David Airey, graphic designer » Business

How do you find new clients when starting a design business?

David Airey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:12:16 +0000

I’ve just put pen to paper on a new contract with publisher Peachpit. This book will focus on the business of design, answering the most frequently asked questions about starting and running a successful design business. The copy deadline is October, so the release-date should be just before the end of the year.

Many of you will run your own studio, be in self-employment, or freelance in your spare time. I’d love to share your experiences in the book, and for now, there’s one topic I’m particularly interested in:

How do you find new clients when starting a design business?

Alternatively, perhaps your approach didn’t work and taught you a valuable lesson.

Thanks to your incredible support, my first book is in eight languages, and I hope to double that with this attempt. So if you have a specific story you want to share with the world, it’d be superb if you get in touch.

World times image credit

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Want versus need

David Airey — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:22:28 +0000

Quoted from Dave Trott’s blog where he discusses the client/designer relationship between Steve Jobs and Paul Rand. Worth mentioning that Rand was nearing the end of a distinguished career, and didn’t necessarily need Jobs as a client. But there’s still a lesson to be learned.

And here’s a look at the NeXT logo presentation Rand produced for Jobs (on Logo Design Love).

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Thoughts on the designer/client relationship

David Airey — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:01:16 +0000

Thoughts on the designer/client relationship, courtesy of the Design Council. Interesting watch, via Glug.

“If I go to see the doctor, I accept that the doctor has trained, has skill, has experience, is concentrating on one aspect of me. I’ve asked them to do that. What I don’t do is what bad graphic design clients do. I don’t lean over the doctor’s shoulder and say, ‘Could we make that pill a bit larger?’”
— QUENTIN NEWARK, ATELIER WORKS

“A good client has the responsibility to choose the designer that they’re going to work on the project with carefully, and when they get that job right it makes your job a lot easier.”
— LUKE PEARSON, PEARSONLLOYD

“I’m not sure there is such a thing as a perfect client because people are messy, just like I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect agency or a perfect consultancy or a perfect advisor.”
— RITA CLIFTON, INTERBRAND

“You make your client a good client or a bad client. After you’ve worked with clients over the years you know how to handle them, from a selfish point-of-view to get the best out of them, but also, to give them the best.”
— EDWARD BARBER, BARBEROSGERBY

“Most clients come to us with no real idea of what identity they’re trying to achieve. They’ll often come to us thinking that what they need is a new logo, that going forwards all their problems will be solved by this new logo, and our response to them would normally be, ‘Who do you think you are? How does your audience see you? How would you like your audience to be seeing you?’”
— NEVILLE BRODY

There’s a full transcript here.

The Design Council also has a resources for designers page you might find useful.

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Related, from the davidairey.com archives:
The vendor client relationship
Handling the client approach

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

“Never just say ‘no’ to an idea.”

David Airey — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:08:08 +0000

“You have to say, ‘You know what would be even better?’”

Wise words from the comment thread on Dave Trott’s blog.

Image source

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Can I legally hire unpaid interns?

David Airey — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:44:48 +0000

“An internship is a way for graduates and students to gain experience. This places an obligation on you, the employer, to educate and train them. An unpaid internship can last no longer than four months, with the intern moving round the company, experiencing a wide range of differing positions with no onus on them to produce work for your company. An internship, to be unpaid and legal, needs primarily to be a learning and training experience for the intern. You should not expect the intern to produce work that is going to be of benefit to you.”

Quoted from: Can I legally hire unpaid interns? — useful if offering internships (to stay on the right side of the law), and if seeking a placement (to ensure your chosen internship is the best possible match).

That’s how unpaid internships should work. It’s why I was more than happy with mine.

If you are searching for a design internship, this AIGA listing might help (US-based opportunities).

Somewhat related is this nice read from 2009. It’s Andy Chen’s blog entry about his summer internship with Paula Scher’s team at Pentagram. I wonder what he’s up to now.

Monster link via Paul @Zerofee. Image via Thinkstock.

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How do you deal with unpaid invoices?

David Airey — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:02:10 +0000

Armin recently asked, “What percentage do you bill a client for unpaid invoices? And after how many days/months from due date do you start billing interest?”

I saw a couple of responses on Twitter. Victoria Pater charges 3% after 60 days, and Mindy Reznik opts for 1.8% after 30 days.

I stipulate that if the final invoice isn’t paid within 30 days, a 5% “delayed payment” fee is charged. This initial 5% figure is then added upon each recurring 30 day period until the full amount is received.

How do you deal with unpaid invoices?

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Update:
Cole kindly pointed me in the direction of these relevant pages:

The most effective debt collecting email I ever wrote, by Andy Clarke
F*ck you. Pay me. A CreativeMornings video from Mike Monteiro
Charging interest on late payments, on Business Link

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Published on David Airey, graphic designer

What is meant by the word ‘creative’?

David Airey — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:27:48 +0000

It means something completely different to each client.

