Are you a Designer, Writer, Illustrator, Photographer, Desktop Publisher, Prepress Specialist, Printer, Programmer, Marketeer, Sign Maker or Agent?

Would you like to give advice to new business startups navigating through the quagmire of running their own business?

Carrot: Would you like to promote your business in the process?

If so, please shoot over a brief 100 - 200 word count (per question) answering the 7 questions below (more if you have the time and inclination) to me.

THE TARGET AUDIENCE

Visual Communication Designers (web, graphic, illustrators, 3d, etc)

THE QUESTIONS:

(1) As a professional, what are the main points that you’d expect / want designers to know before contacting you about a project?

(If you are a designer, the question would be ” … what are the main points that you’d expect / want clients to know …”)

(2) When working with designers, what do you see as the top problem areas?

(If you are a designer, the question would be ” … When working with clients …”)

(3) How do you work?

An outline of how you work with designers/clients, from first contact to signing off on a project. What’s your work process? Do you use an online project manager? Do you have face to face meetings or do you depend on email and/or phone to communicate? Do you share home phone numbers? Do you allow calls after hours and on the weekends? Do you need two weeks notice before beginning a project, or do you squeeze new projects in after hours? Do you use contracts, proposals, both or a mix of the two?

(4) How should a company or individual in your profession be chosen?

Advice on how and where to find the best professional for the project - skill sets, rates, personality, networking, industry community sites, word of mouth?

(5) At what point should your profession be brought into a project?

Projects are different, as are the professions, but each has a helpful flow that makes it easier on the project. Those new to business may not be aware that a project would benefit if different contributors were brought in earlier, but how early?

(6) How does your profession charge?

With the different industries there will be different methods - by hour, project, page, word count, etc. Do you ask for a percentage upfront (with increments being paid as you work through the project), or do you get paid after the project is over?

(7) How can a designer improve their skills in your profession?

This is not to replace the other professions (although some designers are also photographers, marketeers and writers, etc) but to help make the working relationship seamless, as well as improve their marketability. For instance, a designer who writes well will increase their chances of coming up with a winning proposal. A designer with knowledge of marketing can advise their clients on hiring marketing talent. (Please include suggested urls, books, e-books, courses, etc).

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Your Details
We’ll need your details as we’ll be linking back to those contributing. Further on we’ll do individual interviews with the willing participants. In the series each profession will run three weeks, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. When you contribute to any section, your details will be at the bottom of your copy.

Name
Company Name
Website url
Blog url

If you are an author of a book or e-book that touches on the subject, feel free to add ‘Author of Xxxx’ and we’ll link (after we check it out of course). If you run courses on the subject, send over the course name and url.

As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking. So from me, a huge THANK YOU goes out to all of you offering to help those new to running their own design business.

Please contact me via the contact form.

Cheers,
Catherine (cat) Morley


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