You hear all the time if you are a freelancer, that you are essentially the business. Not only are you all aspects of it, but you are also the face behind it. But how much of that face is actually yours, and how much of it is a sort of compromised professional persona that may not be a fully representative of you? And if you are in fact, partaking in this sort of professional facade, just what are the implications of this behavior? Does it speak more about you and your professionalism, or does it speak to the market that you are operating in?

In the interest of full disclosure I am going to out myself and announce for the first time, that I am one of these freelancers who dons this public persona that is a watered down version of myself, and I do it, because of the possible client blowback. This often doesn’t amount to much more than biting my proverbial tongue when it comes to social media environs, but it is a compromise that I recognized being made, and one that got me thinking. Are we all, to a degree, playing a role in the interest of appearance for potential clients? And how much of ourselves are people actually wanting or expecting us to reveal about who we are through our business?

The blogosphere is loaded with posts warning about business faux-pas that occur via the various social media outlets, which prove that some people give no consideration to the effects of their online interactions. But as a freelancer, these interactions can be crucial for the ability of your business to thrive, so paying special attention to them comes highly recommended with this territory. Hence the facade of professionalism to help act as a sort of safeguard. For me, I established a personal blog years ago, complete with a podcast and a twitter account that I pretty much keep separate from my freelance business life. This affords me an outlet free from possible clients that may be turned off by my personal views and politics shared through these outlets.

But what does it all mean?

For those of us who work with a professional alter ego, we have to learn where to draw the lines, and when we take on branding our business, those lines can become blurred. Again, for effectively building a personal brand, it has to be just that, personal. But how much of you should be included in the mix? Because just like the blogosphere being loaded with posts telling you to be aware of the weight your online conversations, there are a number of posts highlighting the importance of freelancers building themselves into the brand.

However, just like a talkative stranger we meet who will unload a decades worth of baggage and poignantly personal experiences on us in the span of ten minutes in response to the kindest and most rhetorical of acknowledgments or greetings, we do not want to put too much out there. Let us be honest for a moment, though most who populate the web may agree with the notion that we want to know who is behind the scenes of our favorite brands, we only want to know so much. Not that we are shallow, but I think that most of us want to know them to a degree, but we want also want to some aspects of them to remain a bit of a mystery.

Now I cannot speak for everyone in this case, but from others I have spoken with in the community, we do like some of our favorite branded freelancers to leave a bit of who they are to the imagination, so that we may fill in the gaps ourselves or leave them blank if we so choose. But why is this? Is it so that we may continue to paint them in a certain light, that we may find a bit more favorable? For whatever reason, because we want them to remain somewhat more approachable or higher on the pedastal we have them placed, we want some of who they are but not all of it. Perhaps it is simply a T.M.I. situation and we would rather remain somewhat in the dark.

Any way you slice it, the pie comes up portioned to serve in doses not as a whole in order to be more palatable to some (in my case, potential clients who do not care to, nor need to hear my political opinions and stances because they are not relevant to the task at hand.). Now this is not to say that our personal politics and morals, even if they are kept to ourselves, cannot guide or steer us in our choices as to which clients to take on and which to pass by. That is one of the great things about being a freelancer, you have the right to refuse your services to anyone for any reason without compromising your stances or your professionalism.

As a vegan I would never do design work for any company that uses animals or animal products as part of their business model, but that does not mean that I would openly be disrespectful when declining the work and risk damaging the reputation of my business. I would kindly thank them for their consideration but tell them that I cannot work with them at this time, perhaps even recommending other freelancers that I know who may not have these same hangups as I do. So even if we keep part of ourself buried behind a mask of professionalism, it does not mean that this part of us becomes compromised. It is still there. It still guides us.

So as you set out to brand your freelance business, it is relevant to keep these kinds of considerations in mind. It may be necessary for you to draw these kinds of lines so that you know just where your brand stops and you start. In the interest of business preservation you might not want to take full advantage of the ‘be yourself’ freedom that so many turn to freelancing thinking it offers. You have to remember that there are still expectations that others will have that could potentially impact your brand construction, so even in this case, it is not all about you.

