Inside Freelance Design

Issue #11
November 03, 2005

Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your free, bi-weekly e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every other week, you can receive this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI's graphic design pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional graphic designer in the fastest time possible.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Lori Haller's 5 Personal Success Secrets
Quick Tip: Create a Professional Portfolio That Blows Clients Away, by Dennis Rome
The IFD Mailbag

My 5 Personal Secrets to Becoming a
Successful Graphic Designer
By Lori Haller

When I was at this year's Bootcamp, many of the participants asked me if I had any personal secrets to my success. Not design secrets, but secrets that helped me emotionally and psychologically deal with my transition to becoming a freelance graphic designer.

The answer is “Yes!” So, here they are:

1) Don't ever let the rough days win.

Unless you are Superman/Superwoman, you will have your share of bad days. I certainly do – because, of course, I'm human. But no matter how difficult a project or situation might be, I always remind myself of my passion to do art. Then I think about how lucky I am to be able to make my own hours, not have a daily commute, and make enough money to do the things I want in life.

PLUS – and here's the extra BONUS – when you own your own graphic design business, you can fire your clients if they are not a good fit for you. There's so much of this type of work out there that when a client is cranky and/or unorganized, I make sure to find a replacement and move on to someone who is FUN and exciting – a client who ADDS to my life and business, not one who drags me down.

2) Prepare for obstacles before they arise.

One of your most valuable assets as a freelancer will be the network you form with other professionals, including copywriters, photographers, illustrators, other designers, and business owners in unrelated professions. Surrounding yourself with a variety of successful people helps you choose the right path to overcome obstacles.

So send yourself to classes and seminars. This will keep you on the right side of the eight ball. Read all of the time: trade books, the Internet, The New York Times, whatever. Listen to the news and keep up with current events. Knowing what's going on outside of your immediate “bubble” is really important. That's how you hear about trends and possible new clients/contacts ... and keep up with what's going on in the world.

Investigate new things. Talk to people. Ask questions. Even though you might work alone in your studio ... don't let yourself get stale and tired. Keep fresh by learning to invite new people and things and experiences into your life.

3) Don't let frustration derail your dream.

Stay positive and believe in your dream. These are the key factors to your success. I had to work hard to get my own company and make it what it is today. The school of hard knocks toughened me and made me a stronger person and a more successful professional. Look at adversity not only as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to learn and grow.

4) Always act professionally ... but remain true to yourself.

In your career, you're going to have to make decisions that might not make a client happy. I'm talking about decisions like choosing not to work with someone because they are difficult to work with or they take way too long to pay.

I've made these types of decisions, because I knew they were right. It scared me to do it (and it still does) ... but you've got to go with what you feel is right.

However, do not ever burn any bridges by being rude or talking poorly about those clients. This is a very “small world.” You never want to hurt someone's feelings. If you do, you could ruin other opportunities for yourself. Stay professional at all times

5) Never give up. Get support from important people in your life ... and offer support to others.

Don't give up! You can do it. If I can make this happen with 3 young children and a regular life, it's for sure people in the AWAI program can. AWAI's sessions and projects teach you WHAT you need to know.

I also make sure I keep lots of people around me as my support group – students, my parents, husband, children, friends, neighbors, women in my coffee group, copywriters, people at my church. Do the same. Everywhere you look, there are people who have their own dreams and desires. Reach out to them and be there as a good listener for them. Both they and you will be richer for it.

Finally ... write down your goals (being honest with yourself.) Network and it WILL happen!

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QUICK TIP: Create a Professional Portfolio That Blows Clients Away
By Dennis Rome

iPhoto on Mac OS X (10.4) has an option that allows you to create a paperback or hardbound book of images. After you've designed your book in iPhoto, you upload it to Apple. They print and deliver your finished book in a few days. Prices range from $3.99 to $29.99 plus shipping.

Start by “drag-n-dropping” your images into one of many book templates supplied with iPhoto. There's a portfolio template that's perfect for this purpose. Book sizes range from 3.5” x 2.5” to 11” x 8.5”.

