Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business

By David Airey

Work for Money, Design for LoveAnswers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design BusinessDavid Airey

New Riders

Find us on the Web at www.newriders.com.To report errors, please send a note to errata@peachpit.com.New Riders is an imprint of Peachpit, a division of Pearson Education.

Copyright © 2013 by David Airey

Acquisitions Editor: Nikki Echler McDonaldProduction Editor: Becky WinterDevelopment Editor: Cathy LaneProofer: Elaine MerrillIndexer: FireCrystal CommunicationsInterior and Cover Design: David AireyComposition: Kim Scott, Bumpy Design

Notice of RightsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com.

Notice of LiabilityThe information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

TrademarksMany of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-84427-9ISBN-10: 0-321-84427-0

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

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ContentsIntroduction, ix

I Where Do You Start?, 21 Essential Traits, 4

Be curious, 5Show empathy, 7Have confidence, 8You’re the manager, 9Motivate yourself, 10Professionalism, 11Balance, 12Don’t blindly trust your experience, 13Don’t forget to…, 14

2 Never Stop Learning, 16The never-ending lesson, 17What design school didn’t teach you, 19Other ways to keep learning, 25

3 Find Your Niche, 28What’s a niche?, 29Why specialize?, 32Spread the risk, 34

4 Pros and Cons of Self-Employment, 36

II Who Do You Need to Be?, 465 Work Direct or Be a Subcontractor?, 48

Dealing directly with clients, 49Subcontracting with agencies, 52

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6 Planning for Success, 56Truth, 59Assertions, 60Money, 62Alternatives, 63People, 66

7 Brand Naming, 68Everything begins with a name, 71

8 Designing Your Brand Identity, 78Your graphic identity, 79Other parts of your identity, 85

9 Working from Home versus Renting Space, 88Working from home, 89Renting studio space, 94Fit to work, 97

10 Launching Your Online Presence, 100Your basic launch needs, 101Hard-won lessons, 109Treat your competitors as allies, 113

11 Marketing Yourself and Finding Good Clients, 116Go pro bono, 119Love the ones you’re with, 122Market for free online, 123A little research, a lot of return, 124It’s who you know, 126Reach out to other design agencies, 127Zig when others zag, 128

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Offer a real gift, 129Think fast, 130Do business where you shop, 132When things go wrong…, 133

12 Why Bigger Business Isn’t Always Better, 134The personal touch, 137You are what clients want, 138

13 Legalities, Integrity, and Morality, 142Legalities, 145Integrity, 148Morality, 152

III How Do You Manage Projects?, 15614 Choose Clients Wisely, 158

Red flags, 161

15 Handling the Client Approach, 172The client questionnaire, 173Avoid wasting time, 178Start on the right foot, 180

16 Pricing Your Work, 182Deciding your rate, 183Breaking down the proposal, 186It’s not always about the money, 187Enter Mr. Procurement, 188How to negotiate up, 190Raising rates with existing clients, 191“You should be charging more,” 192

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17 Terms and Conditions, 196What to include, 204It’s not unusual, 207

18 How to Best Present Your Work, 210

IV Before We Depart, 22419 The Mentors Speak, 226

20 A Future Without Clients, 238Online advertising, 241Become an affiliate, 242Ship your product, 243Write a book, 245Income as energy, 246

21 Keep the Fire Burning, 250

22 Resources, 266Books, 267Blogs, 268Publishers, 268Self-publishing, 269Ad providers, 269Project help, 269Don’t forget, 269

Contributors, 270

Index, 272

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IntroductionThis is the book I wanted to read when I became a self-employed graphic designer. It’s the advice I’d give my younger self—teachings that would’ve put me years ahead of where I am now.

Initially, the idea was to cover everything I know about the business of design, but it serves you better if I focus solely on the most important topics—the topics made obvious through the hundreds of questions I’m regularly asked by readers of my websites.

But it’s not just me offering advice. These pages also contain a wealth of knowledge contributed by vastly experienced designers all over the world, designers with hundreds of years of combined business acumen.

Becoming self-employed was the best business decision I ever made, and this book was created to help make your decision just as beneficial. So here’s to all the success you’re going to achieve, and all the fantastic times you’re going to have along the way.

It’s a pleasure to have you here.

Chapter 16

Pricing your work

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“How much should I charge?” That’s probably the most com-mon question I’m asked. Every few days another email arrives from a designer struggling to price his or her services.

I struggled too, and even today I’m sometimes left doubting my quotes. Did I undersell myself? Did I price myself out of a top project? I’m sure I’ve done both, lowballing my services until my confidence grew, then slapping a higher-than-usual price tag on what I offer, to the detriment of the deal. It’s a balancing act we all need to play, and one that we only learn the rules of through on-the-job experience.