So what are the expectations?

There is no way to overstate the importance of your brand, so making sure that you give it every thoughtful consideration is vital, and part of that is taking on other perspectives for a sort of informal Q&A. So it becomes necessary that you explore the expectations that will be placed on your brand to help you effectively decide how much of who you truly are should play just how much of a role in your brand. Essentially helping you to gauge how much of a personal injection to put in your brand and how much of a professional face to paint over the issue.

Now expectations will naturally vary with the freelance arena in which you hang your hat, and the individual experiencing your brand, but there are a few that are universally applied.

Originality

One major expectation that people will put upon your brand, is one of originality. They expect you to craft an individual and unique brand, and this idea would certainly lend itself to and lead towards putting some of yourself in the mix. But there are other ways of garnering an original label for your brand, beyond making it all about you, so there is still a line here to consider.

Some Level of Professionalism

This is another major expectation that is often placed upon your brand from various directions, so maintaining some level of professionalism is usually a good idea. This can definitely help your business be taken seriously, and may also impart to some a sense of reliability. This is a consideration that tends to point towards scaling back a bit on the personal, even if it is just a little bit.

Clear Communication

Given that you can build your brand in whatever direction you wish, one expectation to keep in mind is certainly its ability to clearly communicate everything your business represents. So however much of yourself you incorporate into the brand, make sure that it does not muddle up the message that is communicated to your audience and potential clients. The more professional you make your brand the clearer the messages taken away from interactions with it may be.

Consistency

Whichever mix you end up with in your brand, know that another common expectation that most of the populous it’s positioned to impact will place on it is consistency. So no matter how much you and how much professionalism is added in to fill out your brand, make sure that you continue to keep up that mix and not veer too far from its established path once you have gotten going. This shift can really mix up the reception you get from the following and the reputation you have built for your business.

In Conclusion

Perhaps it is the hippie in me that always tends to push for balance, but I honestly believe that in this instance striking for that balance of personal and professional backing for your freelance brand is the best area to aim. But I am sure that others will draw different conclusions and wherever you land in this discussion, I would love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section.

If you’re a web designer charging a reasonable rate for your services, you’ve likely been really discouraged when you’ve looked at job boards in the past – lots of jobs that pay very little and want the moon. Or, worse, the jobs that want a designer to merely clone a pre-existing site.

And yet, if you’re looking for work, a job board can be a great place to find it. You just have to know these five tips.

1) Don’t Expect To Land Any One Gig

No matter how perfect you know you are for the position, don’t be discouraged if you don’t even get an email back. Rather, take the attitude that your right clients will find you with a little help by seeing you in their email inbox.

2) Apply For Many, Many Openings

Take a few hours, and find at least 30 positions you’d be great for. Apply to all of them. Applying for jobs advertised on job boards is a crap shoot, and the more awesome emails you send, the better your odds of getting at landing at least one client.

3) Apply For Each One Individually

Read the job requirements, make sure you apply the way they ask (if they ask you not to send a resume, don’t send a resume). Write a personal email for each opening, and even if you do some copying and pasting, make sure to write at least one original sentence explaining why you want this particular job. It’ll go a long way to catching the eye of whomever is slogging through the applications to know you’ve treated them like an individual.

4) Take A Long-Term View

As you read the job requirements, don’t just think about how you could help immediately, think about what the client needs going forward. For instance, a client who wants a WordPress blog designed might also need future training, or advice on attracting more search engine traffic. Something that can really help to drive this point home is to use a testimonial from a client who you started with Project A and then also helped them with Project B. If you have a client who can say, “We hired Jo to design a company blog, and then found ourselves without many visitors. So, we called Jo again and were able to attract 50% more search engine traffic in a month just by making the recommended tweaks” that can go a long way towards making your point.

