A lot of freelancers in all fields have an upfront fee, with the rest charged at the project's completion. If it's a small project budget-wise, you can let them pay afterwards if you trust them. Just get it in writing in a contract, and send them an invoice right away when the work is done. Also, don't forget to include a 'kill fee,' which means if the client cancels, or 'kills,' the project before it's done, they still owe you a certain percentage. It's usually anywhere from 25% to 50%. A good bet is to make the kill fee equal to the amount they pay up front, if any, so if they cancel the project, you don't have to pay it back. Or, you could just call the first payment a non-refundable deposit. But people don't like the word 'non-refundable.'

Jenn