Self-employment advice for designers This month brought with it my five-year anniversary as a self-employed graphic designer, so I’m taking the opportunity to offer 15 pieces of advice to those thinking of “going it alone.” Wood type photo credit 1. Look at the big picture Creating a modern business plan will help you think through the hard issues. 2. You never know what contacts they might have. 3. But also because it’s too low. 4. Design pricing is something independent graphic designers struggle with at some point. 5. We all do. 6. Along similar lines, if you receive a complaint, allow the other person to do most of the talking. 7. Your pitch is a very brief description about how you will help your design clients, and is useful when describing your job to new acquaintances (without the risk of boring them into submission). 8. Realise that in order to reach (and stay at) the top, you must never stop learning, whether it’s through recognised design courses, mentors, books, or other options. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. You.
The Hardest Part The hardest part is not the code. The hardest part is not the writing. The hardest part is not even the work, itself. No, the hardest part, in fact, is getting out of your own way, so that you can become amazing. Time and time again, I come back to this truth. Am I really good enough to take this on? Too many “ifs” – and then, naturally, the justifications for tabling the project or endeavor begin to crop up. Of course I don’t have time to start this project. What’s sad is that we all know that “next year” is psuedo-speak for “one day,” and “one day” is pseudo-speak for “probably never.” There’s a reason why writers will be the first to tell you that, easily, the most difficult aspect of writing a book is…starting. Why? It’s impossible for a negative comment to be posted on an article that isn’t published. So why do we do this to ourselves? Maybe if we’re honest, we all know the reason why we, from time to time, sit on our hands: putting yourself out there is really, truly scary. The Solution
Pricing Tables: Examples And Best Practices - Smashing Magazine Advertisement Pricing tables play an important role for every company that offers products or services. They are a challenge from both a design and usability standpoint. A pricing table should help users pick the most appropriate plan for them. Once you have identified the most important features, go ahead and create a more detailed list of features for users who are interested in a particular plan. For a good grounding in exactly how to design and present a pricing table, let’s examine some that other designers have created and analyze them according to the following important criteria: Design: colors, style, typography, icons.Usability: What happens if we turn off CSS and JavaScript? You may also want to take a look at the following related articles: Best Practices and Guidelines Designing a pricing table is a tricky task. 1. Intuitively, one would assume that a feature-rich pricing table with dozens of various aspects would make a good impression on potential customers. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Design Principles How Many Ideas Do You Show Your Clients? - Smashing Magazine Advertisement I read somewhere that showing your client the full range of your creative ideas during a project is important, the rationale being that the client is entitled to see the ideas coming from the creative professional who they have hired and invested in. While this approach has some benefits, in some cases showing too many ideas is counter-productive to the natural flow of a project. Proof of how imaginative you are can be shown in other ways. Spoilt For Choice Scenario 1 You look at your Illustrator pasteboard and see half a dozen cool logo ideas… not just cool, but super-cool… not just super-cool, actually, but practical and appropriate. That client was overwhelmed with ideas and unable to choose one or the other: too many directions, and too many good ideas. Putting your client in the position of a kid in candy store can lead to some of the more frustrating experiences in design work. Too much choice can be a bad thing for clients. Scenario 2 You’re pleased. Be Aware To Conclude
How to find clients outside your network Here's a guest post from a new guest posting freelancer, Gina Blitsten, who is a writer for Smartpress Booklet Printing One of the initial challenges for new freelancers is drumming up business for our fledgling enterprise. As a freelancer myself, I know that my first writing gigs were for friends, family and close acquaintances. That’s only natural for several reasons: We announce our business first to those we know, in hopes they will help us spread the word Personal recommendations are very natural to give and receive We begin to grow our network from the inside out When I began my writing career, I wrote copy for my husband’s technical services website and for my hair stylist’s website. Initially, working with my immediate circle provided a tidy bit of work, accumulating writing experience, new skills and business know-how under my belt. Eventually, I examined my business and discovered that my portfolio bore a striking resemblance to my contact list. Related Posts: No Related Posts
Why Wait For The Opportunity? Create Your Own! - Smashing Magazine Advertisement As many people who work in a creative field like design and development may already know, sometimes our clients just do not understand what it is that we are trying to achieve. The boundaries that we are seeking to push are not ones they approve of for their project, so our creative ideas get backburnered until we can find an appropriate project as well as an agreeable client where you can flex these creative muscles freely. In fact, the standard business processes, especially the ones we allow ourselves to be strapped into, tend to work against us in this aspect. Allow me to elaborate. Don’t just wait for the aces! Now this is not to say that the prompted ideas are any less potent or powerful than the ones that we arrived at alone, only that the ones we get to by ourselves tend to be more imaginative and exciting in our eyes as those are the ones we feel unencumbered by the clients rules or specs. That Is Just How Business Works Think outside the box! The Game Changer
"I Draw Pictures All Day" Advertisement “So, you do nothing all day.” That’s how many people would respond to someone who says they spend the day with a pen or pencil in their hand. But for us designers and artists, drawing pictures all day is integral to our process and to who we are as creative people, and despite the idea that those who doodle waste time, we still get our work done. What does it mean to be a doodler, to draw pictures all day? What Does It Mean To Doodle? The dictionary defines “doodle” as a verb (“scribble absentmindedly”) and as a noun (“a rough drawing made absentmindedly”). But the author Sunni Brown offers my favorite definition of “doodle” in her TED talk, “Doodlers, unite!” “In the 17th century, a doodle was a simpleton or a fool, as in “Yankee Doodle.” It is no wonder, then, why most people do not have great expectations of those who “draw pictures all day.” Why Do We Doodle? Consider that even before a child can speak, they can draw pictures. An example of a doodle. Visual Learners
How To Estimate Time For A Project Whether you bill clients hourly or on a per project basis, a necessary step of all projects is estimating the time it will take. Not only does the client want to have an idea of how much money they will be spending, but they also need to plan around an estimated timeline. And you need to be able to ensure you have the time and resources necessary to complete the project. Depending on a number of factors, including how much experience you have with the type of work you’re doing, if you are using subcontractors, and the information you have from the client, estimating the time for a project can be difficult. Here is the process I use when scoping the time commitment for a new project. Identify Deliverables The first step is to identify the main project (i.e. Break It Down Next, I take the project and break it down into simple tasks separated by component – the more specific the better – that will get us to the deliverables. Project Planning Design Testing Add It Up Things to Keep in Mind