Issue #26
June 01, 2006

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:
  • 7 Core Secrets of Building a Highly Profitable Design Business
  • Quick Tip: A Free Resource for Adding Power to Adobe Products
  • The IFD Mailbag
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
7 Core Secrets of Building a Highly Profitable Design Business
By Lori Haller

At first, starting my own design business seemed like an unattainable dream … until I discovered a few key secrets that kept me on track. These are secrets you can use to put your business on solid ground … and keep yourself on track to success.

Set Up Your Creative Workspace

Having a quiet place to call your own is important. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it needs to be comfortable and pleasant. After all, you'll spend a lot of time there.

Do you love music? Have a CD player near by. Music is a wonderful way to get your creative juices flowing. Keep fresh flowers and family pictures on your desk. Hang framed inspirational quotes and paintings on the wall. Keep your children's school projects and holiday cards close by to encourage you.

You'll find your own way of “getting into the zone,” but keeping dear things near helps me stay inspired, grounded, and enjoying work.

Prepare for Talking to Prospects

Before contacting a potential client, research his product, company, and competitors. Showing that you understand the company's purpose, its market, and its corporate identity gives you an edge over other designers.

After making initial contact with the client, find magazine or Internet articles of interest to him – for instance, how a particular headline font and color boost response rates. Cut out what you find and send it to him along with a handwritten note. This tells him you care about his business and are looking for ways to help him.

Price Projects Properly

To give a proper price quote, you need to ask several important questions. You need to know things like the project's length, the timeframe to complete the work, who provides the graphics, the copywriter's contact information, who supplies the fonts, and so on.

The best way to do this is to keep several folders handy with a pre-printed “Project Information Sheet” stapled to the front of each one.

When a potential client calls, grab a folder and “fill in the blanks” on this helpful tool. You'll sound professional and organized during your discussion.

Set Realistic, Accurate Schedules

You need to establish a realistic, accurate schedule for each new project so you can comfortably meet your deadline and not overbook yourself. This is crucial.

Here are some tips to help you do it:

  • Ask the client for samples of successful previous packages.
  • Fill in the previously mentioned Project Information Sheet.
  • Ask for several days to research new concepts.
  • Have the client fax a sketch of their ideas so you have something to start with.

Over time, you'll get better at scheduling. You'll know where to find the resources you need and how to get individual tasks done. But in the meantime, work at your own pace, finish on time, and do the very best job you can.

Keep Clients Happy

You want your clients to enjoy working with you. Focus on being helpful and professional. This builds your reputation with your clients as the “can-do” designer who goes the extra distance.

Behind the scenes, you might be working feverishly to get everything done exactly right and on schedule. But never let your client see your frustration. Instead, show him that you're calm, relaxed, and composed. As far as he's concerned, everything is going along fine.

This inspires confidence and keeps clients returning. It'll inspire you, too. Before long, you'll be as confident inside as you look on the outside.

Take Time Off

Starting your design business is a lot of fun. But it also takes time and energy. Don't let your business take over your entire life. Take the time to rest, exercise, take care of yourself, and spend time with family and friends.

If you fill your life with things and people you LOVE, when it's time to work, you'll be refreshed and ready to create masterful designs!

Focus on What Matters

Your business will do better if you focus on the positive. Remind yourself of the reason you chose to get into this business.

Maybe it's to have control over your career. Or to avoid daily commutes. Or to have the freedom to take time off whenever you want.

But no matter why you're doing it, putting these tips into daily practice will get results. And you'll be able to enjoy building your business … while you build your success.

Master designer Lori Haller Has spent over 20 years in the trenches building her highly successful graphic design business from the ground up. She now shares her expertise on how to find and maintain clients and how to price any design project in her new guide “The Ultimate Guide on Building a Highly Successful Graphic Design Business.” For more information go to: http://www.thedesignerslife.com/buyingsoftware/

* * * * * * * * Special Announcement * * * * * * * *

Are You Worried That Your Computer
Skills Are Holding You Back?

Learn how you can fix your “problem” areas … and find solutions to all kinds of problems you might be facing at this very moment by clicking here:
http://www.awaionline.com/basics/

QUICK TIP: How to Make Sure Your Graphic Elements “Pop”

Adobe not only offers great products, it also has a wonderful resource to help you maximize your use of those products: Adobe Studio Exchange (www.adobestudioexchange.com).

