David Airey, graphic designer

How to win friends and influence people

Published on April 21st, 2010 Read the 68 comments »

“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.”

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Archived under Books, Business.

How I became a self-employed graphic designer

Published on March 3rd, 2010 Read the 71 comments »

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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Archived under Business.

Improve your portfolio with pro bono design

Published on February 22nd, 2010 Read the 59 comments »

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.

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Archived under Business, Identity.

Studio Culture

Published on January 18th, 2010 Read the 16 comments »

A brief look inside Studio Culture: The secret life of the graphic design studio.

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Archived under Books, Business.

The design pricing formula

Published on August 17th, 2009 Read the 54 comments »

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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Archived under Business, Marketing, Resources.

AIGA President Debbie Millman on spec work

Published on August 11th, 2009 Read the 35 comments »

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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Archived under Business.

Hiring a designer: a client’s perspective

Published on August 9th, 2009 Read the 39 comments »

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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Archived under Business.

The vendor client relationship

Published on May 27th, 2009 Read the 66 comments »

An all-too-familiar video that shows what I’ve experienced with plenty of potential clients. I get the impression I’m not alone.

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Archived under Business.

Graphic design contracts – your advice

Published on April 6th, 2009 Read the 28 comments »

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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Archived under Business.

Agency vs freelancer – your take

Published on February 20th, 2009 Read the 52 comments »

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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Archived under Business.