Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business

Are you taking measure of your design business? Whether you are running your design business full-time or part-time, you probably started it with a vision of how your ideal business should look. How does it measure up? Are you exceeding your expectations or are you falling short? If you are exceeding your expectations, do you know how you're doing it? What is contributing to your success and can you sustain it and continue to grow your design business? If you're falling short of your vision of an ideal design business, do you know why? Knowing why your falling short is a significant step in rectifying your situation. I'm publishing this during the first week of 2019. I know it's cliché but the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to look at your design business and see if it measures up to what you imagined it would be. It's also the perfect time to make any needed changes to realign and get back on track if it isn't. For most people, the beginning of a new calendar year also means the beginning of a new fiscal year. If you've been in business for more than a year you can take some time and compare the past year over the previous ones to see how things stand. A new year also means you have a clean slate to build upon going forward. Taking measure of my own business, I see that I didn't grow in 2018. I made about $2,000 less in 2018 than I did in 2017. In the grand scheme of things, $2,000 isn't that much, so I'm not worried about it. But it is the first time since I started my design business that I haven't seen growth from the previous year. So what went wrong? I invoiced for more design work in 2018 than I ever have. So that's not the issue. Looking at my accounting books, I see that revenue from the print brokering service I offer declined. Design revenue went up, while print brokering went down. Please don't take that the wrong way, there's still a significant amount of money to be made in print brokering if you're thinking of getting into it. I believe I can pinpoint the decline in print brokering revenue to three clients. I had two clients who went completely digital and decided not to have printed versions of their annual report last year. A third client, a yearly festival had some financial difficulty and drastically reduced the number of booklets, pamphlets, posters and other printed material I handled for them. Between the three of them, I lost several thousand dollars in printing revenue. Considering this, I need to take the time to figure out how I can make up for the decline in print brokering revenue going forward should the trend continue. Should I concentrate on promoting my print brokering service more, or should I focus on getting more design work? That's up to me to decide. What you need to decide is what it is you want to accomplish with your design business this year. I don't know your particular situation so I can't tell you exactly what you need to do, but I can offer some suggestions that may help your business grow. Improve your touchpoints Touchpoints are the avenues potential clients come in contact with your business. They consist of things like your business cards to your website to the way you answer your phone. My free guide, the Four-Week Marketing Boost can help you with this. As the old saying goes, "You only have one chance to make a first impression." so why not make it the best first impression you can. Review your contract and proposals Take a few minutes to review your contract and proposal templates. Do they protect both you and your clients as thoroughly as they should? Make sure any new services you offer are listed and remove anything that is outdated. Raise your prices The beginning of a new year is a perfect opportunity to raise your rates. Especially but not limited to anything you charge for by the hour. Raising your prices not only increases your income, but it can elevate the quality of clients who seek you out. Expand your services Did you learn anything new last year that you could add as a service you offer? SEO, Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, Print Brokering and so much more can become new services that can increase your income. Niche down Have you considered specialising in a niche? Narrowing your focus and concentrating on one industry is a great way to be seen as an expert in your field. The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to start targeting a new niche. Set goals for your business. Of course, January is the perfect time to set goals not only for yourself but for your design business. Determine what it is you want to accomplish this year. Having a goal makes it much easier to track your progress, and it becomes much more satisfying when you reach it. Any time of year works No specific time of year is best for reviewing your design business, but January seems like the most popular time for taking measure of things in your life. However, even if you are listening to this episode in April or in July, you can still take a bit of time for taking measure of where things stand with your design business and make whatever course corrections you need to make. What did you find after taking measure of your design business? Let me know how things are working out for you by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Four Week Marketing Boost The Four Week Marketing Boost!is a free guide I created that will help you strengthen your marketing position, boost your brand's awareness & social presence and ultimately ensure you are in tip-top shape to offer a best first impression to potential new clients. This guide is divided into 20 short actions that comfortably fit into your regular day and are designed to take as little time away from your client work as possible. Although you can complete these exercises quickly, it is recommended you tackle only one per day, spending no more than 30 minutes per task. After completing this four-week plan you will be in a better position to present yourself to, and win over new clients. You can download the Four Week Marketing Boost for free by visiting marketingboost.net. Or, if you are in the U.S.A., you can text the word MARKETINGBOOSTto 44222. Improve your business' image and create the best first impression possible to attract more clients. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

A look back at 2018 and a look ahead to 2019. I want you to take a look back at what you accomplished and at what you failed to achieve in 2018. With that in mind, what are you going to do to make 2019 even better? I don't know your situation. I don't know your family dynamics. I don't know your level of education. I don't know your current work situation. Maybe you're a student still learning design. Perhaps you're a new designer still getting your feet wet. Perhaps you're a veteran designer like I am. Maybe you work for yourself, or maybe you work for someone else. Whatever your situation, I want you to take some time to look back at 2018 and think about your accomplishments and your perceived failures. I say "perceived failures" because they are only failures if you've given up on them entirely. Like most people, you probably had some goals for yourself and your design business. Perhaps it was to start your own design business or to land that first paying client. Maybe it was a financial goal you set for yourself — a specific dollar figure you wanted to reach in revenue. Did you reach those goals? For those goals you accomplished, where you satisfied with the outcome? Thinking back, are there ways you could have made reaching those goals easier for yourself? If there are goals you didn't reach, what prevented you from reaching them? Have you given up on them or are you working even harder to achieve them in 2019? My 2018 I want to share some of my accomplishments from 2018 with you. Resourceful Designer Released 46 podcast episodes Over 200k episode downloads in 2018 New Amazon Alexa Skill for Resourceful Designer New Resourceful Designer App for IOSand Android Resourceful Designer released on Spotify. My design business Started calling myself a Design Consultant. Switched to fully value-based pricing Implemented Three-Tier Pricing Streamlined my To-Do List. Worked on design projects for 27 different