Just Creative Design

Win Prizes + Logo Designer Blog Follow Up

Just incase you didn’t already know, there are still heaps of prizes up for grabs and it’s very easy to enter, plus not many have entered so you have a very high chance of winning. Ensure you check out the post linked above before it’s too late!

On another note, I would like thank everyone who has the promoted the new Logo Designer Blog site, we have already had over 10,000 visits, 22,000 page views and 460+ subscribers in just 6 days.

Here are some articles that got quite a bit of attention:

• 5 Recent Rebrands That Caused The Most Upset by Chris Spooner
• Logo Designs After The Recession
• Discover The Dot Grid Book for Logo Designers

Anyway, why don’t you subscribe to Logo Designer Blog?

How much to charge for design work?

Often I get asked this question via email, facebook or twitter about how to price yourself as a designer. The usual phrase goes something along the lines of “how much should I charge for” …  web design, graphic design, logo design, etc.

In reply, I usually send them off to Freelance Switch’s pricing yourself section and / or refer them to my article on the fast, good, cheap pricing method however I have come across a few other valuable resources:

Danny Outlaw suggests to ask yourself 10 Questions when pricing yourself:

1. What services am I pricing?
2. How much does it cost me to run my business?
3. How much money do I want to make?
4. What is everyone else charging?
5. How bad do people want what I have?
6. How good am I at what I do?
7. How long have I been doing this?
8. Will I charge by the hour or by the project?
9. How much can my client afford?
10. What’s my business strategy?

Similarly, Jeff Fisher suggests some other questions to ask yourself, in his article How Much Should I Charge?

1. What is your experience in the field of graphic design or with a specific type of project?
2. What is the amount you are currently charging as a hourly/project rate for similar projects?
3. What do you feel the final project will be worth?
4. What are the exact project specifications the particular client has provided?
5. What is the estimated amount of time such a project will take for completion?
6. What are the methods to be used to execute the project?
7. What do you need to charge to cover your overhead cost and expenses on such a job?
8. How badly do you want the project?
9. What prices will the local geographic market will bear?
10. What are competitive rates in your local area for similar work?
11. How much is the client is willing to pay? (It doesn’t hurt to ask if they have a budget)
12. What are you providing the client in the way of rights to use the design for future purposes?
13. Is the client a for-profit or nonprofit entity, and do you price such work differently?

However, one must remember when doing so that there are certain realities that you will have to face -  Steven Vandelay outlines 12 realities of pricing your design services and below is the summary of them:

1. There’s no exact formula.
2. Both hourly pricing and project-based pricing have pros and cons.
3. Pricing is a necessary part of freelancing.
4. Mistakes are a part of the process.
5. Your prices will affect your own outlook on your services and it will also impact your client’s opinion of your services.
6. Uncertainty is common.
7. The variety of prices is as wide as the variety of talent levels.
8. Losing a job isn’t always a bad thing.
9. Pricing can be a good way to weed out the tire kickers.
10. Some potential clients will think your prices are high no matter what you charge.
11. Charging more than you quoted may be necessary.
12. Starting out you’ll probably have to charge less than you’d like.

So really, there is no magic formula? Sorry, no… but I did come across an article that came close…

Here, Josh provides four steps to effective design pricing:

1. Determine your hourly wage:
   (Expenses + Salary) ÷ Hours Worked Per Year = Hourly Wage
2. Develop base prices:
   (Hourly Wage x Estimated Time To Complete) x Complexity Level = Base Price
3. Develop prices for additional requirements:
   Assign a complexity level system and put them into the formula above.
4. Develop prices for outsourced work:
   (Quote From Contractor x 1.10) = Price

But always remember… there is no exact formula.

I would like to leave you with a point that Jeff Fisher made in his article How Much Should I Charge?

The major point I wish to convey here is that all designers need to work smarter in independently determining what their talent, skill and expertise are worth and charge the client accordingly – without question or apology. Being smart in determining what you should charge for your work will hopefully allow you to “work less, charge more” in the future.

