A Guide On How Freelancers Can Compete Against Large Design Studios
Written by Jacob Cass on Sunday, June 22, 2008 – 10:00 pm
In this guest article, Jeffrey Way* talks us through the problems associated with being a lone freelancer when competing against the big brick and mortar design companies. He then shows us that we can actually compete against these large design studios by providing the best customer experience possible.
Let’s face it, being a freelancer is just plain tough. In what other arena is one person responsible for answering the phones, balancing the books, paying the bills, designing the website, creating the graphics, and working with the customers throughout the entire process? Yet, despite our amazing ability to juggle all of these duties, we still face one large barrier. We don’t have that glowing brick building that somehow screams, “We are a successful company!” As a result, it can be difficult to “capture” large clients.
We Have To Beat the Big Guys
Today, freelancers are becoming more and more prevalent. Why not? It is a fantastic job. We set our own hours, we take on only the jobs that we desire, we have artistic freedom, etc. But, the biggest gripe I hear repeated time and time again is the fact that the main client pool consists of people with tiny budgets. You also may want some tips on how to get your first job.
We’ve all done the local work for far less than we would normally charge. We’ve all received the email from the guy that needs an E-Commerce website for $200.” We’ve all had the regrettable experience of taking a job against our better judgment. When our stomachs are screaming, “Don’t accept this job!”, we ignore it and must ultimately deal with the repercussions: the man with the $150 budget for business cards that expects you to work around the clock; the person who promised he would pay you only to suddenly change his mind a week later. Do you know how much the average graphic designer earns?
Quite simply, the small jobs don’t pay the bills. In order to succeed, we have to beat the big guys. Who are the big guys, you ask? I’m talking about the established design firms in those “brick buildings” that do exquisite work. But, how do you stand out when you’re the shortest guy in the room?
What can we offer that they can not?
To truly be content and financially secure as a freelancer, we must be able to grab the large clients. But bottom line, why would a financially stable company go with a freelancer when they can easily choose a more reputable firm? To answer these questions we must look at our strengths.
What can we offer that they can’t? There are a few constants. First, we most likely won’t be able to out-perform a team of designers as far as “chops” are concerned. I believe we can equal that level of quality, but won’t be able to stand out in this respect. Second, we can out-price them, but cost typically isn’t as big an issue with large corporations. So, how do we beat the design firms?
Customer Service
Think to yourself: What is my main gripe, as a consumer, with large companies? My first thought goes to my bank. I called them recently to remove an erroneous error only to be put on hold for thirty minutes. When I finally did speak with a human being, he most likely lived in another country and had little, if any, interest in my situation. They, like many large companies, have terrible customer service! We can use this to our advantage.
Nine times out of ten, a prospective client doesn’t know exactly what he wants. He doesn’t know the jargon or even how to communicate a semblance of what his company desires. This is where we can rise above the larger design firms.
Act As a Guide
It may require a bit more work, but it ultimately gets us the contract. New clients are weary about the entire process. It is foreign to them. If we act as a guide, we can take their hand from beginning to end and provide them with the comfort of knowing that someone is looking out for them every step of the way.
If they have a question, they can directly call us - no receptionists, no programmer that doesn’t know the full details, just one person. In my experience, this has been vital to my success.
I’m a firm believer that customer service is what has gotten me every single big client that I have. There will always be an individual or company that can do the job better. As much as this agitates me, I accept it. To stand out, we must focus on our unique “freelancer” strengths.
Use Deadlines to Your Advantage
What you’ll find, if you haven’t already, is that deadlines are a very real issue with corporate clients. They must have a job completed by a certain date, no questions asked. The only problem is that they very rarely have all their ducks in a row.
They have sudden changes that come from corporate which require immediate revisions. Who is going to make these changes in the middle of the night in time for that presentation Monday morning? They know that the successful Firm X designers won’t be at work until Monday morning. But, Freelancer Y is a single ring away and will be happy to fix it at midnight. Yes, I’m talking about you, fellow freelancers!
How do I personally get big clients?
How do I personally “reel” in a big fish? First, I will work on weekends when the bigger firms are closed. Second, I will give a client my personal number and tell them to call me immediately if they think that they might have a question. Third, I’ll pick up the phone on the first ring - whether that is at two in the afternoon or four in the morning. When a client knows that he can rely on you no matter what, you begin to stand out in a big way! Editors note: First ring is pretty freaky!
I will close with a portion of an email that, just a few weeks ago, secured a very large client’s business.
“I truly hope you’ll consider me. If you have not already heard from other divisions in your organization, I will be personally available to you 24/7. If you need a quick change to the site at 10:00 at night, it’ll be taken care of. If you need me to communicate with your print designer in the very early morning, it will be taken care of. Relieving you of as much stress as possible is my goal - and I always achieve it.” Please don’t hesitate to call me personally if you have any questions. I’ll hope to work with you soon.
