Well, I felt that as
the other post about freelancer tips had some interest that I would
write another post with some pointers that would make life just a bit
more bearable when delving into the life as a freelance designer! I'm
also sure that some of these pointers are transferable across other
creative professions, so here we go.
** Manage Client
Expectations **
That's almost all that
needs to be said. Make sure that you and the client are on the same
page in terms of what they expect at the end of the project. Be up
front, discuss budgets and see that you are both heading towards same
goal. Failing to manage their expectations in the initial stages can
result in dissatisfaction and loss of a client. Avoid surprising
them, be up front, see what they want, check that you can deliver on
what that want and you may save yourself and them a whole load of
hassle!
Clients to Avoid
In the early stages you
will probably bump into many clients who may be trouble than their
worth to your business. This isn't a personal criticism of these
clients, nor are they strictly conscious of their actions but you need
to build a viable business take some of these behaviours into
account. A bit of fun below, Client types:
-
The non-payer: yeah we have your number Non-payer and shame on
you. I bet if the shoe were on the other foot you'd be among the
first to complain about not being paid! The trouble is some of these
people that have an adversity to honourable business practices is,
they can be tricky to spot. They may vanish without a trace when it
comes to payment (pppppoooohhhhfff – the sound of them vanishing
from the phone, emails, post code). What do you do? It's best to ask
for a deposit at the start of a project to see if they are fare
dodgers, if they wince at the thought of paying you a starter fee
(even a small one) be very very careful! You could find yourself out
of pocket.
- The Cheapskate:
And you! Stopping asking students to produce work for nothing whilst
in the process of cheapening the design industry! Stop! I don't care.
In all honestly you can spot these clients quite early, and in
fairness they are just trying to use a bit of business sense. But
remember fellow designers… you are a businessperson too and you
need to make a living before making a profit. Stand strong and admit
that you need to make money, eat, pay rent/mortgage keep a family and
that the client hiring you are doing so for you skills and expertise.
Have respect for your skills, if you don't they certainly wont. And
don't do spec work for free, sometimes this is rewarding but more
often that not this is company or client looking to explore
insecurity and gain something for nothing. Again… they probably
wouldn't offer their services for free – unless they are charity,
then that is a whole different kettle of fish. One small exception to
this rule is when you are student – getting real commercial work is
like gold dust in the early days. Even then, when I was a student
doing a HND in design we a great lecturer that would find us clients
and live worth that work give all the students a bit of money, not a
lot but a bit.
- The Disrespectful
One: trust me , these guys can put real sour taste in your mouth
avoid them if possible. Sometimes the general lack of respect
(sometimes combined with ignorance) can take a little while to
manifest and no matter how much you try to win someone round,
educate, inspire they just see your skills as an superfluous aspect
to their business, “you just make things look pretty”you are
skills are never an investment, to them they wander if they can do a
better job, whether their cats or dogs can do your job and they don't
even have thumbs “ah anyone can do that” or quote - “The
computer did that!”. This type of client alone can be the
underpinning for statements above. Be warned and be ready. To tell
the truth, this can be tricky to draw out its ugly head. Engage in
conversation, and maybe ask some questions about the business. What
do they need from a designer, is there anything else they like on the
market etc. You are contending with an attitude towards you
professional skills and in the films you can almost always win these
people round... these is probably not the case in the real world. You
will just start to get a gut feeling from this sort of client from
odd little quips and remarks, this can also be especially prevalent
if you work in-house. – Show yourself a little self-respect even
if the client won't move on! Onward and upward... if you can afford
to.
Selling Yourself Short
Or the design industry
in general. “I'm new so I won't charge anymore that bag of peanuts
and a pat on the back!”Why? Have confidence! If you have trained as
a Graphic designer, artist, or any other profession be creative or
technical, have faith in you skills. If you don't have faith in your
skills how do you expect your client to faith in you? Not only that,
if you go in for a low ball number it just says to the client that
they may be dealing with someone who lacks confidence knowledge, and
also you draw out the wolves – and you will be the wounded animal –
and like wolves, they will smell vulnerability. You will probably
want to avoid working hard and getting very little pay in return, it
gets old trust me on that. You also cheapen the industry, stop.
Don't be Desperate
This one is also tricky
to avoid as a graduate or newbie. Companies and recruiters will know
that you will be probably be desperate for a job as you will have 0
years experience. If you really want a job, desperation can lead you
to making bad decisions early on with selecting employers and clients
that will want to take advantage of you. If a position or a job
smells fishy, don’t ignore that gut feeling. If someone is taking
advantage of you be prepared to say 'no' and walk away. That
willingness to say no will save you hassle, be prepared to walk away
if it feels like the right thing to do... and make sure you complete
what was required if things got that far.
Well I hope that gives
you something to consider. Its not all terror out there in wilds of
design but there are pitfalls you should avoid. I have run into these
on a couple of occasions but they are much less frequent these days.
If you are new I would advise taking some of the above on board. If
you a season professional you can look back and laugh (or cry) at
some of the points above. Have a good one all!
“I ain’t
paying £5 for a business card!” – this was said in response to
offering them a branding make over!
Feel free to post any
mini stories or rude comments.
