Practical strategies for building a client commission process for custom pottery projects and timelines.
A clear, client-centered approach to managing custom pottery commissions reduces miscommunication, shortens lead times, and ensures consistent outcomes. By defining milestones, transparent pricing, and collaborative approval steps, potters establish trust while protecting their creative integrity. This evergreen guide outlines practical workflows, documentation practices, and timeline strategies that scale from one-off pieces to small collections. Whether you’re handmade-ware focused or aiming to build a studio-based business, these strategies help you communicate expectations, negotiate schedules, and deliver high-quality pots on time, every time, with fewer surprises for both artist and client.
In the world of custom pottery, a well-structured client intake sets the stage for success. Start with a concise questionnaire that captures essential details: intended use, preferred forms, glaze constraints, and budget range. Include questions about expected delivery dates and potential milestones, such as concept approval, test tiles, and final approval. This information should feed a single project brief that becomes the reference point throughout the process. When clients feel heard and understood, they are more likely to trust your professional judgment. A clean intake reduces back-and-forth and helps you estimate time and material costs with reasonable accuracy from the outset.
Once you have a solid brief, translate it into a transparent quote and schedule. Break pricing into material costs, labor hours, and overhead, plus a contingency for glaze firing variables or occasional repairs. Provide a realistic production timeline with clear milestones: sketch approval, glaze sample, tuning, production, finishing, and packing. Ask for a small deposit to reserve a production slot and cover initial expenses. Document all terms in a formal agreement that clients can sign remotely. By codifying pricing and timing, you protect both you and your customer from scope creep and late changes, while maintaining a professional tone.
Establish a reliable, transparent schedule with predictable milestones.
A robust approval workflow is the heart of a repeatable commission process. Present concept drawings or digital sketches early, then offer a couple of glaze options and surface treatments. Allow clients to choose with comments, then schedule brief review meetings to confirm preferences. Keep track of each decision in a shared file or project board that both you and the client can access. This clarity prevents misinterpretations about color, texture, or form. Once approvals are locked, you gain a concrete production path, reducing the chance of last-minute changes that derail your timeline or complicate fabrication.
During the making phase, maintain steady communication without micromanaging. Send weekly progress updates with photos showing development stages, any adjustments, and how variables like clay shrinkage or kiln atmospheres might affect outcomes. Explain potential risks in a calm, practical tone and present options if deviations occur. Clients appreciate candid, proactive communication that respects their investment. Use a simple dashboard that tracks milestones, expected completion dates, and required client actions, such as approving a glaze slab sample. This collaborative rhythm helps you stay on schedule and builds confidence in your craftsmanship.
Build clear, client-facing processes that protect timelines and value.
Quality checks should be built into the process at multiple points, not just at the end. Create a checklist for each major stage—forming, dry-out, bisque firing, glazing, glaze firing, and final inspection. Before progressing, require a quick internal sign-off to confirm dimensional accuracy, surface feel, and glaze integrity. Share a mini-report with the client highlighting what passed and what required adjustment, along with any rework timeline. This practice reduces post-delivery surprises and demonstrates your commitment to excellence. A proactive quality culture often becomes a selling point for future commissions.
For custom orders, lead times vary with complexity and studio capacity. Map your available slots over the next eight to twelve weeks, accounting for holidays, kiln cycles, and glaze firing schedules. Build a buffer into your calendar to absorb delays without derailing critical deadlines. Communicate this buffer to clients as part of your initial timeline, explaining how it mitigates risk. When possible, offer tiered options: a standard design, a premium variant with additional detailing, or a rush service with a higher fee. Clear trade-offs empower clients to choose a schedule that matches their needs and your workflow.
Deliver value through aftercare, feedback, and relationship-building.
The documentation you maintain must be both thorough and accessible. Keep an organized digital folder for each commission containing the brief, approvals, changes, invoices, and photos at every stage. Consider creating a centralized template for progress updates so clients receive consistent information. Document any deviations from the original plan, along with the rationale and revised dates. This archive becomes a reference for future inquiries and can speed up repeat orders. When clients see an organized record they can trust, their willingness to engage in larger or more frequent commissions increases.
After the final delivery, a courteous post-project wrap-up reinforces professional relationships. Include care instructions tailored to the specific glazes and clay bodies used, along with care tips that protect longevity. Invite feedback through a short, respectful survey and offer to photograph the finished pieces in client spaces for your portfolio. A thank-you note or small follow-up gesture can leave a lasting positive impression. Encouraging testimonials, with client permission, can also enhance your credibility with future buyers and help you refine your process for even better outcomes.
Implement scalable systems that protect quality and profitability.
If you work with repeat clients, refine the system for recurring orders by recognizing patterns in their preferences. Track their favored forms, colors, and sizes to speed up future proposals. Create template briefs that can be quickly customized for each new commission, reducing preparation time while preserving customization. Automate routine communications, such as reminders, deposit requests, and milestone confirmations, using a preferred platform. However, ensure that personal touches remain; a handwritten note or a custom sketch can distinguish your service in a crowded market. The goal is a scalable process that still feels personalized.
When pricing for ongoing work, consider loyalty discounts, bulk-order incentives, and storage or shipping arrangements. Offer package deals that bundle multiple pieces or a small collection with a single, transparent invoice. Clarify who handles packing materials, insurance coverage, and international shipping if applicable. Transparent policies minimize disputes and reassure clients that their investments are protected. Regularly review your pricing strategy to reflect changes in materials, energy costs, and studio overhead. A well-structured pricing model supports sustainable growth while preserving quality and client satisfaction.
Building a client commission process is an ongoing practice, not a one-off event. Regularly solicit case studies from successful projects to identify bottlenecks you can optimize, such as approval turnaround times or glaze selections. Host occasional feedback sessions with past clients to uncover blind spots and new service ideas. Use the insights to update templates, timelines, and checklists so every new commission benefits from better planning. This iterative approach ensures your process evolves with your studio’s capabilities and market demands, while still delivering the consistency customers expect from handmade pottery.
Finally, cultivate a clear mission about what you promise every client. Emphasize reliability, craftsmanship, and honest communication as core values. Your client process should protect both your artistic integrity and their investment by balancing creative exploration with practical constraints. Provide educational content that helps clients understand why certain steps take time or why colors may vary between test tiles and finished pieces. A transparent, thoughtful approach builds long-term partnerships, encourages referrals, and sustains a thriving pottery practice grounded in trust and mutual respect.
