Becoming a self-employed graphic designer

Myeloma Matters

Graphic designers often ask how I made the switch to self-employment. Here’s a quick overview of that period in my life in 2004/05.

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Improve your portfolio with pro bono design

portfolio book

You’re a graphic design student with a portfolio full of fictitious projects. You want to work with clients to build your experience, but you need a more developed portfolio to attract the clients. A classic catch-22.

That’s when working pro bono proves extremely useful.

Read on to learn why, and for a chance to win one of five signed copies of Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities.

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The design pricing formula

money roll bank notes
Money roll photo by Gnerk

Pricing is a task a lot of designers struggle with, and I’m regularly asked how I work it out. As much as I want to, I can’t tell you what you should be charging, and the design pricing formula explains why.

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AIGA President Debbie Millman on spec work

AIGA book cover by Paul Rand

Cat Wentworth, the Bangkok-based force behind NO!SPEC, has conducted an excellent interview with newly-appointed AIGA President Debbie Millman. Here are a couple of choice quotes.

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Hiring a designer: a client’s perspective

train tracks splitting

Here follows a guest post by Aditya Mahesh of AMBeat.com, a blog offering resources for entrepreneurs — advice, start-up profiles, interviews, news analysis, and more.

Now I’ve never been a graphic designer (my background’s in copywriting), but by hiring designers on numerous occasions I’ve gained insights from the customer-side that will help you satisfy your own clients. The following tips will help you keep your customers coming back.

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The vendor client relationship

Here’s a sadly all-too-true video that shows what I’ve experienced with a lot of potential clients. I get the distinct impression I’m not alone.

Seem familiar?

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Graphic design contracts – your advice

signing a contract

A few months ago I wrote a brief article about graphic design contracts. You offered some excellent advice in the comments, and here I feature a select few of your contract tips.

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Agency vs freelancer – your take

green apples

Last month I asked what the difference is between hiring an agency and hiring a freelance graphic designer. The discussion that followed was great, and here I’ve picked out a few of your answers.

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Getting your foot in the door

paper stack

Lee Newham is a senior designer at London-based design consultancy, P&W. He receives around three or four CVs (resumés) every day, and here he details some tips on how graphic designers can get those CVs to the top of the pile.

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Design agencies vs freelance designers

orange segments

Working with a graphic design agency, instead of a freelance designer, can offer many benefits, but it’s not a one-way street. Here I outline the advantages of relationships with one over the other.

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