Tag Archives: business
Create a Portfolio in 6 Days
Self promotion is very important for freelance designers. If you want to get clients, you need to let them know you exist, you need to tell them what you can do, and, most of all, you need to show it to them. To that end having a portfolio is not an option, and it is ...
Read moreBusiness of Design Online Launches
Having a degree can be important in the design business, especially for people who look for firms to employ them. Let’s not forget what having a degree means, that is having the knowledge to use whatever communication channel to effectively deliver a message, whether it be through a flyer, a poster, a website or anything else you can think of.
Unfortunately many schools don’t teach students the business side of design, which is very needed especially if you want to start your own business. If you think you can sit all day at a table doing artsy stuff, think again. This is not what the design business is about—you need to find clients, establish a relationship with them, make sure your rights are respected, use the right printer for the job, keep accounts straight and so forth.
Fear not, however, because BoDo (Business of Design Online) has just launched. This is one of the most brilliant ideas I have seen. I’ll let the people behind BoDo tell you what this new blog is about.
Read more“Do it yourself” logos
I was peacefully surfing the internet, in a moment of cyber relaxation. Suddenly I realize my Firefox has an open tab with some site waiting to be looked at and, wondering whether lack of coffee was getting to my head or my touchpad decided I clicked on some Google link, I clicked on the tab.
There it was: an automated logo creation site! It’s called “Make My Own Logo.”
Read moreSpec Work: the Fine Line
The other day I was sitting in a restaurant with my colleagues, happy to put my teeth onto some Italian gnocchi with tomato and basilico (basil.) We just had a meeting, but there were questions I couldn’t ask in that meeting as they were not pertinent.
I thought—let’s see what these other designers think about spec work, so there was my question, “What do you do with a client who asks you to make changes to a design concept? How many times do you allow them to do it, and do you even have something in the contract about this?”
Read moreNO!SPEC Launches
The NO!SPEC crusade has recently launched its web site in an effort to educate both creatives and those who buy their services about the dangers and damaging effects caused by speculative work and contests. The initiative was developed by a group of visual communication designers across the globe who share a common passion for their industry, ethical business practices and wanted to take a firm stand on the issue of speculative (“specâ€) work requests. The site can be found at www.no-spec.com.
Read moreHow to Write a Great Case Study
So, what is a Case Study?
A case study demonstrates how a specific situation was initially identified, which solution was selected to resolve the issue, and a summary of the final results.
In the IT world, case studies tend to be short; somewhere between 300-500 words.
In general, aim for three pages, and include one graphic per page at most. Anything more and it looks like ‘hard sell’; case studies typically adopt a ‘soft-sell’ approach.
Read moreAn Interesting Podcast on Spec Work
Brought to you by Be a Design Group and AIGA Nebraska President Drew Davies
Read moreWhy Your Clients Ask You to Work on Spec
Maybe you'll find the answer in this question: Why do you buy the train ticket?
Read moreTip O’ the Day: Know Your Stuff, Answer Client’s Questions
You won't believe how jobs can drag on and on simply because you didn't tell the client something he needed to know
Read moreFrom my portfolio
