CategoryBusiness

December 18, 2009 — Designers spend hours perfecting websites, whether their own or their clients’. Read more…

December 16, 2009 — There is a famous quote that says, “There is strength in numbers.” This can be very true when it comes to being a freelancer. As a one-man shop, you are often times limited because of your lack of abilities in certain areas. In this article, we will be discussing the importance of forming professional alliances with others in order for you to grow your freelance business. Read more…

December 10, 2009 — GIFs of spinning @s on the “Contact us” page. Common usability mistakes for the sake of visual appeal. Splash pages. Fancy search box. No whitespace. (Links checked February/11/2017) Read more…

December 7, 2009 — Assuming that you have a choice available with no outside factors involved - choosing whether to work from home or a rented space/studio is a decision every freelancer should spend time thinking about. Importantly, it’s a question that one should probably ask themselves at regular intervals of their freelancing life… There is no right or wrong answer; it is ultimately a personal decision for the lone freelancer. Read more…

November 28, 2009 — Seeing as we are all human (well, presumably whoever is reading this post anyway), we should recognize that mistakes happen. They even have that saying, “To err is human…,” which goes to show that it is not only commonplace for us to err once or twice: it is expected. But a method is behind this madness, because making mistakes is one of the major ways we learn. This is no different for freelancers. Read more…

November 26, 2009 — There are many templates out there for contracts that freelancers can adopt but eventually, you may have to create one for a specific unorthodox project or maybe you just want to take the time to devise your own template. In this article, you will find what could be considered the bare bones that every contract should address. Read more…

November 9, 2009 — A defining factor in any freelancer or agency’s success in gaining new business is their ability to market their skills effectively. In this series of articles, we will explore ways in which designers can strategically promote themselves to get new clients. Securing new business by approaching companies can be a very challenging process, full of pitfalls. Here, we will look at 10 steps to impressing potential clients and avoiding the most common mistakes. Read more…

November 5, 2009 — Your invoice should be prim and proper, so that you can get paid by your clients efficiently. While invoicing is not a fun task, it’s a necessary one: by keeping clients informed of your expectations, you will get paid punctually and reinforce your professionalism. After going over some best practices for creating invoices, we’ll review some great (and not so great) online invoicing tools, so that you can spend less time creating invoices and more time doing the things you love! Read more…

November 4, 2009 — One of the biggest advantages of online media over print is the ability to change, update, and enhance online media at virtually anytime, with virtually no negative side effects. In fact, if a website or web application does not continually offer its users an ever-evolving and growing experience, that site or application would soon become insecure, unusable, and out of date. Read more…

October 24, 2009 — There he goes, the web designer, stepping up to the counter of an empty McDonald’s at 3 o’clock in the morning. He is scanning the overhead menu, putting a cheeseburger in his mental shopping basket. “Cheezubahga, onegaishimasu,” we hear him say, “with an iced tea.” Read more…