Work for Money, Design for Love

Chapter One: Design as a Career What makes a good designer? On selling (the importance of sales) Ongoing education What design schools lack Self-teaching (never-ending) Finding your niche (we don't need another generalist) Working as an independent designer Sub-contractor Freelancer Working as an employee (team dynamics, limitations) Working as an employer (less design, more managing) Chapter Two: Starting-out Experience required (more helps, but its possible with little) Planning (creating a modern business plan) Home office vs rented workspace Choosing your brand name Designing your brand identity Launching your online presence Marketing tips and finding new clients Ethics in design Chapter Three: Pricing When to say no (be selective) Talk about money early The importance of clarifying expectations Knowing what to charge Handling payment Avoiding project creep How and when to raise your rates (and why it benefits your clients) On discounting (not for new clients, but for old clients) Alternatives Pro bono Collaboration and outsourcing Chapter Four: Communicating with your Clients You're the designer (the client isn't) Discover the problem (don't assume there is one) Highlight the importance of strategy Beware requests for spec Avoid the big reveal by involving the client throughout Design by committee is unavoidable The importance of showing your design in context Common presentation mistakes Chapter Five: Legalities Terms and conditions Why working without a contract costs thousands (Clemente case study) What to include in your contract Intellectual property Chapter Six: Before I Go Be proud of your skills Useful business tips Useful books

A self-employed graphic designer from Northern Ireland, David Airey writes three of the most popular graphic design blogs on the Internet: www.davidairey.com, www.logodesignlove.com, and www.identitydesigned.com. David's blogs have attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal fans who read and are inspired by his writing every day. Airey is also the author of the popular book, Logo Design Love.