Becoming a freelance designer is a common
dream among many designers, although it takes quite a bit of talent, business
savvy, commitment, and time. With all there is to consider when becoming
self-employed, one can become overwhelmed, enough to deter themselves from
trying at all.
Do You Want Fries With That Logo?
From
low-budgets to rush jobs to piss-poor project management, every designer has
one time or another faced the inevitable, "I need a logo (brochure,
website, etc.) done ASAP" scenario. Depending on the designer's work
situation, some can simply choose to decline these projects.
But for
many full-time designers, this "rushing creative" is a very real and
necessary part of their job requirement. So when asked to "just slap a design
together" or "crank it out," how do we as designers maintain our
standards and integrity
Strategies For Successful Relations With Clients
Let's
face it. Some days, you want to just fir your clients. You go through one too
many comps, iterations or edits and you've has enough. It has happened to
everyone at least once and I'd be lying if I said it won't happen again; you
get to the end of a project and realize that you would have made more per hour
flipping burgers. Thankfully, as with most common problems, there are a few simple
guidelines that you can follow to help make sure that you're never working
for below minimum wage.
Effective Strategy to Estimate Time for your Design Projects
How many
times have you been completely confused at how that 'small' project turned into
such a big one costing double and taking three times the length you estimated?
Many of you will say estimating time for web projects accurately is an
oxymoron, but by applying a few effective techniques it's possible to dramatically
increase the accuracy of most web project estimates.
Moovin Designs - Freelance Multimedia Design: Planting CSS Sprites
Moovin Designs - Freelance Multimedia Design: Planting CSS Sprites: Spriting is a term that many web developers and designers have come to know over the past couple of years. But what are sprites, what are th...
10 Places to Find Graphic Design Work
If you are a graphic designer looking for freelance graphic design jobs or full-time graphic design jobs then you have come to the right place. Below is a list of 10 great places to find graphic design jobs. Most of these sites will also be extremely useful for other creatives such as web designers, animators and illustrators.
Behance Launches Student Show, an Initiative to Support Emerging Designers
If you're a student, here's an exclusive design community where you can get your work exposure, get feedback from peers as well as world-renowned creative professionals, and even get hired!
Twitter for Freelance Designers
For several years I didn't bother using Twitter. Bow blogging that I loved, but Twitter... I just didn't get it. A couple of years ago I decided to have another go and read a couple of books and watched some Twitter tutorials and I started to see what all the fuss was about. Twitter can be a freelancers way of making an introduction to people they want to get to know.
So how can Twitter help you?
Now the first thing most Freelancers are probably thinking is to get more clients. While this is a big part of it, I think there are many more, but let's start there anyway.
So how can Twitter help you?
Now the first thing most Freelancers are probably thinking is to get more clients. While this is a big part of it, I think there are many more, but let's start there anyway.
Six Tips to Optimise Your Social Ranking for Potential Employers
Social networks have made personal lives public. Choosing to be a part of a social network allows for you to e scrutinized, something once reserved for the famous. This, however, does not only stop with your friends and ex-partners: people are now being socially examined by potential employers as well.
But does that mean that people should refrain from social networking? There are always ways to optimize your social presence for potential employers:
Therefore, never allow public viewing accessibility to your profile. Make sure only your friends have access to your profile. Although this is not always guaranteed, it is therefore best to remove your tag from inappropriate pictures. Remember, what happens in Vegas stays on Facebook!
In the meantime, Facebook this week has not only launched improved friends lists, it will also be implementing a "subscribe" button, allowing your friends as well as non-friends to subscribe to your Facebook activity. If you are posting statuses, for example, that you do not wish anyone other than your friends to see, make sure you tick the Friends option under not Public.
You also have the option to disable anyone from subscribing to your activity.
Being proactive on Twitter is key. You should use this opportunity to connect directly with potential employers and people within the organization. It is also important to retweet industry related tweets.
However, if you have a weird sense of humor, extremely passionate about politics or have strong opinions about sensitive subjects, don't create a separate twitter account to express that side of you. Culture is an important part of any organization. No employer wants a stiff employee that only tweets about industry-related topics. Employers socially stalk you because they want to know about your personality. If it were only your skills they were interested in, your CV would be enough.
Nevertheless, you should always tweet responsibly; don't bash your ex employer on Twitter, for example. This will definitely dampen your chances of getting a good job.
In today's highly competitive job market, your CV has to stand out. Although many companies may prefer traditional CV's, video resumes are definitely more capturing.
Creating the right video resume can sometimes be daunting but this has to be done professionally. Shooting a video resume using your iPhone in your bedroom is not going to work.
Mashable has some good tips for creating video resumes. Make sure your resume is syndicated to as many social sites as possible.
People are saying things about you all the time: your friends, ex-colleagues, ex-employers, etc. Make sure you set up Google Alerts for your name; this is a perfect online reputation management (ORM) tool
Respond to negative comments immediately. Remember, you cannot always control your online presence but you can certainly try.