This chapter does not present a mathematical formula that will help you settle, once and for all, and with complete peace of mind, your rate. Instead, I’ve assembled some hard-won advice from others who have proved themselves to be very nimble players of the game. Heed their guidance, and your confidence will grow.

Deciding your rateAlina Wheeler, who shared advice in the previous chapter and who has many more years of design experience than I do, told me that pricing a job is quite simply a torturous and inefficient task for many design firms. “There are no magic formulas and there are no ultimate right numbers. What is a $25,000 US project for one client may actually be a $100,000 US project for another.”

Many years ago, Alina had a design office called Katz Wheeler. To decide on a price, she and her partner, Joel Katz, would sit at a table and each write on a separate piece of

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paper what they thought the job was worth. They’d fold their own piece of paper and slide it across the table to each other.

“We would always decide on a number that was between the two. It worked because we understood our overhead and we knew what profit margins we wanted. We tracked all jobs carefully, and knew at the end of a job how much time it took with a good client and how much time it took with a disorga-nized client. Our terms and conditions were clear, in terms of the scope of the engagement. The system worked.”

You might not have a partner to swap prices with, or the experience Alina had amassed at that stage of her career, but you will have peers you can ask for help, whether it’s design-ers you’ve subcontracted work to, previous employers, or people you’ve met through your blog. We all need help from time to time, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Artificially inflating or deflating your rate usually backfires. For instance, whenever Alina didn’t want to work on a par-ticular project, she would put a really high price on it, think-ing that it was a sure way to not get the job. “I always would get those jobs. I am certain that you have a similar story,” she says.

The opposite direction is equally as unwise, Alina notes, per-haps more so because you also drag down others. “When you lowball a job to ‘get it,’ you are doing a disservice to yourself, your profession, and your client. You never, ever want to be perceived as the low-cost alternative.”

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Breaking down the proposalAlina related to me how she creates a client proposal.

“I begin a proposal with the three major goals of the engage-ment. I use the same process diagram, and I add three deliverables for each of the five phases, along with a fee for each phase. A deliverable can be anything from a meeting to a design strategy. Since I have deconstructed each phase into a series of tasks, it is easy to estimate an isolated task. I end with three reasons why the client should work with me. For the contract, I use the same process with the deliverables and price, and I add terms and conditions. I make sure that I have clearly articulated what the client is responsible for. I know, for example, that when I have a single contact who is respon-sible for scheduling all meetings and gathering all informa-tion, that it will be an efficient process. I also know that when decision-makers are added later on, the process will be less successful.”

Alina’s system works because it is simple, logical, and stream-lined. It respects the fact that most clients are overwhelmed with information and frequently receive voluminous propos-als. “Clients rarely understand the differences and subtle nuances between design firms and their portfolios, or what it takes to create something really stellar, sustainable, and dif-ferentiated. But they understand process.”

Another tip: It will help your clients understand what they’re paying for if you separate your cost into categories. And if your proposal document is multiple pages, put the cost at the front. Anything you do to make it easier for the client to understand the way you will work together can only help you seal the deal and initiate a successful project. (We’ll take a closer look at terms and conditions in the next chapter.)

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it’s not always about the moneyWhen Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar started their design practice in the late 1950s, one of the first things they did whenever possible was to trade design for some minor services they needed. Ivan cites the following example.

“When the time came to have an attorney to help with a simple contract agreement, we traded the legal fee for a let-terhead design. We did such trades from time to time with landlords and other suppliers to whom we owed something—anyone who could use a little graphic design and didn’t have anything of any quality in place.”

Ivan isn’t the only professional who has traded design for something else of value. Vancouver-based Nancy Wu recounts an occasion when she traded her design skills with a man who specialized in custom woodwork and home renovations.

“He asked if I ever traded services, as he needed some design work done and wondered if I needed anything done around the house. In fact, I did. I live in an old house with splintered wood in one spot, so I traded for minor work redoing the floors in my son’s room, fixing some bathroom tile cracks, and creating a removable cover for one of the vents to keep the house warm during the winter months. In return, I designed a postcard, banner, and business card for an upcom-ing trade show. Our form of trade was less about monetary figures and more about value for value. He had one of his experienced men come in to put in new high quality lami-nate, taking advantage of the kind of discount rates they could obtain with their suppliers. Likewise, I had my own printing contacts and signage suppliers to help keep things affordable and on schedule to meet his deadline.

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“In the end, it was a win-win situation and we ended up both being quite happy with the results. The key is that we kept it professional at the start, getting everything outlined in detail so that each of us knew what was needed and what the expected outcomes were.”

Enter Mr. ProcurementSeattle-based management consultant Ted Leonhardt is expe-rienced in helping creative firms become more effective in business. He told me about a particular designer he coached in order to get him to feel as bold as he acted in the follow-ing story (for the sake of the story we’ll call the designer Ian). Ian led a team that designed the packaging for his client’s most successful brand (we’ll call the brand “Z”). The packag-ing resulted in sales of a billion dollars a year. But here Ian was, three years later, responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the same company, the same team, even the same individuals.

