Aug

4

Promote yourself in your message

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Monday’s Promotion Tip for Graphic Designers
I heard something the other day which I thought was brilliant.
I called the office of someone and got their answering machine. Usually, it’s not that big a deal as you get the typical “You’ve reached the desk of _____. I am currently away from my desk or on another call. [...]

May

8

Should you give out prices by the item?

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Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
I made another fundamental error with the client I was talking to you about yesterday.
When a client starts off a job by telling you that he wants the quote to be broken down by component, R-U-N. That is code for he wants to save money by removing stuff if possible.
Clients don’t [...]

May

7

Always take screen captures!

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
I have a new client that I’ve been learning a lot in terms of what not to do! Today and tomorrow’s posts will deal with a few things I’d like to share.
I was floored (totally floored) during a website redesign when in the middle of it the client says to [...]

May

5

Promote new site content via your newsletter

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Monday’s Promotion Tip for Graphic Designers
There is a fine line between promotion and content when it comes to your newsletter. You need to strike a balance between the two.
Why shouldn’t you include site changes or new blog postings in the emails you mail out regarding your newsletter? There really is no reason you shouldn’t!
After all, it [...]

Apr

28

Should you have a brand?

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Monday’s Promotion Tip for Graphic Designers
Anyone who has spent some time talking to me knows how much of a big proponent of branding I am.
For me, it’s more than just a buzz word. You’ll notice that all big companies have a brand identity in place
The reason is because it promote familiarity and it also sets the [...]

Apr

25

Ethics in graphic design

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Friday’s Creative Review for Graphic Designers
Today is more of a philosophical post more than anything else. It stemmed from an article that appeared this week in AdAge Mediaworks.
They were talking about how magazine editors in the US and UK want to introduce a “code of conduct” for how designers use Photoshop to perfect the imperfections. How [...]

Apr

24

Set up processes for your design business

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Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
Another part of automating your business is setting up processes.
Processes allow you to quickly get rid of tedious tasks by knowing what to do when certain situations arise.
The processes you need to set up is for everything from the first client meeting, preparing the quote, accepting the job, creating a creative [...]

Apr

21

Keep your business cards with you at all times

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Monday’s Promote Tip for Graphic Designers
Over the weekend, I attended a birthday luncheon with a group of about 12 people. Honestly, I’m not sure how many we were, but certainly over 10.
One of them has his own company and his wife said when I came up to the table, “Oh, Jer, Maria here is a graphic [...]

Apr

17

Keep key documents at your fingertips

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Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
I hate dealing with paperwork. Unfortunately, if I want to be paid, it’s a necessary evil. 
When I first started freelancing, I didn’t have an organized system of forms that I kept on hand for immediate retrieval. 
So, when a client would ask for a quote, or request an invoice, I had to [...]

Apr

14

Prepare your elevator pitch

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Monday’s Promotion Tip for Graphic Designers
I don’t know about you, but the one thing that constantly leaves me tongue-tied is the thing that shouldn’t!
Whenever people ask what I do, it always leaves me looking like a deer caught in the headlight.
People generally don’t even know what a graphic designer does.
Construct your own 30 second promo pitch
In [...]

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