Online resources (not linked above)

• Freelance Switch Rates Calculator
• Setting Your Rates: The Ultimate Guide
• How Much Do Designers Earn?
• 9 Factors to Consider When Determining Your Price
• 7 Tips on Quoting Freelance Projects

Books to help with pricing

• AIGA Professional Practices in Graphic Design
• Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers, by Tad Crawford and Eva Doman Bruck (with a CD of business form templates)
• Digital Design Business Practices: For Graphic Designers and Their Clients, by Liane Sebastian\
• Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
• Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting, by Theo Stephan Williams
• The Business of Graphic Design, by Ed Gold
• The Business Side of Creativity, by Cameron Foote
• The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business, by Cameron Foote
• The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and do Great Work, by Ellen Shapiro

So… how do you set your prices?

Logo Designer Blog Launchs + (Win Prizes!)

Well only 3 months after launching Logo Of The Day, I now have another surprise for you… a new blog totally dedicated to logo & identity design. I introduce you to Logo Designer Blog! This blog is for logo design discussion, inspiration, tips and resources (and then some) which will be provided by myself and the many contributors to the site (we’ve already had 11 articles submitted). Please feel free to submit an article to the site.

On another note, you may have noticed the familiar pink, white and grey colour scheme? I have kept with these colours to cross brand all three of my sites (Just Creative Design, Logo Of The Day & now Logo Designer Blog). You may have also noticed the dot as the logo, quite similar to the Logo Of The Day logo. In short, I have gone with this simple approach because the circle is a very common design element found in many logos which in turn, reflects the blog quite well. It was quite a challenge though… how would you design a logo for a logo design blog?

So what type of articles can you expect on Logo Designer Blog? Here are a few already on offer:

• The Dot Grid Book For Logo Designers
• How To Use Colour In Logo Design To Effectively Communicate The Right Message
• My Favourite 17 Logos From The Past 3 Years Of Wolda
• Logo Designs After The Recession
• 3 Ways To Successfully Design Your FavIcon
• Lindon Leader (The Man Behind The FedEx Logo)
• Top 10 Logo Design Inspiration Galleries
• + lots more to come!

I would also like to thank those who have already submitted articles (which are or will be appearing soon); Alex Charchar (RetinArt), Anthony Zinni (Positive Space), Chad Mueller (Inspiredology), Chris Spooner (Spoon Graphics), Graham Smith (ImJustCreative), Lauren Marie (Creative Curio), Liam McKay (WeFunction) & Selene Bowlby (iDesign Studios).

Please do feel free to submit an article yourself.

Promote the new site & win!

To entice you to promote the site, there are a few prizes on offer! Each task you do will get you one entry into each prize draw (ie. 6 prizes = 6 draws). You don’t have to do all tasks but the more you do, the more chance you have of winning a prize! Winners will be announced in a new post next week.

Task 1 - Win $50 & Art

Write a blog post about the new site (preferably) or mention the new site launch in a blog post. Ensure you leave a trackback so I can track your post.
Win: USD$50 credit at Think Geek, courtesy of the kind OfficeHax AND an awesome piece of artwork (11″x14″) done by the talented Darlene Lee, be sure to check out her work! Very inspiring! Darlene is also on LinkedIn.

Task 2 - Win 1000 Business Cards

Leave two comments on the new site, on two different articles.
Win: 1000 business cards courtesy of the kind Jeremey Duboys from AllBusinessCards, a quality online print shop!

Task 3 - Win a Designer T-Shirt

Add a logo to the Logo Designer Blog Flickr pool.
Win: Any shirt from DesignByHumans. Postage not included.

Task 4 - Win $60 worth of Advertising

Stumble Review The Site
Win: One free month advertising (125×125) on the new blog.

Task 5 - Win a Caricature Drawing

Twitter about the new blog - Ensure you put ‘#LDB’ in the twitter message so I can track it. (without the quotes, but with the hash)
Win: A caricature drawing of your wishing, courtesy of Ben Capozzi who is a very talented political cartoonist!

