One of the hardest things we deal with as Designers is continually opening ourselves up for rejection. Every time we design something we pour a little part of ourselves into it. Is there a way to avoid that? Not if your truly passionate about what you do.

At the same time, it’s important that we don’t allow the rejection and criticisms of our work to alter our self-confidence. Sometimes one of the most difficult things we encounter is the “finger-pointing” that often goes along with design.

I recently ran into a similar instance while working on a project for a friend. They had an idea of what they wanted. I rushed home, designed the piece, excited to send it to them. It was disheartening to say the least. While they had something else in mind I had designed exactly what they directed me to the best of my ability.

Many times, “lack of communication” is the main cause for rejected work. In this case, I was shocked to find that what I had done was not apparently what they had in mind. Even worse, occasionally your client may refuse to “work through” a piece with you, instead wanting to turn to another designer or halt production. My best advice? Let them go. You’ll be much happier in the long run. There are good clients out there, don’t settle for any that mistreat you.

However, a lack of “designer trust” also can play a key role. As an employer if you want the best for your marketing, design and promotions, then you need to trust your designer.

If they were good enough to hire, then let them do their job. So MANY times, I’ve seen good design completely re-worked and re-created based on the “client’s” wishes. While this is definitely their perrogative it’s no small surprise when those pieces turn out sub-par. The worst of these situations is when the client literally takes it upon themselves to select a stock graphic for their piece.

When that happens, I generally know the piece will NOT be making it to my portfolio. While it’s sad to see, it also happens to the best of us and we must not let it wear us down. Remember that YOU are equipped to do your job, regardless of what your boss or your client may think. When you do that, your designs will reflect your confidence.

Bookmark This!

Today I’m going to step away from our normal line of articles and participate in Blog Action Day 2008. Today, October 15th, bloggers from around the world are uniting to share their hearts on a common subject: Poverty. Each blogger, will talk about this subject from the perspective of their field.

As designers, how does poverty effect us? Or do we have the opportunity to affect change ourselves? One of the hardest things for me is knowing how to price my work. Too many times, I’ve seen clients get taken to the cleaners by a designer or developer who convince them that they must spend thousands of dollars to get top quality work. Often this venture leaves the client broke with no real success to show for it.

As a freelancer and now a business owner, it’s the desire of my heart to provide top quality work to those that can’t afford to go and hire a big design firm or ad agency in LA and NYC. What I offer them instead is cutting edge design and access to all the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years for an affordable price.

When I sit and meet with a new client, I find myself drawn in by their stories of struggle, success and triumph. These small businesses, ministries and individuals are often seeking an alternative to the big business world they see at work. Due to budget constraints and their commitment to "starting small", they are unable to compete with the big dogs at these bigger companies.

This is where I provide a solution. I can help the smaller, struggling businesses that are in need of good design for a cheap budget.

How do I do it?

1. Start small. I explain up front that the rates and information I am giving them are directly proportional to the size and demand of their small establishment. By doing this, I allow a sliding room, so that as their ministry grows, my fees too, can grow with them. By doing this, I establish a connection with the client, they know that I want them to succeed!

2. Show them reality. I have a list of "standard" prices that I charge. Which is true and fair, and I do stick to them with larger companies that I work for. But when I’m working for Joe Schmoe in Backwoods, OK, I print out my price list and then mark through the regular prices and give them their price based on the information that they have provided.

3. Judge the personality. One of the hardest things to do, is perceive whether a client will be easy to work with or difficult. I have been burned by this only once. I agreed to do a rush job for a lady that was creating a book as a gift. She was a very sweet lady and I had worked with her daughter before so I thought I would be safe. Unfortunately I didn’t count on another friend of hers being involved in the process. After rushing to complete the job, pulling an all-nighter and practically giving it away for nothing–the project became a nightmare. After the initial proofing was finished, I was asked to continue making changes, in fact one day alone, I received over 35 emails from that individual with minor tweaks and changes. In the end, I finally was forced to draw the line and severe the relationship and end the project.

