I started developing apps the first month it was possible. I initially decided to test the waters by cloning apps which were very popular on iPhone and Android.
I spent a month creating clones of Koi Pond, Fart App, Hipstamatic, and acoustic guitar. In something like 9 months I've sold ~1000 apps. I've made about enough money to pay for the phone and for a year of publishing access to the marketplace.
Of course design is subjective, but my skill isn't operating photoshop. It's an understanding of the subjective forces in a way that I can interact with skillfully. Any random joe blow can have(and does) have an opinion, but it's not equal to mine. That said, there are definitely designers who are better than me, and who I would be in a similar position with.
You negotiate a price based on (x) number of designs and (x) number of modifications.
Otherwise the person will just keep draining you, because everyone thinks they can design, except they can't. So they dilute your work to the point that it's a terrible mess if you give them a chance.
The other guy hit the nail on the head. Most developers aren't designers, and in fact they tend to think in ways that are the opposite of aesthetically pleasing. It's why there are so few developer/designers (I'm one of them).
The problem with design is that it is something that is not easy, but it SEEMS easy, because everyone has an opinion, and they think it's just as valid as anyone else's, even a professional designer. This isn't true. The people who designed the first 15 years of Linux interfaces should have never been allowed to design anything.
It's like the other guy said - if you optimized code and a designer came in and ripped out everything you did, rewrote it to be more "aesthetically pleasing", you would be pissed. If it happened twice, you'd throw a fit, and if it happened again you'd be done.
There needs to be a distinct process in place for contributing that doesn't include a programmer redesigning things before they get put into place. If the developer was competent to design, there would have been no need for the designer in the first place.
I spent a month creating clones of Koi Pond, Fart App, Hipstamatic, and acoustic guitar. In something like 9 months I've sold ~1000 apps. I've made about enough money to pay for the phone and for a year of publishing access to the marketplace.
http://www.mobilematiq.com/