5) Make Sure You Get The Pieces In Order First

You’re going to need a portfolio, whether it’s on your own site or a portfolio site. You’re going to need contact information beyond an email address. An awesome resume won’t hurt, nor will some killer client testimonials. A lengthy client list (especially if you’ve worked with big players in the prospect’s industry) is also useful. If you don’t have these pieces yet, don’t despair, but do start putting them together as you go – they all go a long way towards
demonstrating your credibility.

Final Thoughts

If you’re good, you can expect to land 1 out of every 10 jobs you apply for even if yours is the highest price they receive. Sure, those are somewhat long odds, but when you’re
looking at projects around $5k, it’s well worth the two hours it’ll take you to knock out thirty emails and land three gigs. So, be personable, be professional, and apply for a lot of jobs. Will you lose out on some jobs because your prices are too high? Of course! But, you’ll lose out on all the jobs if you don’t apply at all.

1) Be Professional

You are a design professional. Make sure it shows when a client contacts you. Answer all emails promptly, write short but clear sentences and make sure there are neither mistakes nor typos. Take especially good care of this when writing in a foreign language. Astonish your clients with absolute command of their native tongue! This will show your proficiency in areas other than design, always a bonus.

Let’s say you get an inquiry from a potential client who filled in your web contact form. Chances are the form is highly detailed and should give you enough information to prepare a quote. But, alas, sometimes clients don’t shed enough light on their requests, or the matter at hand requires additional explanations. Therefore, it’s always good practice to follow up such inquiries with a series of relevant questions pertaining to the job. When you do this, be very specific. Ask questions about the scope of the project (ex.: How will the illustration be used?), about the time frame, about what file formats are needed. Some clients might not understand, for example, the difference between vector and raster graphics but there you are explaining it to them in layman terms. Not only will this clarify any doubts regarding the given job, it will also show that you’re for real. This is especially important for freelancers, who are more likely to be treated like “that kid who draws pictures.”

2) Be Fun!

By all means, be fun! One of the reasons clients turn to freelancers is so they can avoid the stiff, bureaucratic, corporate hassles associated with studios and agencies. They’re looking for a talented, dynamic, passionate and professional individual. They’re looking for you.

They expect you to lean more on the artistic side than to wear a suit. They’ve see the fun copy and the caricature on your website. They misspelled a search term and landed on your exhilarating 404 “OOPS!” page. They can take a joke. You’ve already shown them you’re a true professional, now show them your friendlier side.

When replying to that first email compliment them on their website (or offer valuable critique – it speaks volumes on your keen eye for good design and your desire to make everything more beautiful). Keep your tone professional but fresh: they pay you to draw little colorful pages and characters, remember? Will they hire you if you come across as stuck up and stiff? No way.

If you are active on social networks (you probably should) include your profiles in your email signature and invite your clients to follow you on Twitter. The lighter tone usually associated with tweets allows you to stay in touch with people in a relaxed manner.

In these days of Internet freelancing we don’t always see the people we work with or even talk to them. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to let our personality show through emails, SMS’s and status updates. Being fun means being a real person. And that’s invaluable.

3) Surprise Them

Surprising your clients is the icing on the cake and can be accomplished in a number of ways. The thing to keep in mind is this: at the very end of your collaboration leave your client something to remember you by.

A typical scenario might be the final communication with a client who hired you for logo design. Upon completion you send a last email with the final files. Why not include a two-page style guide with a few usage suggestions? Don’t frown, I know style guides are a lot of work and are charged extra but we’re talking about a simple document here. It will cost you very little effort and time but the client will definitely be surprised by the unexpected bonus. In fact, be sure to mention the free giveaway in your last email as a bonus, you don’t want it to be overlooked as part of the package. Explicitly state that you took your time to come up with a few suggestions to help better implement the logo in the future. Who knows, you might tease the client into expanding the scope of the project (“Hey, since you suggested a logo usage on websites how ’bout designing me one?”). At the very least you’ll have granted yourself a reputation as a professional, fun and dedicated freelancer. Try beating that!

4) Follow Up

Just because you finished a job doesn’t mean you’ll never work with a client again. That depends on many factors but you can at least avoid being forgotten by following up on a completed job.

