a couple web sites so I'm always surfing vBulletin sites to see if there are any new hacks or template mods I may find handy.

As I look around the sites I constantly see requests for skin designers. And I also see the skin sites. The thing that really amazes me is that people offer $20 - $50 for a logo and skin design. I'm curious of people are really working for that amount of money. I understand the skin retail sites sell skins for around $30 but I assume volume makes up for that price. I would never even think of creating a logo for anyone for $50.

Do custom designs really only run $30 in the vBulletin community?

Thanks.

The reason why the skins you see on skin sites are $30 is because they are pre-made. Pre-made meaning, made beforehand for no site in-particular. With a custom design, you're making a skin for that site only, with their ideas. And generally in the vBulletin community, custom skins (images, style and everything included) go for $100+

and also, premade skins can be sold to more than one person, or companies.

the custom skins are only made for a specific community, and will NOT be sold to another person or company.

I realize premade skins are dealt with in quantity. I posted that, in fact. I was just curious if the individuals that stop by and post "I need a logo and skin for $40" actually get work. In my opinion a logo alone is at least $500, the skin (based on my skinning my own forum) would be at least another $500-$1500.

I was mearly curious if there were those working for as little as $30.

$500 for a logo is like paying $100,000 for a stock toyota celica. that's bloody outrageous, anyone who would pay that much deserves to be slapped, but thats just my opinion, and i'm entitled to it. i cant see anyone paying more than $75 for a logo, and i think thats still high.

Even $75 is outrageous to me, I can say something looks good, but it can look just as good as the free ones I see floating around. Why pay for something I can get, or make myself, for free?

$500 for just a logo? That IS outrageous. Nobody will pay $500 for one logo. $500 for a professional skin (The WHOLE thing including images and such) is a bit more acceptable, but it's still alot.

Ahh, well, you guys obviously don't deal with professional designers. $500 for a logo is cheap. Really cheap. Remember I'm not talking about a 16 year old with Photoshop creating it. I'm speaking of a professionally designed logo.

I guess I got the answer I was after.... Yes, the vBulletin community isn't one where professional designers are considered necessary.

Thanks.

ScottW, there are many professional designers in the vBulletin community. You are not the only one to exist. A decent professional design goes for $200 and onwards, but rarely over $500. These prices do NOT mean they are not professional, it's just the general standard in the vBulletin community. These are not designs for sites, you're editing a forum. It's two different things.

If you really expect someone to pay $500 for a header logo, and you think that's cheap, then you must realise it's far from cheap. Don't expect anything cheaper than your $500 logo to be "un-professional," they might just be as good as anything you can create.

The only time i've seen a design exceed over $500 was the hideously overpriced & overrated YaXaY design.