Task 6 - Win a CMYK Clay Pack

Suggest an article that you would like to see on Logo Designer Blog - leave the comment on this page.
Win: A CMYK clay pack from the kind Michel of BlackEye. Looks like fun!

Also any feedback, advice, suggestions or ideas for the site would be appreciated. Thank you and good luck!

Photos From Thailand Trip

Over the past three weeks you may have seen a bit less of me online and this is because I have been on a break travelling around Thailand with a friend of mine.

If you have read my about page you will know that I love travelling and as usual, with any of my major trips I share the photos with you and my Thailand trip is no exception.

These 80 odd pictures (from the 1800+ we took) don’t really sum up the trip in full but it does give you a small taste of what Thailand’s like. We visited Phuket, Bangkok, Phangan & Samui.

Enjoy. Read more »

20% Off Unlimited Freelancer eBook

A few weeks back I let you guys know about an eBook that I was eagerly awaiting, that book was called the Unlimited Freelancer and soon after that I wrote a review of the book and got comments from the community about what they thought.

Well since then, due to it’s popularity and great feedback, the book has become a sponsor for Just Creative Design and now available to JCD readers only, you can get 20% off the book.

Click here to check out the book and use the code “JCDReaders” to claim your 20% discount. The discount is only avaialble to the first 30 buyers so Godspeed.

Guest Posts I’ve Written Elsewhere

Just Creative Design & Logo Of The Day are not the only places I write on the web… here are a few articles that I have written elsewhere over the past year:

Guest Articles

• How NOT to Design A Logo on Web Designer Depot
• Designing with Negative Space in Layers Magazine
• Logo Design Process for Ultimate Potential on VectorTuts
• Exposed: Facebook Sends More Traffic Than Twitter on Freelance Folder
• Fast, Good, Cheap - Pricing Freelance Work on Freelance Switch
• C.R.A.P - The Four Principles Of Sound Design on Daily Blog Tips
  
• 5 Vital Logo Design Tips on David Airey’s Blog
• How To Talk To Non-Tech Savvy Clients on Freelance Switch
• Logo Design Process From Start To Finish on Creative Pool.co.uk
• How To Design Unique Photoshop Brushes on Creative Curio
• Open Thread: What Is Your Email Signature on Freelance Folder
• Ten of the Best Web 2.0 Logos Deconstructed (soon) on Web Designer Depot

Interviews I’ve partaken in:

I have also partaken in numerous interviews on the web, here are just a few:

• Creative Blogger Interview with Alex CharChar from RetinArt.
• Meet Jacob Cass from Just Creative Design with Grant from ColorBurned
• Jacob Cass Interview: “Design really comes down to passion.” on Design Interviews
• Interview with Jacob Cass on Adubzeedo
• Graphic Design Interview with Jacob Cass on JCD
• Freelancer Focus: Jacob Cass on Graphic Design Blog
• Interview with Jacob Cass on InkBlog
• How I Raised $5000 in Sponsorship on Group Writing Projects
• Cute, Artistic Type: Jacob Cass on SNOBS
• Spotlight on Jacob Cass on Fearless Blogger
• Web / Graphic Designer Group Interview on Vandelay Design

I know this will keep you busy until I get back into the swing of things. Just got back from Thailand yesterday.

Designer In The Spotlight - Phillip Lovelace

Designer In The Spotlight (DITS) is a weekly feature that I run every Sunday to help particular individuals in the design community get their name ‘out there’ and to educate the community as a whole. It is a series of questions that asks the designer about themselves and their job as a designer. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming DITS post fill out the form here.

1. Please tell us more about yourself, your background, education and what you do as a designer.

I am a 28 year old web designer from the southern United States who currently lives & works abroad in Berlin, Germany. I have a great interest in all things web but my main focus is to take creative ideas and turn them in to beautiful functional websites while also supporting web standards.

