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And this, kids, is why we never ever use Microsoft Word to design. Anything. Ever.

Does this effort make you want to spend $250.00 a person (to start)? Answer: No.

Sadly, what this effort does communicate, however, is that Sylvester Stallone is a loon, not an Icon...

(take notes, you'll be tested)

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Stacie / Perfektion Design
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A little while ago Andy Rutledge tweeted the statement:

“Dear designers, it’s not the clients. It’s you. “Clients from hell” only work with designers from hell. Reflect on your life.”

I found myself shaking my head at the push-back and knee-jerking made by some peers. The reactions were that of personal insult and/or an immediate recounting of a client interaction that was perceived as brutal.

The message was obviously lost on some.

As designers, especially those of us who - ya know - work for ourselves, we have the luxury of choosing who we work with. It’s that simple. Why would you willfully choose to work with someone you, yourself, would define as a client from hell?

See how I said define? While the parameters of what defines a client from hell will vary from designer to designer, the reality is this: you vet your clients, and you chose to work with them.

An argument had been made that if you’re a designer working within a firm you aren’t the one to actually retain clientele. However, when you get down to brass tacks, if a client is so disruptive to your creative flow it starts to affect your productivity, that particular client is now costing your firm money. There are always measures to address and resolve these issues in reputable design firms. If your firm is focused solely on their bottom line, rather than your ability to design a quality product, it then becomes your choice to stay with that employer, (willfully knowing you will have to compromise your ideals to do so).

Many years ago the best boss/mentor/jedi master I ever had, looked at me and said, “As much as people tell you this world full of grey areas, it isn’t. The world is your own, and your choices make it black and white.” I just stood there and blinked, like she punched me in brain. But she was right, you alone choose how you live and work.

I’ve made some shitty choices in my life but I’ve survived, learned from them and moved forward making better ones. It’s the same with my design career, I’ve refined my client evaluation process to ensure I only work on projects that fit my ideals. Does it mean that my early, less then ideal, clients were from hell? Nope. It just means that my own standards weren’t fully established.

So the next time you’re ready to captain-kirk-drop-kick a client because they’re making your life difficult, remember where they got the invite into your life to begin with, and adjust your future vetting process accordingly.

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Stacie / Perfektion Design
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(I had posted this on our blog awhile back and thought it was a good fit for here as well as I'm sure we've all had to deal with these issues. It's got good info for both designers and clients.)


You know you need that website or print piece so you’ve hired a designer and you’re ready to have them turn your dreams into reality. Or are you? In the 15 or so years that I have been working as a designer I have found that a percentage of clients really struggle when it comes to the actual design and making decisions on the project.

The tell-tale signs ...

If you’ve ever uttered or even thought of any of the three following phrases then please read on for some helpful tips on how to break through indecision, listen to your designer, and help the visual marketing for your business become a reality.

#1 "I'll know it when I see it."

Why it's bad: Quite possibly the most dangerous statement to announce to a professional designer. If you mention this up front, some won't even continue to work with you until you figure out what you DO want. The problem with this is that you are internally personalizing the design. While you certainly know your business better than your designer, you're not allowing your designer to do what they do best. A good designer will work closely with you and obtain a lot of information before even starting an actual concept. They will also need to know all about your target market – who are you trying to reach with the project? A client can be way off in determining what their target audience will respond to simply based on their own personal preferences and, "knowing it" when they see it. And the final flaw to this is that it can delay a project and cost a client a lot of money if revisions to a concept go past what was originally agreed upon simply because a client hasn’t, "seen it" yet.

What you can do instead: Before even hiring a designer, do your own research. Find out what others in your field are doing or have done. What is your competition up to? Where are you with your business right at this moment? Where do you want to be? Who are your current customers? Do you want to reach different customers? Look at a lot of other designs (web, graphic, etc.) and be able to answer any questions put to you in regards to style, color, your business branding, etc. Also, make sure your designer goes through a initial process of "discovery" on the project to fully understand the details and learn about you, your business and your market.

#2 Using words and phrases like, "edgy", "make it pop", "hip" ...

Why it's bad: The problem with descriptors such as these is simply that they need further explanation. What "edgy" or making something "pop" means to you can mean something totally different to your designer or even your customer.

What you can do instead: Before you use some modern buzzwords to describe what you want, elaborate a little. Instead of using the phrase "hip", say that your target market is 20-30 somethings that are into a retro style … they like hanging out in coffee houses and art galleries ... they like vintage Atari games … we need a site to appeal to these people! Whatever it is, it will give the designer more information and they can ask additional questions if necessary. Be prepared to answer them and not cop out with something like, "well that's why I'm hiring you to make it hip!" This will not help your project because I have a hunch that if you wanted something, "edgy" you'll also, "know it when you see it".

#3 "My mother's second cousin didn’t like that concept."

Why it's bad: The final point is the client who gets every relative, associate and neighbor's dog to review the concepts because they can not decide on their own what is best for their business. The inability to make decisions while a project is in full swing can kill momentum as well as tend to drive a project in directions that it shouldn't be going. When I was young and just starting out I noticed that the clients who could not decide on their own and asked everyone they knew for input would run me in circles making concept after concept and change after change to please each person they asked and often times end up telling me, "You know, I like that very first one the best".

