All these factors go into the price, yet we all have a budget to adhere to. Most of the time it comes down to what we can afford. Many times this means opting out of some of the less essential amenities.  Even if we opt out in the beginning doesn’t mean we can’t potentially add them later. Wanted a pool, but couldn’t afford it upfront? Save up a bit more and you’ll get your pool in a few years. Great things take time.

How does this relate to web design?

I cannot count how many times I receive the “How much does a website cost?” email. Design in any instance doesn’t have a generalized price tag. It’s an investment of experience and time. While the experience factor is tough one to measure and quote, the amount of time, on the other hand, depends on the scale, complexity, features, elements, components, and so on.

Typically, my clients start off by filling out a project worksheet, which helps to gauge the project from the get go appropriately. Questions such as, “Does the redesign need copywriting?”, “Will your site require a CMS?”, “Which ‘social’ feature(s), if any, will be required?”, help to get a general feel for the timing and scale of their specific site.

Check out this site for things to consider when calculating the cost of a website.

Incredible! Happy for everyone! But where is this coming from? Why? Are more people using the web and seeing the true value of it’s earnings and reach finally? Does a majority of the recession reasoning the U.S. deal with the way business is changing and companies are growing online through collaborative consumption? How much of an impact does Dribbble have on the increase of jobs (I’m sure a lot but that doesn’t mean Dribbbble gives them the money to spend on us)? How much of an impact does Apple have on our professional (surely companies have noticed that good design does indeed make a difference)? Why, all of a sudden, have people been investing more in good, strategic design?

These are just a few of the many questions I’ve been asking myself lately. I too have nearly doubled from an already incredible year last year – not to mention we still have five months left in the year. I could answer these questions personally from the stance of my insights and business however I’m just one person giving my take on this dramatic increase. A better assessment would be getting more takes and stories on the matter; so I ask you, Designers, Freelancers, Agencies:

• Have you seen an increase of work this year versus last? Much more? About the same? Less? A tad more? Come on spill the beans.
• Where are your clients coming from? Word of mouth? Dribbble? Google searching? A little this and a little that?
• What do you feel accounts for this increase?
• US folk (or non if you like to also chime in): Why do you think our country is struggling financially, yet people are throwing money into our work?
• If you see an increase of work, what type of work are you seeing the most of (ie: Startups? “Social” UI work? Church sites? etc.)
• Are you marketing more or less?
• Are you turning down more work than you take on?

Would love to make better sense of all this and your help would be appreciated (and also helpful for everyone).

Working without a down payment

Not sure why designers do this, but I receive quite a few emails asking me if I obtain a down payment. The answer is yes and no. Yes, I require money upfront, but no I don’t consider this a down payment. It’s considered a retainer. If you are a busy designer, most likely you are scheduling work well in advance. In order to secure working together for a date that extends beyond a month I require a 25% retainer with an additional 25% upon the start date of the project. Never start work without payment.

Handing over files / launching before final payment is received

I’m certain I will catch a few disagreements on this one, but I make this statement out of sheer confidence: Don’t deliver files until final payment is received. I hear one too many stories about designers finishing work and receiving final payment six months later, or worse, not at all. Plus it only takes one bad experience for you to learn. You don’t walk into the grocery store and say I will pay you in full for the milk later, so why should you run your business any differently.

Attending to the “needed it yesterday” crowd

Great design and successful solutions take time to achieve (sorry clients, we don’t have these incredible ideas stored away for later). Great work evolves and transcends over rigorous thinking, designing, testing, re-thinking and more. Abiding by the “needed the website yesterday” deadline or other unrealistic deadlines often ends in bad business or let down. On a similar note, I often find that when you ask clients why they are in such a rush they aren’t really sure of why. Educate them on your process.

Too many concepts

Everyone likes options, but showing too many only creates more of a problem. Personally, I hate going to a restaurant with a menu of 100 dishes to choose from. Not only does it take me an hour to decide, but it usually results in me picking the worst one. Same goes for design work. Showing less is more.

Not billing by the hour

Here’s another point that I know will keep the comments below busy, but after making the mistake my first year of freelancing I’ve learned that billing by the hours spent makes everyone happier. Although I know this is more difficult having clients understand and conform to these terms, let me explain a bit how I go about this.