I began my design career in early 2002 after being hired by an online travel company. After about a year of working in an office I moved to working from home and haven’t looked back.

Although sometimes I miss the daily grind of a 9 to 5 office job, working from home has enabled me to start my own small web design firm here in Berlin and to also co-found an online marketing and technology firm back in the States.

2. How long have you been designing and what made you become an artist / designer?

I have been designing in some shape or form since I was in high school. My high school offered a graphic communications class which introduced me to graphic design, print design and touched briefly on web design. I instantly became fascinated with all aspects of web design!

Even though I didn’t begin a career on the web until a few years later, I kept myself up to date and used the web as a creative outlet. This eventually led to working as a full time designer.

3. Where do you work and what is your daily routine?

I currently work from my home in Berlin Germany. A daily routine is quite a work of art these days. As a new father my routine is quite a bit different than in past years.

I usually start the day by clearing out my inbox and getting back to clients and co-workers. With the time difference quite a few emails get sent while I am sleeping. After that is full on completing my task list. I work a lot of hours and quite a bit of those are at night and into the early morning. I think this is quite normal in our field and especially when you work from home.

4. How did you market yourself in the beginning of your design career and how has that differed to how you market yourself now?

In the beginning I worked in an office so marketing myself wasn’t so much of an issue. Now that I have my own small firm its a lot more important. Most of my clients come from referrals and word of mouth. Thus far this way has been very effective and I have been lucky to not have to spend a lot of time marketing myself.

5. What are your tools of the trade? This could include hardware, software and traditional tools.

Right now I do all my work on a PC set up with an external monitor attached. Although this will probably change very soon. I use a moleskine notebook for brainstorming and sketches. Photoshop and Fireworks for graphic concepts and usually write HTML & CSS by hand.

I have also recently started using getsignoff.com for sharing designs and client feedback. While I have only used this tool a couple times so far I believe its already been very beneficial and helped my overall productivity when pitching designs to clients.

6. How do you manage the business side of design such as accounting, invoicing and bookkeeping?

N/A

7. Where do you get your inspiration and how do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?

A lot of my inspiration comes from wanting to help others make their ideas a reality. I think the best inspiration booster is to step back from the computer and get out and have some fun or do something you enjoy.

Just take your mind of your task list and the ideas will come! Of course current trends and the work of today’s rock star designers (Cederholm, Santa Maria, Boag) would also be an influence. There are countless other designers and inspirations out there but those are just a few of mine.

8. Can you please guide us through a typical project from start to finish.

A typical project usually begins with an introduction to the prospective client. This can be them contacting me via email or telephone or myself contacting them through a referral. This is where I find out the initial details of the project and if I am the guy for the job.

If I am the guy for the job, I begin by getting as many details as possible from the client. I work very close with clients so that I understand their needs. Once I have a grasp of what the clients objectives are I will get to work on some very rough concepts and outlines. This usually results in another meeting where modifications and new ideas are suggested by the client.

Graphics, design tweaks and a final concept are usually the last step before coding begins. Of course sometimes a few tweaks are needed but these can usually be dealt with while coding.

Once concepts are approved the XHTML & CSS are coded out along with any programming that may be needed and the site is built and delivered.

9. What are your top 3 websites / books and why?

Designing with Web Standards by Jeffery Zeldman - This book introduced me to the world of web standards and helped to change the way in which I work and view the web overall.

Web Standard Solutions by Dan Cederholm - As probably one of my biggest influences it was a no-brainer that I read Dan’s books. The tips and techniques in this book are something I find myself going back to again and again.

CSS Mastery by Andy Budd - When I first read this book it was like a slap in the face that helped to wake me up. I thought I knew CSS fairly well but this book helped open my eyes to the world of advanced CSS techniques.

10. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out?

Don’t stop learning! Read, participate, talk, and enjoy web design. It will come, just keep on keepin’ on!!

Jacob: Thank you Phillip for taking the time to fill out this interview… If you want to be featured as the next Designer In The Spotlight, please fill out this form.