Portland, OR-based design firm HUB (which has caught our eye by landing work in HOW's International Design Awards), is employing an interesting marketing tactic that's right on target for our economic woes: They're having a sale. And they're promoting it with a well-designed postcard.

In a downturn, many creative pros hit the panic button, slash their rates and are then stuck with those rates when the economy rebounds and new clients come calling. Bad idea. Instead, offer to scale back the scope of a project (one round of revisions instead of three) or consider a free consulting session with your clients (to help them maximize their own budgets and hopefully land you additional work).

Or, you could try an eye-catching (and temporary) marketing hook: a sale.