First and foremost, let the client know that you bill by the hour at the rate of $XXX.XX (manage expectations for the get-go). Most clients will want to know how much they will spend on the effort in full, so what I typically do is provide them with a starting price based on the scope of the project and what I suggest. I tell them based on this quote I am able to allocate XXX hours into that particular endeavor, however anything over will billed hourly and added onto the final invoice (also I am also able to obtain the initial payment based on this quote).

I also supply my clients with milestones documented in the signed contract — yes, that’s another mistake: not working with a signed contract — this way we are able to stay on schedule and allows the client to see how the process fits into the budget. Which leads me to my next point…

Not obtaining a budget

In the words of “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, “Everyone has their price.” Kindly let your clients know that sharing their budget saves a lot of headache and time for the both of you. It allows designers to determine how much time they can allocate to a project and enables us to advise the client on how best to use their money.

Doing what you do best

I’m not going to debate if designers should code and if coders should design, but both sides should have a solid understanding of the others medium at the least. I will however stand by the statement that you should stick to what you do best. If you’re a designer that knows how to code, but doesn’t enjoy it, then why do it? Give yourself the chance to do what you enjoy by bringing in a developer that has the same passion for what he enjoys. Trust me, the work in its entirety will show for it and you will give yourself to grow more, not to mention live a happier life and lead a happier business.

Good design and good business is about teaching

If you wanted to make things look pretty, maybe you should have been a painter. Good design and even better designers teach their clients and share your experiences with others. Educating clients add more value than a rounded corner button. Transparency goes a hell of a long way in our industry. Actually any industry for that matter (businesses take note). Teaching allows you to formulate your own opinion and point of view, which helps to become a better “salesman” (I apologize now for using that word),  get more work and demonstrating confidence in your decisions.

Understanding design is a craft

In the words of Mark Boulton, “Web design is a craft. And like other crafts – letterpress printing or book-binding – they’re not generally taught in colleges or universities.” Being in this fast moving industry means you need to constantly be on top of it and both want and need to continue maturing to prosper. For those that don’t know this already, but working in the web right now is the place to be and it’s even better as a designer with the amount of work that is out there currently. Hone your skills and pay the bills folks. Don’t forget to have fun while doing it though.

Also, this will be the first edition of my reflections, starting with the ‘good and improved upon’ from 2009–2010. Will be following up with the ‘Need to Improve’ list in coming weeks.

The improved (at least I think so):

1. Hire and worked with an accountant. Hiring an accountant has relieved a lot of pressure, especially when it comes down to tax season in a month or so. I report to him every quarter with my estimates and come the end of the year he handles the rest. I’m a believer and doing what you do best – money, taxes, and dealing with Uncle Sam is not one of them for me.
2. Worked with more passionate clients. I try not to think of any client as a “bad” client, but when you get a passionate client you will know it. These are typically people that already have interest in our field (even though they are not designers), well-researched, open-minded, and–being that I work mostly on the web–love seeing the web and technology move forward. While it could be a complete coincidence of why I’ve worked with these types of clients, I like to think I owe a lot of it to my involvement in the design community with speaking, conference attending, writing and staying extremely current and understanding where the web is heading. Not only will it help you grow, learn, make great connections, but will help your work reach new heights and eyeballs. Simply, passionate clients want to work with passionate designers.
3. Paid attention to the details. I’ve applied this mantra to many instances of my work and my business. For example, I’ve spend more time educating clients this year and also paid closer attention to the tiny details in my work that can take a good design to great – which also brings up my next point…
4. Growth. I honestly am not sure if I will ever be fully happy with my work… and I’m alright with that in many ways. It helps me to grow. If you can look back on your work from the previous year and see improvement then you are doing something right. Since graduating college I’ve always made it a point to learn and keep learning as much as possible. I owe this to many great books, reading blogs / staying current, self-reflection, peer-reflection, and endless hours of design-thinking. Surrounding yourself and your thoughts into design as much as possible is a sure-shot outcome to grow.
5. Kept organized. Keeping extremely organized will help save many (and I mean many) hours of which you can focus on more important things in your business. Here are a few tips on how I stay organized and efficient this year.
6. Kept my head (and work) in the clouds. I’ve been using Dropbox for a few years now and in the past year I’ve finally upgraded to the 100GB plan, moved all my work files to the cloud, and work between my at home iMac and Macbook Pro when I work from various remote locations. No more remembering to sync before leaving the house; no more “which version is the latest;” Basically no more fuss and couldn’t imagine running my business without it.
7. Added a Notebook. As much as I love reading and learning, it appears that many of you do as well. The Notebook section added in May’s redesign seems to be a huge hit and really excited that many of you have embraced it with open arms. I try my best to only post the highest, quality resources, thoughts and information and hope you enjoy it for years to come. It also helped me stay current with the industry and provoke more discussion and thoughts in my own head. Traffic to this site has also increased and I thank all of you for that.
8. Shortened my emails. I can’t tell you how much time I spend in the past 2+ years of business answering emails. I’ve learned this year to write as little as possible and get directly to the point. Saved many hours this year.
9. Focus. At the end of 2009, my goal was to drastically improve one area that I felt needed it the most, which for me was typography. I focused a lot of attention on learning more about the history of type design and typefaces and also the craft of good typography. Starting to think about a new focus for 2011.
10. Attentive beyond the computer screen. Inspiration often does not come when you need it so I’ve found myself documenting the world around me more this year. My iPhone has been extremely handy in taking quick notes or snapping a quick photo of a color palette I enjoyed as I passed by. Collecting inspiration before and needing it later often ends in better results.

