Freelance Starter Kit

You’re a top designer, aren’t you? It’s okay, go ahead and admit it. But whether you’re afraid to go out on your own, or you’re already running your own design studio, chances are the business end of things is your worst nightmare.

You’re a designer, you like to design! Writing contracts, putting together portfolios, weeding through financial documents. It’s just so much more fun designing the site itself. If only there was a quick and easy way to get a jump start on the Freelance Life. Thankfully, there is.

With Vandelay Premier’s Freelance Starter Kit, you’ll instantly have access to a huge array of resources to help you with the business side of freelancing. And for a limited time, you can own theFreelance Starter Kit for just $29! (Regularly $49!)

Your Freelance Starter Kit Includes:

• Print templates (colorful portfolio books, blue case study books, elegant portfolio books, and more)
• Contracts (Web Design, website maintenance, logo design, SEO services, social media marketing, and more)
• Legal terms Templates (Legal Terms and Conditions, terms of use)
• Identity sets (invoices, proposals, letterhead, business cards)
• eBooks (interviews and how-tos for marketing, finding clients, etc.)
• Extensive icon sets (school icons, app icons, business icons, etc.)
• Brochure templates (multiple styles)
• Newsletter templates (various HTML email newsletters)
• Financial document templates (balance sheets, profit and loss statements, invoices)
• Resume templates (multiple styles)

Get your design business off the ground today! Click the BUY button now to save 41% and get the Freelance Starter Kit for just $29!

Buy here

Things Worth Paying For as a Freelancer

This article covered by Six Revisions discusses a variety items that are worth paying if you happen to work freelance. It tells you what time tracking tools that are worth owning, account tools, industry specific software for certain fields, and more. Overall, it's worth looking at, because maybe it'll remind you of something you may need or something that you may find very useful.
Click here to read.

Web Designer Comic Strip

I stumbled upon this and thought it was funny.

Freelance Freedom #209- Payment Resolution

Click to enlarge

Freelance ain't Free Posters

Check out these nifty posters.(Yes, I said nifty) Remember you want to get paid for your work. This posters comes in 5 color ways as well as 1 t-shirt that does not look like the posters. The posters are printed on 10x13 inch recycle paper. The cost $20.

To purchase go to http://freelanceaintfree.com/

How do I get freelance work by Jessica Hische

Designer and lettering extraordinaire Jessica Hische gives her advice on how to gain some more freelance work. Some great points she make are don't be a dick, befriend other designers(which I agree is very necessary, since I too saw many other designers as competition at first), enter competitions, and do work for friends. From my experience, working with friends is a hit or miss. The important key there is to make sure you strictly keep it professional and business only. Anyway, you can read more of this useful article at Jessica's website http://jessicahische.is/obsessedwiththeinternet/andbeingranty/how-do-i-get-freelance-work/

There's no stopping on Snow Days

For those of us on the east coast, we have been recently hit by a snow storm, which caused plenty of places to shut down. Yes, New York City jobs are closed....most. Now after shoveling, what is a person to do besides relax? There's plenty to do for all those graphic designers that want to keep themselves occupied on a snow day after you finish your hot chocolate. Here's a short list and I'm sure there are more you can add to. Feel free to comment on more to do.

Freelance- Some designers are freelancers so there's no such thing as a snow day, but to those who work a full time day job, you can look for extra jobs to do or work on those jobs that you finally have time to do, but couldn't for whatever reason.

Personal Designs- This is the most fun, because there are no limitations. You can experiment and create whatever you feel like working on. This is the best time to catch up or learn new techniques. Design is always evolving, so who knows maybe you'll set the next trend or perfect what's out there.

Read design blogs- Yes, you can do this during a lunch break, but now you have time to read all the blogs that you want. You can participate in any discussion that you think is worth commenting on. Maybe there are articles that you find very intriguing, either way it is an option and it always good to rest the creative mind, especially if you happen to be in a creative block.

Search for inspiration- This is similar to the option above, but not every blog has inspiration posts. You can search through various portfolio sites and see what is out there. Who is the next designer to inspire you to try something different or help push you?

Practice tutorials- Whether you read a tutorial from a magazine or online, it is good to learn something new and try incorporating it for your own educational purpose.

Work on your portfolio- Update your portfolio. Redesign your portfolio site or simply showcase your new work. It's always a good idea to keep up to date with it.

Build a snowman- This one is just for fun. It's not everyday that you have the option to do so. This can be your creative outlet.

There you have it, a short list of activities to do on a snow day. If there are more that you would like to contribute then please comment.

Freelance Freedom: Inappropriate Language

(click image to enlarge)

This edition of this graphic design comic strip is sad and funny, but true. I have see job listings for "desktop publishing" or for a "desktop publisher". Talking about old school. I know that graphic design was once called that, but it hasn't been called that for years. It kind of worries me for anyone who gets that job and still has to work in Adobe Illustrator 6. Imagining it, makes me think that it must be brutal. I know the phrase, "Only a bad carpenter blames his tools," but knowing that your company is up to speed with the 21st century can be very satisfying.

How to Approach Art Directors WITHOUT being annoying by Mike Byers

Mike Byers, a Canadian illustrator, writes a couple points for approaching Art Directors without being annoying. Some people may call persistence annoying, but here's 5 bullet points that may help to not be thought of as "annoying."

1. Target Your Audience

The absolute first step you should take is to narrow your contact list to the Art Directors who are actually looking for the type of work that you do. You’ll only be wasting their time, and yours, if you are soliciting clients who have no interest in hiring you.

Examine the work that they’ve done in the past and consider whether your work or approach fits within that scope.

Having some knowledge of an Art Director’s work is obviously a good practice anyways when building your mailing list, but it’s also the best way to make a good first impression.

Click Here to read the rest of the article

Managing Your Personal Brand Online

While putting your best foot forward in the real world is still a great thing to keep in practice, your online persona needs to be managed with the same kind of care and due diligence. This article by Georgiana Cohen is chock full of tips to make sure you’re as well-groomed online as you are offline.




Click here to read: http://workawesome.com/career/personal-brand/