balancing commercial and cultural work as a creative studio

A mixed practice, partly commercial and partly cultural, is not a compromise. It’s a consideration. However, this kind of creative practice – whether as a design studio, an experimental studio, or a branding agency – requires a pricing structure that reflects both ends of the equation, or one will suffer for the existence of the other.

Since commercial work and cultural work carry different risk, different leverage, and different long-term value for your practice, I developed this calculator for you to think deeper about it.

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Think about the work you did last year. What % of your portfolio was revenue-driven (commercial work aka brand, agency, corporate) vs. purpose-driven (cultural work aka community, arts, passion projects)?
Move the slider to reflect your studio’s reality.

If you don’t offer cultural, just put 100% commercial and your studio’s average rate there.
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A 5-day work week equals 260 potential working days per year. After 30 vacation days and 15 sick days, this leaves 215 actual working days. At 7 hours per day and 70% billable utilization, this results in approximately 1,054 billable hours per person per year.
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Thanks {{ (data['Person_Full Name']).split(' ')[0] }}, here's your result.

Your studio works fully cultural. This model only works if your rate is high enough or you’re also having other parts of your studio’s revenue model supporting
Your studio is mission-driven so your commercial rate must be significantly premium to obtain financial stability.
Your portfolio leans towards culture-heavy projects leading to your commercial rate needing to carry more weight.
Your portfolio seems balanced between commercial and cultural projects.
Your portfolio share is mostly commercial with select cultural projects.
Your portfolio is mostly commercial but it may lack the opportunity to tap into cultural leverage.

Your potential annual studio revenue based on your input*


{{ ((((data.commercial_share_of_revenue/100)*data.curren_comercial_rate*1.15)+(((100-data.commercial_share_of_revenue)/100)*data.cultural_rate)) * data.billable_hours*1.05) | number:2 }} EUR

potential annual studio revenue:
*assuming 5% increase in utilization + 15% increase in commercial rate

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want a second pair of eyes on your numbers?

bonus 1:1 quote/price diagnostic (15')

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A short, diagnostic call to review how you currently price and package your services. You’ll get quick feedback and learn where you might miss income potential. If you dare - bring your quote :)
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pricing & finances advisory power hour (50')

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This is a working session designed to bring clarity to how you deal with your finances, price and position your expertise. We’ll examine your current offers, how you communicate value, and where the numbers are misaligned with the impact you deliver.
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