“What’s with these people?” Ian asked. “Don’t they remember the success we had with the Z launch? We knocked it out of the park, and now they throw us into a competitive situation with an RFP.”

Ted explained that most companies’ procurement processes have an amped-up focus on negotiating every purchase, from machine tools to office supplies. Creative services are no exception. Ian’s client now requires bids from three qualified suppliers for any purchase over $100K. Ian was lucky that he wasn’t required to submit a Request for Qualification (RFQ) before submitting his RFP.

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“Some call this the Walmart effect,” Ted continues, “because of the relentless pursuit of the lowest costs, but it was the burst of the housing bubble in 2008 that really accelerated it. Consumers stopped consuming, and corporations tight-ened their belts. Today, purchasing agents and procurement departments have more influence than ever before. And it works! Employment is still off, but corporate profits are high, largely due to cost control.”

According to Ted, Mr. Procurement exists for one reason only: to get the most while paying the least.

Recalling his meeting, Ian said, “There I was responding to Mr. Procurement’s challenge of every line in our proposal with my heart pounding and two competitors standing in the wings. I reminded them of the success of the Z launch and Mr. P said, ‘With all due respect I must remind you that there were many other factors in that success.’” Ted knows this is a classic intimidation technique meant to undermine Ian’s confidence—Mr. P is a trained negotiator, and has many such techniques ready to use.

But Ian wasn’t intimidated. “Of course, there were other fac-tors,” he replied. “But, please tell me why you would choose anyone else for the most critical factor of all, the creation of your consumer face? And, why would you cut the budget? Don’t you know that those cuts will reduce the potential for success? Do you want us to do less discovery? Less strategy? Should we cut the research? Limit the creative time? Cut the rapid prototyping? On the shelf, on the site, and in the ads, your market will see only one thing: the package. Are you prepared to risk it all on someone who’s not a proven winner? You represent a multi-billion-dollar corporation. This new launch has the potential to drop hundreds of millions to your

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bottom line. Are you prepared to risk that for a few hundred thousand in fees?”

There was a long pause.

The client team asked for 15 minutes alone. When they reas-sembled, Mr. Procurement compromised, and Ian compro-mised. A little.

Later, Ian’s client said that Mr. Procurement was impressed with Ian, and that his comments had made sense—this was not a project to risk. Ian had asked for and received the respect he deserved. He did so by asking questions that rein-forced his expertise and by explaining the consequences of cost cutting.

How to negotiate upWhen you think of adjusting your fee during client discus-sions, chances are you’ll think of a downward movement. But that shouldn’t always be the case.

A prominent design company offered Krakow-based designer Andrea Austoni an ongoing collaboration. After the com-pany accepted Andrea’s hourly rate, he received the contract. There was a catch: Andrea wouldn’t be able to mention this high-profile collaboration in his résumé and couldn’t include any of the work in his portfolio. This changed the value of the transaction downward for the designer, so he raised the previously agreed-upon hourly rate, and after some time, the design company agreed with the request.

Andrea learned a few lessons from the experience. “Know your value and adjust your rates according to how much you stand to gain from a job in terms of exposure, portfolio build-ing, and personal marketing value. Stand your ground.”

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raising rates with existing clientsAs I specialize in brand identity design, it means that most of my client projects are one-time jobs, with a high rate of client turnover, so I’ve not needed to raise my rates with an existing client. But if you’re responsible for website development or marketing promotions, for instance, then it’s almost inevi-table that you will.

Karishma Kasabia, who shared a great marketing story in chapter 11, told me about how she handles the potentially dif-ficult situation of raising her rates with existing clients.

“When we started the business, I was a freelancer working from home. Within two years, our expenses grew from home to office to studio, from freelancer to one designer, a second, a third, and then a manager.”

Needless to say, it was vital that Karishma steadily introduce new rates along the way.

“I spoke to a few close clients to get their thoughts on this. Making good clients my friends has been one of the wisest things I’ve ever done.”

The feedback she got covered two main points:

•Clients could allow for a 5 to 10 percent increase in the hourly rate when Karishma had moved from home to office.

•Clients thought it would be great if the increase was explained because they would feel included and be more receptive.

“So I spun the thought and designed an e-newsletter,” she says. “It told current clients that their rate would stay the

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same for the next three months and would then graduate to a slightly higher rate.”

The text read something like:

2008 No office. No coffee. Pixie cut.

2010 Office with air conditioning. Coffee and sushi. Bob cut.

“New clients would start at an even higher rate. I was giving the love to our existing clients and appreciating their loyalty,” she adds. Also, any existing estimates would be valid for a longer period of time as well.

