NaldzGraphicss last blog post..10 Best Resources for Free High Quality Icons

kristarellas last blog post..WordPress using Coda and MAMP

My tip- be transparent. Let clients have as much visibility as possible. Some of the many advantages are to reduce misunderstandings and increase buy-in. The big disadvantage is the extra time on communication that might be required but look at it as time spent creating a loyal client and educating them for better performance in the future. That last part will only be true if you’re selective with the clients you take on and don’t say yes to everyone who throws money at you.

Jacob from JobMobs last blog post..Offbeat Yet Normal Israeli Marketing Writer Job Interview Story

Doug,
No worries regarding the offtopic bit, it was relevant to JCD so wasn’t that off topic really.

Jacob, my apologies. Didn’t mean to get “off topic” here.

Doug’s last blog post..Can You Make Me A Free Graphic!?

kristarellas last blog post..So you think you know what worship is?

Second, the CommentLuv thing you have here doesn’t seem to be working for me. It works when I enter my portfolio URL, but not when I enter my blog URL.

Any ideas?

Now, for my graphic design tip…

Stay up to date. Be current in your approaches to design and always try to improve upon yourself. Look at things you see and admire, and strive your hardest, not just to achieve the same, but to surpass it.

Hop that helps, and I hope I win the contest.

Greetings Max

Educate your client.

This has more or less become my mantra since I started freelancing. Don\’t just set their logo in Papyrus and collect your money. Explain to them why another typeface would be a better choice. Giving your client a crash course in design does wonders for the designer-client relationship–and almost always leads to a better final product.

http://clashmoredesign.blogspot.com/s last blog post..

(2) Listen and thus learn….

(3) Be honest!

Congrats David on your achievements.

http://dreamspeakergraphics.blogspot.com/s last blog post..Photo Challenge

You’ve posted some excellent content, and you come across as…well, just a really nice guy. Wish you even greater success for the coming year.

johnos last blog post..Sunday Type: book type

Congratulations on another fabulous milestone! You work so hard, you deserve every bit of your success. Here’s to your next 5,000!

Tip: Even when you are a solopreneur, you are the leader of your tiny company. Make sure you, your website, and your printed materials look and behave accordingly, and someday you’ll lead a company as large as you hope for. You’re not “just” a freelancer. Be a leader.

Regards,

Kelly

I guess my number one tip on the top of my head right now, is that nothing is ever a “Final” draft in this industry. And the problem with this is to as a designer, you need to be able to find that “Final” draft and stick to it. Accomplish your goals, and stick to your guns, after-all you are the designer.

If you can never be happy with your end product, and often find yourself knowing you “can make it better with more time” then you will only mitigate yourself for future work.

I guess my tip would be, more often than not, simple is best.

I don’t work in the field though, so I have no advice about clients and money.

kristarellas last blog post..MYC 2008: So You Think You Can Worship?

My tip for yesterday:
~ Take another look at your previous designs and learn from it, improve yourself by being critic.

My tip for today:
~ For all your designs use space for enough air, balance & readability. Think before you use a typeface, ask yourself what is the purpose of the design I’m making right now? Then select the right typeface and take a close look at kerning and alignment within your design.

My tip for tomorrow:
~ Read, learn and adapt from inspirational resources like the design blog list over at David Airey.

Thank you and good luck!

Sanders last blog post..Gezocht: All-Round technisch Graveur

My tip: Create quality work, get quality work in return. You reap what you sow, basically. If you are always producing crummy work because you think you just have to get by until you make it big, you’ll only ever get low-quality work to do in return. You attract the quality you put out there, so always do your best.

And of course, see the Devastating Mistakes article I did a while ago

I like this idea of having people give advice in exchange for a chance to win a prize! Good idea!

LaurenMarie – Creative Curios last blog post..Enhance Your Designs with the Principle of Balance

As a freelancer I have to agree wholeheartedly with what Brian said above. This is something I had to learn for myself only after some horrible client experiences. Offering yourself up for anything less than what you are worth makes you nothing but a (excuse the expression) design whore.

Ask yourself this question, “What is my talent worth?” In the beginning I did not believe I had any talent at all and this consequently effected not only the monetary amount I was willing to accept for my work but also my attitude toward the work itself. If you have no respect for yourself and your work then every job will seem like an entry on Worth1000.

I know this is how I felt. I spent about three years working for someone who paid me very little and who had a sly and subtle way of getting more work out of me. I didn’t know any better, and thank God a designer friend came along one day and opened my eyes to what was going on. It was at this point that my whole attitude toward myself and my work changed completely. I saw myself as the design whore, being used by this shifty client, and I decided right then and there not to do anymore work for this person. Sure it would mean no more money and no more design work (for I had no other clients), but I realized that I had to make a stand. I had to seriously ask myself, “What is my talent worth?”

This question is not only about money but about how you perceive your ability and the work that you produce. Do you believe your work is worth something? Not only to potential clients, but to yourself as a designer?

Let the world know that you mean business. Take a stand and don’t accept anything less. Sure you may have clients turn away, but know that those who do are not the kind of people you want as clients in the first place.

ahhh, a tip? sure;

There are no wrong briefs, clients, budgets or situations – every design you do deserves the attention you’d give if you were to be designing for Nike, Apple or Coke. Design for the ‘little’ clients, like they were the ‘big’ clients. Oh, and laugh till you cry every chance you get.

Alex Charchars last blog post..The Garden of the Mind ~ Part One

My tip… very old hat. Keep a camera and a notepad on you at all times and keep jotting down ideas on the train or at lunch.

Take photos of inspiration and horrible design and learn from it. This way you’ll constantly be learning from yourself and others around you… then keep a trail of it all inside a flickr account or on your HDD. That way you can then have a time line of where you’ve gone and what you’ve learned.

An example: I’m on vaction in Tokyo and last night I used the rubbishy camera on my iPhone to capture a coca cola rip off… and also the Softbank logo in Japan.

This way, later on when I’m in a better state of mind I can look at both and then learn and rethink what they’ve done from typography to layout to… etc and then sketch how I would change it into my notebook.

It’s all great practice when that client comes to you and asks you how you would redesign their logo or ‘modern-ise it’.

Kai Chan Vongs last blog post..By Tom Vong: Kai @ Starbucks (via KaiChanVong)

A couple of tips:

Design- Never show a concept that you don’t love and believe in…it will be the one they pick.

Freelance- Be more than a freelancer, own your business…demand respect.

Here is post I did for an AIGA conference years ago when I was a freelancer, but still relevant.
http://www.freelancewriter.ws/aiga.asp

Hope it helps your readers.

Jay Lohmann
http://www.TheFreelanceNation.com