To one it may mean, “I want the same as my competitors but different.”

To another it may be as simple as wanting a new jingle.

To another it means, “Give me the same as we’ve had for the last twenty years, but not quite.”

99% will want something that they recognize from experience.

Only one in ten thousand will really mean, “Give me something I haven’t seen before.”

So before you make your pitch, find out exactly what your client means by the word ‘creative’.

It’s probably different from your definition.

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Excerpted from It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, by the late Paul Arden, published by Phaidon.

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Resources on creativity:
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity, on TED
Creativity: the Least Important, Most Important Thing There Is, on Lateral Action
On Creativity, on A List Apart
The problem with creativity, a guest post on Logo Design Love
Creative Edward de Bono quotes, on davidairey.com
On creative block, on davidairey.com
Michael Wolff on creativity, on davidairey.com

Image via Thinkstock

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Handling the client approach

David Airey — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:42:56 +0000

It’s important to have some kind of filter system in place for the stream of work enquiries I receive. Why? Because not every potential client is one I’m well suited to, and where that’s the case, both parties obviously want to minimise the time spent finding out.

Here are three web pages I use to streamline the client approach.

Frequently asked questions

My FAQ page is the first place I want potential clients to visit. They may or may not have an idea of how much they plan on spending, so I show a general price range for brand identity projects. The range is purposely broad, because every client has unique needs. I won’t rule-out different budgets, but I find it beneficial to give at least some indication of what other clients have spent, as it helps prevent those with budgets in the hundreds from wasting their time. Other answers on the page give a general overview of what people can expect when working with me.

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Update: 13 December 2011
I’ve since removed the price range from my FAQ page, instead adding a minimum price to my questionnaire (below).

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Questionnaire

If the company approaching me is happy with what’s on the FAQ, the next step is for them to answer the initial questions posed in my questionnaire. The details they provide help form the basis of a solid design brief, and also give a clearer picture about what’s actually needed in terms of deliverables. After receipt of a completed questionnaire I’ll ask more questions tailored specifically to the company making the approach. Then I’m ready to prepare a quote.

Terms and conditions

When a quote is sent, I’ll accompany it with a link to my terms and conditions. This page helps potential clients understand how the working relationship will pan-out, should they decide to hire me.

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So that’s a brief look at how I handle the client approach. It’s not perfect, but hopefully it’ll be of some help, and if you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please do leave a comment or send an email. Many of you know a lot more than I do.

Illustration courtesy of Thinkstock

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Aesop on kindness

David Airey — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:25:09 +0000

This one isn’t just appropriate for the business of design, but for life in general.

The Lion and the Mouse

“A lion was sleeping in his lair when a mouse mistakenly ran over the mighty beast’s nose and awakened him. The lion grabbed the frightened little creature with his paw and was just about to crush him when the mouse began pleading for mercy and declared that he had not consciously intended to offend the lion. Moreover, the mouse sought to convince the lion not to stain his honourable paws with such an insignificant prey. Smiling at his little prisoner’s fright, the lion generously let him go.

“Now a short time after this occurrence the lion was caught in a net laid by some hunters while roaming the woods in search of prey. Finding himself entangled in rope without the hope of escape, the lion let out a roar that resounded throughout the entire forest. Recognizing the voice of his former saviour, the mouse ran to the spot, and without much ado, began nibbling the knots that had ensnared the lion. In a short time he freed the noble beast and thus convinced him that kindness is seldom wasted and that, no matter how meager a creature may be, he may have it in his power to return a good deed.”

Little friends may prove great friends.

Aesop’s Fables, published by Penguin Popular Classics. On Amazon.com. On Amazon.co.uk

Aesop on the business of design:

Probably the last in the mini-series. Hope you’ve enjoyed the change in content.

Image via Thinkstock

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Aesop on giving critiques

David Airey — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:58:03 +0000

It’s easy to speak negatively about the work of others, but never forget the quality of your own.

The Two Bags

“According to ancient lore, every man is born into the world with two bags suspended from his neck — one in front and one behind, and both are full of faults. But the one in front is full of his neighbour’s faults; the one behind, full of his own. Consequently, men are blind to their own faults but never lose sight of their neighbour’s.”

Aesop’s Fables, published by Penguin Popular Classics. On Amazon.com. On Amazon.co.uk

Aesop on the business of design:

Image via Thinkstock

David Airey, graphic designer » Business

How do you find new clients when starting a design business?

How do you find new clients when starting a design business?

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Want versus need

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Thoughts on the designer/client relationship

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

“Never just say ‘no’ to an idea.”

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Can I legally hire unpaid interns?

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

How do you deal with unpaid invoices?

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

What is meant by the word ‘creative’?

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Handling the client approach

Frequently asked questions

Questionnaire

Terms and conditions

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Aesop on kindness

The Lion and the Mouse

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com

Aesop on giving critiques

The Two Bags

Published on David Airey, graphic designer

Related posts on David Airey dot com