Hi there... I'm about to ask the 1 million dollars question. How much would be a fair (for both sides) price for a licensed touristic map?
Just a bit of explanation: my main job is not the designer, I design stuff for fun and for necessity in my spare time. I work in a hotel as a receptionist and in the years I've designed leaflets, business cards, captions for breakfast, for the wifi network, for the courtesy set in the bathrooms... and few years ago, while I was in vacation with my family, I got a touristic map of another city... I noticed that the maps of my city, the ones I was providing to customers (the ones designed by the tourist office) were one of the ugliest I've ever seen.
So I started draw some lines on top of a street map, then I've added touristic points of interest, the main bus lines to go to the center, the train station, the railroads, parking lots, post offices, the stadium, museums, pharmacies, police stations and every street name. I did it all by hand and the result was not comparable to the old map. I'm very satisfied with the work done.
I really can't quantify how many hours I've spent on the map, many, many, many and even more... but I have no number. Now I would like to license it to other hotels / restaurants / B&B in the city, as well as the tourist information center.
How much would be a fair price for a complete touristic map with street names, POIs and tailored on the customer's needs?
I am not in those industries yet here is what comes to mind. Research online and Google what personal assistants and tourist designers and graphic designers charge per job or hour etc. Find websites to post for work doing just what you have done. Learn what those responders say they wish to be paid for similar work. Find 3 or more cities that are comparable to your city size and see how they get the same services done and at what rates and turn over time periods. Ask your county council and city planners what they would like in these features and what budgets they would spend to acquire the outcomes. This way you could determine your expectations versus theirs. As well as tailor your work and approaches.
How do you quantify the unquantifiable? You need an economist. I'm not an economist, but I know one, so that qualifies me to share these opinions.
Regardless of quality, the tourist office has committed some resources to their map. Someone has spent time gathering content, then designing, printing, and distributing it. Probably this was procured through a government-funded tourism scheme, and there lies a problem. You're competing with a subsidised tourist office map, but without their subsidies.
A hotel manager will see that your map is superior to the low-price (or maybe zero-price) version, but will this lead to improved income for the hotel? Will an improved local map raise customer spending? Personally, I never chose a hotel based on the pamphlets in the lobby. So how can he justify the cost in his advertising budget? I can think of two possibilities.
You could tailor your map to each hotel, branded with their logo, emphasising their locations, listing their services, websites and phone numbers. Maybe print a menu on the back with discount vouchers. Your map becomes an ad for the hotel, which is something the tourist office won't provide.
Alternatively, use your map as the leader in a regional guide showcasing any number of local trades and services. Businesses can buy advertising space linked to a marked location on the map. If it's updated regularly you could include events like concerts, exhibitions, and festivals.
None of the above answers your original question. What's the right price? Here are a few principles: Unit price must exceed unit production cost. Higher volumes result in lower unit cost. Wider distribution (to a larger audience) attracts more customers. Superior products attract more customers. Cheaper products attract more customers.
These principles pull in different directions so it's not easy to select the optimum. There's a high price, above which nobody will buy your map, and a low price, below which you can't recoup your costs. Obviously the "right" price lies somewhere between these two extremes.
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Hi there... I'm about to ask the 1 million dollars question. How much would be a fair (for both sides) price for a licensed touristic map?
Just a bit of explanation: my main job is not the designer, I design stuff for fun and for necessity in my spare time. I work in a hotel as a receptionist and in the years I've designed leaflets, business cards, captions for breakfast, for the wifi network, for the courtesy set in the bathrooms... and few years ago, while I was in vacation with my family, I got a touristic map of another city... I noticed that the maps of my city, the ones I was providing to customers (the ones designed by the tourist office) were one of the ugliest I've ever seen.
So I started draw some lines on top of a street map, then I've added touristic points of interest, the main bus lines to go to the center, the train station, the railroads, parking lots, post offices, the stadium, museums, pharmacies, police stations and every street name. I did it all by hand and the result was not comparable to the old map. I'm very satisfied with the work done.
I really can't quantify how many hours I've spent on the map, many, many, many and even more... but I have no number. Now I would like to license it to other hotels / restaurants / B&B in the city, as well as the tourist information center.
How much would be a fair price for a complete touristic map with street names, POIs and tailored on the customer's needs?
That's an interesting question. It's late here and I need to think. Hopefully I can contribute something useful tomorrow.
Goodnight.
I am not in those industries yet here is what comes to mind. Research online and Google what personal assistants and tourist designers and graphic designers charge per job or hour etc. Find websites to post for work doing just what you have done. Learn what those responders say they wish to be paid for similar work. Find 3 or more cities that are comparable to your city size and see how they get the same services done and at what rates and turn over time periods. Ask your county council and city planners what they would like in these features and what budgets they would spend to acquire the outcomes. This way you could determine your expectations versus theirs. As well as tailor your work and approaches.
How do you quantify the unquantifiable? You need an economist. I'm not an economist, but I know one, so that qualifies me to share these opinions.
Regardless of quality, the tourist office has committed some resources to their map. Someone has spent time gathering content, then designing, printing, and distributing it. Probably this was procured through a government-funded tourism scheme, and there lies a problem. You're competing with a subsidised tourist office map, but without their subsidies.
A hotel manager will see that your map is superior to the low-price (or maybe zero-price) version, but will this lead to improved income for the hotel? Will an improved local map raise customer spending? Personally, I never chose a hotel based on the pamphlets in the lobby. So how can he justify the cost in his advertising budget? I can think of two possibilities.
You could tailor your map to each hotel, branded with their logo, emphasising their locations, listing their services, websites and phone numbers. Maybe print a menu on the back with discount vouchers. Your map becomes an ad for the hotel, which is something the tourist office won't provide.
Alternatively, use your map as the leader in a regional guide showcasing any number of local trades and services. Businesses can buy advertising space linked to a marked location on the map. If it's updated regularly you could include events like concerts, exhibitions, and festivals.
None of the above answers your original question. What's the right price? Here are a few principles:
Unit price must exceed unit production cost.
Higher volumes result in lower unit cost.
Wider distribution (to a larger audience) attracts more customers.
Superior products attract more customers.
Cheaper products attract more customers.
These principles pull in different directions so it's not easy to select the optimum. There's a high price, above which nobody will buy your map, and a low price, below which you can't recoup your costs. Obviously the "right" price lies somewhere between these two extremes.