Proverbially speaking
Chinese proverbs might not relate directly to the design profession, but with a little translation, it’s easy to see how designers can heed the advice.
Chinese proverbs might not relate directly to the design profession, but with a little translation, it’s easy to see how designers can heed the advice.
What advice would you give a design graduate? Chris Arnold, founder of Creative Orchestra and former creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, offers his pearls of wisdom.
Here’s a video from an AIGA Metro North event titled reSPECt, “A civilized dialog between advocates and opponents of speculative branding and design work.”
Titles can matter to those who hire you, but you’ve got to make sure you walk the walk.
This month brought with it my five-year anniversary as a self-employed graphic designer, so I’m taking the opportunity to offer 15 pieces of advice to those thinking of “going it alone.”
The following advice has been excerpted from the May/June 2010 issue of Layers Magazine, and was written by brand identity designer Andrew Sabatier.
→ Continue reading How to convince your clients they need a brand, not just a logo
“In his exuberant, conversational style, internationally bestselling author Dale Carnegie offers practical advice and techniques for how to get out of a mental rut and make your life more rewarding.”
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.
→ Continue reading Becoming a self-employed graphic designer
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.
→ Continue reading Improve your portfolio with pro bono design

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.