David Airey

Tag: business

  • Design on the side

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in

    You might know something about root canals, but I know what I like, and that’s more important.

  • “The Coca-Cola Conspiracy” and ethical design

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    Where’s the line between a focus on your career and the societal impact of your work? Photo by Photon-Painter. I was watching a presentation by Robert Lustig about the damage caused by sugary foods, and after listening for a while it raised a few ethical questions I’m curious to know your thoughts on. Have a…

  • You don’t need a designer

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in

    “I need a logo. I know exactly what I want. I just need a designer to make it happen.” On the contrary, you don’t need a designer. You are the designer. You need someone who knows how to use computer software. Save yourself money by finding that person instead.

  • On unpaid internships

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in

    Quoting Alix Land from For free or not for free? “Is it immoral for a young designer to accept an internship or offer of work that is unpaid? Or is that passing up an opportunity too good to miss?” Some consider unpaid internships as similar to free pitching or spec work, but if you get…

  • Be brilliant at the basics

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    Business tips from the mini-book Brilliant At The Basics of Business 100, by designer and teacher Nicholas Bate of Oxford-based Strategic Edge. Image via Thinkstock. Don’t try to accommodate every customer. The more you do, the more you can potentially dilute your initial strength that people loved you for. Sure, it’s a balance; just keep…

  • Amazon Associates: helping designers look sharp

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    It’s hard to imagine someone clicking an Amazon link for a design book, then thinking to themselves, “Mmmm, peanut butter.” But it happens ($1.76 commission).

  • Quality vs quantity

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    I’d make a lot more money if I accepted every project on the table. But there’d be consequences. Pantone leaves by Chris Glass Each project would get less of my attention. The quality of my work would suffer. Clients would be less satisfied. I wouldn’t get as many future offers. So it’d be a short-term…

  • When small is good

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    Just because you’re smaller than the businesses you look up to, doesn’t mean you can’t still delight your clients.

  • I wish I’d known that

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    What advice would you give a design graduate? Chris Arnold, founder of Creative Orchestra and former creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, offers his pearls of wisdom. Image via Thinkstock It’s tough. Very tough. And there is a truth in the fact that only the toughest survive. The lazy ones fail. You need to be…

  • How to convince your clients they need a brand, not just a logo

    —

    by

    David Airey
    in ,

    Written by London-based brand identity designer Andrew Sabatier. Explain that you should be employed to find a brand idea that will form the basis of all the company’s branding (and perhaps even future business decisions) of which a logo should only be one expression, an idea that is likely to form the basis of a…