As salespeople as well as designers, we often feel like we should be bowing to our client’s every need. We might especially do that in this economy, where it feels like a person has to scramble for every penny and pittance they can get. However, at times this can lead to wasting good time that can be put towards development work.

But what are the warning signs of a bad client that’s going to put us in a slippery position? Or maybe you’re really asking should I really go with this client, despite their demands? Let’s explore the types of problem clients, and how to explore them! Read more »

Today, I got my New Every 2 phone from Verizon. For the last two years after deciding to get a plan with Verizon, I have used the free Samsung phone that came for free at the time in which I purchased my plan. My little phone was okay aside from horrible sound and its inability to properly recognize its voice, not to mention the occasional lost message and the occasional lost text. All in all, though I tried to remain positive about its prospects, my old phone did not treat me properly.

I discovered this today whenever my fiance and I decided to purchase a twin set of Motorola Droids with the New Every 2 and Verizon’s current “Buy One get One Free” marketing campaign; the guy even threw in some accessories for 20% off.

At first I was very critical about smart phones and could not imagine that they actually had the impact on small business as they would, until I began to discover the worth of my Droid. Read more »

Tools commonly referenced in “Designer Wanted” articles often include inDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. I’m going to take for granted that the reader already realizes the purpose of inDesign as a print media platform, and more narrowly focus on the use of Illustrator and Photoshop in design.

By definition, Illustrator’s output files are vectors, meaning that they are saved differently than Photoshop’s. When resized, they lose less of their value because they are saved as points and curves, whereas a Photoshop file would lose much of its value as its resolution became bigger as it would become more and more pixellated or “fuzzy”. For more information (and probably a better definition of what vector artwork is), please view this page.

Of course, you can use any range of image editing software that you wish, whether GIMP or your choice of vector program, but as a designer I have found Adobe’s programs more intuitive and thus have continued to use them for years. As such, I will focus on these two programs by name. Read more »

Most of what you’re about to read may or may not come off as “common sense.” If you feel this way, then look at your life. Are you applying these steps to your life? Do you feel you need a set path for becoming a great designer? Then keep reading.

The rule of thumb has always been “practice makes perfect.” Then we’re told that we will never be “perfect,” but our imperfections are our true perfections – we just need to find a way to bring out our best. Read more »

It happens to the best of us. We’re doing great with our business, finish off the last client file, and then…

Suddenly nothing.

We find ourselves scrambling to try and make ends meet, and worry and fret that perhaps going into freelance design wasn’t that great of an idea. Our savings begin to burn up, and we panic.

What can be done? Read more »