What are some things you’ve improved on from last year?

On budgets and advising

With the year coming to an end in three months, it’s that time when any business should be reflecting on the good, bad and mediocre of past months in effort to change for the good the following year. Lately I’ve been reflecting my pricing methods and communication between myself and clients and clients and myself.

The majority of my clients I’ve never met in person (40% of my conversations never extend beyond email; mostly those of overseas clients), so I make it a point to build as much trust as possible given the circumstances – one is sharing my thoughts and processes on this blog. However the dreaded question of ‘pricing’ always tend to weaken the knees of everyone. Again, in a trust building effort I try to explain, in much detail, on what their project needs to accomplish, how we are going to do it and whats needed to accomplish it – one of which is a typical project”starting” price.

I also break the ice first by asking their budget. Before letting them respond, I quickly explain that sharing their budget allows myself to determine how much time I’m able to invest (since my estimates are based on my hourly rate and a projected amount of time). At the very least, I explain that determining their budget allows advising on how to best use their budget to accomplish their needs and wants (don’t confuse the two). For example, there are many instances when a client has a slightly lower budget than necessary to pave a truly successful outcome, but knocking off a few “wanted” (a.k.a. not necessary for launch but a cool feature) parts of their website to implement at a later time when they have additional investments is more beneficial than simply slapping something together.

Secrets, secrets, are no fun…

The reason I explain the above to all my clients before letting them interject with an actual budget is to help them understand how I work so they understand that I’m just not trying to get the highest price out of them. The more time I can invest the better the outcome. The more time I can research, prepare, try, scrap, try again, etc. Simple and fair, no? Still many conversations about budgets proceed like this:

Client: *pause* “Ummm… *pause* We don’t have a budget.” *awkward silence that awaits my next move*

Me: “Based on my explanation (above) on how I charge and my hourly rate of $XXX.XX, a starting price for a project you outlined will be $X,XXX.XX. Obviously the goals and outline of the project can change throughout the the course of your project so this is only an estimate, but for the most part they are quite accurate. This prevents the project from getting out of hand and beyond the scope of the contract.”

Client: *pause* “Ummm, well… that is substantially higher than we would like to spend.”

Ok, let’s stop there. Does the above situation sound familiar?

Within the first few minutes of contact — in my effort to be as open and detailed on how I work as possible — the client counteracted by lying about not having a budget to clearly having a budget. How does the relationship change? Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for someone that lies and keeps secrets? Setting the tone and the relationship from the get-go is extremely important – not only from a client-designer standpoint but from a project standpoint. Honest work is good work and this goes both ways.

Make no mistake about it; running an independent business, no matter what field you are in, is extremely time consuming, exhausting and requires a lot of motivation and dedication. It’s not for everyone. Running your own business means that there are more unpaid and non-billable items that you perform on a daily basis. Emailing, answering phone calls, marketing, networking… these are all, for the most part, non-paid facets of what we do. If you are an in-house designer, responding to emails, answering phone calls, and marketing, among other things, are payable because you are on the clock. You get paid for the time you are under the roof of your office. The self-employeed unfortunately do not. This means that we need to compensate for the time we do not get paid. Freelance means that we do more unpaid “clock” work; not that we do more paid work for less money.

