You get what you pay for...

Money is never a fun topic, but with tax season in full-swing... I have money on the brain. I've been thinking a lot about my rates and how I bill for individual projects. I started working for myself almost three years ago and have not increased my hourly rate—not once. I originally came up with my rate based on what others were charging locally (I was still in Washington DC), as well as the time I would be spending on admin and self-employment taxes/insurance. I've always thought my rates were fair and in keeping with industry standards (more on that here)...

However, after moving across the country to a suburban setting, I found that my rates are a bit higher than those being charged by most designers/consultants in the area. As a result, I have very few local clients. I am trying to change that, but one of the obstacles I face (and all designers face) is to help others understand why things cost as much as they do... and to convince clients that having a family member set up a business website may not be the best strategy—even if it does save money initially.

A few things to consider:

1. Getting a project right the first time, rather than having to fix someone's mistakes saves everyone time and money.

2. Designers make their living doing just that—designing. So offering to pay $100 for a logo is sending the message that you either: a) have no idea how much time goes into logo design; b) you do not value a designer's contribution and are ok spending less than minimum wage for your branding; or c) really don't care about the final outcome.

3. Just because you're paying a designer $xx, doesn't mean that they're getting $xx at the end of the day. As with any other business, designers have overhead—computer(s), software, taxes, insurance, rent, administrative time... oh, and we also need a few dollars left over for food, mortgage payments, etc.

4. We're professionals. And clients should expect nothing less from a designer than a professional product created within the designated timeline, all while providing excellent customer service. That's our job. That is not necessarily the modus operandi of some guy a client finds to design their website for $200...

All that said, remember that you really do get what you pay for—with designers, with everything. If you're willing to sacrifice time and possibly quality, then by all means save your money. But if you're looking for a great product at a decent price, then I'm your gal!
(maybe I should raise my rates...)

iPhone Apps for Designers

I cannot say this enough—I LOVE my iPhone. Back in June, I decided that it was absolutely necessary to have a business line, as my personal cell phone just wasn't cutting it—and I was getting sick of paying overage charges for long client calls. Then fate stepped in, Apple dropped their price on the 3G, and I had a phone that could field calls, check email, and entertain me on the occasional ferry ride into the city.


Flickr
A great place to upload your photos and to check out some really great images.

Photoshop.com Mobile
Edit and share your photos.

RunKeeper
While technically not a design application, I love this because it tracks my runs—pace, route and mileage... 'cause running brings me sanity (and gets me away from the computer)

Mint
Keep track of all of your finances in one place.

Skype
Make a call to anyone with an account... for free. Amazing.



myPANTONE
PANTONE color libraries on the go

Best Camera
Another way to edit/share your photos... this one with cool filters.

The Typography Manual
LOTS about type.

Palettes
The name kinda says it all.

Etsy Addict
Because that's what I am.

Client Spotlight

PicPocket Books


It's about time I began introducing some of my wonderful clients. While I may feel the need to prove that I do, in fact, work (a little)—the real reason for the post is to focus on some of the great ideas people are bringing to fruition, even in this dismal economy. So in this inaugural "spotlight" post, I decided to highlight one of my newest clients, PicPocket Books. Not only are they incredibly nice people, they have a great product—childrens' books that can be downloaded from iTunes. I downloaded their first book, My Friend Isabelle, and my daughter loves it. It definitely comes in handy when we're waiting in line!

I was fortunate enough to get to work on both the logo and site design for PicPocket. I love being able to take on integrated "campaigns". Not only are these projects more creatively satisfying, they usually have a better visual outcome, as having only one designer involved makes for a better process for everyone (just my opinion). On top of that, it is great to be able to help out a client from the beginning and feel the excitement for their business/organization and be able to translate that graphically.

Check 'em out at picpocketbooks.com or on iTunes.

Businesslike.

The work has been piling on this week, rather unexpectedly. It's a wonderful thing, but it really caught me off guard. I don't advertise in any way, unless you count my website. Instead, I have a network of fabulous people who continue to send projects my way. Thank you, thank you!

However, I have been wondering how long this arrangement can last. Eventually, I am going to have to put myself out there—right? I feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the design world, as I continue to work in isolation in my lovely brown office. I try to get out at least once a day and have even made a few local business contacts. But I think it may be time to branch out. I really, truly believe that networking (as much as I despise the word) is the best way to find clients whose products and/or values closely mesh with mine. There are several opportunities coming up that sound promising, so if I can just make the time (effort)...