“Giving them time to adjust and celebrate our growth meant I dealt with no complaints at all.”

“you should be charging more”Surrey-based copywriter Mike Reed went freelance after previously founding a small agency called Other, where he worked as creative director. It didn’t take Mike long to get freelance work from long-standing contacts, and he knew what he wanted to do in the longer term: work with the best branding and graphic design consultancies around.

“I wrote, and, I confess, designed a mailshot, which was a set of postcards each bearing an obscure word from the Oxford English Dictionary. ‘Absquatuluate,’ ‘bathykolpian,’

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‘fanfaronade,’ that sort of thing. These were ‘free introduc-tory words’ for my targets, with the promise of more exciting language in exchange for money.

“Anyway, it worked. I got in to see a few of my favorite design consultancies, Hat-trick and The Partners first, as I recall, and it went from there.

“But one of the real bugbears was how much I should charge. I’d never been freelance before. How do you decide what rate you should be charging?”

Mike set a rate that seemed about right compared to the free-lance design rates he’d been charged at his previous company, and off he went.

“Everyone was happy to pay what I was asking. As I recall, it was £350 per day, in 2002. I bumbled along like that, with-out much idea of how my rates compared to others’, or of ways to find out. I can’t remember why, but at some point I decided I was probably undercharging. I’d been going for a couple of years, so that was probably part of it: one feels one’s income ought to go up a little each year, at least to account for inflation.”

The new rate was tested when Mike tentatively announced it to one of his original freelance clients. They got on well, so he felt reasonably confident that if she thought it was an outrageous demand it wouldn’t actually kill the relationship. Mike braced himself before explaining the new rate, but then couldn’t believe his client’s reply. “I’ve been meaning to say something,” she said, “because I feel bad about what we’re paying you. You should be charging more.”

Mike recovered his composure and boldly suggested a new new rate. “A little higher,” she suggested. Boggling at this, Mike followed her advice, and they agreed on a final figure.

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“It was the most generous advice any client has ever given me, especially as it was her own business—and therefore her own money she was spending. Of course, the real issue was that I was undercharging considerably compared to the market, but she was under no obligation at all to reveal that.”

That conversation didn’t just transform Mike’s income, it made him more confident about his work and how he dealt with clients. And you can imagine how fiercely loyal he was to that particular client from then on.

“It’s still hard to make the jump to a new rate. You suddenly feel like maybe you’ll scare the horses and end up with no clients. In my experience, that doesn’t happen. The worst that can happen is that someone says, ‘No, that’s ridiculously high.’ I haven’t pushed hard enough for anyone to say that yet.

“My theory is that when you reach a point where people are consistently saying, ‘That’s a bit more than we’re used to, is there any flexibility?’ then I think you’ve got it about right.”

Regardless of how many people you ask for help setting your rates, a huge factor is the confidence you have in your talent. Remember, clients will be looking for designers who pres-ent themselves as solid, reputable, talented, experienced, trustworthy, and passionate about the profession—designers just like you. These traits take years to nurture and shouldn’t come cheap: good clients understand that. So when it comes to sending that quote, always ask yourself if you’ve set the bar high enough.

ContributorsAdam Ladd www.ladd-design.com (chapter 11) Alina Wheeler www.alinawheeler.com (chapters 15, 16, 19) Andrea Austoni www.andreaaustoni.com (chapters 13, 16) Andrew Kelsall www.andrewkelsall.com (chapter 11) Antoinette Marie www.atmediadesign.com (chapter 11) Johnson Antonio Carusone www.aisleone.net (chapter 21) Armin Vit www.underconsideration.com (chapter 21) Atakan Seckin www.aseckin.com (chapter 18) Bernadette Jiwa www.thestoryoftelling.com (chapter 7) Blair Thomson www.believein.co.uk (chapter 21) Bob Mytton www.myttonwilliams.co.uk (chapter 21) Chris Coyier www.chriscoyier.net (chapter 21) Chris Harman www.parentdesign.co.uk (chapter 21) Chris Spooner www.chrisspooner.com (chapters 10, 20) Con Kennedy www.conkennedy.ie (chapter 1)Cristian Paul www.brandient.com (chapter 21) Daniel Howells www.howells.ws (chapter 21)Darragh Neely www.darraghneely.com (chapter 14) David Hyde www.davidthedesigner.com (chapter 21)Emily Kane www.emilykane.co.uk (chapter 21) Eric Karjaluoto www.erickarjaluoto.com (chapters 12, 18) Fiona Burrage www.theclickdesign.com (chapter 14) Gary Holmes www.gariphic.com (chapter 11)Ian Vadas www.ianvadas.com (chapter 17)Ivan Chermayeff www.cgstudionyc.com (chapters 16, 18, 19) Jenny Theolin www.jennytheolin.com (chapter 11) Jerry Kuyper www.jerrykuyper.com (chapters 18, 19)Jessica Hagy www.jessicahagy.info (chapter 19) John Clifford www.thinkstudionyc.com (chapter 18) Jonathan Selikoff www.selikoffco.com (chapter 17)JP Jones www.paige1media.com (chapter 13) Karen Huang www.wearemanic.com (chapter 21) Karishma Kasabia www.kishandco.co (chapters 11, 16)Katherine Ramsland www.katherineramsland.com (chapter 8) Khoi Vinh www.subtraction.com (chapter 19) Lee Newham www.designedbygoodpeople.com (chapters 11, 12) Lita Mikrut www.litamikrut.com (chapter 11)Liza Lowinger www.aptone.com (chapter 13)