This might sound familiar to some most of you: I received an email from a potential client inquiring a new website. After a few emails back and forth, the talk of money came into the equation, only to have the client question why my rates where so high as “they too were freelancers or small businesses.” They also asked if I’d consider slashing my rate by two-thirds. How about this one: I received emails looking for a $1,000 website because large firms I’ve contacted charge in the six-figures.

There are reasons large companies charge $100,000 for a website and it’s not only based on credibility and size of the website. They have more employees to pay and a much larger overhead to cover. The price for this is taken into consideration. It’s not just design firms that do this. It’s all businesses. How much do you think your local grocery store buys a box of Cheerios for? Having worked for a TGI Friday’s a while back I remember seeing how much they get a rack of ribs for in comparison to how much they sell to the consumer. The margin is so unbelievable that you don’t even want to know. The Apple iPad costs $270 to make. Does this stop you from buying one for $499? Most likely not. Why? Because there is the need factor and there is the trust factor. Need not in the way that if we don’t have one we will die, but need as in we want that one instead of another tablet computer. Why do we want that one? Because we trust it and the company behind it. The same can be said for design services. Sure you can go out and get a $500 website done up, but I guarantee you will eventually come back to getting what you want from someone you trust, and between me and you, if someone is designing and building a website for $500 I’d be extremely vigilant making that decision.

I receive a lot of emails from designers just starting off asking “how do you charge?” This is a tough one and I can tell you with time it only gets better for understanding what you should be charging. Now I’m not saying to go out and rip off your clients, but when you are pricing your services take into account all of these extra “non-billable” things. A good ten hours of my week (at least) is dedicated to answering emails. Do I get paid for this? No. However, I do need to make up for all of these extra hours someway. Either that or I’d find myself spending more than I make per say. Also, consider taxes. Around 40% of my income goes to good ol’ Uncle Sam. A thousand dollar project pretty much goes right down to $600 bucks. Freelance is a business and it should be handled no different than any other. Sure, we can charge less than the large firm because we have lower overhead costs. That’s one benefit of working with an independent designer, but lets not take advantage of the fact that we are working alone. Quality design and development comes with time. Each project requires a unique solution and without taking the time to think, plan, structure, design, develop and so on, will only return bad (or less than par) results.

I understand that it is often difficult to budget a company, especially if its just getting its feet wet, however building a larger budget and coming back to a project later is a much smarter investment than getting something slapped together for the sake of needing it. Investing a few extra hundred or thousand dollars (or whatever the cost difference might be) to have it done to the best of its potential will kick back a greater outcome all together and all sides will be much happier in the end.

While I always answer the emails with my own personal take on how a situation should be handled, I usually conclude each email with something on the lines of stating, “with time you will start to learn the early warning signs of troublesome clients and refuse work from the beginning; learn from your mistakes and grow because of them.”

I thought it would be both enlightening and fun to ask all of your opinions on some early warning signs that you watch out for with new clients from past experiences that might save some blood, sweat and tears for us all.

Here are a two of mine:

1. Refusal or hesitation to work without a contract: This just seems way to fishy for me so I tend to stay clear of working together if this comes up. Your contracts should protect yourself as well as your client; always work with one no matter what.
2. Clients that have a predetermined idea of what they feel is “best”: Often a client will approach you with a predetermined idea of what they want their logo to look like, even though they do not directly tell you upfront. This often results in you trying to match exactly what their mind has drawn up and results in endless revisions and redos. As a designer, you should listen to your clients feedback and input, however it should be clearly stated that the reason they are working with you is based on your problem solving skills to provide the best possible solution for their company. Note to Clients: Having a predetermined solution made up before a designer is contacted will only cause disappointment for yourself and the designer. Note to Designers: You should not be a ‘monkey with a wrench’ (meaning, you should not be hired only because you know how to use Photoshop or Illustrator).

Feel free to share other early warning signs that you now what out for with troublesome clients in the comments below.

With my first year of independency almost under the old belt, I’ve learned a lot about running an independent design business through mistakes of which I adjusted accordingly throughout the last ten and a half months.

Below are 16 common mistakes and misconceptions when running your own independent [design] business.

1- Working with set pricing

Let’s face it: Time is money and I first made the mistake of not charging hourly when starting off. I used to estimate the amount of time by the nature / medium / complexity / etcetera of a project and ask for 50% of a set project cost up-front (more on this below) and the remaining 50% at the end.