The client called me later (without ever being put on hold, I might add) that day and said, “Let’s do it!” Was it my “web chops” that got me the job? Nah, any developer can code a site. My “customer service chops” got me the job.
*Jeffrey Way runs DetachedDesigns, and has had clients ranging from Nashville Music Publishers to Harvard University.
The Innovative One Page Resume & Portfolio
Written by Jacob Cass on Thursday, June 19, 2008 – 10:00 pm
In this guest article Jacob Share* goes through an innovative new way to display your work and CV - all on one page.
Many companies and recruiters prefer the simplicity and speed of one page resumes. As a designer, how can you have maximum impact with only a single sheet of paper? The answer…
The one page printed résumé and portfolio.
The one page resume portfolio is a 6-panel pamphlet that shows your resume when folded and your design portfolio when unfolded. You can click on the image above to view it in full.
How does it work?
The above image is an example of the one page printed resume and portfolio from a French Graphic Designer. It shows 3 different views and below is a description. From left to right;
- Front view of the resume portfolio, slightly open.
You can see the designer’s logo and contact information. Notice the vertical bar on the right side of the inner panel, where the text reads “curriculum vitae” with a right arrow and “portfolio” with a left arrow pointing inside. - Partially-open view of the portfolio.
If you followed the left arrow and continued unfolding, this is what you’d see before you’re done. The panel with the arrow bar folds outwards, meaning that there’s actually more room for portfolio highlights inside. - Resume details.
Following the right arrow will have you flip over the pamphlet, leading to the actual resume content.
Is it right for you?
Cons
- Somewhat complicated design is time-consuming to update or customise
- Uneven folding looks sloppy if done incorrectly and ruins the impact
- Usually requires costly colour laser-printing on thick paper for full effect
Pros
- More space to communicate and brand yourself
- Very memorable, especially when done well
- Design pun: lets you describe your skills while demonstrating them
Best Practices
- Have a history of school, volunteering or work projects before you use this design. Substituting with content that isn’t yours but that you’re “capable of creating” defeats the purpose and looks amateurish.
- The one page resume portfolio works best live when people can hold it and unfold it, like in interviews or at professional gatherings.
- The front panel should contain your logo and contact information at a glance.
- The front panel should be particularly eye-catching to make people want to pick it up and open it.
- An attractive image that continues off one panel will encourage the reader to unfold until they can see the entire image. Above, the French designer used that effect to lure the reader to see both resume-related panels together.
- The 2 configurations that work best are the pictured 4:2 portfolio to resume panel ratio with arrow bar and the 3:3 “resume-outside portfolio-inside” ratio.
- Use the resume portfolio to complement your “full” design portfolio whether physical or digital. For the former, you might consider a sentence about what else not pictured is in your portfolio. For the latter, give all pertinent links.
Want more resume and portfolio tips?
- The Graphic Design Resume Guide
- How and Where To Get Paid Design Work For Students
- The One Page Graphic Design Portfolio Guide - Online
- Resume-Writing Dos and Don’ts
- The 7 Deadly Sins of Resume Design
- Design Resume Style Guide
Conclusion
Great design is the best combination of trade-offs for a certain context. If you use it wisely, the one page resume portfolio could be a valuable tool in your hunt for new design jobs. What are your thoughts?
*Jacob Share created the award-winning JobMob to rally job seekers and jobfinders in getting jobs in Israel and all over the world. The blog is filled with straight-talking real world advice, lots of humour and design inspiration such as 36 Beautiful Resume Ideas That Work. Subscribe for a week via RSS, it’s free.
Want to know how to design? Learn The Basics.
Written by Jacob Cass on Friday, June 13, 2008 – 10:00 pm
Want to know how to design? Then you should learn the basics of design. The basic elements of design include colour, line, shape, scale, space, texture and value and these are the fundamental pieces that make up any piece of work. If you ever start a design course this will be the very first thing that you are taught, guaranteed.
But what if you’re not a student? What if you’re not self-taught? What if you are a looking for ways to enhance your design skills? Then this is the guide for you.
Note from Jacob Cass: This is a guest article written by Lauren Marie who is a graphic designer in corporate America during the day and a blogger via night. I have been reading her blog for some time now and it is a great resource, which is currently undergoing a redesign.
Colour
Colour has a huge impact on the mood of the design. A predominantly red colour usually represents strong emotions—love, anger, passion—while blue can make the design feel calm, cool and peaceful. Color contributes to the unity of a series of flyers, emphasizes important information and leads the eye through a design.