Much like you would do after a job interview to better your chances of landing that position (“I would like to take a moment to thank for the opportunity to meet…”), you can send an email thanking your clients for giving you the opportunity to collaborate on such a stimulating project. Only do this when it applies, as nobody likes a suck-up. Better yet thank them publicly on Twitter, letting them know about it. If you write a blog post about the job you worked on together be sure to mention how great your relationship was with such a responsive client, or whatever applies. Again don’t write anything you don’t believe in as false publicity might come back to bite you. Sincere words go a long way.

So that’s our recipe: sincere thanks + link love. Yes, your clients will love you for publicly thanking them and they will happily write recommendations for your LinkedIn profile and testimonials to put on your website.

5) Stay Tuned

You will know when your clients stay in touch with you by following you on Twitter, by leaving comments on your blog and so on. But the old paper forget-me-not also known as business card is still the best way to remind them you’re there for them whenever they need you. With all the furore about business cards we see these days the subject is as popular as ever. Make sure to send a business card to your clients as a final present. Give them something physical to remember you and make it beautiful.

The same goes for promotional and holiday cards. What better way of staying in touch than knocking at business’s door a few times a year?

Intro

Freelancing has treated me very well. I’ve been able to make some decent money while doing something that I love to do. Recently, I wrote an article called “Take the Plunge into Freelance Work” on my blog, The Creative Lab. However, freelancing isn’t for everyone; here is a list of reasons why you’d want to avoid it.

You Don’t have a Passion for it

It’s critical that you have a passion for your work. For example, if you’re a blogger you’ll quickly run out of material without a true passion or niche to write about. Running a blog is hard work even when you love it, but it’s nearly impossible when you don’t.

You’ll increase your chances of success when you love and believe in the work that you do. Your passion will be clearly seen in the work that you produce, and other people will take notice.

You’re in it just for the money

Have you ever seen a blog with so many ads that there is no more white space? Blogs like that make their message clear: “I’m in it for the money”. Their purpose isn’t to help their niche, nor to polish their skills, but it’s to make money. Unfortunately, these people miss out on what is really important as a blogger: faithful readers that not only comment and create interesting discussions on your blog, but also value you and what you offer them. Freelancing isn’t a get rich quick scam. It’s for hard working, dedicated people that love what they do; not the money it can make them.

You’re a procrastinator

If it weren’t for the last minute, I wouldn’t get anything done. –Unknown Author

I know that there are a lot of us that identify with this quote. I had an extreme case of procrastinitis and sometimes still do. If you’re a procrastinator you’ll find out that freelancing is difficult. Freelancers, are supposed to manage their own schedule. However, “procrastinator” means you’re unable to do so. How do you solve this? Simple; make a schedule and follow it. I admit that it’s easier said than done, but the truth is the solution remains simple. Remember, time is money and most of us don’t have much of either.

Final Thoughts

Freelancing can be very rewarding, but you have to do it with the correct motivation. I hope this article is useful to you and that it helps you become a better freelancer.

What are your thoughts? What are your biggest challenges as a freelancer?

As a freelance graphic designer, you will have to wear many different hats from time to time. It can become extremely difficult to juggle all the different tasks thrown at you in a given day. In this post I want to concentrate on five things that will not only increase your productivity, but also your number of clients.

1. Keep Your Office Space Clean

Designers rarely place any importance on office cleanliness, however, it can help immensely with your efficiency. When you know where things are, you waste less time. A dusty and messy desk doesn’t exactly contribute to a good working environment. Staying clean and organized will help keep those creative juices flowing and help you optimize your workflow. One thing is for sure, cleaning takes timehis brings us to number two.

2. Have A Time For Everything

As freelancers, we create our own schedule. This is an asset, when you’re able to manage your time wisely. Unfortunately, for some this is overwhelming and has caused them to miss deadlines, thus damaging their reputation and their brand. To avoid this, schedule the time you need to wake up, start work, clean your office, take lunch and at what time to call it quits. Also, don’t forget to schedule breaks. Whether it’s playing Xbox, taking a walk, a nap or a coffee break, schedule it for no more than thirty minutes. As a side note, doing this doesn’t mean you follow your schedule like a robot; it’s an outline to help you have a more productive day.