One I'm looking at seriously:

Defining Business Success on Your Own Terms
Through the Grassroots Business Association, who have a great selection of events that always seem to fall on days that I am previously engaged :-)

So, I'm wondering... How do you stay connected?

p.s. Facebook and Twitter do NOT count.

Free Resources

While I absolutely adore my Adobe Creative Suite 4, its purchase left my pocketbook quite empty. I wish I could use it for everything, but sometimes I just need to make a spreadsheet... or attempt to organize my thoughts. Luckily I've found many great free resources that make my life at least a little bit easier.

OpenOffice
The first, and most powerful free resource I wholeheartedly endorse is OpenOffice. I successfully rid my MacBook Pro of all things Microsoft, including Office, late last year. But I only did so after testing all of the common functions I'd be using in OpenOffice. I was impressed. In fact, I think it works better—no issues with conversion or saving in different formats, and it hasn't crashed my computer. They also offer tons of extensions and templates to customize your experience. Try it!

960 Grid System
We use a grid for print design, so why not on the web? It really does make things move faster.

Evernote
I'm still trying this out as a possible solution to my listmaking addiction, but I'm not giving up on making my own paper planner.

dafont
This is a huge, searchable emporium of free fonts and dingbats. While I can't advocate using most of the typefaces found here, they have a nice selection of symbols and theme-specific fonts.

Brusheezy
Like their tagline says, stupid name. But the free Photoshop brushes come in handy when you're designing on a tight budget.

Do you have any free resources you'd like to share?

Hmmmm...

It's April 7th and I still haven't received a new issue of ReadyMade, which made me wonder if it was quietly going away, like so many wonderful magazines that have disappeared in the last year. So I looked into it... and it seems that the parent company is cutting jobs and consolidating everyone to Des Moines, Iowa. But none of the employees, originally based in San Francisco, wanted to move. Can you blame them?

But it makes me wonder what's going to happen to this innovative magazine. And when will I receive my next issue? 'Cause I am seriously needing a little inspiration.

p.s. I am still missing Plenty magazine

Using Budgets Wisely, or Rise of the Freelancer!

By now, the downturn of this economy has hit most of us... in some way or another. Perhaps we're dining out less, foregoing a vacation, or simply ignoring it all in the hope it will just go away. But more specifically, our economy seems to have provided an interesting environment for designers, especially freelancers.

When budgets are cut, creative departments are some of the first to go. Perhaps it's easier to justify holding off on that website redesign, rather than to neglect something a little more urgent—like increasing productivity (a.k.a: taking your executives on a retreat.) But then again, companies still paid $3 million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl advertising last month. It's just more evidence that corporate America is still willing to waste its money to look cool. One highly publicized example comes to mind—Tropicana's impersonal brand redesign (and subsequent return to its original design). This is probably the most appalling example in recent history of how a highly-recognizable brand attempted to completely abandon their customer base to "reinvent" itself as something it never was in the first place. It would be one thing if Tropicana succeeded, but their fan base raised their voices and the $35 million ($35 MILLION!) advertising budget seems to have been wasted—as Tropicana is now going back to their original "straw in the orange" design (thank goodness!). READ THE NY TIMES ARTICLE HERE

Such an example provokes so many questions. What were they thinking? How is it possible that companies still have $35 million to throw away on rebranding? But more importantly, why on earth should it cost so much?

I digress... the real reason I bring all of this up, is that in tough times, we all have to use what money we do have wisely. That's why good freelance designers are now in high demand. We're often less expensive than our counterparts, as we don't require as much overhead to stay in business (at least it's the case for my business, as I operate as a sole proprietor.) We can also offer something even more valuable—personal service. Having a direct line of communication between client and designer, without having to go through layers of project managers, strategists, art directors, etc. is worth a lot. Not only does this enable a project to be completed on a much shorter timeline, it often means a lot less frustration for both parties, as it's much easier to communicate one's vision directly, rather than have it distilled through several channels before finally ending up on a designer's desk.

So, what I'm getting at is this: it's a great time to be a freelancer—not just any freelancer, but a good one—responsible and reliable, with a little creativity mixed in for good measure.