Resourceful Designer - A Graphic Design Podcast

You spent a lot of time learning your craft to get you to where you are today. Now clients hire you to design wonderful and functional things for them. You spend hours, if not days working on and perfecting each project until you and the client are satisfied. You expect to be compensated accordingly.

Retainer agreements are the pinnacle of client acquisition. Having several retainer clients can give you peace of mind, knowing you don’t have to spend as much time trying to acquire new clients. Instead, you work with a small handful of clients regularly as you build long-term relationships with them. It’s a win-win for both sides.

I don’t know if it’s the pandemic, the stress of everything we’ve had to endure over the past year. But lately, I’ve seen more and more designers struggling with Imposter Syndrome. I’ve seen it in the Resourceful Designer Community. In Facebook groups. And just talking with people, I know in the design space.

As graphic and web designers, we sometimes take for granted that our clients know what we know. Especially when it comes to identifying the competition. But let me tell you. Many, if not the majority of clients, don’t have the background and knowledge that we do and therefore fail in their competition identification.

Wednesday this past week started like any other day. I got up around 7:45 to see my wife off to work, then went to the kitchen to feed our cat and dog before going to the living room and turning on the TV.

Imagine you had extra money and wanted to invest it in yourself and your business instead of blowing it on a vacation or other luxury. What would you do with it? I share my thoughts on what I would do.

Let me tell you a secret. Are you ready? Clients don’t enjoy looking for a designer. In fact, they would much rather be doing countless other things instead.

There are five essential skills you need if you want your freelance design business to succeed. If you don’t possess them, you need to develop them ASAP.

Have you ever heard of the 10-20-30 Rule? It’s more often called the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint, but the principle applies elsewhere as well.

This is a cautionary tale in how not to treat your clients. It’s always good to hear these kinds of stories to make you appreciate the relationships you have with your clients. Treat them well, and they’ll treat you well.