On this website, you'll find scripts, actions, plug-ins, extensions, tutorials, and other helper files that easily add new features to Adobe products. You have to register, but registration is free and many of the items available are free as well.

Adobe Studio Exchange has downloads for:

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • GoLive
  • Bridge
  • After Effects
  • Graphics Server
  • LiveMotion
  • Atmosphere

* * * * * * * * Highly Recommended * * * * * * * *

Selecting the design software that best fits your needs may be one of the most critical decisions you ever make!

The perfect design program that is right for you will fit your budget, fit your working style, give you all the features you regularly use - and help you access them more easily. It also should give you room to grow as a designer and advance your career!

If you have any questions about design software – about what you DO and DON'T need to make your design business a success -- AWAI's Designers Guide to Buying Software will help you make the decision that's best for you!

http://www.thedesignerslife.com/buyingsoftware/

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG…
by Kristin Schwarz

Hello, everyone!

This week, we start with an email from Erin with a question about fonts.

Hi AWAI,

What is the legal policy regarding fonts? I have many, many fonts, but I want to be double sure I am handling them correctly from a legal standpoint.

I have purchased them all. Do I have the right to use/reproduce them and have them printed for clients' work?

Is it assumed by clients that they will have to purchase fonts? Or is purchasing typically done when a specific look or style of font is desired by the client and a designer may not have it?

Appreciate the help. Have a great one!

Erin

Hi Erin,

First of all, as a graphic design professional, you are doing the right thing by buying fonts instead of downloading them for free from the Internet. Free fonts can be corrupt and could cause problems with your computer.

Once you've purchased a font, you can use it for any client or project. We recommend that you own a solid selection of serif fonts for your body copy and some timeless sans serif fonts for headlines and accents.

If the client does not own the font you recommend, they'll either have to purchase it or substitute a similar font that they already have.

Clients will expect you to own basic fonts like Times, Arial, and the like. But if a client is after a particular look (maybe a scary font for a gory movie poster or a special “handwritten” font to make it look like the author is writing a personal side note), the client will be expected to pay for the font.

Daniel wrote in with a really great tip for InDesign users:

There is an easy way in InDesign to make copy look like it was marked by a highlighter. Sometimes this technique is used in direct-marketing design to make words stand out more and draw attention.

Select the text you want highlighted. Then go to the Options menu of your Character Palette (the little arrow) and select “Underline Option s...” and a dialog window will open. In this window, check “Underline On” and “Preview.”

Then choose a custom weight that's slightly thicker than the point size of your type and a custom color (other than text color) such as yellow. Any color from your Swatches Palette is available, including PMS colors you've added.

Reduce the tint to around 30% to assure the highlighted text is still clearly readable. Select a negative offset for your underline to raise your highlight over the text as desired, and click OK.

Add the highlighted style to your character style palette so you can use it whenever you want. With the “highlighted” copy selected, go to your Character Styles palette. In the Options menu, choose “New Character Style.” Name the style in the window that opens something like “Yellow Highlighting” and click OK. Now you can use this character style to highlight any text you select as fast as applying a style.

Good one! Thanks, Daniel.

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
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Centerbrook architecture, a national firm in Centerbrook Connecticut, needs an experienced and talented graphic designer to join their team. You'll work on a variety of projects both for print and digital media. Send your resume to GraphicDesigner@centerbrook.com.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - SchoolDude.com, a provider of online management tools and solutions for educational institutions, seeks a graphic designer. You'll work in close partnership with a second graphic designer to create promotional materials for print and the web, layouts for bigger projects, package designs, and more. You must know the full range of Adobe projects and be proficient in online design programs. Send your resume and a link to your online portfolio to Martha@schooldude.com. (You may attach pdf work samples up to 2 MB.)
  • ENTRY-LEVEL GRAPHIC DESIGNER Burt's Bees, provider of natural personal care products, has an opening for an entry-level graphic designer. They want someone with good problem-solving skills who thinks in terms of long-term strategies. You must know Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Send your resume to Michael Abramson at jobs@burtsbees.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • 14 Annoying Website Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them
  • Quick Tip: Do You Need a Blog?
* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

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

© 2006-2012 American Writers & Artists Inc.

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