While I still provide my clients with an estimate up-front (how much I think it will cost), I make sure that they know (and is listed in the contract) this is only an estimate. Honestly, there is never any way to know how long a project will take and we all know good design takes time. Plain and simple, charge hourly while providing a round-a-bout estimate.

2- Working without contracts

Believe it or not, I’ve received many emails from new designers running their own small business asking if contracts are essential. The answer: Yes! No matter how large or small the company you are working for is, always, always, always, work under contracts — and make sure you cover all your ends (more on this below)! 

I’ve received some negative feedback from other designers stating that my contract—around 21 pages—is too long and might scare clients away. My take: If a client is unwilling to read through the contract that protects myself as well as them, than their business isn’t important enough to them… and why would anyone want to work under those conditions?

Also, working with contracts allows you and your clients to know exactly what to expect and you can refer back to it throughout the project if things start to go sideways.

3- Not asking for 50% upfront

Asking for 50% of the estimated project quote upfront is a must in my opinion. It ensures that the client is serious about working with you, covers initial overheads and costs, as well as covers (most of) the time and expenses if the client decides to “run.”

If it’s a very large project I will do payments in thirds: 33% upfront, 33% mid-way and the remaining at the end before deliverables are handed over.

4- “Freelancing” is a walk in the park

Sure, running your own business is a great feeling, but make no mistake, it’s no walk in the park. Motivating yourself can be one of the hardest things to do and working on your own is definitely not for everyone.

I remember the day I decided to go full-time into my own business and immediately a close friend of mine said: “I wish I could do that; that way I could sleep until 12pm everyday!” Sure you could, but let’s face it, you won’t be successful that way.

Freelancing is a 24/7 job. When I’m not designing Monday through Friday from 9–5, I am blogging, marketing, responding to emails, looking for new inspiration, etc. I’ve even taken a short conference call at 7:30pm on a Friday night while out to dinner with friends.

5-  Not standing up for your work

I find many designers make the mistake of always saying “yes” to everything their client says/asks. I understand that design, being a derivative of an “artform”  will always be subjective to likes and dislikes, but that doesn’t mean you should give into everything a client suggests or states—especially when you know their suggestion is not the best solution. 

Instead, try offering them advice and help them to understand “why”. Be the designer and the teacher. One of the first reasons I started this site was to not only help other designers, but to also help educate clients.

Here’s a short email from a client that initially turned down a proposal, but overall was impressed with how I explained things and later came back to work with me:

“You were my number one choice and I want to compliment you on your communication, organization, and professionalism. Your success is well earned and I was very impressed by your business model and the information you provided online and through email.”

6-  Under-estimating the power of word of mouth

Word of mouth is your number one marketing tool. Never under-estimate it. However, this does not just mean being a great designer and people will talk about you. I’ve had clients refer me based on the way I communicate all the way down to how I seem “friendly and myself on the telephone.”

Twitter is a great way to spread the word. As Gary V says: “Twitter is nothing more than word of mouth on steroids.” So true! Word-of-mouth on Twitter can do wonders for yourself and your business. Stop trying to “game it” and instead build relationships, trust and friendships. Interact.

7-  Not including legal fees in your contract

This was a slightly newer element I’ve added to my contract that I’ve learned a few months ago: Make clients responsible for legal fees if action is required.

If you are a small business chances are you work with other small(er) businesses, hence having smaller budget prices. If you were to take action against a client that owes you $2,000 for a project that they have not yet paid in full for, chances are it will cost you close to the same amount to hire a lawyer.

If you include this in your contracts, the client will be responsible for the money owed and the fees it cost you to hire a lawyer. Always protect your interests.

8-  Over-promising

Set realistic goals with your clients and make sure you meet them. Even though you are your own boss and don’t have someone higher up yelling at you to meet deadlines, doesn’t mean you can slack. 

If you think a website redesign will take you 4 weeks, quote the client 5 or maybe even 6 weeks. You never know when something can just pop-up out of the blue, and if you finish the project in the 4 weeks it will the client even happier.

9-  Thinking you don’t have to be a salesman

Another huge mistake when starting off that I quickly learned is that 60% of your job is being a salesman. You can be the best designer in the world, but not knowing how to sell or talk about your services will only hold you back. 

Clients don’t always come to you. Sometimes you have to pitch to them instead.

10-  Showing work that you don’t want to do

This is another mistake I made when first starting out; showing work in my portfolio that wasn’t work I wanted to do all the time. 

