What's Your Passion?

I had a coffee meeting with a new friend/colleague today. Just sitting across from him, his passion for his work permeated the bakery. It was definitely catching and hard to watch him try and contain himself (which, by the way, he did miserably!). All the way back to my office, after tucking my boys in bed, I found my thoughts wandering back to his enthusiasm, logically trying to figure out how he stayed so motivated.

It comes back to doing what you love, which is evident of my new friend. He found his peace, so to speak, and in doing so discovered what he really loved doing best! Think about it: how would it feel to wake up every day and know, absolutely KNOW you are right where you WANT to be, not where you need to be, and loving that place!

I'm living my passion - I love design! I've been a designer since 1998 and I still enjoy how each project is as different as its client, how each day comes and I can learn a new process to apply to your project that solves your problem. I'm still learning, but I like to think I don't just make things look nicer; I solve a visual communication problem.

I'd like to hear from you what your passion really is, and are you living that passion or just doing what you're good at? If you're not living your passion yet, why not?

What's In A Printed Ad?

You've decided to buy a newspaper or magazine ad to help advertise your business. You probably know the size of the ad, but do you know whether or not the newspaper or magazine will allow you to submit your own advertisement, or is designing the ad part of the ad purchase agreement? If you can submit your own ad, do you know what resolution is required? Do you know if the newspaper or magazine prefers a certain file format, and what that format is or how to create it? Do you know if you can submit an RGB (three-color) photo and still run the ad? If not, can your designer convert the photo from RGB to CMYK (four-color) without forgetting to adjust the black level? Does the newspaper or magazine have the fonts you want to use? Can you make a .pdf that will embed your fonts? Does the newspaper or magazine prefer you submit the ad through e-mail or FTP?

Your contact at the newspaper or magazine will have these answers, and hopefully I've asked some questions you haven't thought of. A professional graphic designer or production designer will either know these answers or know who to contact to get them. Also, by working directly with the designer, you ensure the ad will look exactly the way you want and begin a professional relationship that will help keep you looking great in print.

Primary Colors, But Are They Right?

It's not real secret that color ads attract more attention than black and white ads. The secret, however, is in how you use that color to your advantage.

We've all seen political ads with orange text on green backgrounds, or red and blue. What most people do see is what I wish their ad designers saw: visual distortion. Visual distortion occurs when two colors are placed one on top of the other and hurts the viewer's eyes to look at it. I used political ads as my example because they are, in some cases, excellent examples of what not to do. If you decide to use blue text on top of a red background, or vice-versa, you'll need to put some space in between the colors. One way to do this is putting a white outline around the text. Another way is to "box off" the text into a white box, which will also draw attention to those words (like a call to action). Sometimes changing the hue of the colors will work, but some color hues don't like to play nicely, so use this option with great care. Remember: if it hurts your eyes, your viewer's eyes won't like it, either.

How do you spell "write"?

Have you ever created a print job for a client, sent it to your print shop, then picked it up only to have the client find a typo? Unfortunately, this senario happens more often than you might think. About three months ago I was perusing my favorite magazine when I came across an advertisement for a new online company; the ad looked great – except for two glaring typos. Earlier this spring I was visiting the vendor booths at our local Womens Expo, and an advertisement at a landscaper’s booth had a large typo – unfortunately after over 10K copies had been printed.

Always have another pair of eyes look your work over, preferably someone that is outside your company. You should still use the spell-checker option, but don't trust the program or your own eyes to see everything. Having another pair of eyes unfamiliar with your work can save you time, money, and embarrassment.

What's "white space"?

The purpose of any printed marketing piece should be to convey a positive message about your company or business. The message conveyed should continue the conversation, or at least, raise a question or two. One way for a business owner to start this process is to realize that white space is ok!

White space is the area around your printed marketing piece that is not taken up by typography or images. It isn't just "white", either; if your background is blue, the empty spacing is called "white space". Sometimes the impact of this space, when properly used, can make as big an impact as the loudest car sales sign. Remember the first billboards for ing.com?

It isn't necessary to fill up every space on your flyer, brochure, or business card with text and images. Give your marketing piece some breathing room. Your audience will thank you for it; so will your business card.