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Luke Mysse www.crossgrain.com (chapter 9) Luke Tonge www.luketonge.com (chapter 21) Maggie Macnab www.macnabdesign.com (chapter 20) Mark Bloom www.mashcreative.co.uk (chapter 11)Matt Griffin www.bearded.com (chapter 20) Matt McInerney www.matt.cc (chapter 21) Meredith Gossland www.lbgba.org (chapter 9) Mike Dempsey www.studiodempsey.co.uk (chapter 19) Mike Reed www.reedwords.co.uk (chapter 16) Nancy Wu www.nancywudesign.com (chapter 16) Nick Asbury www.nickasbury.com (chapter 18) Pascal Rumph www.buroreng.nl (chapter 21) Patricia Schaefer www.contemporary-native.com (chapter 17) Paul Buck www.zerofee.org (chapter 21) Phil Cook www.matdolphin.com (chapters 9, 11) Reese Williams www.designbyreese.com (chapter 19) Russell Holmes www.icodesign.co.uk (chapter 14)Ryan Tym www.ryantym.com (chapter 21) Shauna Haider www.nubbytwiglet.com (chapter 21) Sheena Oosten www.sheenaoosten.com (chapter 14) Simon Manchipp www.someoneinlondon.com (chapter 21)Stellan Johansson www.weare1910.com (chapter 11) Steven Key www.keycreate.co.uk (chapter 11) Suzana Shash www.suzanashash.com (chapter 11) Ted Leonhardt www.tedleonhardt.com (chapter 16) Thierry Brunfaut www.basedesign.com (chapter 21) Tim Lapetino www.hexanine.com (chapter 14) Tom Actman www.matdolphin.com (chapters 9, 11) Von Glitschka www.vonglitschka.com (chapter 17)

Thank you.

I’m more grateful than you know.

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deciding on location for, 111–112

earning ad revenue from, 241–242

posting sketches on, 217recommended, 268scraping of content from,

147–148time commitment for, 112–113using self-hosted, 110value of, 107–109writing style for, 111

Bloom, Mark, 123–124books

about design business, 267–268writing/publishing, 245–246

book titles, 77Brand Atlas, 180brand identity

components of, 79, 85–86creating your own, 81–82describing, 73getting feedback on, 82–83and promise-keeping, 86–87and website design, 104

brand identity designers, 31, 32, 33, 34

Brandient, 260brand naming, 69–77Braun, Matt, 243–244Brunfaut, Thierry, 254Buck, Paul, 257Budd, Andy, 53budgets, 9, 179Buro Reng, 253Burrage, Fiona, 167business cards, 9–10, 104business identity projects, 9–10, 21business journals, 125business names, 41–42, 69–77business plans, 57–67

alternatives section, 63–65assertions section, 60–62money section, 62–63people section, 66–67

7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The, 159

1910 Design & Communication, 1261977 Design, 239

A“about” page, 105, 126Actman, Tom, 95–96, 130–131advertising, 241–242, 260, 269affiliate programs, 242agencies. See design agenciesAKQA, 262Amazon Associates, 242American Institute of Graphic Arts,

147Anderson, Alan, 20animators, 31Apartment One, 151–152Armani, Giorgio, 219artworkers, 31Asbury, Nick, 220–222Asian Development Bank, 139Associated Press, 147At Media, 124Austoni, Andrea, 153, 190awards, 121, 247

Bbackup plans, 64–65, 101Bagley, Spencer, 151Bailey, Paul, 239balance, work/life, 12–13, 45, 92, 256banner ads, 241Base, 254Bearded, 243Behance, 123, 124Behavior, 232Believe, 256Berthier, 51Black Watch Global, 124blog platforms, 107, 110blogs, 107–113

building readership for, 25, 29, 110–111, 113

index

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responding to requests from, 12, 178–179, 236–237

saying “no” to, 236–237showing empathy toward, 7–8targeting specific types of,

29–32understanding design needs of,

5, 126, 257understanding goals of, 14, 73,

175working with multiple, 22, 44

client testimonials. See testimonialsClifford, John, 215, 218, 222collaboration, 227, 230, 254collection agencies, 200.com domains, 25, 73communication, 19–20, 205, 209,

254commuting, 44–45competitors, 113–114, 176Computer Arts, 140confidence, 8–9, 23, 194, 222confidentiality clause, 206contact information, 126contact page, website, 105contracts, 23, 149–150, 202, 205.