Select articles on color:
- Using Colour: Real World Examples
- The Colour Wheel and Color Theory
- Pantone Swatches on Squidoo
- Colour: Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology on Squidoo
- The Best Colour Tools Online
Line
Are your lines straight and slim, or thick and squiggly? The quality of the line (hand drawn to precise) can say a lot about the mood you are setting with your design. Hand drawn or thick lines tend towards juvenile themes, where as straight and thin lines are more refined, corporate or intelligent.
How lines interact with each other is important, too. If they are straight, thin lines, but are colliding at all sorts of crazy angles, that is going to be chaotic. If they have a hand drawn quality to them but are more or less straight and orderly, this can give a much needed personal appeal to a design.
Select articles on line:
- Using Line: Real World Examples
- Artist’s Toolkit: Line
- Introduction to the Elements of Design: Point and Line
Shape
Did you know that shapes can convey a mood just like any other element of design? Angular shapes like squares and triangles tend to indicate masculinity, while smooth and curving shapes like circles are more feminine. Squares are very familiar to us (think of your monitor, a piece of paper or the TV screen), so they are secure, trustworthy and stable. Circles very pleasing to the eye and are organic, whole, peaceful and exude unity.
Select articles on shape:
Using Shape: Real World Examples
Scale and Size
Bring balance, proportion and contrast to your designs with scale and size. Just for reference, size is the actual dimensions of an element on the page, scale is the element’s relation to its original (like putting a person on a billboard—it’s going to be “larger than life”) and proportion is the relation of all the elements on the page in terms of size and scale. Use scale and proportion to indicate the actual size of an object or to emphasize the difference in the sizes of two objects (a child’s hand against its mother’s is a common use of size).
Select articles on scale/size:
Using Scale: Real World Examples
Space
Space is often referred to as white space, and gives the design some breathing room and the eye a place to rest. An ill use of space (or perhaps a very well planned out use) can make the design feel crowded and claustrophobic. Too much space, however, and the design can seem unfinished, like it’s missing something. Once you know the rules (for any of these elements, really), you can also experiment with breaking them in order to push a different emotional response.
Select articles on space:
Using Space: Real World Examples
A List Apart: Whitespace
Texture
Texture is a fun element to experiment with and use to bring realism to your designs. It can be effectively used to add visual interest and it really helps make a design unique. Textures are not just applied in the computer; you can take into consideration the materials used in the final printed pieces, too.
Select articles on line:
Using Texture: Real World Examples
Value
Value can really add unity to your designs if you pay attention to this neglected element. It is also a great way to create a focal point and guide the viewer’s eye through the layout. This little element can bring together parts of the design to make them balanced; using elements similar in a high intensity value (light, towards the white end of the spectrum) can create a subdued tone, where values lower in intensity (darker, towards black) can be ominous and foreboding. Using values on either extreme of the spectrum has a very dramatic effect.
Select articles on value:
ArtLex: Value
The Purpose of Graphic Design
The purpose of graphic design is communication. As you go through each stage of your design process, ask yourself how you are using each of these elements of design to enhance the delivery of the message, affect the mood of the piece and relate the product or message to the target audience. Remember that these elements apply to everything in the layout, from composition, to photos, to typography.
Blatant Design Rip Offs or Just Inspiration?
Written by Jacob Cass on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 – 12:48 pm
Here is another list (first post here) of possible graphic design rips off. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether these pieces are plagiarised or just inspired. The designs that were designed first are the ones on top but who knows where their inspiration came from?
“Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop.” - Jeff Zeldman
Some resources on how to deal with plagiarism and what to do if your design gets stolen.
- What to do if someone steals your work - By far the best resource I have found on this topic even if it is based on content theft.
- Web Design Plagiarism - Tips if someone steals your web design.
- What to do when someone steals your content - Based on blog article theft. Read more »
2008 Semi-Permanent Design Conference Review
Written by Jacob Cass on Sunday, April 6, 2008 – 1:03 am
Here is some graphic design news… On the weekend I went to the well respected two day design conference ‘Semi-Permanent‘ that was held here in Sydney, Australia. I am going to give a short review / summary as well as some interesting information about the conference.
Sorry there are not many pictures in this post… I would have liked to have showed more of the artist’s work however I went over my download limit and my net is at 56k now so hope you can understand. Only 10 more days till I get my full speed back… I must remember patience is a virtue. I couldn’t stand it so I upgraded my plan.
There is some pictures on Flickr of the actual conference.
So what is Semi Permanent?
In my words… two days of inspiration and industry insight (and envy).
