CMD+Shift Design
Liz Andrade
Designer of print and web. Podcaster, Blogger, internet nerd and crazy cat lady.
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Got this question just recently via Facebook and decided to expand on my response for another installment of Ask A Freelancer.
Question
Liz,
How did you decide to specialize in wordpress design, and do you charge your clients for any time you spend training them on it?
WordPress isn’t something I decided to specialize in, it just sort of evolved. My first introduction to the software was with putting together this blog. In the months before leaving my old 9to5, I came home every night and spent hours at the computer slowly teaching myself WordPress and building what was version1.0 of the CMD+Shift Design blog. It was late 2007, I was working with WordPress Version 2.3 — which when I think about it now it was pretty primitive compared to what we know as WordPress today!
Time Lapse from Late 2007 of me learning WordPress and building V1.0 of the blog in the hours after my “9to5″ workday was over.
As I worked with the software more and with the big upgrade to features that version 2.5 brought, I was very excited about how vertistile WordPress could be and naturally started selling it to clients. It is not a solution for every type of site, but it is much more than just a blogging platform, for sure!
What I like most about it is how easy it is for my clients to use! Whenever I do a WordPress project I always include a tutorial session at the close of the process. The client has a chance to sit down with the software and get walked through how they will update and maintain their new website. As the software evolves more and more, it has just gotten easier and these sessions rarely last more than a half hour.
Over the last month, I have even opted to make screencast tutorials for my clients — in a 10 minute video I can walk them through all they need to know and they have that to reference back to whenever they need it! There are also some great resources for helping your clients get familiar with the software, like WordPress.tv.
I remember the days when having a content management system was an expensive process that was still not very simple for a casual user to pick up and for the most part — websites were fully static creations, meaning if you wanted to change something, you had to edit the code. I’ve dealt with teaching clients how to do basic HTML editing, it was awful! No client should have to deal with that stuff, they have businesses to run and they shouldnt have to shell out my hourly rate everytime they need some contact info changed.
Content manegement systems put the power into you clients hands so that they can grow their business in an efficient way and it ensures that the integrity of the design you have created with them is not compromised by any code blunders along the way.
WordPress isn’t the only game in town, there is a bunch of great CMS’s out there that can do a variety of unique things for you unique projects! There is Joomla, Drupal, Expression Engine, Movable Type, Magento, CushyCMS, CMS Made Simple and a lot more. Download and install and just try one out, see what it can do and think about how it may benefit your clients and you business!
Ask A Freelancer #9 (Lightening Round!)
For the past 3 weeks I have had a Formspring account and have been asking all sorts of anonymous questions that come into me about dealing with clients, marketing, blogging, etc. I have a backlog of questions in my inbox over there and just try to pop in and answer a few of them each week. (If you have submitted something and I haven’t got to it yet, just be patient – I am answering everything!)
This has become a bit of an “Ask A Freelancer” Lightening round, so I decided to pick a few each week that I think might be of interest to you guys and re-post them here. So here we go…
At what point in your design process do you start talking with the client in detail about their project? Before someone becomes a client or after they are under contract and are “officially” a client?
Before someone signs a contract and becomes an official “client”, we usually talk in pretty broad terms about the design end of their project. We usually discuss scale at the onset of things… how large the website they need, what print pieces need designed, how many illustrations. THAT type of stuff. After a quote – if they choose to move forward, they put down a deposit, sign off on a project agreement and then we have a “kick off meeting” or a “consult” where we go further into the philosophy of their business, their goals, their businesses aesthetic, etc. etc. If after this chat we find that the scope of what we initially discussed had widened – we adjust the project agreement to accommodate it.
Do you have a niche?
I specialize in WordPress Design and Development. That is what maybe 75% – 80% of the work i do. But, I have a background in branding and print design and lately have been doing a fair amount of that. I love print, i LOVE IT. But, i think I do love web a little more.
What do you say to tire-kickers to prevent them from wasting your time? And what do you say to red-flag clients to send them elsewhere?
A red flag for me goes off when the first correspondence from a prospective client is vague. Emails like “I’d like a quote for a website.” Usually, these people either never respond, or they really have no clue what they need or want, but they know they can;t spend much money on it. I have a collection of “canned responses” in my email to respond to emails like this. It explains that I need more info to quote and then gives some wide-range ballpark prices they might expect for different types of sites. This will weed out most of those “tire-kickers,” but if they respond with more details on the project, they will already have a general idea of where your quote might fall from the previous email, so take the time to send them a quote!
What do you tell clients who see to be “afraid” of white space?