As designers we have the opportunity to spread a little goodwill and sunshine to those that can’t afford our services but know they have a need for good design. Remember that each person you help will plant seed that you can reap later!

Bookmark This!

Yesterday evening, while sitting with a relatively new client I was a little anxious to finally show off my concepts that my partner and I had created. Though the two of us had done a lot of brainstorming, ultimately it was me, "the designer" who had to interpret everything the client had said and create a logo and web presence that would ultimately serve her needs.

I go there early, so that the two of us would have time to go over the proposal one last time and prepare to make our pitch. As I pulled in, I parked right beside the client. SHE WAS HALF AN HOUR EARLY!!!! Since I had only met her once previously, I hoped against hope, that it was just someone with an uncanny resemblence to her. I hurriedly rushed inside, my nerves getting the best of me each moment. She walked in right behind me. After initial greetings, she mentioned running to the restroom quickly before the meeting began. Perferct! That gave me the chance I needed to allow my partner to double check everything.

When she re-appeared, I was ready. Dealing with a new client is always a little scary, because as a designer, I’m still having to develop a feel for their likes and dislikes. Sometimes I hit it on the head, sometmes, it takes a few revisions.

After a long week like the one I had already had, I was praying for a home run. I took a deep breath and started my part of our pitch. I watched closely to guage her reaction. Slowly,  I released the air I had been uncounsciously holding inside my lungs. What I saw on her face could only be described as love at first Site.  Pardon my pun!

I had took a risky move this time as well. Instead of providing a safety net of half a dozen or so logo concepts, I had stopped at one, feeling strongly that I had hit exactly what she was looking for.  A little unsure,  I was pleased to hear her say "I love the logo, it’s perfect!"

I wish every client was like this, but then again how would we grow?

Here’s the logo that will be on the new Web Presence that should be going live some time in December.

The premise is a patriotic blog that is targeted towards Christians and traditional American values.

Bookmark This!

Number 4 in this series:

That’s right folks, you heard it here first. As designers, we all go through those phases. One mistake may snowball into several, or you get one of those jobs that never seem to end.

Jobs that never end? Oh yeah. I’ve had them. The simple little layout that you quote to someone who sounds sweet for less than your normal price. Next thing you know? Forty print-outs, 35 corrections, 4 stock photo sites and several months later you find yourself still working on it.

How do you get rid of this anvil around your neck? Cut it off! Do whatever it takes to end the project, even if it means having to eat a little more profit yourself. It’s worth it in the long run to get your time and aggravation back!

What about the jobs where you don’t get all the information upfront? Ever quoted a freelance job too cheap?  I have. It’s easy to do. I find myself wanting to help out the client, give them the best deal possible and then 100 hours into the project, I’m kicking myself.

How do you stop that? Well, for me, I’ve sat down and objectively outlined the main-stream projects that I do on a regular basis, logo-development, magazines, etc. As I outlined each one, I added a realistic price and time frame. My prices are there and set in stone.

I’ve got to admit though, I still get sucked in and drop them on a case-by-case basis.  As a designer, I’m not perfect, but I do hope that the clients I work with know that they have gotten their money’s worth and are pleased with the result.
 

Bookmark This!

For designers and creatives everywhere the whitespace dilemma has been one of the hardest issues to deal with while working with clients. It’s important to remember who’s paying the bills and bec patient and understanding as you justify your creative use of the "blank" space.

What is whitespace? Whitespace is any space on a layout that is not actively being used. This can apply to something with a black background, colors or a literal white page. Don’t be confused into thinking that it has anything to do with the color "WHITE". It doesn’t it’s simply negative space that designers use to allow elements on a page to "breathe".

When explaining a "light" design to a client, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the natural tendency to be wary of whitespace. Instead of looking at the space as a potential area to stick something else, we must look at it as a service to the reader. Whitespace provides an outlet for the eye to rest while perusing an article.

In today’s society the constant bombardment of advertising, media and colors in general can be overwhelming. To offset this, designers build in “breathing room” in their layouts. The end result is a better experience for the reader both consciously and subconsciously. We must realize the value of this element and not see it as a waste of room.