See also terms and conditionsCook, Phil, 95–96, 130copyright laws, 7, 145–146, 202core values, 72corporate stationery project, 9–10country-specific domains, 73, 101Covey, Stephen R., 159Coyier, Chris, 261Creative Commons, 145Creative Journal, 264Creative Review, 130–132, 140creativity, 230, 264CSS Tricks, 261curiosity, 5–7, 21

dDaff, Tim, 23deadlines, 9, 127, 140, 176, 245, 251Decoding Design, 247

purpose of, 57–59recommended length of, 67truth section, 59–60

business stationery, 9, 32, 41, 63, 69, 124

business-to-business search features, 126

Ccancellation fees, 206, 207car-garage clients, 32Carroll, Dempsey & Thirkell, 231Carusone, Antonio, 262charities, 17, 32. See also nonprofit

organizationsCheapCaribbean.com, 125Chermayeff, Ivan, 187, 227Chermayeff & Geismar, 11, 76, 219Circle, 217Clearleft, 53Click Design Consultants, 167–169client deadlines. See deadlinesclient proposals, 186client questionnaires, 173–178clients

acquiring new, 33, 41avoiding certain, 152–154,

159–171, 173, 215–217building rapport with, 211–215communicating with, 14–15,

19–20dealing directly with, 49–52getting feedback from, 22,

54–55, 169–170, 219–222, 232managing, 9–10, 181meeting with, 44, 93offering free services to, 10, 40,

148–149, 229overcoming objections from, 9presenting work to, 23, 26, 65,

211–223raising rates for existing,

191–192recommending competitors to,

113–114

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reusing, 14showing in context, 219

Design Indaba, 13Designing Brand Identity, 180, 267design presentations, 23, 26, 65,

211–223design professionals, 11–12, 25, 31.

See also design businessdesign publications, 140design resources, 267–269design school, 17, 19design studios, 11, 25design tutorials, 107–109, 241digital designers, 31directories, website, 111–112Doliner, Emily, 20domain names, 25, 73domain registrars, 101dot com addresses, 25, 73downloadable documents, 177down payments, 54, 205, 207Dulay, Catrina, 22

eeBooks, 152–153, 244email, 178–179, 205empathy, 7–8employees, 141, 231, 233, 254Engle, Jon, 7ethics, 86, 143, 154Ethics: A Graphic Designer’s Field

Guide, 145exercises, 97experience, 13–14, 21ExpressionEngine, 107

FFacebook, 73, 74face-to-face meetings, 44Fairey, Shepard, 147fashion industry, 32feedback, client, 22, 54–55, 169–170,

219–222, 232feed readers, 25financial advisors, 231

delayed-payment clause, 206deliverables, 33, 66, 186, 197, 206,

209Dempsey, Mike, 231–232design agencies, 52–55, 127, 128,

138, 202design blogs, 10, 123–124, 262.

See also blogsdesign business

advantages of small, 135–141communicating with other

owners of, 25–26deciding on rates for, 183–185

(See also pricing)developing plan for, 57–59essential traits required for,

5–15exit strategy for, 239finding niche for, 29–35home-based, 89–93lifelong learning required for,

17–26, 143maintaining passion for,

251–264marketing techniques for, 41,

117–133naming, 41–42, 69–77renting space for, 94–96role models for, 135–137setting hours for, 39, 92setting rates for, 39–40taking time off from, 42–43trading services with other,

187–188ups and downs of running, 37vs. advertising business,

260–261Design Business Association, 121Design by Nature, 247Designed by Good People, 133design events, 25–26design ideas

offering too many, 217–218posting online, 217presenting, 23, 26, 65, 211–223

275

Iico Design, 159–161ideas. See design ideasIdentify, 219Identity Designed blog, 263identity design projects, 9–10, 21IKEA, 153–154illustrators, 31imagination, 13Inclusive Design Challenge, 121income, 246–248. See also passive

incomeindemnity clause, 206Indexed, 230Inker Linker, 269inspiration, 262Instagram, 73insurance, 93, 96integrity, 148–152intellectual property database, 74invoices, 43, 79, 82, 199–200, 206

Jjack of all trades, 29jargon, 20Jarrold, Tom, 219jealousy, 261Jekyll-and-Hyde clients, 165–167Jiwa, Bernadette, 69–71, 77job boards, 31, 244Johansson, Stellan, 126Johnson, Antoinette Marie, 124–126johnson banks, 11Jones, JP, 150journals, 63