It may seem unfair that potential employers sometimes scrutinize your personality and social skills before employing you but, unfortunately, once pieces of information are online, it does become public property. Being cautious with your online activity can definitely help you look good to future employers.
Blogs and forums have become inherent in social media. MyBroadband and Bizcommunity's forums and comment facilities are typical examples of how forums are becoming increasingly popular amongst online users.
Commenting in forums and on blog posts is a great way to express your opinion on topics you are passionate about. However, with freedom of speech, comes responsibility. All your online activity is being cached by Google and can be found by anyone.
It is therefore imperative for you to be cautious when commenting on blog posts and forums and refrain from personal attacks, slander, vulgar and racist statements.
But do keep in mind that expressing your opinion is very important; it shows you have passion for certain topics and are willing to engage with others about these topics. Passion for your profession is something every employer looks for.
Social media is not a passing phase and will still be here in 5, 0 and even 15 years' time. It has become a very important facet of our lives, right down to securing that perfect job.
But does that mean that people should refrain from social networking? There are always ways to optimize your social presence for potential employers:
- Use LinkedIn
- Check your Facebook security settings
Therefore, never allow public viewing accessibility to your profile. Make sure only your friends have access to your profile. Although this is not always guaranteed, it is therefore best to remove your tag from inappropriate pictures. Remember, what happens in Vegas stays on Facebook!
In the meantime, Facebook this week has not only launched improved friends lists, it will also be implementing a "subscribe" button, allowing your friends as well as non-friends to subscribe to your Facebook activity. If you are posting statuses, for example, that you do not wish anyone other than your friends to see, make sure you tick the Friends option under not Public.
You also have the option to disable anyone from subscribing to your activity.
- Be proactive on Twitter
Being proactive on Twitter is key. You should use this opportunity to connect directly with potential employers and people within the organization. It is also important to retweet industry related tweets.
However, if you have a weird sense of humor, extremely passionate about politics or have strong opinions about sensitive subjects, don't create a separate twitter account to express that side of you. Culture is an important part of any organization. No employer wants a stiff employee that only tweets about industry-related topics. Employers socially stalk you because they want to know about your personality. If it were only your skills they were interested in, your CV would be enough.
Nevertheless, you should always tweet responsibly; don't bash your ex employer on Twitter, for example. This will definitely dampen your chances of getting a good job.
- Syndicate your video resume
In today's highly competitive job market, your CV has to stand out. Although many companies may prefer traditional CV's, video resumes are definitely more capturing.
Creating the right video resume can sometimes be daunting but this has to be done professionally. Shooting a video resume using your iPhone in your bedroom is not going to work.
Mashable has some good tips for creating video resumes. Make sure your resume is syndicated to as many social sites as possible.
- Google Alerts
People are saying things about you all the time: your friends, ex-colleagues, ex-employers, etc. Make sure you set up Google Alerts for your name; this is a perfect online reputation management (ORM) tool
Respond to negative comments immediately. Remember, you cannot always control your online presence but you can certainly try.
It may seem unfair that potential employers sometimes scrutinize your personality and social skills before employing you but, unfortunately, once pieces of information are online, it does become public property. Being cautious with your online activity can definitely help you look good to future employers.
- Blogs and forums
Blogs and forums have become inherent in social media. MyBroadband and Bizcommunity's forums and comment facilities are typical examples of how forums are becoming increasingly popular amongst online users.
Commenting in forums and on blog posts is a great way to express your opinion on topics you are passionate about. However, with freedom of speech, comes responsibility. All your online activity is being cached by Google and can be found by anyone.
It is therefore imperative for you to be cautious when commenting on blog posts and forums and refrain from personal attacks, slander, vulgar and racist statements.
But do keep in mind that expressing your opinion is very important; it shows you have passion for certain topics and are willing to engage with others about these topics. Passion for your profession is something every employer looks for.
Social media is not a passing phase and will still be here in 5, 0 and even 15 years' time. It has become a very important facet of our lives, right down to securing that perfect job.
Types of Social Media Complaints
Social media offers a variety of incredible opportunities for companies, but there are some aspects that are daunting for many brands. The king of all fears manifests itself as the customer complaint and, to make matters worse, there are more than a few types.
Before preparing to tackle the wide array of topics, questions and issues that your customers will pose, it's important for the social media team to understand the different types of complaints and work out how to respond to each.
I've highlighted 10 tough posts you might encounter and suggestions on how you can best handle them.
As you venture deeper into the social space you'll be able to unlock even more of the goodness for your company, but definitely be prepared to engage with your customers on both the positive and negative experiences they have.
Before preparing to tackle the wide array of topics, questions and issues that your customers will pose, it's important for the social media team to understand the different types of complaints and work out how to respond to each.
I've highlighted 10 tough posts you might encounter and suggestions on how you can best handle them.
- The simple query/complaint
"Hey brand X, I can't find where to upgrade my membership?"