Throughout a magazine or other piece of art, it’s important that there is a significant amount of “whitespace” (or empty space). Wiithout it, the reader is overwhelmed with the information being absorbed and can often skip an article or feature because it seems to hard to digest.

While keeping the principles of whitespace in mind one of the easiest fixes we can accomplish is to add extra space to the outside edges of our design and typeset, as well as ample portions of the text that are heavily leaded to allow the readers eyes a “break” from the main text. The more whitespace that appears on the page, the more likely a reader is to feel they can “overcome” the reading material.
 

I heard it said once that the most elegant designs are the ones with the most whitespace. I love that. The more chaotic your layout is, the cheaper your product or message appears. Simple and clean? Then it’s truly worth something!

Bookmark This!

For those of you just visiting the site, this is the third post in what I affectionately refer to as my "Idiot Series".  Chances are, if you do anything that requires that you deal with people then you’ve ran across a couple of "idiots."

As a freelancer or even as an inhouse designer working with other departments or personnel it’s very easy to get discouraged when your client just doesn’t seem to "get it". You know the ones I’m talking about. They come in and they want you, the designer, to create something for them. Then, instead of letting you help them to achieve visual greatness, they want to continue adding elements, tweaking things or making changes.

You know the ones I mean. They want a logo of a dove, with a cross, and a sword, OH! and a Bible. How do you let them know that that is probably not the best thing to do? As a designer, I also feel that it’s not only my job to "create" something, but I also attempt to educate my clients on a few basics "dos" and "dont’s".

Through the years I’ve found that if a client is SEEMINGLY taking advantage of you, chances are they do so un-intentionally. Usually, all it takes on my part is a simple sit down meeting where I explain the situation from my perspective, staying courteous, respectful and professional, and allow them to see behind what happens on my side.

I ran into a situation similar to this earlier this week. After talking through the situation, the client actually left the meeting with a totally new perspective! It was incredible to see such a visible difference in his attitude and demeanor.

Does this mean that we are to argue with a client who doesn’t "Get It"?  Absolutely not! As a designer, it is my job to do exactly what the client wants. If this appears to be detrimental to their best interest, my responsibility ends when I offer any knowledge that I have on the subject. If they don’t take my advice? I do the best job I possible can on creating EXACTLY what they want. Then I just do not publish their pieces in my portfolio.

It sounds simple and sometimes it is, the danger is guarding our emotions. Do not let yourself become tied up with the argument. Remember your job is to serve. The client’s not really an idiot, chances are they’ve just never been taught. So teach them!

Bookmark This!

Often times, pleasing the client and still having a  product that we like as a designer, is a unsurmountable task. It seems impossible. You supply the original concepts, then they want to mix and match. As a designer, you are trained to know what you don’t want to put together, but they don’t have the training or expertise that you do.

This puts you between a rock and a hard place. Or does it? The way I look at it, regardless of my "emotional" response at the time, the client is "always right’. Yep. Even when they’re wrong.

However, what I do is make sure I have a solid contract so that they understand that excessive changes or unending projects don’t happen without a price!

On the emotional level, I keep it before me, that if the client is paying for the project, then they are my art director. I follow their instruction and give my opinions when requested.

My advice to you? Don’t allow it to become personal. A client’s change is not a reflection on your work, your design or you as a human being. If you are asked to do something against your better "design judgement", smile as you accept payment from the pleased customer and just don’t include their piece in your portfolio!

Keep up the good work!

Bookmark This!

identity: What portrays you to the public. A combination of elements. Your logo. Your brand. Your style. Chosen correctly the logo can propel your business to national recognition and become household symbol.

By keeping a few simple ideas in mind as you look through possible logos you will be able to find the “perfect” fit for beginning the branding process. Remember that the logo you choose will be around for a while. Once an identity has been established it should ONLY be updated or refreshed every 5 years or so. This ensures that the public will be familiar with your business and easily recognize it. If a brand is updated too frequently, the result is confusing to your clients. In my next post I’ll talk about the things you should evaluate when creating a logo.

Bookmark This!