3. Blog And Be Blogged

Blogging serves multiple purposes. Not only does it let you express your feelings and thoughts. It also allows you to share your expertise of the industry; whether that is graphic design or another niche. The reality is that two people can think the same exact thing, but the way YOU present it may help someone that didn’t understand the concept the first time. Also the second part of number three reads, “be blogged”. What does that mean? In short; do something worthy of being written about. Due to technology a lot of clients are obtained by website visits. Suggestions: Guest write for a blog, write a tutorial, create a vector pack, etc. All these efforts will be linked back to your site, therefore, getting your name out to the design community

4. Follow Up Promptly

You should definitely respond to e-mails and phone calls promptly. When I say promptly, I mean no more than twenty-four hours. By being professional from the beginning, you are showing the client how the rest of your working relationship will go. Unfortunately, I have made the mistake in the past of not returning emails promptly and have always felt really embarrassed by it. If you’ve felt this way, channel that embarrassment into resolve that you won’t do it again. If you respond briefly and quickly, your clients will tell their peers how great your service was. Word of mouth can be your greatest form of advertisement, but remember it can also go the other way.

5. Dress the Part

If you are a designer, it should be written all over the clothes you wear. For example, if someone is a dietitian, yet they are overweight, would you want his or her services? No. In the same way, our creativity and sense of style should be reflected by what we wear. If you’re at home working, the rule is different. Wear whatever you want. I know of freelancers that work in their pajamas, but when meeting with clients, dress the part and look sharp.

Conclusion

I hope you found these five tips useful. I invite you to add to the list with your comments. I would also like to inform you that when you comment on blogs, you can link back to your website. If you write something significant, somebody might look you up. Thanks for reading!

Introduction

The issue of how to handle a web maintenance contract has always puzzled me. I’m constantly rethinking how I should do things. Throughout my many efforts, I’ve tried to set up hourly and per project contracts, both of which have yielded mixed results.

So Why Not Charge Hourly?

Charging hourly can have quite a few draw backs. First off, the cost always sounds jarringly expensive in the client’s eyes. And while, the client may be scared off by $x/hour, I often feel as though I’m not getting paid quite enough. Additionally, I often lose track of my time when I’m working. Conversely, I sometimes log time for things I’m learning during the process. These issues are unfair to both the client and the designer.

Surely Charging Per Project Would Be Better?

While I’ve found per project based contracts easier to deal with, they are far from perfect. Generally, I tend to underestimate the length of time it will take me to complete a project. This leaves me with the problem of always having more to do. I’ve realized I usually lowball the cost when I try this style contract.

Eliminate The Problem: We’ll Sort Of

One of the areas that I’ve been focusing on lately is the development of CMS (content management system) websites for my clients. I have grand hopes of eliminating most, if not all of the pains that come along with web maintenance. Two of my favorite CMS platforms are Silverstripe and Drupal. Both of which are open source and written on the backbone of the ever-popular combination of PHP/MySQL.

Here’s Where I Stand

I’ve found that building sites backed by a fantastic CMS is a great way to alleviate the majority of issues that arise when trying to handle web maintenance. And when other issues or future improvement come up they can be handled on a per project basis.

What About the Rest of the Design Community?

Design contracts are certainly not one size fits and I’m well aware that what works for me is rarely the best way to do it. With that in mind I reached out to the design community and asked a few questions on the matter. Here’s what they had to say.

Aaron Irizarry
This is Aaron’s Life

Hourly or Per Project?
I usually charge hourly for updates with a minimum of one hour.

How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Once initial design is approved and live, the client signs off, agreeing that anything from this point forward is maintenance.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No, at least not currently since I am only taking occasional side work.

