Web designers who work for themselves will constantly face difficult decisions as they have to determine if they should accept or pass on a client’s project. Since there is no shortage of designers out there, many designers feel that they should accept every piece of work that comes their way, but that is not true.

Not all potential projects that come your way will be able to pay you for what your time is worth. Many clients will want to get a first-rate design for bargain basement prices, and if you’re taking these jobs you could be missing out on other more profitable opportunities. There are many other reasons as well, which you will see.

This article will serve as a reference for those situations where you are contemplating a potential project that has come your way. The factors that are discussed here should be able to help you during these evaluations in the future.

1. Budget

One of the first things you will evaluate is the amount of money that you can charge for the project. Is the client willing to pay a fair price, something that will adequately compensate you for the time that will be required by the project?

If the client is working with a very limited budget that doesn’t fit into your normal pricing scale, they should be willing to make some compromises that will reduce the amount of time required from you, or you should probably pass on the work. You may also consider having a package especially for clients who have less-than-ideal budgets. This would allow you to capture some business from clients that you would otherwise have to pass on.

2. Deadlines

Almost every project will involve a deadline of some type. Larger projects may even have a number of deadlines or milestone dates that need to be met. In some cases the deadline may not be as firm, but the client will still have an expectation of when it will be complete.

You will sometimes run in to clients who want a ton of work done in a unrealistic time frame. In these situations your best move is to explain to them that the deadlines are not realistic for you, and suggest a deadline that would be reasonable with your schedule. Many clients are able to work with you on this, but if they insist on a deadline that you can’t make, walk away from the opportunity.

3. Fit Between the Project and Your Skills

Every designer is going to have his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses. Not every project will be a good fit for you. There will be some situations where you want to take a project for a learning experience, but in general it is best to take projects that are a good fit for your skills, and let the others pass.

4. Interests

Just like each design will have strengths and weaknesses, you will also have certain types of work that you enjoy doing more than others. If you want to enjoy your work more, make an effort to find work in the types of things that you like to do.

5. Current Workload

Just like pricing is important, you should also put a lot of emphasis on your current workload. If you are already as busy as you can handle, don’t take new projects or at least schedule them to be stated at some point in the future.

One common practice is to speak with the client about their project, see what their time frame is, and agree on a tentative date for starting in the future when your workload will be manageable.

Steven Snell runs a popular design blog that includes a web job board for web designers to help designers find work, and to help companies find the right designer.