KKane, Eileen MacAvery, 145, 147, 153Kane, Emily, 263–264Karjaluoto, Eric, 135, 139, 211–215Kasabia, Karishma, 122–123, 133,

191Katz, Joel, 183Katz Wheeler, 183K Creative, 137

flexibility, 263flowcharts, 180–181font licenses, 63, 146–147freelancers, 53, 120, 128free services, 10, 40, 148–149, 229front-end designers, 31

Ggame developers, 127Gandhi, Mahatma, 258Geismar, Tom, 187Gill, Bob, 14Glaser, Milton, 135Glitschka, Von, 197–202, 209Gmail, 64goals, 14, 73, 175, 180–181GoDaddy, 65Godin, Seth, 59, 268Google, 73, 108, 112. See also search

enginesGoogle AdSense, 147–148, 241Google Reader, 25Gossland, Meredith, 94graphic designers, 31graphic identity, 79–85, 227Griffin, Matt, 243–244

Hhackers, 64–65Hagy, Jessica, 230Haider, Shauna, 263hair-salon clients, 31, 132Happy Cog, 179Harman, Chris, 258–259Hexanine, 165–167holidays, 42, 43, 45Holmes, Gary, 119Holmes, Russell, 159–161home, working from, 37, 44–45,

89–93homepage, 105hosting, Web, 103, 111–112, 242Howells, Daniel, 263–264HOW magazine, 140Huang, Karen, 259Hyde, David, 258

276

creating mockup ads, 117doing pro bono work, 119–122for existing clients, 122–123focusing on startups, 124–126,

132making cold calls, 41, 117using design blogs, 123–124using Twitter, 130–132using YouTube, 129

Mash Creative, 123–124Mat Dolphin, 74, 95–96, 130–132McInerney, Matt, 262meetings, 41, 44, 93, 140, 186, 219mentors, 26, 227metaphors, 247middlemen, 53–54Mikrut, Lita, 120mission, business, 71Mobil, 227mobile apps, 244Moorhouse, Guy, 152morality, 152–154motivation, 10–11, 259–260, 261,

262, 264Movable Type, 107Moving Brands, 11Murphy’s Law, 217music industry, 34Mysse, Luke, 94–95Mytton, Bob, 259–260Mytton Williams, 259

nnamechk.com, 74naming business. See business

namesNeely, Darragh, 162–165negativity, 264negotiating fees, 190networking, 25–26Newham, Lee, 133, 138Newlyn, Miles, 152New York Times, 232niche markets, 29–32, 51, 61nightmare clients, 162–171

Kelsall, Andrew, 128–129Kennedy, Con, 12Kickstarter, 243–244kill fees, 207. See also cancellation

feesKish+Co, 133Knobbs, Richard, 137Kuyper, Jerry, 219–220, 232

LLadd, Adam, 129Landor, 11, 135Lapetino, Tim, 165Lawson, Eric, 24legal fees, 202legal issues, 74, 145–148Leonhardt, Ted, 188–189Lessig, Larry, 145letterhead, 63, 79, 86, 93, 104liability insurance, 93Liebold, Jon, 24LinkedIn, 126listening, 22Loewi, Otto, 84Logo Design Love, 10, 81, 245, 268Logo Design Love blog, 263logos, 79–85, 247Lovely as a Tree, 269Lowinger, Liza, 151Lupton, Ellen, 147

MMacnab, Maggie, 246–248Maeda, John, 13magazine designers, 31magazines, 63mailing address, 93management skills, 9–10, 22, 43Manchipp, Simon, 251–253Manic Design, 259marketing techniques, 117–133

attending trade shows, 133contacting other design

agencies, 127–129cost considerations, 133

277

print design, 34print-ready files, 24pro bono design, 119–122, 148procurement process, 188–190product designers, 31professionalism, 11–12project deliverables, 33, 66, 186, 197,

206, 209project guidelines, 197promise-keeping, 86–87proposals, 186public speaking, 23. See also

presentationspublishers, 152–153, 268purchasing agents, 189

Q-Rquality control, 139questionnaires, client, 173–178Ramsland, Katherine, 84real-estate clients, 32recognition, 258. See also awardsred flags, 9, 161–171Reed, Mike, 192–194reference books, 63referrals, 33, 242registered trademarks, 74renting studio space, 94–96research, 14resources, 267–269restaurant websites, 31revision requests, 197RFPs, 188Rhode Island School of Design, 13rights, 205. See also copyright lawsroyalties, 245Rumph, Pascal, 253–254

Ssabbaticals, 13Sagmeister, Stefan, 13Saint-Exupery, Antoine de, 57sales calls, 8–9samples, 206, 217

nonprofit organizations, 17, 71, 119, 120, 145

Noyes, Eliot, 227Null, Jennifer, 21

OObama photograph, 147objections, overcoming, 9office equipment, 62office furniture, 62office space

renting, 94–96working from home, 89–93

Ogden, Stephen Lee, 19online advertising, 241–242online forms, 177–178online portfolios, 62, 101, 105online tutorials, 107–109, 241Oosten, Sheena, 169ownership clause, 205, 207

Ppackaging designers, 31Paige1Media, 150Parent Design, 258passive income, 43, 64, 239, 244,

245, 248Paul, Christian, 260–261payment issues, 63, 170, 205, 206.

