It is a hard balance to find when a client gives your work criticism and there are two golden rules to live by:

Detach yourself from your work and take criticism constructively

This is easy to say but hard to do. Nonetheless you should always be working at it and remember oftentimes you will be surprised when a client actually does know their audience better than you or has an insight that you haven’t seen. Being open means you can take advantage of the best of what they tell you.

Stand your ground when it will benefit the client

If you believe that making a change or doing something differently will result in a lesser result for the client which in turn will do them a disservice then let them know in clear but non-confrontational language. Give clear and detailed reasoning and tailor it back to how it helps *them* not the work. Remember a client is always interested in their business doing better.

Read Collis’ previous post

Whenever I’ve hired a freelancer, my biggest concern has been getting in touch with them at critical times. With an employee you know exactly where they are - in your office, and when they are there - during business hours. This affords some level of comfort for when a rush job or critical change comes in. A freelancer on the other hand is often not onsite and may be working odd hours.

What this means is that freelancers who were always available for contact and who could respond if my needs were urgent were *vastly* preferable to say someone who only replied emails a day later or who never seemed to answer their phone.

As a freelancer it’s great to temper your free work hours with a policy of always being available for contact, a little like a doctor on call.

On the flipside if you do however find yourself answering client calls after hours unless there is a dire emergency make it clear that while you are contactable you are not necessarily on the job. Clients can very quickly get used to having you do things overnight and you must be careful to discourage that sort of habit forming.

Read Collis’ next post

Promote Yourself
Another great way to get the clients you want is to let them come to you. The best way to do this is make sure your work is in their face everyday. This means writing press releases on a monthly basis to showcase your recent projects, updating your website consistently with your new work, writing articles for industry pubs that your client reads, submitting to awards and competitions that your client recognizes, and even having a blog that teaches clients how you can make their jobs easier.

Have Promotion Materials
There is nothing more discerning than meeting a contact from a client that you really want to work with and having no business card to give him/her your contact info. So what do you do, you end up writing your email on a napkin, or index card, or some other random piece of paper. Instead, make sure you always have business cards on you and a promotional packet or two. The best promotional packets tend to be little flip books that can show the client exactly what you do, how you do it, and why you are the best fit for them. href=”http://www.flickr.com/do/more/”>Flickr has a great flip book you can purchase that pulls the pictures directly from your account, or if you want more creative control, href=”http://www.lulu.com/”>Lulu Publishing lets you self publish your own books. (more…)

As designers we often have a hard time putting on our sales cap and going out to get new clients. The harsh reality is that if you are a freelancer or own your own studio then you need to make sales an important part of your daily activities. When trying to get a new client it isn’t just about getting a name and phone number, rather, the more important thing is that you truly understand what the client needs and how you can fulfill that need. Here are 10 things that I have found helpful to keep you focused and help you keep getting new clients and projects on a continuous basis.

Make a Wish List
You can’t really find the clients you want to work with until you know who they are. Make a wish list of the types of clients you want to work with and be as specific as possible, including things like the projects you would like from that client. Good examples include:

Family Run Catering Company looking for a new identity
Micro-website for HBO Espanol
Website and banner ads for Sean John clothing line

Feel free to update your wish list throughout the year. At the beginning of each month I refine the list and look at who I have gotten in the previous month and who I would like to add.
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People quite often ask me “How did you know that?” I usually answer “I don’t know.” (Not wanting to get into a long conversation!) However, as any successful designer will attest, you must know everything there is to know about a subject before you can create successful designs for it.

The problem usually arises in this quest for knowledge when the client draws a blank page. There have been many times when my own research, or prodding questions to the client has turned up more useful information about the product than even the client knew. So with every client, every new job; you have to dig in and learn what it is, how it works, who it benefits and why its important. These are the tools you’ll need to produce effective, persuasive design work.

You’ll be thrilled when you discover that the most usable aspect of the subject is what the client didn’t tell you.

Good thing designers are curious types, hyper-aware of the visual world around them. The designers I’ve met tend to mine their surroundings and experiences for creative fodder that feeds, consciously or subconsciously, into their work. Keeping an eye on trends—fashion, interior décor, color, type—is one of the ways creative pros can stay abreast of what’s fresh (or what’ll be fresh six months from now). So, how can you spot trends? Look at what teenage boys and girls are into, especially the cool kids on the fringes—they’re quick to adopt the next big thing. Keep an eye out for movies that are due to come out later in the year; as Pantone’s Leatrice Eisman has noted, the first “Shrek” movie made lime green very in vogue. And watch the trendwatchers. A couple of sites we like (more…)

In my development years as a graphic designer, I had a mentor named Phil Meggs. Unfortunately, Phil is no longer with us. However, one lesson he instilled in me made an incredible difference in my career. I’d like to share it with you: Never pass up an opportunity to learn from a master. I know, you’ve probably heard that before — but it’s time to take it seriously. Successful practitioners in the graphic design discipline will all agree that you don’t know where you are going unless you know where you’ve been.

Never pass up an opportunity to learn from the masters. Attend a seminar; visit a gallery show; take a workshop — particularly if the event is by a master. There are lots of opportunities, but you have to go and find them. If you’re in New York, try to catch a seminar or workshop with Ed Benguait. Yes, he still teaches at NYU. (more…)

This week, I’ve been trading e-mails with Peleg Top, a designer in Los Angeles. I first met Peleg ages ago at a HOW Conference, and over the years we’ve become friends. Peleg was telling me that, after pondering the things he really loves to do—cooking, photography, music—he realized that he was spending absolutely zero time on any of them. So he recently took a major step toward his longtime goal of becoming a chef: He enrolled in The Kitchen Academy in Los Angeles, and he’s started a blog about his experience (http://www.thetopkitchen.com). All this while he continues to run his successful design studio. That’s right: He goes to culinary school at 6:00 a.m., and by noon is at his drawing board. I asked him how he does it, and he sent me this article: How to Become an Early Riser about getting up early … really early. Is there anything you love doing so much that you’d gratefully get up at the crack of dawn?

I’ve always been a fan of Sessions’ classes because they can help many aspiring designers make that jump into the industry with guided lessons from real design professionals. So once you’ve broken ground into the design world you’ll need to start thinking about how the business side of the industry works. One of the most important things that you’ll need to determine for the projects you take on as a freelancer, or as a principal in a design studio, is “when is a project good for me to take on”. The following blog post is an excerpt from a worksheet I have put together, which helps me determine whether a project will be good for me financially, professionally, and emotionally. One thing to note, these questions should be answered before you write a proposal, typically at the new business meeting or initial phone conversation.

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One of the most important things designers can do, whether fresh out-of-school or a battle-worn veteran of design, is to ask “WHY?” Why did they select that color? Why did that ad grab my attention? Why do they use that typeface? Why did they crop it so close? Why didn’t they crop it closer? I could ask 100 questions like that and not touch a fraction of the question designers need to ask. The real learning experience kicks in when you supply the answers to those questions. It is not important whether your answer is right or wrong — the continual quest for answers is what adds to your tool-box of ideas and concepts.

You pass a billboard with a huge illustration and kicky headline — you ask why. You answer with the best reason your education and background can muster. Two years later a client appears at your doorstep with a billboard project. You immediately say: “Ah, I think what will work best for you is a huge illustration and a kicky headline like. . . ”

Of course, you get the picture. But see if you can answer why.