Help, please: When is enough enough?

griff silver

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I'm curious how some of you guys with experience deal with the challenge of time........ I'm not happy with my design but due to time constraints I gotta start cutting to meet deadline....... your thoughts are appreciated!
 

Marrinan

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outside Albany in SW GA
Someone's signature says it all, something like art is never finished, just abandoned. As Lee Griffith notes budget is a primary concern in design. You can fool with designs until you go broke. All art can be improved but how many hours can the customer afford. I'm sorry but the budget does control how much design work goes into any project. You do your best work based on the budget. Fred
 

Eric Olson

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My advice would be not to cut a design you know is bad.
Sleep on it an spend another 30 minutes revising it tomorrow. It will make a world of difference.
 

Ed Westerly

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I will lose money of a job before I will cut something I know doesn't look right. That said, perfect is the enemy of good enough. If the design is as good as the money allows you to make it, cut away and charge more next time for something even better.
 

Gemsetterchris

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Finland
I'm a goldsmith first engraver second I unfortunately have engraved running leaf borders with no shade lines. It is the season rush jobs that the stores want yesterday.

I guess It's better to do 50% of a job properly & leave the rest undone :D
Do you ask them to come back after Xmas to have them completed?
Don't think I could justify that concept despite the potential cash injection.
 

Beladran

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mississippi
We charge a premium for all repair work we do so to me good enough just doesn't fit with the price we charge so if anything I like to take it a step or two further. But there has been times if I had not done that I would have caused a lot less headaches
 

Gemsetterchris

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I'm doing 50% of trade work on a budget, the rest is priced once done.
Either way, I'll do my best with what comes without going too overboard timewise..
If a job warrants extra attention it'll get it, really depends if the job has been made/planned properly in the first place.
 

griff silver

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May 11, 2007
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Katy, Texas
this is the project i'm referring to....no time or budget to border it out and relief around scrolls on frame. budget $600 still gits a name on backstrap.
 

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KCSteve

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Kansas City, MO
Marcus Hunt has a very nice way of saying that the key isn't to do lower quality work, but to do less quality work that makes it very clear. On a gun, for example, he feels (and I have to agree) that it would be better to do 25% coverage at good quality than 100% coverage sloppy.
 

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