clients in 2018 Nine of those clients were first-time clients. Sent out 93 invoices resulting in income in the high five figures. My 2019 goals I have big plans for 2019. First off, I'm thinking of narrowing down my niche. Or, at least concentrating more on a particular niche while continuing with what I'm doing now. I want to speak at more conferences. In 2018 I had two public speaking engagements, and I would like to do more. I want to grow the listenership of Resourceful Designer. I know there are many more designers out there searching for answers for their design business. I want to be the source of those answers if possible. You can help me achieve this goal by helping spread the word about the podcast. Let your fellow designers know they can listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts or download the App. And of course. I'm looking forward to engaging with you in the new Resourceful Designer Community. So long 2018 As 2018 comes to an end. I encourage you to reflect on this past year. Think about everything you've accomplished and those things you fell short on. And come up with a plan to make 2019 even better. To help, I suggest you listen to episode 55 Setting Goals For Your Design Business. I look forward to helping you in 2019. What are your goals for 2019? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Try this pricing strategy for your design business. I learned of the three-tier pricing strategy many years ago, but I never gave it much thought in regards to the design industry. Until recently that is. A few months ago I came across it again while reading a business book. A day or two later I was watching a YouTube video, and a designer mentioned using a three-tier pricing strategy in his design proposals. Maybe there's something to this I thought and I decided to give it a try. And you know what? It works. I've used it on several proposals recently with great results. What is a three-tier pricing strategy? A three-tier pricing strategy is when you offer three different pricing choices for essentially the same service or product but with different options which increases the value for each one. Look at this example of a fictional web hosting company using a three-tier pricing strategy. A web host may offer three different hosting package. A $4.99/mo package that is good for 1 site and offers basic security A $9.99/mo package that is good for 3 sites, offers advanced security and monthly site backups and a free Basic SSL Certificate. A $49.99/mo package that is good for unlimited sites, offers Super advanced security including daily malware monitoring, plus daily backups and the free Wildcard SSL Certificate. I know you've seen this type of pricing strategy before. You've probably also noticed that companies usually highlight the middle price as the "recommended" or "most popular" one according to the seller. That's because it's the option they are hoping you will choose. The other two are there to help you come to that decision. Why a three-tier pricing strategy works There are two main reasons why this type of pricing strategy works. It gives the purchaser options to choose from, which makes them feel more in control of what they are buying. It showcases the value of what the purchaser is buying making their choice easier. In the above web host example, the buyer sees three options. One that's good for one website, another for three websites and a third for unlimited sites. It also shows escalating value options at each tier. Tier 2 offers more advanced security plus backups and an SSL Certificate where Tier 1 doesn't. Tier 3 offers super advanced security PLUS daily malware monitoring. It also provides daily backups instead of only monthly and a Wildcard SSL Certificate over a standard SSL Certificate. By offering these three options to a potential client, the hosting company is altering the purchaser's mindset. Instead of giving the client one option and having them ponder "is this a good value for me?" they are given three options and instead ask themselves "which one of these is the best value for me?" A single pricing option requires a yes or no decision. But by introducing the variables in three-tier pricing, you force the client to contemplate their decision making them feel more in control of their buying choice. And when a client feels in control of their buying choice there's less chance of them deciding to shop elsewhere. The other benefit of the three-tier pricing strategy is how it educates the client on the value of what it is they are buying. They see what their money is getting them. The client came to the website looking for web hosting for their one site. But now they are shown that there are different values available to choose from when it comes to hosting a website. Even though tier 2 allows up to three websites, the added value included with that option may persuade the client to choose it even though they only have one site to host. You can almost predict the outcome The great thing about a three-tier tier pricing strategy is that you can practically guarantee what option a client will choose. Why do you think so many sites highlight the "recommended" or "Best Value" option? It's because they made it the most tempting of the three. Some people call that middle tier the "anchor price" or the "pillar price". You base your entire strategy on that price. How a three-tier pricing strategy works This pricing strategydoesn't work very well if you charge an hourly rate based on your time. For it to work, you should be using fixed, project-based or value-based pricing. You start by figuring out a price for your ideal proposal and what benefits/value to offer with it. That's your anchor price. It should be the best value for the price. Once you've determined your anchor price, you create a lower priced option with fewer benefits/value. Make this more economical option close in price to your anchor price. You wan the client to look at the first two options and come to the conclusion that tier 2 is the better deal even though it costs more. For Tier 3, you set the price significantly higher and offer a lot more value with it. But most clients can usually do without the added benefit offered in Tier 3. When a client looks at the three tiers, there's a good chance they choose Tier 2, your anchor price. Most people will see the cost vs value of Tier 2 as the better bang for their buck. Most will skip over Tier 1 because they don't want to be the person who chose the cheap route. It's a prestige thing. Tier 3 is there to show the client there are more expensive options, making them feel like they are getting a bargain by choosing Tier 2. Automobile manufacturers embrace this strategy. Most cars are available in three models. A base model, a deluxe model, and a Luxury model. Which model do you think sells the most? It's the deluxe model — the one in the middle. There's nothing wrong with the base model vehicle. It will get you from point A to B just fine. But even though the deluxe model cost more, it comes with extra options. All those bells and whistlesare usually enough to get people to choose the deluxe model. That's three-tier pricing at it's best. Not many people will choose tier 3, The luxury option, but embrace those who do, they really want to work with you. Also, keep in mind, you do not want to underprice Tier 1. Make sure that if a client does choose that first option, you are not losing money on it. Trust me; those car manufacturers are still making good money any time they sell a base model vehicle. Implementing a three-tier pricing strategy for your design business So how does this apply to your design business? Let's look at two examples using website and logo design. Keep in mind that you can apply this same principle to any design project. When quoting on a website design, you may want to offer something like this. Tier 1) $1,500 Design a website based on the content and material provided by the client and install it on the server of their choosing. The client will be responsible for all maintenance and upkeep of website after launch. Tier 2) $3,000 + $600/year for maintenanceDesign a website. Provided content will be edited by a professional copywriter ensuring maximum SEO impact. Submit website to Google and other directories for faster