Clause #3: Designer will be paid for [services rendered] with the following schedule. First payment is due before work will begin on [name of first deliverable]...

In plain language: Don't offer credit to any new client, no matter what. Provide a payment schedule that mandates a payment in advance of each phase.

Why would you use this clause? Because you should never do work for a client without a deposit. That is, unless you have credit to extend to everyone you work with, you can cover three to four months of your overhead without a cashflow issue, you can afford to give clients room to balk at payment due to issues that you can't control, and you can otherwise live in fear of closing a deal because your client is having liquidity issues of their own but still wants to work with you. Can't you just be a little more flexible in the payment schedule?

The answer here should be a gentle but firm no. If they can't pay you up front to start your project, then you're already hearing the warning bells about how the upcoming work might play out. If they're a long-term client, then this becomes less of an issue as you establish credit terms. And if you're really concerned, you can run a credit check on your client to be sure they can pay that $200,000 fee. This is not outside the realm of possibility for any designer to conduct, especially when you are looking to secure large-scale projects.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Felt and wire are used in papermaking to absorb excess water and to smooth the forming sheet. Felt can also allude to softness and emotion; wire can also refer to brains and connectivity. We will explore both sides of the papery equation – the tactile and the technical - and revel in the ways they contrast, converge, and complement.

Posted by Megan

Throughout our creative lives we have sifted through everything to select what we thought best. We sifted through materials to find those for which we have the closest affinity. We sifted through colors, textures, typefaces, images, and gradually we built a vocabulary of materials and experiences that enable us to express our solutions to given problems - our interpretations of reality.

It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language - a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective.

I love systems and despise happenstance. I love ambiguity because, for me, ambiguity means plurality of meanings. I love contradiction because it keeps things moving, preventing them from assuming a frozen meaning, or becoming a monument to immobility. As much as I love things in flux, I love them within a frame of reference - a consistent reassurance that at least and at last I am the one responsible for every detail.

And that is why I love Design.

via Swiss Miss

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. These striking silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut posters were designed to publicize health and safety programs; cultural programs including art exhibitions, theatrical, and musical performances; travel and tourism; educational programs; and community activities in seventeen states and the District of Columbia. The posters were made possible by one of the first U.S. Government programs to support the arts and were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s.

Posted by Megan

Designers will be called upon to advise recession-struck companies on how to cut costs without impeding efficiency. They will also be asked to exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities offered by the recession by developing austerity-friendly products and services. An example is the Virtual Wallet online banking service developed for the young, tech-savvy customers of the American bank, PNC, by the IDEO design group.

Posted by Bryn

Design Resources

Monday, November 17, 2008 9:03:44 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [1] 

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Business cards are a sort of great equalizer in the professional world. Everyone has them, everyone exchanges them, and generally speaking, the less important you are, the more say you have in how yours looks. For creative professionals, especially the legions of us who work for ourselves or in a tiny little studio or consultancy, this makes them exciting -- what our personal or small-business brand lacks in name recognition can be made up in creative expression, at least that's the theory.

Posted by Megan

via box vox

Posted by Megan

Traditional marketers are accustomed to carefully honing messages. This allows for control, but the results are difficult and costly to measure. Social media turns this whole scenario around. With it, control is shared with the crowd, and real feedback becomes immediate.

Organizations now have the opportunity to collect detailed information on users and their habits, elicit real feedback and suggestions, and refine their offering and messaging to better suit user demands. Although there are trade-offs with this new way of communicating, the opportunities for companies to understand and work with their customers have never been as great.

Posted by Megan

I am very thankful that these types of competitions are growing in popularity because they give in-house designers a chance to compete in their own arena. Winners are rewarded with a sense of legitimacy and well-deserved respect from their coworkers and the design community as a whole. The ability to quantify the success of a design can be obscured in some of the broader competitions that tend to focus primarily on cutting-edge visuals or clever advertising concepts. In-house design competitions also help acknowledge the utilitarian nature of the work submitted.