Clients often choose to work with a designer based on his/her portfolio. If they like what they see they will usually follow up and expect the same quality and sometimes style. If you dislike doing logo design, than do not show logos in your portfolio. Doing work you are not fond of will also dull your portfolio, as it will lack the same quality of what you are passionate about.

11-  Competing with your peers and not working with them

Many companies, both large and small, feel the need to compete. While this might work to an extent, I’ve found that being a small business the more I engage the people that do the same thing as me the more it improves my work and business. Your peers can teach you many things, especially those that have more experience than the current level you’re at. Embrace those people.

Many wonder how aiming a blog mostly towards other designers, brings clients to it. It does because I learn from those around me (and on Twitter and blog comments) and I share my experiences and passion through my writing. Clients also learn from this.

12-  Not sticking to your passion

There was a time when I was a “dabbler”. I would try to be the “best” in everything (i.e: design, front-end development, back-end development, etc.) but I’ve quickly learned that my passion lies in design and that I should let others do what they are most passionate and best in. 

Overall it not only makes your work better in the end, but you will also have happier clients and enjoy your line of work much more.

13-  Not raising rates every year

Towards the end of last year I received an email from a client asking for my hourly rates, which I provided them at the time. However they decided to hold off for another 3 months, which took us into early January of 2010 by the time they reached out again. However, my rates were slightly increased due to a number of reasons, but mainly because we all should increase our rates each year. With every new year we gain more knowledge and experience. 

14-  Not saving info

There has been many times early on when I would receive an email from a client asking if I could work with them, however after talking further they or I either denied the work at a specific time for many different reasons (on vacation, too much work, work beyond knowledge…).

The mistake I made was not to store their contact information for future reference. Even if you do not work with someone at a specific time does not mean that you will never work with them. Include them in your holiday e-mail blast!

15-  Thinking communication doesn’t matter

Many freelancers enjoy hiding behind their computer screens out of view from clients. As this might be true, it doesn’t mean we can slack on our communication methods. Actually it’s the opposite. Since many of my clients I never meet face-to-face I have to increase my methods of communication: faster email responses, Skype and phone conversations that explain things in terms clients understand, etc.

The better you communicate, the better relationship you will build and the more a client will say “yes” and refer you.

16-  Under-pricing

I left this one for last as I feel it is the biggest mistake everyone makes at least once: under pricing your services. Many times we lower our prices to meet a client budget or just to take on work at a slow time. This is bad. Stand up for your prices and knowledge.

Again, this goes into selling your work and helping your clients see the real, true value in what good design provides. Effective design has no price tag. Don’t be afraid to tell your clients that they should hold off for another few months until they can build a slightly larger budget for their project. Trust me they will thank you in the end. Too many times I’ve had clients come to me saying someone just designed my website 6 months ago for a cheap price but I’m now incredibly unhappy with the results.

What are some mistakes and misconceptions you faced when starting out?

I am in no way masterful at handling the above, but over time I’ve found myself becoming more proficient and effective in how I manage my independent business.

Below I’ll walk you through what I find to be successful in managing a work flow and daily/weekly tasks step-by-step, which leads to a smoother, more organized independent business.

Let’s start at the beginning:

The initial contact

Over the past year, my business has very fortunately evolved from finding my own work to clients finding and contacting me. Once the client get in contact — which usually results in a brief introduction about their company, services/products and what type of design service they are in need of — I send them a brief message thanking them with links to my online Brand Identity Design Worksheet and/or Web Design Worksheet.

I use Wufoo for my questionnaires, which is a great, easy and fast method to creating and maintaining online forms.

This helps to gather essential information about the project and determine if I have the time, desire and expertise for the project(s) requested. This saves me a great deal of time from emailing back and forth and helps to better weed out and take on work.

Save for later

Every inquiry or request that comes my way I make it a point to save every persons name and email address. I also make brief notes of what they requested at the time in Apple’s Address Book. Even if we do not work together at the moment, I have their name and email to send them periodical newsletters, updates or holiday cards.

Remember, build relationship and develop a network of potential clients. Business denied now could turn into better business in the future.