indexing. Provide site security and manage monthly updates, maintenance and backups. Tier 3) $9,000 +$2,400/year Everything from Tier 2 plus Keyword monitoring and SEO rank tracking. The idea here is to show the client how much value you bring when you partner with them. If all they want is a website, you're happy to design one for them and be done with it. However, if the client wants a partner that has their best interest in mind, someone who will make sure their website keeps performing optimally and help their business grow, they can have that for nominal extra investment. When quoting on a logo design, you may want to offer something like this. Tier 1) $750 Design a logo and provide it in colour and B&W in the necessary file formats. Tier 2) $1,500 Everything from Tier 1 plus a style guide showing how to strategically use the logo to build a cohesive brand across the entire company. This style guide will help the company create a positive brand recognition strategy as a foundation upon which to build their business. Tier 3) $5,000Everything from Tier 2 plus a full day strategy workshop presented at the client's place of employment. This workshop will explain the new brand to the company's staff, teaching them the proper use of the new brand to achieve brand synergy throughout all levels, from part-time employees all the way up to top management. When you look at all three tiers, you can see that the best value is Tier 2. A Logo and Style guide. The idea here is to illustrate the value the client receives by working with you. They should be hiring you for more than just a logo design. But if a logo is all they want, you're happy to design one for them. Give it a try. I hope you can see the value in implementing a three-tier pricing strategy. I can tell you that of the last dozen proposals I sent out using this strategy, three clients decided not to hire me. From the nine who did, one chose my Tier 1 and eight chose my Tier 2. One was ready to choose Tier 3 for their website design, but I convinced them after further review that Tier 2 was a better choice for them, I don't believe they need the service I was offering in Tier 3. But I did tell them we can review it again in the future. They appreciated my honesty very much. Are you using a three-tier pricing strategy? Let me know if you plan on implementing a three-tier pricing strategy. If you already use this strategy, I would love to know how it's working for you. Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Christopher On several episodes, you mention the "discovery phase" where you ask questions and do research on your potential client. Can you elaborate on what kinds of research and the types of questions to ask? As I only do web design and not logo/graphical design, I would appreciate a focus on web sites. To find out what I told Christopher you'll have to listen to the podcast. Tip of the week Ask cold calling clients if you can add them to your email list. Sometimes cold calling doesn't work because the client doesn't need your services at that time. But there's no way to know for sure. One thing that may help is by asking the prospect if you can add them to your email list to keep them informed of exciting projects you're working on. If the prospect agrees you'll know they have an interest in you and could become a client in the future. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Avoid these common mistakes freelancers make. To the uninitiated, running a design business sounds easy. You find clients, create designs for them, they pay you, repeat. Freelancers, however, know there is so much more to it than merely designing. And yet, even armed with that knowledge there are still several mistakes freelancers make when it comes to running their business. 1) Not using downtime productively One mistake freelancers make is not taking advantage of downtime. When things are slow, you should be using any spare time you have on something productive to advance your design business. Use downtime to: Update your website Attend networking events Take a course/tutorial to learn a new skill Experiment with your software Use the time to grow your business and to make yourself a better designer. Just because you are not at a 9-5 job doesn't mean you shouldn't be putting in a full day worth of hours into your business. 2) Not building a team (copywriter, illustrator, VA) In episode 77of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I talked about the importance of assembling a team around your business. To serve your clients, you should align yourself with people who have skills you don't or are more suited to performing specific skills than you are. Your team can consist of: Copywriters Illustrators Programmers Developers Translators Social Media Experts Photographers Virtual Assistants more I made a mistake when I first started my business in thinking I needed to do everything myself. If I couldn't do it, then I didn't take on the project. I missed out on some great jobs and clients because the projects they presented me with were beyond my ability. Then I learned that it's ok to ask for help. Since then I've expanded my circle to include many talented people that allow me to offer services I couldn't provide if I were doing everything myself. 3) Not taking advantage of extra income opportunities The bulk of a designers income should come from client design work. But many peripherals can earn you money as well. Things like: Print brokering Web hosting/maintenance Selling design resources (Photoshop/Illustrator brushes, patterns, fonts, other design resources) Merchandising (T-shirts, posters, etc.) more You're a creative person. Put that creativity to work by looking around and finding innovative ways to supplement your income. 4) Not spending time working on your outreach when you're busy. There are hills and valleys when it comes to running a design business. Some weeks you have barely anything to do, while other weeks you can't believe how much work you have. To minimise this up, down, up, down effect you need to figure out how to fill in those valleys. The problem is, most people wait until things start to get slow before trying to drum up new work. But the time to promote yourself is when you're busy. When you're at the top of a "hill". If you do it right, you'll drum up work while you're busy that will fill in those valleys and even out the terrain for you, creating a much more balanced working life. 5) Not saving money As a home-based designer, you probably don't have a steady paycheque. Nor do you have any guarantees of how or when money will come in. If you do a good job on point number 4 and work on your outreach when you're busy you'll minimise those slow times when money isn't coming in, but that's not a guarantee of income. That's why you should be putting aside a fixed percentage of all your income for those "just in case" or "What if" situation. You should be saving for those unexpected times when a "valley" stretches out longer than expected. Start putting money aside for: Slow Periods Emergencies Unexpected expenses Known expenses (taxes, licences, etc.) Time off (vacation, medical, etc.) Retirement There will come a time some day when you decide to stop, or you're forced to stop working and then how will you provide for yourself? 6) Calling themselves Freelancer Long time listeners of the Resourceful Designer podcast know that I don't like the term Freelancer. Back in episode 17, I shared a story of a designer I know who missed out on a job opportunity because she called herself a freelancer. The potential employer told me he was looking for someone who took the job more seriously than that. He's not alone. People often associate the term freelancer with temporary or in transition designers. Designers who are willing to work with you until something better comes along. You and I know that's not the case. But that's how many people in the business world, people who are your potential clients think about freelancers. Consider this before deciding what to call yourself. A freelancer is a designer looking for a boss. If you imagine yourself working FOR your clients, then feel free to call yourself a freelancer. However, if you imagine yourself working WITH your clients, partnering with them to solve their design problems, then you are not a freelancer, you are a designer who runs your own design business. Don't sell yourself short. Avoid these mistakes freelancers make You already have enough on your plate. There's no need to cause yourself more stress. If you avoid these common mistakes freelancers make, and you'll be on your way to having a successful and fulfilling design business. Are you guilty of making any of these mistakes? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Chris Do you have any advice for those who are starting a business focused on 3D? Have you done much work with 3D artists? Do you know of any niches that a 3D graphic designer might pursue? To find out what I told Chris you'll have to listen to the podcast. Link to the article I mentioned in my answer. Resource of the week iThemes iThemes makes some of my favourite WordPress plugins and add-ons. Including BackupBuddy for managing site migration and backups. iThemes Security for keeping nefarious individuals out of your website. And iThemes Sync for managing multiple WordPress websites from one easy dashboard. Until the end of 2018 iThemes is offering 40% off all of their products. Here's my affiliate link if you plan on purchasing. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

10 Money Saving Tips For Freelancers Freelance designers rarely know when they'll get their next paycheque. That's why it's wise for us to hold on to the money we do have for those times when income slows down. To help you, I have 10 money saving tips for freelancers you should consider adopting. Have you ever heard the saying a penny saved is a penny earned? It means that any money you save by not spending it is similar to the money you earn. I know there can be various debates about that, but you can't argue that any money you don't spend on something is money in your pocket that you can put to use somewhere else. Chances are you didn't become a designer because you wanted to become rich. You chose to become a designer because of your creativity and a love of designing. Sure, there are designers out there living the good life racking in significant dollars for their services. But for the majority of us. We're happy earning a decent, comfortable living doing something we love. If this latter one describes you, then money is probably not something you have to throw around. And since money is one of the gages used to determine success. It makes sense to avoid unnecessary spending and keep as much of your hard earned money for yourself. And for the record. I use every one of these 10 money saving tips for freelancers in my business to keep as much of my own hard earned money as I can. Freelancer money saving tips 1. Cancel recurring expenses you don't use Take an audit of all your subscriptions, memberships, software, services, plug-ins, etc. that incur an ongoing regular monthly or yearly payment and cancel any that you seldom use or don't get your full money's worth. 2. Buy Refurbished Save money by purchasing refurbished products whenever possible. Refurbished products are just as good as new ones, including coming with warranties. They can save you a lot of money on a product you were going to buy anyway. 3. Hire an accountant Accountants are like magicians with numbers. They know all the tricks that can save you money during tax season. Letting an accountant handle your books and taxes can save you more money than the cost of hiring the accountant. Every freelancer should have one. 4. Ask for discounts from suppliers You can't get something if you don't ask for it. Contact your internet, cable, phone, etc. suppliers and ask them if there's any way they can offer you a discount or do something to reduce your expense. You would be surprised how often they will compromise with you and save you money. 5. Use reward-based credit cards You're probably using a credit card to pay for some of your business expenses. Take advantage of reward-based credit cards like those that offer cash back or those that let you collect points for travel or other rewards. 6. Get a low-interest line of credit Banks and credit unions provide lines of credit at much lower interest rates than credit cards. Use your line of credit to pay off high-interest credit cards whenever you can't pay them off that month. Don't be penalised by carrying over unpaid balances. 7. Save on heating/cooling Stop heating/cooling your entire home while you're working. Adjust your thermostat to save you money and use a fan or heater to adjust the temperature in your office space. Warm sweaters can also help during the cold season. 8. Use coupons or discount codes Before making an online purchase, do a quick Google search to see if there are any coupons or discount codes available for the product/service you're buying. Many companies will offer coupons or discount codes to certain groups which are also usable by the rest of us if we take the time to find them. 9. Shop around for better prices When shopping for fonts, stock images or design resources be sure to check multiple websites before making your purchase. Prices on identical products can vary drastically depending on the source selling them. 10. Wait for sales Whenever possible wait for a holiday or special deals to make your purchases. Black Friday, Boxing Day, Amazon Prime Day and similar occasions offer amazing discounts if you can wait for them. A penny saved is a penny earned You work hard for your money. Don't spend any of it unnecessarily if you can avoid it. Use these 10 money saving tips for freelancers to keep as much of your income in your pockets as you can. Do you have any money saving tips for freelancers you would like to share? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Kevin I've been running my web design business for almost half a year now. My current problem is reaching out to new potential clients. What is your take on cold emailing and how would you go about it? To find out what I told Kevin you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Do you have any gift ideas for Christmas? It's November, and that means the holidays are just around the corner and everyone is looking for gift ideas for friends and family. I don't know about you, but every year I dread the question "what do you want for Christmas?" I don't know what to say when someone asks me that question. Are you like that too? In case you are, I've come up with ten things you could ask for, that are very useful for designers and are not that expensive. 1) Luna Display Luna Display is brought to you by the team behind AstroPad. AstroPad is software that allows you to mirror your Mac's display on your iPad. Luna Display is their new hardware solution that turns any iPad into an actual, wireless second display for your Mac. It's available as both a USB-C or Mini DisplayPort device. All you have to do is plug it into the port on your Mac, and your iPad becomes a second monitor. It only takes seconds to set up and works over your existing Wi-Fi. Luna Display is excellent for MacBook users who could use more screen real estate. 2) Amazon Echo Dot. The smallest of Amazon's Alexa devices, The Echo Dot is your small office assistant. Use it to set alarms and reminders, add items to your calendar, look up things, do calculations, play music and so much more. The Amazon Echo Dot can also be used to control smart devices in your home. I have mine set up, so all I have to say is "Alexa, turn on/off office lights". You can check out the Echo Dot and Amazon's other Alexa enabled devices through this link (affiliate) resourcefuldesigner.com/amazonecho 3) Amazon Prime If you're not already an Amazon Prime member, you really should be. Amazon Prime membership gives you access to great content such as Prive Video that gives you access to thousands of movies and TV series, including Prime Original series like Jack Ryan, which was terrific by the way. Prime Reading, with exclusive free and discounted eBooks each month, Prime Music so you can listen to all your favourite songs. And of course, fast and free shipping on over 100 million items for sale on Amazon. The savings on shipping alone are worth the price of membership. Plus, with subscriptions, you can save money on purchases you make on a regular basis. Receive a discount when you subscribe to stuff like toilet paper or laundry detergent. Just set it up by telling Amazon how often you need to replenish, and it will show up at your door on schedule. Try Amazon Prime free for 30 days(affiliate link) 4) Whiteboard with dot grid Whiteboards are staples in many offices. They're easy to use, highly visible, and a great way to organise your day to day business activities. But if you're like me, the top left of your whiteboard looks nice and tidy, but as you move down and to the right, the lists and writings become more and more crooked until the stuff written on the bottom right is way out of skew. My son recently bought a dotted whiteboard, and when I saw it, I thought, what a brilliant idea. The dots are printed directly on the whiteboard in a grid pattern. They're very light, so they're visible up close but not so much from farther away. Those dots help to keep your writing, lists, and drawings straight and aligned. 