Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business

Don't confuse clients with rates that don't match your brand. I'd like you to imagine this scenario. There's a neighbourhood in your city that you love. It has beautiful homes with big yards and lots of green space around. It's close to amenities like schools and shopping. And the internet infrastructure is state of the art, which we know is a must for what we do as designers. It's the type of nei...

The reason to use checklists. I first talked about checklists way back in episode 89 of Resourceful Designer . In it, I shared various types of checklists you can use for your business. I even shared my now outdated checklist for starting a new WordPress website . Today, I'm not going to share checklist ideas with you. Instead, I want to talk about the importance of using checklists. To emphasize...

Be wary of your reputation. Let me tell you a story. It is a story that has nothing to do with graphic or web design, but it is relevant to running a business, and I'll tie that into running a design business if you stick around to the end. We built our house in 2005. Or, more accurately, we had someone build our home in 2005. If you've ever built your own home or know of someone who has, you know...

Do you know how to give a good critique? One of my professors made us critique our classmates' projects at the end of every college assignment. Once we completed a design project, he would place everyone's design at the front of the class, and one by one, he would select students and ask them to critique one of the projects. The reason he did this was twofold. He wanted us to develop an eye toward...

Are you getting enough activity? In episode 105 of the podcast Coping With Isolation When Working From Home, I discussed how isolation is a significant concern for anyone running a home-based design business. Spending day after day with minimal contact with other people can take its toll on someone. In that episode, I gave recommendations for overcoming that feeling of isolation. One of those reco...

Which personality do you use most often? Let me ask you a question. Does being a designer, either graphic, web, UX, UI or whatever, qualify you to run your own design business? Some people may say yes. After all, are there any differences between designing something for an employer or an employer's clients and designing something for your own clients? Not really. I'll concede that the design skill...

As a freelance designer, you will face peaks and valleys while running your business. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it. There's nothing better than working for yourself. From deciding who you want to work with to how much you want to charge for your work. Being your own boss is, well, liberating. As your own boss, you get to set your own hours. Want to waste time during the day and work at...

Earlier this week, a member of the Resourceful Designer Community was seeking advice. A potential client contacted her asking if she designs book covers, which she does. Before replying to this unknown person, she decided to investigate who they were. She discovered that this potential client is an author. And the subject they write about is something the design is strongly against. The Community...

We're lucky that we chose a profession where confidence beats knowledge. Before I dive deeper into that, we first have to look at what confidence is. According to disctionary.com , Confidence is the belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities . Confidence is what's center stage when you say, "I can do this." Confidence is what's driving you when you say, "I can figure this out." Confidence is...

I'm happy to announce that this week is, in fact, the final part of my Psychology of Pricing series, where I share research-proven tactics to make the most out of the prices you display. If you haven't listened to the previous parts in this series , I suggest you go back and do so before continuing with this one. I'll still be here once you're done. These pricing tactics are great to use in your d...

This is week five of my Psychology of Pricing series. Where I share research-proven strategies to help the prices you display convert into sales. Some of these pricing tactics work great with your design business, and many of them are perfect for helping your clients get more sales. So if you haven't read or listened to the previous parts in this series , I suggest you do so before continuing with...

This is week four of my psychology of pricing series. Where I share research-proven strategies to influence people to part with their hard-earned money, some of these pricing tactics work great with your design business, and many of them are perfect for helping your clients get more sales. If you haven't listened to part 1,   part 2 or part 3 of this series, I suggest you do so before continuing w...

This is week three of my psychology of pricing series. Where I share research-proven strategies to influence people to part with their hard-earned money. Some of these pricing tactics work great with your design business, and many of them are perfect for helping your clients get more sales. If you haven't listened to part 1 and part 2 , I suggest you do so before continuing with this one. Let's co...

Last week I shared the first nine psychology of pricing tactics from Nick Kolenda's article . This week I continue the series with more great pricing tactics. Tactic 10: Position Low Prices Toward the Left According to a 2002 study, when designing a layout, you should position prices on the left if you want them to appear smaller. Here's the reasoning. Research shows that people associate directio...

Use these psychological tactics to change how people see prices. I recently read a very in-depth article by Nick Kolenda on the psychology of pricing. I was so fascinated by what he revealed that I immediately changed some of the ways I display prices for myself and the things I design for my clients. I thought I would save you time by summarizing the 42 research-proven psychological tactics in Ni...

Do you want to know the secret to a satisfying design career? Let's face it; it's impossible to be completely happy and satisfied with whatever career choice you choose. I mean, even being a professional chocolate taster has its drawbacks. But out of all the gazillion different things you can do with your life. Being a graphic or web designer, at least in my opinion, is one of the more satisfying...

Have you ever worked with a bad client? Ok, I have a confession to make. Obviously, bad clients are a thing. I chose this title to get your attention. And it worked. You're here, aren't you? The title I should have chosen is If you do your job right, you should never have to deal with bad clients. But it just doesn't have the same ring to it. I bet if I asked you to recount an experience with a ba...

Have you ever given a presentation? This Bootstrap Advertising series is to help give you ideas to use to gain exposure for your design business. Because after all, people won't hire you if they don't know about you. So far in this series, I've covered Bartering Your Services For Exposure, Promoting Yourself On Client Projects  and Getting Free Media Exposure With Press Releases. But in my opinion...

Use Press Releases To Get Media Exposure. In parts one and two of this bootstrap advertising series, I talked about bartering your design services for exposure and promoting yourself on your client projects . Two great ways to get your name out there. After all, the more people there are who know about you and the services you offer, the more successful you will be. Both bartering for exposure and...

Get your name out there. In part one of this Bootstrap Advertising series , I discussed bartering your services to get exposure. This week I'm sharing more ways to get exposure by promoting yourself on client projects. Exposure means making people aware of your design business. After all, People cannot hire you if they don't know you exist. So the goal here is to get your name, business name, and...

Do you ever barter for exposure? Working for exposure. That thought is the bane of most designers. A client asks you to use your valuable time and skills to benefit them. And in exchange, they'll tell everyone they know about the great services you offer. It's a win-win for both of you. They promise you fame and fortune if only you do this project for them... for free, or at a vast discount. It's...

Do you remember every design job you've ever done? Please think of this as a PSA, a public service announcement from me to you. Remember what you've done. This week's topic came about after three separate incidents this past week. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but after the third time, I just knew I had to talk about it. Incident #1 The first incident happened this past weekend. My son ask...

Have you ever had to chase delinquent clients for money? The life of a home-based designer, a freelancer, is a precarious one. You spent a lot of time learning your craft. Whether you went to school or learned on your own, you invested a lot in yourself to get you to where you are today. Now clients hire you to design wonderful and functional things for them. You spend hours, if not days working o...

Do you pitch retainer agreements to your clients? In the Resourceful Designer Community Slack group, we have a channel called #Bragging-Rights. It's a place where community members share their most recent wins. Things like Katie telling us her client approved the logo she asked us to critique a few weeks ago. Or Brian sharing the completion of a huge website project with an extremely tight deadlin...

Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome? I don't know if it's the pandemic, the stress of everything we've had to endure over the past year. But lately, I've seen more and more designers struggling with Imposter Syndrome. I've seen it in the Resourceful Designer Community . In Facebook groups. And just talking with people, I know in the design space. I don't know what's causing so many people in our...