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Both

Brian Hoff
The Design Cubicle

Hourly or Per Project? How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
I make it clear in my contracts and verbally to my clients that their website maintenance will be charged accordingly — minor changes, such as adding pictures or text would be charged via my hourly rate and large revisions, such as redesigns would required a new estimate.

How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
I make sure I get sign off on the design before moving on to the coding/maintenance phases. I let the client know that once the design is completed and approved that it is not easy (or pretty much impossible) to redo design changes within a reasonable time, so additional charges will be added if approved design must be modified.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
I currently use Bento to keep track of all my clients and their files, including the contracts. It’s not a web app, but it is a great app if you have a Mac!

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Up until recently I used to print my contracts, but I started using electronic signatures as a new means since I’ve been working with clients from all over.

Jacob Cass
Just Creative Design

How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I don’t do web maintenance (not my cup of tea) however I offer support for 3 months after the completion of the website.

Hourly or Per Project?
Per project but I have a “secret” hourly fee that I can base my fees on.

How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
See answer 1.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
No.

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic.

Matt
Spoonfed Design

How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I don’t have a set monthly fee. I charge per set of updates. The amount I charge generally depends on the size of the maintenance/updates.

Hourly or Per Project?
I charge per project. If I run into a problem on a project, I don’t think it’s fair to charge for that.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Nope.

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
It depends. Usually I do it electronically, but if the client wants, I send it on paper. I like being more flexible, and I let the client decide which way is easiest for them. I think the easier you make it for a client, the more likely they are to return.

Calvin Lee
Mayhem Studios

How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
I’m mostly a designer with some html/css skills. I try not to deal with web maintenance, kind of a hassle and a pain. Most times, my clients already have hosting and a webmaster that takes care of the site.

Hourly or Per Project?
I usually go with a per project amount. It makes it a lot easier, since I know how much a certain type of project would cost/take me. Once I get details of the project and a creative brief back from the client. I can really nail down the pricing. Plus, the client always wants to know the bottom line. I also make sure to put everything in writing, what is expected; sketches, number of samples, number of revisions, deposits, pricing, etc. So there are no miscommunications. Anything beyond what was discussed will be extra.

How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
It’s pretty much like 2 different projects/contracts. Once the design phase is completed, I have the client sign off on an approval form. Any design changes after the start of the build will be extra, on top of the coding, if there are any major code changes for the design.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
Nope, I’m still old school. I set up a numbering system for my projects with folders assigned on a log, electronically.

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
I have done both in the past; recently, all have been electronic as a pdf. They can either send it back through regular mail or fax it.

Liam McKay
Function

How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
We tend to allow for a certain amount of fixes and changes within the initial payment, the amount of maintenance we allow for would depend on how much work we’ve done for them, the more work we’ve done the more fixes we will allow for. If for whatever reason additional work is required this can either be billed on a per project basis, or we can work out an ongoing fee for ongoing monthly work. We tend to allow for any tweaks or updates during the design stage at no extra cost.

Hourly or Per Project?
We tend to charge Per Project, especially for design work. Mainly because I just feel more comfortable working with exact figures, and I think a lot of people would tend to agree. I think it’s a little different with programing work, and there is sometimes a need for an hourly rate, but for the vast majority of our work we have a set fee.

How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
Once the client is happy with the initial setup and approves the work we will take the final payment. Anything on from this point would be seen as maintenance work, any work or tweaks or updates before this stage we usually allow for in the initial quote. Anything after the final approval is what we would class as maintenance.

Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
At the moment we send our contracts attached to our invoices we send through Freshbooks, I think it’s just an easy way of keeping track invoices and contracts in one go really.

Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?
Electronic is always the initial method we send contracts in, but if it’s requested or required a print copy can also be sent. Although electronic for most people seems to be fine.

Join The Discussion

I’d love to hear your viewpoint on the matter. Drop in your two cents below. Or answer these questions:

• How do you handle your web maintenance contracts for clients?
• Hourly or Per Project?
• How do you close the initial design phase and move to maintenance?
• Do you use a web app to keep track of your contracts, if so, what one?
• Do you send your contract print, electronic or both?