Honey, don’t forget the milk and the website

On occasion I’m receiving a few inquiries weekly so it can become quite confusing to keep on track of who emailed me, when I contacted them, and what we discussed. To organize, I use the web app Remember the Milk in a less conventional way than most likely use it — to keep track of who I contacted, who contacted me and important information that was discussed. For example, a task might be written as:

“Emailed Bob of Mar Cor Fine Woodworking expressing high interest in his project on January 17th; awaiting reply”

This way I can keep track of the client, when I emailed him, and what was discussed so I can decide what/when my next action will be. For example, if I don’t hear back from Bob by the 20th I might send him a remainder email asking if he had any further questions or needs any else from me.

I check Remember the Milk every morning and at the conclusion of my day.

Contracting and proposals

If you are not working with contracts you’re running a business on thin ice. While writing proposals and contracts can become quite time consuming, I’ve used a method of ‘”insert-here proposals” and use a standardized Terms and Conditions for my design services (aka my contract). The first two pages include:

» Project description: A short paragraph or two discussing the project and clients goals (this is the only non “insert here” area)

» Deliverables: Since the deliverables are typically the same for all identity projects, as well as web projects, I created two proposals to save me from typing and retyping. The are modified slightly when needed if the client asks for specific deliverables outside the norm I provide.

» Price: Below is a sample of the pricing portion of my contracts:

Based on the Designers request and the terms and conditions listed within this document an amount of Insert amount here ($x,xxx.xx) US dollars is requested by the designer for the above Final Deliverables.

50% down payment is required following the signing of this contract in order for the start of the project.
The remaining total amount is required no later than 14 business days following the completion of the project. *Files will not be delivered to the Client until full payment has been received.
If additional requests are needed or large modifications are needed, compensation will be required at the designer’s rate of $ Insert rate here per hour.

Timeframe - Below is a sample of the timeframe portion of my contracts:

Based on the scope of the project(s), the client/designer agreement, and recieval of the down payment, the project(s) will be completed within an estimated timeframe of insert weeks/months here.

Quick invoices

Much like the above proposals and contracts, I created an “insert here” invoice of Subernova (more on Subernova below). For my Paypal paying clients (which tends to be 90% nowadays), Paypal allows you to create invoices and save templates to help save time. Again, I created a Paypal template for logos and websites. This way, all I need to do is change the name, email address and price.

Keeping track of the start date and project

Once the initial connection, emailing back-and-forth (usually there is a phone call or two in between), contract is signed, and 50% payment is received, I then open up Apple’s iCal and insert the future start date into the appropriate calendar month and date with a reminder one week before and one day before the official start date. I check this calender every morning.

I also use Subernova to keep track of my project and client once the project gets rolling. I use it to keep track of my time (even though I tend to not charge hourly, its good to get an idea how much time you spend so you can later decide if you need to raise or lower rates) and the clients I’m currently working with. It can also be used to track initial/final payments, keep inspiration/links for projects, set project milestones, and send invoices. Recently, Supernova even started syncing with iCal.

Juggling multiple projects

Juggling multiple projects while maintaining deadlines and quality can be quite tricky and exhausting. To relieve some of the stress and provide for a smoother ride I divide my day into 2 projects. This helps me be more creative as well. Having time away from a project gives me a chance to approach it with a new set of eyes the next day.

Also, when things get even more hectic, I tend to outsource my areas of my project work. While some designers might cringe at the fact of giving money to another creative knowing that they could do the same work they are paying someone else to do, I find it to be more beneficial to the client and myself. Not only does this help to manage your projects and time, but more importantly, allows you to focus on what you’re best and most passionate towards. For me I’m not the best back-end developer, but I love being able to focus on the aesthetics and front-end of the design.

Organizing my email

Once projects are underway, and even prior to start, there are many email exchanges and conversations between multiple clients and myself. I keep folders containing clients names or company within Apple Mail. Once I’m done responding to their new email, it’s then stowed away in the appropriate folder just in case I need to reference it later.

Prepare ahead for tax time

That’s right Uncle Sam… I pay your darn taxes! I use Apple’s Numbers (or you can also use Microsoft Excel) software to keep a basic spreadsheet of my revenue and expenses. This way at the end of each quarter of the year I’m a little more prepared and organized.

This is the first year I am working with an accountant to handle my taxes. I figured it was well worth my lack of knowledge and expertise on the tax-subject and provides more time to focus on other aspects of my business.

Keeping it all synced

I just started working from and storing my files directly on Dropbox with an upgraded account. This saves myself time from moving around files from computer to computer, figuring out which files is the most current, backing up files weekly (Dropbox is an automatic backup, although I still backup Dropbox to an external every few days just for added relief), etc.

