With the excitement and anticipation of embarking on a freelance career, we can easily get caught up in the ideas of freedom, of getting paid
One of the huge differences between a salaried worker and a freelancer is that freelancers need to always be looking for work. Freelance work consists
As an independent creative, prospecting is a practical and necessary business activity that needs focused attention to. It requires work to maintain a pipeline of
Although it’s a common assumption, clients are not automatically entitled to a designer’s working files. The tools, preliminary concepts and layouts remain the property of
To answer the question, “How much will it cost?”, the question, “What do you want to accomplish?” needs to be asked first. Clients are often in the dark
The commonly-given advice is: Do what you love and the money will follow. This is a great ideal, because no one wants to spend the majority
Good clients are integral to successful freelance projects and to your career overall. Beyond the project itself, a referral or recommendation from the right client can open doors
In Part 1 of this article I focused on what a brand is, and the visual and conceptual components of an effective brand. Brand is
I wish I hadn’t said, “Yes” to certain design projects. It’s not that the projects were a problem, but something about the clients’ approaches, actions or expectations
One thing I really appreciate about using WordPress for my website platform is the multitude of time-saving plug-ins available. One plug-in I really appreciate is Akismet. Akismet recognizes and
Of Influence, Time and Trust Branding is a popular discussion in my circles, and in the course of those conversations I gain great insight into perceptions
Recently, I met with a start-up business. As we discussed the scope of work and began putting the design brief together, it became clear that
Every design project includes a punch list of required deliverables and a budget. When the budget does not allow for the creation of all these items,
A significant percentage of my clients are non-profit enterprises. I have had many opportunities to design campaign materials, annual reports, and graphic assets for non-profit
Working with clients can be likened to a downhill race: The designer moves along in her process and picks up momentum as she heads toward the finish line, and all
The Practice and Principle of Accomplishing Something Upon learning about what I do by trade, an employed acquaintance asked with some concern, “But will you
Start-up businesses and organizations tend to hold themselves back in terms of establishing reputation and solidity by under-budgeting and under-investing in the brand-building graphics and
During a downhill event at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, a contestant wiped out against the fence because she lost her footing on a turn.
…your process of emerging from school into the (design) profession needs to be as carefully framed and designed as any of your projects.
Non-descript design that lacks distinction will do nothing to add distinction and value to an organization.
When it comes to clients, it is better to pursue relationships instead of projects. We’ll build our businesses more successfully via relationships and connections, not
Like any design, websites are experienced. Your goal should be to provide the best experience to the largest percentage of people who visit your site.
Detours can be useful for preparation, refining, and strengthening skills, perceptions and insights – all which increase our ability to support and stand up under the “weight” of our destinies. If we’re not strong enough to carry something, we will be overwhelmed by it.
Business and creative culture now runs on creative rights and intellectual property. Theft, abuse and alteration of intellectual property is as rampant as ID theft,
Misunderstandings can exist between clients and freelance designers regarding their working relationships. Questions of who owns what, what files are provided to the client, when and
The essential difference between copyright and trademark can be summed up this way: copyright protects the person while trademark protects the property.
If you know me well, you know that baseball is my favorite sport, and I often employ baseball analogies to explain concepts to students and
Listening is related to empathy. Empathy is valuing another’s experience, and keeps the designer from creating something that is self-expressive.
Let’s begin with the premise that design, illustration and photography are service professions, and that being a professional means you’re in business. You’re making a
Before working with a designer, a client should prepare for that relationship. Often, businesses will request a web site or a logo – a single
There ‘s a book in my library titled, 101 Things to Learn in Art School by Kit White. It’s full of truths that every designer
It is said that when you come to the end of your rope, you should tie a knot and hang on. My response to this
Working on spec directly contradicts good business practices and does not even promise payment for work performed.
Not every client relationship is a good fit, and it’s just good business to separate.
Some ideas look really good in your head but when you get them down on paper and begin to develop a strategy, the flaws become apparent.
All too often a business or organization seeks a designer to execute an untested, unrefined idea as quickly and cheaply as possible. A business that’s design-oriented will not regard design as an afterthought but as the basis for its marketing communications and brand awareness.
To be meaningful, design needs to connect on five successive levels of significance…
How many people set goals and never achieve them? How many creatives start a business and then watch it fizzle out Are you someone who,
If a hiring firm wants to give special consideration to candidates from a specific school, that’s its right. But then it should carry on its notification processes within the sphere of that school’s alumni and career counseling office
Being effective involves doing the right thing at the right time in the right place.
Design your time. Time is wasted when we do the wrong thing at the wrong time. It’s easier to keep your time boundaries and your well-being intact if you plan ahead.
If we approach a design solution as an opportunity for self-expression, we’ll miss the point and risk not solving the problem.
Setting and maintaining boundaries will help you avoid relationships and circumstances that are potentially harmful.
It is the responsibility of design professionals, teachers and school administrators to value the next generation of designers so that the profession is respected, appreciated and thrives. Unpaid internships won’t accomplish that.
Creative thinking requires us to cease from thinking as we always have. This is neither automatic nor easy because we automatically default to doing that which requires the least amount of effort.
Scammers are highly creative in who and how they target. No one is exempt. This design project scam targeting independent creatives has been circulating in
From the client’s point of view, there are two crucial criteria in deciding what designer is awarded the project: 1. Does the creative understand what’s