Freelance Does Not Equal Free

I wrote a blog post on Feb. 6th entitled, "What Is Your Value Worth?". This post was inspired by friends and colleagues of different industries having trouble educating their clients on their value and not just "my cost". Their chorus echoed a comment chord: our services are worth more than a dollar amount. What I heard were the following issues:

1. I'm lower than my competition and still getting beaten down on my price.
2. The client said they could get the same services for much less, so I compromised in order to save a sale.
3. I have to give an immediate quote without knowing the full scope of the project; if I don't the client leaves.
4. When I educated my client on the difference between myself and the competition, they didn't understand why I charged more.
5. I didn't charge enough because I was afraid the client wouldn't pay for it.
6. The client doesn't want to pay for the changes to his/her project, saying "what I'm being paid should cover it."
7. The client sends me a list of changes and expects miracles in one hour but is only willing to pay for 1/4 of that hour's fee.

To summarize, some professionals feel because they're freelancers, the word "FREE" is now the biggest part of that word and all the client seems focused on. Since when does "freelance" equal "free"?

I've followed many experts for the past twenty-one months, both in and out of my industry, and I've come to understand a few things:

a) It's my fault, and not always in a negative way. Think about it: if the client doesn't understand my fee structure and breakdown, if the client doesn't have a clear idea of what I am doing for their project, if the client doesn't visualize the difference between the quality I bring to the table vs. the lower cost of my competition, it IS my fault.

b) Understanding the above point gives me empowerment, or control, and makes it easier to move forward and re-educate the client.

There will always be clients that go around "tire-kicking", shopping for the best "value" they can find. What they're really doing is looking for the lowest possible price. Remember, you may know more than anyone else in your industry, but your client may not; worse yet, they may come to the table with preconceived ideas of what your business is really about. When you talk to your client, educate them of your experience and background. If you provide a more personalized service, say so. If there is a service you don't provide, let the client know so they don't assume you can provide it.

The important note is to understand business today is not just about how much something costs, but understanding the value of that product or service and deciding whether or not to trust the source - you. Whether or not the client decides to buy your product or service largely depends on the perceived value of that product or service.

Twitter Etiquette 101-Part 3

I'm continuing my series on Twitter Etiquette based on my own experiences and observations while becoming more familiar with my TweetDeck. I've also been introduced to CoTweet, which I'll discuss in a future post.

I enjoy how my TweetDeck updates me about my Tweeps and Tribes in real time; once people I follow consistently post a tweet, I can view it nearly immediately. What I am also getting in real time are the mentions and DMs, or direct messages.

My understanding of the use of a DM is for a private message and not merely a "hello". In my opinion, this is not the avenue to use when selling your services, either, unless you are giving sensitive information, such as a cell phone number or e-mail address.

Scheduling a DM should not be necessary unless someone is sending the same message out about "checking our site for free stuff" or "buy my book here". Lately I've seen messages along this line, and so have several of my colleagues. Adding to this problem is the fact we all have our Twitter set to let us know via cell phone text message when a new DM comes in. Imagine how frustrating it is when it's the same message of "buy this" or "get this now".

Please remember: Twitter is a social media, so be social! Don't try to sell your wares all the time. Instead, engage in interesting conversation, or better yet - follow an interest close to your heart. And, PLEASE, don't send a DM just to sell something; that will leave your followers unengaged and possibly un-following you in a hurry.

Twitter Etiquette 101, part two

I just published a post against the use of profanity on Twitter; this recommendation applies to any social media and was not intended to single out Twitter.

In using my TweetDeck (which is a great application, by the way!), I've noticed something else that bothers me as much as the use of profanity on the social media that it bears notice here.

As previously noted, I watch for people tweeting about "graphic design" so I can see their interests, problems, concerns, and hopefully be of some help with their projects. As much as the use of profanity makes zero sense to me, I do not understand some of the avatars and Twitter names I see as I follow "graphic design". Much more care should be given not only to the avatar you choose to represent you, but your name as well. If, down the road, you wish to display your work and blog/FB/Tweet about it, please keep these two points in mind:

1. Your Twitter name should be representative of the type of work you do. Having a fun or sarcastic Twitter name is fine, but for a more professional appearance either use a business name or your own name.

2. Your Twitter avatar should also be a reflection of the type of work you do. Sometimes it's easy to match an image to the Twitter name you've chosen, but the image should not be so embarrassing you wouldn't want your parents, supervisor, or in-laws to see it.

By and large social media will help small business owners and students get a good foothold on doors of opportunity. At the door of your chosen social media is your receptionist: your Facebook fan page, your Twitter name and avatar, and countless others. How do you want your receptionist to best represent you?