From the Semi Permanent website… “To put it simply Semi-Permanent is a design event. It consists of a conference and side events which include exhibitions, competitions, workshops and parties. It’s a week long celebration of all things design. Graphic Design, Film, Art, Illustration, Web Design, Photography, Visual Effects, Animation, Graffiti, Motion Graphics, Stop Motion; all these things and more. Semi-Permanent explores the diverse and exciting design world bringing together exceptionally talented artists and designers to speak at the event.”
The entry was AUD$100 for the two days as I am a student however for non students it was AUD$280.
Why did I attend?
Semi-Permanent is an excellent source of inspiration. The speakers are at the top of their respective fields and they share with us, their experience and expertise that they have gained getting to that position - something that is invaluable as a young designer and student. By seeing these presentations it gives me an invaluable insight into the industry… showing me new styles and techniques that can push myself and my work in new directions.
Day 1
Who spoke on day 1 of the conference?
For short bios, links to their website and some of their work you can check out the Semi Permanent site or I have provided links to their websites below.
- LifeLounge; Jamie Driver and Luke Lucas (Graphic Design)
- Ben Frost (Graffiti / Painter / Graphic Artist)
- Debaser; David Homer & Aaron Hayward (Graphic Design)
- The Directors Bureau; Lana Kim (Video + Advertising)
- Sixty40; Matt Taylor and Mark Simpson (Animation + Advertsing)
- Spencer Platt (Photo Journalist) You can see his 3 most famous pictures below.
What did they speak about?
Mostly how they went about doing their work, the thought processes behind their work and showcases of their work and then some. But to sum up an 7 hour conference into a paragraph or two is not quite sufficient nor fair but I will mention this one philosophy that Life Lounge mentioned…
When trying to price a job use the Cheap/Good/Fast pricing structure. Choose only two of the three things mentioned and that is how you should price your job based on those things.
eg. If a client wants a good product fast, obviously you will charge a lot more. If a client wants a good product for cheap, chances are it’s not going to be fast. If a client wants a fast product for cheap then chances are it is not going to be good. You should base your prices around this.
Try to get your head around that, it’ll probably take a few reads.
Day 2
Who spoke on day 2 of the conference?
For short bios, links to their website and some of their work you can check out the Semi Permanent site or I have provided links to their websites below.
- Alex Trochut (Typographer / Graphic Artist) - Some of his work can be seen below.
- Anthony Lister (Painter)
- Superfad (Animation)
- Amy Sol (Fine Art Painter)
- North Kingdom (Web Designers)
- Pixar (Animation)
What did they speak about?
In general what I mentioned above… how they went about doing their work, the thought processes behind their work and showcases of their work and then some. I will outline one of speakers that really stood out…
Anthony Lister (a talented American painter/artist who paints superheroes) was hilarious and down right original (yet scary). First he came out on stage with another guy dressed as spider man and then Anthony with a pop gun, shot him down - a very strange intro. Spiderman stayed dead on stage for the full hour.
Then Lister just said “I am not really good at presentations”, sat down and put up a photo slideshow of him and his friends smoking bongs and partying. People thought it was a joke however it went on for about 45mins of the full hour, with him pretty much just blubbering on about nothing, mumbling and saying random hilarious things (pretty sure he was high)…
About a quarter of 2500 people in the audience actually stood up and left with disgust after 15 minutes of his ‘presentation’ but for the ones who stayed it was hilarious. It was, by far, the least serious talk of the 2 days but the most entertaining - that is for sure. For example, someone in the audience asked Lister the question “Why do you paint?” and he replied in a slow, slurred and thoughtful tone of voice “Why do you brush your teeth? …long pause… to keep your teeth from rotting and falling out… long pause… that is why I paint. Yeah that is why I paint.” Maybe not so funny in writing but the crowd found it pretty hilarious.
He is one hell of a character that is for sure. You can check out some videos of him and his crazy personality and his awesome work on You Tube.
Conclusion
About 10 of the 12 speakers really struck a chord with me as they were truly inspirational. Their work was extremely inspiring and it was very hard to choose my favourite speaker so I have narrowed it down to LifeLounge, Sixty40 and Alex Trochut. All three were extremely entertaining and just totally unreal and inspirational.
I would give day the 2 day conference a good 8/10 and without a doubt I will be going again next year. I would highly highly recommend it to all students studying design as well as professionals. There is actually a similar 4 day conference in Melbourne, Australia by the name of AGideas which is being held at the end of April. Don’t miss out, get tickets now.
Oh and I forgot to mention… as an added bonus, everyone who went also received an awesome goody bag with free design magazines and books (300+ pages) along with other random design paraphernalia such as mouse pads, industry news and promo material. Quite a treat. 
Anyway hope this has encouraged you to get out there and be active in the design community. To find out about future events and graphic design news check out websites such as Dexigner or stay subscribed here on Just Creative Design.
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