A special side note on this one: Even if you don’t show the concept to everyone but YOU don't like it, be prepared to tell your designer exactly why and have a list of change requests ready to make that concept meet your goals better. Simply stating you don't like something and you'd like to, "see something else" puts you right into the #1 category of, "I'l know it when I see it" and nobody wants that.

What you can do instead: Honestly if you can not decide what is best for your project you need to take a few steps back and really think about your business, your needs, your target market and customers and the goals of the project you're hiring a designer for – before you even hire them. Refer back to point #1 with the research. Asking your business partner or associate for their input can of course be very valuable to a project (and often necessary), but when you step outside of your business and start asking everyone you know it can be a real detriment. Resist the urge to do that!

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Sherry Holub
Creative Director
[link]

So earlier this week I saw a couple of job postings in the GDF (Graphic Design Forum) in the classifieds section.  There was a request for a logo design and website design.  Now, most of the emails I send out to prospectives comes back with "I'm sorry but you are out of my budget".

This time I was pleasantly surprised.  I got a message from the person - they had added me on Skype.  Within an hour I had received full, upfront payment for the logo design. The next morning I received the signed contract.  Five hours later, after developing 9 versions, the logo design was complete (the client was on Skype the whole time which made the process much faster than normal).

So yesterday I find out the age of my client, after looking over the Skype details I hadn't noticed before.

I was working with a 16-year-old.  A 16-year-old that showed more sensibility than many job requests I see in here.  He wanted quality and was willing to pay for it.  In fact, he was the first person to not balk at my logo design prices this entire year (excluding existing clients that already knew my rates).  In addition, he speedily paid for licensing the two fonts I used without complaint.  

It was so incredibly refreshing.

Age matters not.

A:

In order to generate the leads you want, you have to determine what kind of freelancer you want to be. I say this because unless you are running your own firm, with a lot of resources, you are going to want to decide if you want your client base to be mainly face-to-face local types; that you can work with in a very hands-on fashion. Or to be a geographically broader spectrum, e.g., doing the majority of your business online. I'm not saying you can't accommodate both, but each has their own pros and cons and while a local client my want you to freelance out of their office, that won't be conducive to having another client at the same time... Coles notes version: You have to become a master of time management and even learn to micromanage your life.

Ok, so here we go...

How to generate leads for the "Local Type" clientele:
(this list is probably missing a few bits so please be inspired to add your own ideas)

• Create a designers press-kit (e.g., with a look-book type  portfolio, usb flash drive with your name on the outside and your work  on the inside, business cards, postcards, if you are an illustrator -  sketch something small and have it printed on nice card stock so you'll  be handing out little limited ed. prints with your press kit, stickers,  small woodland creatures ... I think you catch my drift.)


• Hit the pavement with your press kits and visit the local businesses you feel would benefit from your skills/services


• Only talk to the folks that sign the cheques: don't be afraid to  make an appointment to return in order to deliver your kit (leave a  business card in the meantime)


• Join your local chamber of commerce (yep, it's like they do the networking for you)


• Cold-calling. It's an oldie, but a goodie - call the local  businesses you wish to offer your services to and give them a reason to  hire you (ask for a small job or a trial project)


• Be diligent in reviewing local classifieds (even craigslist and kijiji), every day


• Consider pro-bono work for high profile local events/causes/charities (this is totally different than doing free stuff for every a-hole that asks you do work for free)


• If your service pairs well with the services of another freelancer  in your area - approach them with a referral deal (e.g. "Hey, I'll  refer my xxx clients to you exclusively if you refer your xxx clients to  me exclusively - for xxx% finders fee upon contract..."


• Help create a local designers group that gets together once a  month to share best practices, tasty cocktails and network.  (Alternatively, find one that already exists in your area)

How to generate leads for the "World Type" clientele:
(again, this is probably missing and lacking...)

• Make sure you have exposure on top sites that cater to promoting and selling your service/skill (make sure your profile/portfolio is flawless and consistent from one site to the next)


• If you are bilingual, this is the time to dust off those chops and launch on multi-language sites as well


• Become familiar with the reputable job boards that focus on your industry


• Learn to become a Twitter-ninja; that search bar is there for a reason


• LinkedIn is more than just your fathers social network, use it to your advantage... that search bar is there for a reason


• Offer free stuff from your website/blog that people all over the planet can download and use, e.g., templates, characters, vectors, etc


• Be prepared to accommodate payments from Zimbabwe


• Know what time you have to be awake and functioning for your 8am client call to London, England


• Make your website easy to navigate - so easy, it can be done even if you don't speak the language (yes, really)

Other things that are interchangeable:
(ditto....)

• Offer free consultation (if you don't get the contract you've made a good impression and perhaps gained a word-of-mouth client, if you do get the contract then ...well... you're employed)


• Always have promo swag to give out - no matter where you are always have COOL stuff to give to people; shirts, stickers, ninja throwing stars, etc


• Get active online; join all the forums and blogs relating to your service and use that signature space to link back to you


• Get yourself in every online directory you can find


• Cross promote with other businesses


• and many many more...

So, those are some things you can do to boost your visibility to your market but I'm not going to lie - it takes hard work and dedication to make that investment turn around for you. Now, I'm not saying that you should quit your job and/or hide away from your family for 16 hours a day in order to accomplish this stuff - because that is just not realistic... or sane. What I am saying is, if you can afford a couple hours a day - do it, but do it every day. If you can only afford 1 hour or half an hour, so be it as long as your dedication to your own promotion is consistent.

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Stacie / Perfektion Design
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