Twitter Etiquette 101

I've been playing around with my TweetDeck, learning how to utilize the technique of making groups of people I want to religiously follow as well as phrases in the graphic design industry to see what people are tweeting about. For the latter, I settled on the phrase "graphic design" to see if anyone needed help with a project and to see what people said referencing this phrase.

Unfortunately, what I'm seeing a lot of are students and other graphic design "professionals" using Twitter to sound off about how they feel about either graduation, just starting school, or whatever project they are currently working on. It's unfortunate because a lot of profanity is being used, sometimes excessively, always unnecessarily.

As much as we don't want people typing in all caps (yelling), remember to keep the profanity out of the messages. You never know when your next potential employer may be reading what you're writing.

Are Design Contests Worth The Risk?

I've been a graphic designer now a little more than twelve years and have spent nearly two years in my own graphic design business. I follow various experts of my industry to learn more about what it means to be a graphic designer for either print or web, what is good and bad graphic design, and how I may continue to improve my skills and knowledge. In the past two weeks I've read numerous pro and con posts about design contests from various sources, including those I regularly follow. This post is my recap on what I've read and understood.

First, my overall assessment of graphic design, be it for the web or print: it is a vehicle for communication by which the trained professional studies the design problem, researches various ideas and draws several conclusions that communicate the new idea effectively in both color and black/white solutions.

Now here's my recap:

I can see where design contests do have a place within the design industry. It's a good opportunity for up and coming designers to have their work showcased and critiqued, and if chosen, awarded. It's also a good stopping point to view work done by others and to see how many levels they have taken their own investigation.

Some of these sites I've visited have several postings by the same artist; some tweaked a little, some a different color, and once in a while, a grayscale or black/white comp thrown in to show the new design will work in both color and black/white mediums. Sometimes this is done for students in art schools to give them an opportunity to show off their talent and gain a little notoriety. Contests run through an art school I have no problem with and did participate in such myself when I was enrolled.

Unfortunately for many new artists, this is where the good points stop.

I see many tweets daily from web sites posting contests or job postings (even if the word "contest" isn't specifically used, it's still a contest) in which the prospective entrant must post at least one solution/comp within the specified time frame in order to be considered for the "award" (winnings). I took a final look at one such posting this afternoon with new eyes, and here's my breakdown:

"I (the poster may or may not state their name or company name) need a logo designed for this new project (states project). If interested you must post at least one sample ("I don't want to see previous work" - I actually read this!) to be entered. The budget for this project is $xx, or low (I saw one as low as $20!) At the end of the time frame I'll announce the designer to receive the award (winnings). In return your work will be posted for all the world to see but you will probably not receive one penny for the work you have provided. Thank you."

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the summary is true: you are giving up work for free, also known as speculative work, highly frowned upon within the professional industry. Please read the AIGA's stance on this issue at http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work?searchtext=spec%20work.

Along with this idea comes another random thought: who owns the artwork now? Once you have entered one of these contests, you surrender the right to own that piece you created; if you were not the winner, you also didn't get paid for what you created. You may be able to use it in your portfolio, but use with great care and label it accordingly. You might set up a specific page on your web site that showcases these pieces separately from work you were actually contracted to create and received due payment.

Want more to think about? Let's say you want to advertise such a contest yourself. How do you know the piece turned in by a designer is one they have actually designed? Too often a designer may be in a rush and may "borrow" or "use" an idea from the internet or other source. As a contest poster, you must be very careful that the work you choose to be the winner was indeed not stolen. One such was to try and avoid this is to do as much research on the contestant as is humanly possible. If they have a website, view their work and see if it's similar in style to the contest piece. You may also want to try and Google for the logo and see if something similar turns up. This can be time-consuming so tread carefully. After reading this post, if anyone has any other methods for determining fraudulent use of art I will be glad to post separately from this article.

In conclusion: I agree with the experts I follow. Design contests are not a good method for getting your work seen, and there's too much risk in not getting paid for your efforts. If you design a piece, you should be paid accordingly for it. Period.

My thanks to Chris Spooner (@chrisspooner), David Airey (@davidairey and @logodesignlove), Jacob Cass (@justcreative), and Preston D. Lee (@prestondlee and @designblender) for their informative, well-thought out articles and examples that will continue to guide me through my journey.