This is the second part of my survey of independent graphic designers working from all corners of the globe and it throws up some interesting results about how they charge. The first survey results concentrated on what designers do and how they make money. Questions about charging are the most … [Read more...]
Survey Results: What Designers Do, How They Make Money and Where They Find Clients
Here are the first results from my graphic designer's business survey. I am so grateful to everybody that participated. I surveyed designers that were mostly working from home and running their own businesses. Participants were from every continent and were spread over different design disciplines. … [Read more...]
What you need to start a graphic design business
It pains me to think of the $3000 I spent on a Mac Performa 6400 complete with a huge monitor and in-built 28K dial-up modem in the mid-90s. The machine chugged along like an aging donkey and the information super-highway felt more like a traffic jam. I wish I was starting now with readily available … [Read more...]
Free open source alternatives to Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator
For web designers, developers and amateur creative types that work with a lot of graphics and image manipulation, the decision of which software to use is an important one. While Adobe Photoshop and its related Creative Suite programs are well respected throughout the world, open source software … [Read more...]
Designers, how to avoid client disasters!
There is a game in this industry: the trade off between graphic designer and client. I have heard this expression in large design agencies many times: "this would be a great job if it wasn't for clients!" I disagree, I think it's a great job period. If you don't like your clients, get out of the … [Read more...]
Teach yourself graphic design
This article comes with a warning: easily offended graphic designers please do not read on! Graphic design is not rocket science, nor does it depend on artistic talent – it just takes a lot of practice. Some designers love to say that graphic design is a God-given talent that only a select few … [Read more...]
What you need to be a freelance graphic designer
I wasn't always a freelance graphic designer. I used to teach English to Brazilian businessmen but that's another story. I started by working for newspapers and magazines so my background is in print. By a mixture of application and good fortune I taught myself how to create usable, aesthetic, … [Read more...]
10 things I wish I had known about web designing 10 years ago
10 years ago I had a big problem. I was a print designer but I loved the web and desperately wanted to work with it. I wanted a software package that would let me mess around with drag-and-drop functionality and when I was ready I could click "GO" and miraculously produce perfect code. I was … [Read more...]
Essentials of great blog post design
Blogs are, in my opinion, the easiest and best way to get stuff on the web. With a blog you can publish constantly updated information about yourself, your company or your interests to the world. And what makes it even better is that this information is chronologically ordered and categorized for … [Read more...]
Why web designers should learn code
Back in the olden days just after Al Gore invented the internet, designers designed and programmers programmed. The web was full of slow good-looking sites that didn't do much and useful busy sites that, frankly, looked like a dog's dinner. But every year since then more and more fantastically … [Read more...]
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