5) Daylight light bulbs One of the benefits of working from home is not having to commute to work. But on the flipside, that benefit does have some drawbacks because people working from home spend less time outdoors and therefore have less exposure to the much-needed Vitamin D you get from being in the sun. Especially in the winter when it gets dark earlier. A lack of Vitamin D can cause all sorts of health issues. You can take pills to help, but another option is to equip your office lights with bulbs that mimic daylight. It's not the same as being out in the sun, but it can help you get through those dreary winter months. 6) Monitor Stand Back in episode 118 of Resourceful Designer, I explained how the optimal height of your computer monitor is to have the top edge of the screen level with your eyes. I'm 6'2", and even with a 27" iMac I look down at my computer. After a long day of work, my neck kept getting sore. Then I bought a monitor stand to raise my monitor, and it made a huge difference. Now my computer is at the right hight, and the stand I got looks good, plus it provides me with some extra storage space below my computer. I bought the VIVO height adjustable monitor stand for iMac. The foot of the computer sits on an adjustable shelf so that you can set it to the hight that's most comfortable to you. 7) Phone/tablet stand A stand for your phone/tablet helps keep your device facing you which surprisingly helps eliminate distractions. When my phone beeps with a notification, I can quickly glance at it to see if it's anything I need to deal with without having to pick up my phone or bending over my desk to see what the notification is. I do suggest you turn off all notifications, so you're not distracted, but there are certain things you can't turn off. With so many variations of these stands to choose from you're sure to find one that suits your office. They make a great inexpensive gift idea. 8) Pantone Colour Books If you're a designer, especially if you design anything for print. You should have your own Pantone Color Guide. I prefer the Fan Books myself, and the one I recommend is the Color Bridge Set. It shows you the colours on both coated and uncoated paper and the differences between the spot colours and CMYK equivalents. The guide also shows you the Hex and RGB values. At $300, it's the most expensive gift idea I'm sharing, but in my opinion, it's a must-have for all serious designers. 9) Wireless charging pad Another great gift is a charging pad for your wireless devices. If you have a phone or tablet, or maybe wireless headphones that can be charged wirelessly, then you should have a charging pad on your desk. There are so many great looking options when it comes to charging pads. And at various price ranges, they make a great gift idea for any budget. 10) Second monitor A second monitor is a big boon to any design office. I added a second monitor to my workstation this past year. I immediately realised what I had been missing out on for all those years I worked on just my iMac. I can't imagine how designers working solely on a laptop manage with such a small screen. A second monitor gives you so much more desktop real estate. You can have your email and web browser on one screen while you work on your primary monitor. I spent 12 years working with only one monitor thinking that a second one would be a luxury I don't really need. Now that I've experienced it I know that if mine ever dies, I will be replacing it immediately. There you have it, 10 gift ideas for designers. I hope this gives you some inspiration the next time someone asks you "what do you want for Christmas?" What design-related gift ideas are you asking for this year? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week I don't have a question of the week for this episode. Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Design Business + Chamber of Commerce = Success [sc name="pod_ad"]One of the best marketing tools available to your design business is your local Chamber of Commerce. If you are not taking advantage of how this organisation can help you grow, you are missing out. Big time. What is a Chamber of Commerce? A Chamber of Commerce sometimes called a "board of trade", is an association or a network of businesses and business people formed with the purpose of promoting and protecting the interests of its members. The Chamber of Commerce is not a new idea. The very first one was founded in France in 1599. The first one in the USA was started in New York in 1768. Nowadays, you can find them in almost every country and most cities around the world. One of the primary roles of the Chamber of Commerce is to debate, promote and lobby for or against municipal, state/provincial and even federal policies and laws that affect businesses in your area. They have no direct role in creating laws or regulations, but they are very effective in influencing people who do create them. At the municipal level, your Chamber of Commerce is there to advocate and promote its members. That's why you should join your local Chamber of Commerce. What benefits do Chamber members receive? There are many benefits to joining your Chamber of Commerce. Although some benefits will differ from Chamber to Chamber some common ones are: Your business listed in its member directory. Receiving deals and discounts from other chamber members. Your business gets promoted in your region. Having a voice in shaping local business policies in your area. Free or discounted admission to exclusive events such as networking and social events, guest presentations, trade shows, etc. Being a member adds credibility to your business. Why you should join your Chamber of Commerce. The main reason you should join your local Chamber of Commerce is for the support of like-minded business people that can help you succeed. You know that networking is a critical element of growing your design business. If nobody knows who you are, how are people going to know to hire you? Joining your Chamber of Commerce gives you an opportunity to meet and network with other local business owners, the company decision-makers, the people who hire designers like you. Imagine the Chamber of Commerce as an exclusive club. Many members take this club very seriously and will often look to fellow Chamber members whenever they need help with something. Including looking for design services like yours. I have several good clients that initially contacted me because I'm a fellow member of the Chamber of Commerce. Some met me at a networking event; some saw my business in the member directory, and the Chamber referred me to others. The Chamber of Commerce itself also requires design services for the many events and promotions it puts on throughout the year. Who do you think they will turn to for these designs? Chamber members who are designers of course. Free Marketing for your design business As a member of your Chamber of Commerce, you also get free marketing for your business. Let me repeat that; FREE MARKETING. This free marketing may come in the form of exposure through physical or electronic newsletters, the Chamber's social media posts and other forms of publications. The Chamber loves spreading the word about its members because it helps them attract more members who want the same attention. Have you designed a new logo or website for a fellow Chamber Member? Let the Chamber know, and they'll tell everyone about the great work you've done in their next newsletter. On a side note; once you are a Chamber member, please make sure you read your Chamber's newsletters. The Chamber of Commerce is often the first one to break the news of new business starting in or coming to your area. Often, at the very earliest stages of those businesses. Talk about an excellent opportunity to get your foot in the door and introduce yourself to people who need your services. How people view the Chamber Many people, whether they are a chamber member or not, see their local Chamber of Commerce as an authority when they are searching for products and services. New businesses starting or relocating to your area will turn to the Chamber of Commerce for help and guidance in finding the local talent they can hire. That authority means people TRUST their opinion when the Chamber recommends a business to them. And if there is a Chamber member that offers the sought after product or service, that's who the Chamber of Commerce will recommend before anyone else. Look at these numbers compiled by American Business Magazine. 