These can usually be answered using an FAQ or general knowledge of the company at hand. These are generally simple enough to solve on the spot; just be sure to follow up with the customer to make sure everything was sorted out to prevent an escalation.
2. The rant
I'm sick of Brand X's excuse for customer service. If they don't fix it today I'm moving to brand Y.
Making the person aware that you are aware of the rant and are willing to help is the first step. From there, try and find out the root cause of the rant and, if it's something you can fix, do so quickly. If it isn't an easy fix, explain the process and keep in contact.
Social sphere of influence and the nature of the query are obviously your first and most important factors to look at. It's best to be as sincere and genuine as possible; even though the person may be terribly aggravated or frustrated in their posts, it's best for you to remain as calm as possible in return/reply.
3. The Hello Peter tweet
Complaints-resolution websites such as HelloPeter have built in "tweet this" functionality into their complaint submission process. Generally, when these come up in your brand stream, it's best to handle it on the platform it originated from. Your brand should probably have someone handling these complaints on HelloPeter and deal with it accordingly.
Taking the engagement onto Twitter leaves the complaint unanswered on the site, which generally isn't advisable as it leaves you with a bad brand (brand does not answer) score on the complaint sites. So it's best you tend to it there, first.
4. The last resort
"I've emailed and been in store twice and nobody can help; all I want is for you to e-mail my statements and nobody can seem to help with this. Please can you sort this out?"
For many people, tweeting about the brand or posting on their Facebook page is due to a general service failure on any number of other channels the brand has put in place (in-store/dealer, call centre, email contact centre). They are fairly enraged at this point, and generally they will tell you about where else they've failed to get their problem solved.
Empathy is key here. Your feet, their shoes. However, the most important aspect here is to make sure that the issue can and is now resolved. Prioritising these service failure complaints is a good idea.
5. The blog post
When you pick up on a blog post written about your brand, it's always best to get these to the correct department/person as quickly as possible. The nature of the post may necessitate a reply in the comments section of the post; alternatively, it's best to get in touch directly with said person (in person or via phone) to try resolve the situation.
Generally, a personal interaction will be highly appreciated and the person might comment/edit their own post once the query situation has been resolved. Be warned: you never want to insist on a retraction or update - it's their blog, not yours. This is why brands often post comments on the blog to ensure that everyone sees you have acknowledged the issue and post once again once it's resolved.
6. The complicated complaint
"The dealership I took my car into charged me for the last repair to my DSG control unit after the car has been with the technician and head office for 2 weeks, and now it's going in for a second time under warranty and they want to charge me again? Please explain why this is so?"
Sometimes the person may not understand the brevity or complexity of the complaint they are asking to be resolved. It's best to communicate as quickly as possible that this might take some time to investigate - and give a time frame. You may also want to take the issue onto a platform (email, phone) where you have time to go into detail and ensure the issue is resolved correctly. Follow up, and make sure that they get the necessary feedback.
7. The hashtag maker
#BrandXFail you guys suck. I've never experienced such terrible service from your Sandton store in my life #sitdown
Some socially sawy complainers might make their own hashtag accompanying their complaint via Twitter, basically to gain attention and traction within Twitter. Quickly understand their social influence and propensity to go "viral". If this is something you can see going south, it's best this query is fast tracked and escalated.
Get in touch quickly, but don't make it known that their query s being fast-tracked in the public forum. This show of "preferential" treatment can be seen in a negative light by other users on Twitter, and can also set the precedent to how users should behave to get better service.
8. RT this if you agree
"BrandX is the [insert expletive] worst service provider in the country. RT if you agree"
These can be scary when you first see them, especially if it entails a complaint about your brand. Again, understand their social sphere of influence and propensity for this to turn ugly quickly. It's best to attend to the person who originated the tweet and monitor who else retweets. Usually the retweeters don't also warrant a response (depending on the size or the capacity of the team) but again it's important to keep an eye on who else jumps on the bandwagon.
9. I won't stop posting/tweeting till you solve my query
Here's one that scares you a little. A community manager nightmare when someone goes postal on your Facebook page. It's best to attend to their first comment, first. Ensure that you make contact and continue to comment under all other posts that you have made touch on his/her first post.
This shows the rest of the community that you have responded. More times than most, he/she will stop posting soon enough. If they don't stop after you've done everything to resolve, you may want to consider blocking or banning them. Some people can't be reasoned with and your other customers will understand.
10. Complaints about a slow response via social media
"I don't get it, I tweeted to @BrandX 5 minutes ago and still no response? Don't you care about your customers?"
It's best to always be upfront and highlight what your response times are, or during what times the community moderator is there to help (you can list this in the profile). Depending on the environment, type of brand and community, you might need to highlight this often to make sure people are aware of how long they will have to wait. As always, stay in contact and keep the person updated.These 10 aren't cast in stone and there are a number of varieties of each. If I've missed any, feel free to add them in the comments.
As you venture deeper into the social space you'll be able to unlock even more of the goodness for your company, but definitely be prepared to engage with your customers on both the positive and negative experiences they have.
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