Presenting the best graphic design links from the web. Over 5,000 articles tested, sorted and classified into relevant categories. A graphic designer's goldmine.
One of the biggest problems Adbase sees as a consultant to creative professionals is the way resistance to talking about money with clients obstructs growth and successful relationships with clients. But here’s the reality: whether you are a photographer, an illustrator, a designer or any other creative, you are also a business owner, and you can’t do business without dealing with money. She has some really useful advice that you need to read.
If you’re the freelancing parent of a young child, you’ll find that many productivity books are simply not applicable. They were probably written by either ultra-productive people without children, or those who are never expected to change a diaper during the daytime. FreelanceFolder gives parents some tips to become more productive.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique which recommends dividing your time into 25 minute chunks. Every chunk of 25 minutes is equivalent to 1 Pomodoro, that is a time span of uninterrupted work. After completing a Pomodoro you can take a 5 minute break. FreelanceAdvisor has the full story.
Working long hours is in many cases a must for freelancers. Getting rid of these long hours completely will prove almost impossible, so the best you can do is to try dealing with them as well as you can. OneExtraPixel suggests some basic principles.
FreelanceFolder examines when you may want to consider renting an office. They also list some signs that your freelance business is probably not ready to move out of your home. Finally, they describe some of the benefits of having an external office space for your freelance business.
Being a freelance designer entails more than just the act of designing. Master the business side of design and you’ll thrive. Neglect it and watch your business take a dive. There can be severe consequences for those who mismanage finances, fumble along without a business plan or don’t understand clients. Fortunately, this article at SixRevisions will serve as a crash course for beginners who want to learn about the business side of freelance design.
The question arose on a blog about how to screen a client. Perhaps talking about it in terms of how to spot a sketchy client would be a bit much, but like any freelancer, Speider at SmashingMagazine needs to dump his anxieties on those who sign his paychecks. From corporate clients to the single-owner businesses, clients are our lifeblood… and they can be a cruel, cruel mistress.
The problem with freelancing is that we don’t have paid sick days! When we get sick, we risk missing deadlines, having unhappy clients or even losing income altogether. What’s a freelancer to do? FreelanceFolder has some suggestions.
Moleskine notebooks rank alongside the MacBook Pro, money and caffiene on the fictional list of ‘Most Beloved Freelancing Tools’. Make the most of yours with this post at FreelanceSwitch, where you’ll find a goldmine of mini-hacks, recommendations, visual modifications, organizational systems, uncommon uses and creative tomfoolery, all for your Moleskine(s)!
There are two main factors to keep in mind when preparing a proposal or invoice: First, you’re likely dealing with people who are not yet your clients; and second, you’re dealing with clients who you (probably) hope will bring you repeat business. Noupe offers a number of tips, based on those two principles, to help designers creative effective proposals and invoices.