44% of consumers are more likely to think favourably of businesses who are members of their local chamber. 51% of companies are more aware of businesses who are Chamber members than businesses who are not. 63% of consumers are more likely to buy products or services from businesses who are members of their local chamber. 57% of consumers view Chamber of Commerce members as trustworthy and are more likely to believe their products or services are better than competitors. There's a 63% increase in the likelihood that someone who doesn't require your services now, will use you in the future knowing you are a member of your Chamber of Commerce. Those numbers alone should be enough to convince you that joining your Chamber of Commerce is a good move. A wealth of contacts I mentioned above that one of the perks of joining the Chamber of Commerce is to be listed in their member directory. That directory is available to the public. Since the Chamber of Commerce has a reputation for promoting good business, by association, having your name or company listed in their directory gives the perception that you too are a good business to deal with. As a result, clients will have a more favourable impression of your business and trust you more. The Chamber's member directory is also an excellent tool for you. Use it as a contact list and promote your services to fellow Chamber members on your own or through one of your Chamber's promotional avenues. What a fantastic icebreaker for cold calling. "Hi John, I was looking through the Chamber dirctory and noticed that you're a fellow Chamber member. I was wondering if you had time available for us to meet and discuss your overall brand strategy to see what we can do to grow your businesss?" Merely mentioning that you are a fellow Chamber member may be all you need for the client to say yes to meeting you. You could even offer them a deal, discount or bonus exclusive to Chamber members as an incentive. You should view your Chamber of Commerce as your business partner. It's a valuable tool for any business owner and if fully utilised, can help you grow your design business. Every Chamber is different Every Chamber of Commerce is unique in its way. They offer various benefits, resources and opportunities to their members. However, their end goal is the same. They serve as an influential voice for the well-being of the local business environment. Including helping to promote and improve the growth of local businesses. Joining your Chamber of Commerce will grant you access to opportunities that will allow you to make connections, meet potential new clients and gain exposure for your design business. Joining Chamber(s) I've been talking about your local Chamber of Commerce. But most Chambers allow members from outside their immediate area, providing you do business in their community. Meaning, you can join a Chamber of Commerce outside of your community. If you live in an area that is not served by a Chamber of Commerce, or if you live in a smaller community with a less active Chamber of Commerce. Look into joining adjacent or nearby Chambers where you would like to do business. Do your part I probably don't have to say this but, merely joining your Chamber of Commerce is not enough. You can't just pay the membership fee then sit back and wait for new clients to come calling. You need to take advantage of what the Chamber offers and partake in the events they organise if you want this partnership to help you. People still need to know who you are and what you do before they will hire you and the Chamber needs to know who you are before they recommend you. By involving yourself in your Chamber of Commerce, your chances of success are much higher than if you tried doing all of this on your own. And just in case you need any more incentive to join your Chamber of Commerce, your Chamber membership fee is tax deductible. Are you a member of your local Chamber of Commerce? Let me know how being a Chamber member is working for you by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Penn Hi Mark, I have a question for you regarding web/graphic design. I graduated with a degree in graphic design 10 years ago, but during all that time, I never really pushed myself to get involved in web design and learn to do it well. Now I've come to the point in my career where I need to start doing extra work on my own time, but I realize that clients need web and mobile design more than ever before, and perhaps more than most other types of design. As a result, I'm using online learning to try to get familiar with html, css, and other web design essentials in order to be able to serve new clients with these skills. Could you explain on a podcast episode the steps you take in actually designing and building a website? I'm sure I'm not the only graphic designer who listens to your podcast facing this problem, but if I am, then any helpful insights or resources that unveil some of the mystery surrounding this process would mean a whole lot! To find out what I told Penn you'll have to listen to the podcast. Here's a link to the WordPress Plug-in checklist I mentioned in my answer. Resource of the week Onepixel Onepixelis a stock photo site offering beautiful images by professional photographers for the low price of $1 each. There are no subscriptions, no credits, no hidden fees and no minimum purchases. Every photo is only $1. All photos are royalty-free and legally cleared for commercial, editorial and personal use, meaning they're 100% safe for you, your organisation or your client to use for any creative project. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

What if you looked at design from a different perspective? Sometimes, all it takes to improve your designs or to break out of a creative slump is to alter your perspective on how you go about designing. For the past fourteen years, I've vacuumed the house starting at the South end and working my way North. A couple of weeks ago I took out the vacuum as I usually do only to discover that my wife had chosen that time to groom our two dogs in the living room near the South end of the house. Instead of waiting for her to finish so I could pick up all the excess dog hair and nail clippings, I decided to start at the North end of the house figuring by the time I reached her she would be done. In vacuuming the house from this different direction, I experienced a whole new perspective to our living quarters. I came at familiar areas from a new angle and in some cases discovered that it was much easier to reach those areas from this new perspective. What does this have to do with designing? Sometimes, changing up your regular design routines can change the way you perceive a design. Getting out of your comfort zone can alter your perspective on a project. I always start a logo design project by choosing various fonts that I think will suit the logo. I then design the symbol or icon that accompanies the type before putting the two together and figuring out colours. Last week with my vacuuming adventure still fresh in my mind, I decided to change things up for a logo I was designing. Instead of starting with the font, I dove right into creating the icon. Usually, the font I've chosen influences the icon I design. This time was the opposite. I picked the font based on the icon. In doing so, I decided on a font I might not have chosen otherwise. By changing my perspective on how I approached the design I came up with an idea I don't think I would have reached if I had followed my normal routine. And the client loved it. What did I learn from this experiment? Routines are good, but sometimes they can prevent you from seeing things you might not have otherwise. Changing your perspective can help you find a new solution to a hard design problem. Have I changed the way I design things because of this? No. My routines are established, and they've worked for me for so long that I won't change them. But that doesn't mean I can't tweak them from time to time or ignore them altogether whenever I'm in a creative slump or merely need a new perspective on an idea. Try changing your perspective every once in a while and see what happens. You might like the outcome. For the full story be sure to listen to the podcast episode where I go into much more detail than I just did. Have you ever tried breaking from your normal design routines? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week I don't have a question of the week for this episode, but I would love to answer one of yours. Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. Tip of the week Minimalistic business cards I was recently handed a business card that had the gentleman's name and title of "web designer" on one side, and only his website on the other side. He told me that as a web designer, he wanted to ensure that people saw his work before contacting him. His business card forced people to visit his website if they wanted the rest of his contact information. In the process, they could look at his services, his portfolio, the type of clients he works with and gets a feel for who he is before deciding if they want to work with him. This gentleman told me that since he started handing out his new cards, a much higher percentage of people who contact him convert into clients. If you are a web designer, you may want to give this idea a try. If you do, please let me know how it turns out. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Are you freelancing as a side gig? I created Resourceful Designer to help designers run their full-time home-based design business. However, a large number of you are not full-time freelancers. Many of you have another job and freelance as a side gig. Maybe you work for a design agency, or you're an in-house designer dreaming of going at it alone. Perhaps you're like Jose, one of my listeners. Josee is a full-time firefighter with a spark for creativity. He started by designing posters and things for his fire hall. When his coworkers saw how good he was, they started hiring him to create stuff for them. Eventually, word spread and now Josee runs a part-time design business on the side but has no intentions of leaving the fire service. You might be a student, taking on a few side projects to earn some extra spending money while still in school learning the trade. Or you could be a student exploring your options for after you graduate. Maybe you haven't started any side hustle yet. You are reading this because the idea of working for yourself appeals to you. It's something you would like to do shortly or maybe far down the road, but you're not there yet. Regardless of your situation, know that many designers are in the same boat as you. To help you along, here are four things you need to take into consideration when freelancing as a side gig. 1) Time Management. When you're running your own business full-time, you are in complete control of your schedule; you have 24 hours every day to divide up how you see fit. If there's a networking event at 10 am on Thursday you want to attend, no problem, work your schedule around it. If the forecast calls for rain later today and the lawn needs mowing, do it now and put in an extra hour tonight if you need to. If you're burning the midnight oil to complete a project, no worries, you can make up for it by sleeping in a bit tomorrow. When running your own full-time design business, your schedule can be as flexible as you need it. However, when you have a full-time or part-time job, and you're running your design business as a side gig, it diminished that flexibility drastically. You will have fewer hours in your day to devote to your side gig. That may translate into sacrificing leisure time or sleep, especially when you have deadlines to meet. Clients don't care if you run your business full or part-time, as long as they get their job when they need it. To meet those deadlines, you may have to give up relaxation time or time with family and friends. It's not that bad if you're single, but if you have a significant other or children, your partner or kids won't like playing second string to your design work. Figuring out how you are going to manage your time is crucial if you are freelancing on the side. 2) The scope of the design projects you take on. One solution to the above mentioned time management issue is the scope of the projects you take on. If your design time is a couple of hours in the evenings and a few on the weekends, you might want to avoid taking on any large projects with tight deadlines. Running a part-time, some may even call it casual-time side gig requires you to know your limits. How much time do you have, or better yet, how much time don't you have to devote to design projects? Sure you can hire help with big jobs, but doing so requires time devoted to overseeing the parts of the project you hand off. Sometimes it's not worth the stress of taking them on. 3) Extra income from your side gig. One of the biggest fears holding designers back from becoming full-time entrepreneurs is the uncertainty of income. There are no guarantees of income when you are working for yourself. And giving up a steady paycheck is scary. One mistake people often make is thinking "Once my side gig income equals my current job's income I'll be ready to quit my job and work full-time for myself." This scenario is fine, as long as you don't spend any of the money you earn from your side gig. If you put it all into savings and continue to live off your regular paycheck, you should be fine. When you decide it's time to leap, you'll have a nice financial cushion to hold you over during the transition period. The mistake people often make, is in using their side gig income as extra income alongside their regular paycheque. If you make $25,000 per year in your day job, and you work up your side gig to the point where you are making $25,000 per year there as well, you are actually making $50,000 per year. When you quit your day job, you are cutting your income in half. That can come as quite a blow, especially if you've grown used to having that extra income. I'm not saying you shouldn't use or spend your side gig income. I want you to be aware that if your goal is to build up your side gig until it can replace your new full-time job, be aware of the consequences before quitting. 4) Conflict of interests If you are working for a design agency, studio, a commercial printer, or any other business in the design sector, be aware that starting a side gig may be a conflict of interest. Some companies make you sign documents when you are hired restricting you from starting a business on the side. Even if they don't, starting a business on the side that is, in essence, a competitor to your employer is not a good thing to do. If you work at a design agency that only handles print design, you may be OK starting a web design business as your side gig. However, if your web design clients ask you to design logos for their websites you may have a conflict of interest if the design agency you work for also creates logos. Watch out for conflicts of interest between what you are doing in your side gig and what your employer offers. You should also ensure you haven't signed any documents granting ownership of anything you design to your employer while in their employ. If you do, then those websites or logos you develop on the weekends belong to your employer, and they could demand compensation or refuse to transfer ownership rights of the designs to your client. Even if you didn't agree to anything in writing, make sure what you do at home isn't potentially taking money away from the company where you work. I'm not a layer, but they may have grounds to sue you if it does. Start your side gig Enjoy your freelancing side gig for whatever it is. A simple side hustle to bring in a bit of extra income. A lucrative past time to unleash your creative side. A toe dip in the water to see if the entrepreneurial life is for you. Or a stepping stone to your new career as a full-time home-based designer. If you are not already taking on design projects on the side, I highly encourage you to give it a try. Start slowly with small jobs for family and friends and then move on to acquiring real clients. I have a feeling that once you give it a go, you'll be hooked. Are you running your design business part-time? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Landon I was just wondering how you select a color palette for a website/brand. I'm aware of a boat-load of tools out there, but are there some rules of thumb I should keep in mind? To find out what I told Landon you'll have to listen to the podcast. Resource of the week Coolors.co Coolors.co is a super fast colour schemes generator. Press the spacebar and create beautiful colour schemes that always work together. Coolors.co also allows you to pick colours from uploaded images. You can adjust and refine colours by temperature, hue, saturation, brightness and more. You can also save your pallets for easy future access. They also offer an IOS and Android app as well as an Adobe Add-on for Photoshop and Illustrator to display all your pallets in your programs. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Design Contract Failure In this week's episode of Resourceful Designer, I share a case study where a poorly written design contract cost a web designer her fee for the client site she built. Be sure to listen to the podcast for the full story as I go into much more detail in the episode than I will here. Earlier this week a long-standing client of mine called about a bind she was in. Convinced by a friend that she could save money by using Wix for her new website, she hired someone inexpensive in the Wix Arena to build it for her. Not liking the completed site and confused about the terms and jargon the Wix designer was using my client swallowed her pride decided to call me, her old web designer for help. What I discovered was a very poorly designed website and a bunch of inaccuracies in the correspondence between the "designer" and the client. Such as the "designer" offering SEO Search Engineering Optimization and a free CSS Security Certificate for the website. Or the "designer" saying the client would have to pay extra if she wanted the website to be mobile friendly. (who doesn't design websites to be mobile friendly in 2018?) The "designer" also offered to set up a Wix account for my client FREE OF CHARGE. All my client had to pay was the annual hosting fee of $299US. The strange thing is the account she was going to set up for my client is priced at $120US per year on Wix's website. After a quick perusal, I determined that the person my client hired may have been a Wix site builder, but they were definitely not a designer, and there were too many red flags in their correspondence for my liking. My client asked me if there was any way she could get out of the deal she made, so I took a look at the contract she had signed. That's when I spotted a big failure in the design contract. Here's how it was written. Investment for the website design: $800.00* *(300.00 ahead + 200.00 on publishing and 300.00 30 days after publishing).If our company does not make your website, we will refund it completely.If you do not pay for the total amount the website will be out of work. In case of cancellation after starting service, there is no refund for the ahead payment of 300.00) As per the contract, my client had given the "designer" a $300 deposit before the start of the website. But from what I was reading, that was the only amount my client had to pay if she decided not to continue with this "designer". The contract clearly states the next payment of $200 is due upon publishing of the website, which never happened. The last line of the contract's payment clause indicates that "In case of cancellation after starting service, there is no refund for the ahead payment of 300.00". Technically, regardless of what stage the website was currently at fell within the parameters of "cancellation after starting service". Meaning my client could cancel their agreement at any time and all she would lose is her initial $300 deposit. My client informed the "designer" that she would not be continuing with her services and thanked her for the work she had done. Crisis averted (minus a $300 learning lesson). So why am I telling you this story? A contract is meant to protect all signing parties. In this case, it didn't protect the "designer". All she would have needed is to include something to the effect of "...and payment will be due for any work completed up to the time of cancellation." added to the end of the paragraph. With that simple sentence, she could have demanded full payment for the website she had completed for the client. Take the time to read over your contract and make sure it's written in a way that it protects you as much as it protects your client. I feel bad for the "designer" because she did complete the work. But in this case, I was looking out for my client and took advantage of this design contract failure. I have a new website project. In case you are wondering, yes, I'm now designing the website for my client. She tells me she shouldn't have listened to her friend and she should have just hired me in the first place. She tried to save a bit of money, and it ended up costing her $300. I feel bad for what she went through, so I'm designing her site for the same $800 the Wix "designer" quoted her. It's much lower than my standard minimum website fee, but sometimes you do what you can to help people out. However, I will not be using Wix. I'll be building her website on WordPress using the Divi Theme and hosting it on my servers. When was the last time you verified your contract? Don't let design contract failure affect you. Let me know your contract stories by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Jordan Do you charge for the time it takes a file to load/save/render/process? I'm curious how others handle this. I'm currently working on a massive project that takes about an hour to load/save/render between edits. Edits only take a few minutes. But I'm not able to work on anything else while it's processing. My specs are maxed out. So it's not a "need more RAM" issue either. To find out what I told Jordan you'll have to listen to the podcast. Resource of the week Werner's Nomenclature of Colours by P. Syme Designer Nicholas Rougeux put together a beautiful web page showcasing Werner's Nomenclature of Colours By P. Syme. A recreation of the original 1821 colour guidebook with new cross-references, photographic examples, as well as some beautiful posters designed by Rougeux himself. Here's the write-up on the original guide. Before photography became commonplace, colorful details were often captured by the written word and Werner's guidebook served as one of the best guides for classification. Charles Darwin even consulted it for reference during his voyages on the HMS Beagle while researching natural history. In the late 18th century, German mineralogist Abraham Werner devised a standardized scheme for classifying colors which was later adapted and revised in the 19th century by Scottish painter Patrick Syme. Syme enhanced Werner's original guide by including painted swatches for each color based on Werner's precise descriptions and examples of where to find the colors in the natural world. The first edition was published in 1814 later in 1821 with minor revisions and some additional observations in the preface for how color classification systems are used in various areas of scientific study. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on Spotify Listen on StitcherListen on AndroidListen on Google Play MusicListen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com