Some people are a little uncomfortable talking about money and payment before any work has been done. I know I would rather get the details of the job and get busy on it needing nothing more than an agreement on total payment, but this is not a smart way to do business… especially with clients you do not know. I get over it by knowing that once the money part is settled the client will get 100% effort on my part on the actual job. Still I want things to be very clear with no room for misinterpretation between myself and the client when it comes to all aspects of the job, including payment. Agree on how long after you invoice them you can expect payment, whether they have an internal contract or purchase order they need in addition to your invoice, etc.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

"The aim of the Hire an illustrator website is to provide art directors
and commissioners with an easy to use point of contact for job seeking
or available freelancers, along with an easy to use interface for the
freelancers to issue immediate updates and edits to their profiles.

Hire an illustrator is not just a portfolio portal. We contact art
directors and companies directly via the telephone to promote
individuals. We collect samples (postcards or other promotional
material) from profiled members to be included in targeted mail shot
packs, and a bi-monthly email newsletter is sent out to promote
our clients."

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

via Urban Retro Lifestyle

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Grace from Design*Sponge just updated her awesome list of Letterpress Printers with 40 new additions. Check out amazing work from shops like Minneapolis-based Studio on Fire, a name that often pops up in HOW's design annuals.

Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. today announced a new Eco*Guide. The guide features Beckett Concept, Beckett Expression, Strathmore Writing and Script, Mohawk Options, Mohawk Via and Mohawk Color Copy. The tool describes each of the product lines, highlighting its environmental attributes, as well as a reference chart that makes it easy to see which papers are FSC certified, Green-e certified, Green Seal certified and/or made carbon neutral. Contact your local merchant for a copy of Mohawk’s Eco*Guide.  To find a merchant near you visit Mohawkpaper.com.

If you're a web designer you should definitley know about Design Meltdown, a great site that collects and arranges home pages by theme. It's an awesome place for visual inspiration. So I was super excited when I found out a site my husband designed for Pepto-Bismol got included in DM's Pink & Blue section. Way to go Ben!

Josh Jeffryes just posted a lovely little essay on The Business of Design Online about becoming an employee after running your own business. Of course, it's a culture shock, but Jeffryes finds comfort in the power of the creative team.

There's a fun discussion on the HOW Forum about cool paper products. It's chock full of links including one to the new Martha Stewart Crafts store. Yum!

If you're looking for new color palettes for your next project check out Kuler, an online community from Adobe where you can explore, create and share color themes.

Designer Jessica Sand of Roughstock Studios, who blogs about green design at Small Failures, recently launched a new column on Business of Design Online called The Sustainable Studio. Check both blogs for practical tips about to work in more sustainable ways as a designer.

via Neatorama

The Virtual Shoe Museum has tons of great photos of and information about designer shoes, like the Mobius shoe designed by Rem Koolhaas, which can be purchased on Zappos.com.

In response to Domtar’s research with its designer customer base, the company has launched a website which aims to meet designer’s needs for an inspirational and informative online resource. The Domtar Designer Corner offers industry news and events, designer profiles, eco-smart design options, and tips for selecting the best paper to bring designs to life. PaperSpecs, an on-line provider of paper knowledge to the design and print industries, will support the site with an exclusive series of Tips on Paper articles.

Wired just posted a sneak peak at the beta version of Photoshop CS3 that looks at the application's new features, some interface enhancements and its improved ease of use.

Created by a designer for designers, DesignerID is an industry-specific networking site where design professionals can post their work, keep up on the industry and connect with each other. Launched less than a year ago, the site has more than 500 members and counting. (And if you look closely, you'll see a picture of Justin Ahrens, a recent HOW International Design Competition judge and all around nice guy.)

For your next binder-design project, check out VIP Presentation Products' 4-color binder called the turned edge litho-wrap. These binders are available in multiple finishes, such as gloss and matte, as well as various spine options, including a flat back spine, multi-score spine or a flat back multi-score combination spine. Additional capabilities include silk-screening, stamping, and in-house die cutting.

As if CSA Images wasn't cool enough, I just came across this visual brainstorming index on their site.

If you design websites, then Design Melt Down is a must visit site before you begin any project. DMD categorizes websites by color and theme so you can make sure your concept is actually original or just like everything else on the web.