This wasn’t necessary, but hey I can use all the time I can get! I must say, Dropbox is a great service that works in amazing, useful ways. For more on my love of Dropbox: http://j.mp/DropboxLove

Besides keeping my files in sync, I also like to keep my information, contacts, calendars, and emails in order wherever I’m at. My method is MobileMe, although Google will provide similar syncing for the aforementioned. MobileMe has worked well for keeping my iPhone, iMac and Macbook Pro in sync, although Apple should definitely takes notes from Dropbox with their iDisk functionality.

Organizing the non-digital

I keep folders that contain client’s paperwork, notes/sketches and contracts. Some things are better in non-digital form. I also keep envelopes of business expense receipts. Again, tax time preparation which saves me from doing it all at the end of every quarter or year.

How to run an even more effective business and career

In addition to speeding up tasks and saving time to focus on other aspects of your business, here are a nine ways and tricks to becoming a more effective and proficient designer.

Although I am always on the look out for new, inventive ways to simply the daunting tasks of running your own business, the above techniques has dramatically helped to spend more time actually designing.

What are some tips and techniques that have worked for you to help speed up repetitive tasks, keep your business organized and running smoothly? Please do share in the comments below.

Easy answer: Educated clients equal happy clients, and when clients are happy your business is even happier. There are two reasons that I started The Design Cubicle: first to help and inspire other designers and, second, to spread design education and awareness to those looking to hire design professionals.

The question now is: How can we educate clients to help them better understand what we do as graphic designers. Someone is not going to fork over thousands of dollars to something they don’t see just because — you have to educate them from start to finish. Here’s how:

Start a blog

Sure everyone tells you to start a blog, but no one knows why. Stop posting “5,000 websites with the color yellow” and starting sharing personal insights and information into how YOU work. Sure, it’s fine to post some inspiration resources here and there, but mix it up a bit. A blog is supposed to be personal, so bring back the personality.

Clients that haven’t worked with you want to know how you work, so a blog is a great start to providing some insight into your processes.

Set the tone

Clients that come in contact with my website usually start by filling out one of my online project worksheet questionnaires. After reading through their responses I follow up with a phone call that usually last about an hour.

Use this time to not only learn about them and their project, but share information about yourself as well. Tell them how you work and, more importantly, why you do the things you do. Don’t be afraid to say “listen, I know you want your logo to convey that you are a Fortune 500 company that sells electronics to children between the ages of 1–10 years of age, but that doesn’t mean showing all of that in an icon is necessary” or “that we don’t need to have an icon/mark to suite your brand identity.”

Be clear in the proposal/contract

First off, if you are not using any sort of signed agreement then you should. If you already are, make sure you detail exactly what they are receiving (deliverables), when they are receiving it, and what they are getting from your services and time put forth. Be specific and through.

Also if it’s a large project breaking down costs also helps them to see what they money is being invested into.

Get them to be apart of the work

When showing initial compositions to clients, talk to them on the phone while discussing them, don’t just email them and ask “So what do you think?” Get them to see your reasoning for doing the work you did. Explain to them why you did what you did and how this will benefit their clients. Be the teacher and the designer.

Use words they understand

Save the design talk for your designer friends. Clients want to know exactly the things you are doing and how it will benefit them. Don’t say things like, “we are building your site on a CMS“. Rather, “We are building your website to be easily updatable so you are able to make changes and updates yourself — referred to as a Content Management System.”

Show visuals when appropriate

As designers we are used to seeing things or used to visualizing them in our heads, but not everyone (including designers) is. Show examples or other visuals when you can.

For example if you are discussing a hover effect with a client, show them a website the already has something similar so they can see what you are doing.

Teach the benefits

Clients don’t (typically) want to hear about the mesmerizing curves of ampersands, they want to know how what you are doing will benefit them. Tell them the benefits and importance of making a logo flexible or why focusing on usability is important for their website and its visitors. As designers we often showcase our work for the sake of “looking pretty”, while client’s showcase our work as a means to grab results.

Finish the job right

Don’t just package up your deliverables and email them on over to your clients. Create a document or well-organized folders that tell your clients when they should be using each file type.

Remember, being an independent graphic designer means you have to do all the work. Educating your clients is one of the many tasks of running your own business. When you help to educate clients not only are you helping the design community out, but building trust for a long lasting relationship. When it’s time for a client to choose a designer who do you think they will go to first?