Each page style in the book can be changed from text to one or multiple images per page. Page captions are fully customizable to whatever you want. You can also specify background colors and fonts for each page.

Once you've assembled the book locally on your Mac, click “Buy Book.” A new window opens in your browser that takes you to Apple's website, where you pay for the service. The software automatically uploads the complete template with your pictures and customized captions.

In a few days, (mine took only 3 days to be printed and delivered!), you have a very professional looking portfolio in book format.

If you're not a Mac user, you can still create a beautiful portfolio book that gets attention.

Online photo services like Ofoto (www.ofoto.com) and Snapfish (www.snapfish.com) (among others) allow you to upload images and create picture books. You may not have as many template choices as with iPhoto, but you'll still be able to create an impressive instrument to display your portfolio.

* * * * * * * * Advertisement * * * * * * * *

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You'll get answers to hundreds of tax questions along with practical worksheets you can use to make sure you're paying as little as possible to Uncle Sam.

Learn more: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/freelancetaxsavings/

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG ...
by Kristin Schwarz

Today we begin the Mailbag with a question from Jenna, who writes:

Dear Kristin,

I have noticed that when I am working in Photoshop, many of the filters are often grayed out and I cannot access them. Is there something wrong with my software program?

You are probably working in the CMYK color space, Jenna. That is why many of the filters are not available to you. You can convert your image to RGB, use the filters you want, and then convert the image back to CMYK.

This can sometimes affect colors. If you are in the CYMK color space and you require precise color accuracy, go to the Channels palette and click on the Cyan channel. Now look in the Filter menu, and you'll see that more filters are available. All you have to do is apply the same filter to all four channels, one at a time.

Note: This doesn't work as well with “random” filters such as Render Clouds.

And Judy wrote in with this question:

Hi Kristin,

I recently got back my assignment and lost marks because I left single words at the end of paragraphs. I knew we shouldn't have widows and orphans on the whole page, but I didn't know that applied to single paragraphs as well.

Can you tell me how to control this in a paragraph in Word?

Orphan and widow control applies not only to the end of the page but also to the end of paragraphs. In Microsoft Word, go to Format > Paragraph and choose the Line and Page Breaks tab. Click Widow/Orphan control. You have control of several options in this menu, including keeping lines that you specify together and switching auto-hyphenation on and off.

I hope helps. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.

Thanks to all of you who sent messages expressing your concern and support regarding Hurricane Wilma.

Until next time ...

Kristin

[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com, Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities for AWAI Students

MAGAZINE PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN - Penny Publications, a leading puzzle magazine publisher, needs a graphic designer to help produce the magazine. You should understand the production end of design as well as know Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark, Acrobat, Suitcase, and Word. Send your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to proart@pennypulications.com.
EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Lending Tree, a company that connects lenders with realtors, seeks an experienced graphic designer to join their marketing team. You will develop the creative materials for a number of marketing campaigns. Candidates should have at least three years of experience, must be skilled in Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, and must be able to manage several projects at once. You must also be able to provide a portfolio (either with a link to your online portfolio or by attaching a pdf version). Send your resume and portfolio to jobs@lendingtree.com.
MARKETING GRAPHIC DESIGNER - David Evans and Associates are looking for a graphic designer to work on marketing materials, including ads, print materials, trade show materials, and more. They need someone who knows Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. They also want someone who is client-focused and good under deadline. Send your resume to Kurt Tannler at jobs@deainc.com.

COMING NEXT ISSUE:

Think Inside the Box Without Being a Square: Creative Ideas for Framing Information
QUICK TIP: Mastering Master Pages for Consistency and the Professional Look You Want

* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

Inside Freelance Design is a FREE bi-weekly newsletter from American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

ARCHIVED ISSUES of Inside Freelance Design can be found on our website at www.thedesignerslife.com/insidefreelancedesign.

To ADVERTISE in Inside Freelance Design or send comments, news, research, or story ideas, email Kristin Schwarz at graphics@awaionline.com.

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Issue #11 November 03, 2005