See also pricingPDF documents, 177, 178, 230Pear Deli, 197–202Pentagram, 11, 135, 262Perez-Fox, Prescott, 21permissions, 145, 146phone service, 92photographers, 32physical fitness, 97–98plagiarism, 147portfolios, online, 62, 101, 105positive mindset, 264PowerPoint, 230prepress file requirements, 24presentations, 23, 26, 65, 211–223pricing, 24, 39, 179, 183–194

278

TTalkTo, 51target audience, 73, 176taxes, 43teamwork, 233, 254technical jargon, 20telesales, 8–9templates, website, 244terms and conditions, 197–209

cost of creating, 202importance of, 149–150, 197incorporating in workflow,

208–209what to include in, 204–206

Tesco, 138testimonials, 33, 106, 139–140The Click Design Consultants,

167–169Theolin, Jenny, 121Think Studio, 215, 222third-party contracts, 205Thomson, Blair, 256–257time management, 22, 43time-wasters, 229time-zone differences, 39, 44Tonge, Luke, 257–258trade magazines, 140trademarks, 74trade shows, 86, 133, 203trading services, 187–188travel, 253triangular rule, 251–253Truman, Harry S., 113Turner Duckworth, 11tutorials, 107–109, 241Twitter, 74, 130–132Tym, Ryan, 261typefaces, 244type fonts, 63Typepad, 107

Santa Fe University of Art and Design, 247

Schaefer, Patricia, 207–208Scrivens, Matthew, 219search engines, 25, 33, 73Seçkin, Atakan, 215–217self-employment

exit strategy, 239feeling isolated in, 25key to success in, 35and paperwork, 197pros and cons of, 37–45and time management, 22working hours, 12–13

self-hosted blogs, 110self-publishing, 245–246, 269Selikoff, Jonathan, 202–204Shash, Suzana, 132shipping products, 243–244side projects, 263–264siteInspire, 264Skype, 205smashLAB, 135, 211smiling, 14–15SNAP: Seizing Your Aha! Moments,

84social media, 74, 85, 124, 130Sod’s Law, 217SomeOne, 11, 76, 251–253Spam, 128–129Speak Human, 135, 139speaking skills, 23specialization, 32–34spec work, 148–149Spooner, Chris, 107–109, 241–242Stansfield, Neil, 86–87startups, marketing to, 124–126stationery design, 32, 63, 104Stevens, Maria, 24Studio Dempsey, 231Studio Hyde, 258subcontracting, 52–55, 66, 197Swaddles, 86–87symbolism, 247

279

Williams, Andrea, 22Williams, Reese, 229–230Wobble Design, 129Wolff, Michael, 13Wolff Olins, 11, 13, 76Wood Type Revival, 243–244Word documents, 177, 178wordmarks, 79, 81word-of-mouth marketing, 33, 106WordPress, 107, 110work agreements, 202, 209. See also

contractsworkformoneydesignforlove.com,

267, 269working hours, 12–13, 39, 92work/life balance, 12–13, 45, 92, 256work samples, 206workshops, 26written agreements, 149–150.

See also contractsWu, Nancy, 187Wyman, Lance, 135

Y-ZYellow Pages Group, 138–139YouTube, 129, 241Yvette, Cherie, 229–230Zerofee, 257Zuniga, Victor, 23

U-VUnderConsideration, 255University of New Mexico, 247Unreal, 261user experience designers, 31, 53user interface designers, 127Vadas, Ian, 207value proposition, 72venturethree, 11, 76videos, 129, 241Vinh, Khoi, 232–237vision, 235visual identity, 21, 33, 81, 176. See

also graphic identityVit, Armin, 255volunteer work, 119, 148

WWalmart effect, 189Waxman, Robin, 154Web designers, 31Web developers, 31Web forms, 177–178Web hosts, 103, 111–112, 242websites

characteristics of good, 11–12choosing domain name for, 25,

73customizable, 32designing, 103–104essential content for, 105–106hacking of, 64–65launching, 101for niche markets, 31–32publishing, 103and search engine rankings,

25, 33sharing work of others on,

113–114, 264tips for successful, 109–113

WeTransfer, 269Wheeler, Alina, 180–181, 183–186,

229

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