Tag: self-employment
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Outgoings in design self-employment
It’s good practice to keep track of your monthly outgoings to help determine the minimum amount you need to charge to make a profit. Here’s where most of my business funds are spent. There are the standard utilities — mortgage, electricity, heating, phone and broadband. If working from home, you can reclaim a percentage of…
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Thoughts on design crowdsourcing
My answers from a brief interview about design crowdsourcing for the Design Bureau Magazine. Do you believe that crowdsourcing (spec work) can ever be good? For example, what if it was used to benefit a noble cause for the common good? Donating time and ideas on a pro bono basis is commendable. I recommend it.…
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Reflections on design self-employment
If you’re thinking of quitting your salaried job to start your own design business, here are a few designers who’ve reflected on their time in self-employment. Photo via Slim 69 Guy Moorhouse of Futurefabric shared 10 lessons learnt after one year in business. Nathan Barry reflected on his first year after quitting his job as…
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Studio Culture at the Design Museum
If you make what you want to make, that’s what people will pay you to make.
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Business goals and my “painted picture”
This is my “painted picture” — the shape of my business in 2014 (three years from now). The idea is that by putting it into words, my picture has a stronger chance of coming true. What I do I do what I do because I have a passion for design. In particular, brand identity design.…
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You don’t need a designer
“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.
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Quality vs quantity
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…
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How I became a self-employed designer
I’m often asked how I made the switch to self-employment. Here’s a snapshot of that time in my life in 2004/05. In 2002 I started working for Myeloma UK, an Edinburgh-based cancer charity. I was responsible for print design, buying, and web management. For quite a while I’d been thinking of travelling the world to…