Well, when dealing with any client who is not comfortable with a design choice I have made on their project – I would explain the reason for it framed in the language of business instead of design. Telling a client “this empty space gives balance and order to the layout and allows your eye to rest.” makes perfect sense to you and your designer friends, but a client might likely heard “Wah wah wah wah wah,” try something like. “This space is important to give your companies logo more dominance, establishing a strong sense of brand and making sure your customer doesn’t get lost in too many elements.” Try not to let your client focus too strongly on what they like, but pull it always to what the customer needs.
How do you say no to a client you don’t want to take while still keeping the door open? Or what if you have too many projects flowing in at once?
Just be honest. If you have too much on your plate, tell them you can’t accept new projects for another 3 weeks – but you would love to work with them if they’d be willing to delay the start of the project! ….If you just aren’t interested in doing the job they have for you, tell them you don’t think that the project is the right fit for your skill set or style, but that they should contact you again if they have other projects in the future that the 2 of you could work on together!
Question
Liz,
I work as a web designer in a mid-sized design firm in Chicago. I love my job, but also have heard a lot about the importance of growing a “personal brand” using social networking tools. I think I would one day like to start my own design business, but RIGHT NOW I am happy with the job I have. Isn’t it kind of a waste of time to start blogging, using twitter, youtube, etc. if I am not actually doing freelance work?
- 9to5er
The idea of “personal brand” has to do with thinking of yourself as a unique part of your industry, and marketing your one-of-a-kind skills, style and personality as its own brand — and in my opinion, it is NEVER a waste of time to start growing one! Growing your personal brand through the use of social networking tools is something that can be beneficial in many ways, whether you are a freelancer or 9to5er, here are a few…
1. Just because you’re happy and secure at your 9to5 now does not mean you always will be. In the economy of today, layoffs have been widespread over many industries and if a sudden change in economic climate puts you out of a job, having well-laid foundation with your personal brand could give you a leg up in a competitive job market!
2. Future potential employers will look at your online profiles if you are applying for a staff position! This is the case for many industries nowadays, but especially in web design. Being a web designer, it is so important to be educated about emerging trends and technologies on the web and the only way to really understand these tools is to use them!
3. In addition to using social media tools to grow your personal brand, you will also be benefiting your current employer and current clients by educating yourself more about these tools!
4. If you hope to start a business in your future, make an investment in that future and start making your name known NOW. Building a foundation now will only help you when you do break out on your own. Buy your vanity domain name (yourname.com) and secure your name on as many of the social networks as you can.
5. Blogging and social networking will help you connect with other in your industry, which can come in helpful if you need to relocate to another city, outsource a project, ask questions about software or code, get a design critique or business advice, or just to nerd out about a new font you just bought! Your interactions with those in the design community will aid you in improving your skills at your 9 to 5 and you can make some awesome FRIENDS along the way!
What Do You Think?
These are just a few reasons why I see social networking as valuable to those in the design industry, maybe some of you disagree with me? Leave a comment and give me your thoughts on the matter!
Why I started “Ask A Freelancer.” – From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. I hope that by publishing these inquiries and my response I can do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment! If there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
Question
Liz,
I’ve been thinking about my business and branding. I plan to begin freelancing and I’m not sure what to choose as a domain name and I’m not sure how to go about designing my logo.
Right now I own a dot com for the company name I came up with, Visual Blade but should I be using my own name instead? You work by yourself and I notice you picked a creative name, what’s your opinion of what I can do to choose the right one?
- Daquan Wright
Business Name or Your Name?
It’s really up to the individual freelancer if they are to use a company name or simply go by their own name. There are fair reasons for both, no real right or wrong answer here – but here is some stuff to think about.
Having a brand name other than your own allows for ease if you plan to expand to a larger operation in the future. If you’re goal is to someday turn your one-person operation into a huge firm with receptionists and account executives and an H.R. Department, a company name might make sense. However it’s not the rule, some of the largest firms in the country are named after their founder.
It can be beneficial to use a company name if you want to define a personal brand, that is separate from your business, should you start up something new or move on to another company. Instead of being known as “Liz Andrade Design,” I am “Liz Andrade from CMD+Shift Design,” the two are strongly linked and people recognize that CMD+Shift is MY brand, but in the future I might be Liz Andrade from some-other-thing-er-rather. Again it’s all just about how you want to be perceived and what you feel more comfortable with.
Now, Some people choose a company name to give the illusion that they are larger operations than they really are. I don’t suggest this. Be honest with your potential clients about who you are and what you offer, trying to trick businesses into hire you will not turn up good for either party!
The decision all rides of how you want to project your brand and your personal preference really. There is no right or wrong. You have a unique name and that may be something that works to your advantage. There is probably not some other web designer under the name Daquan Wright out there, so you may not have to come up with a memorable business name, you already have one!
I made a call out on Twitter and found out some great stories about Freelancers business names and why they chose them!
Where did CMD+Shift Design Come From?
I am a bit of an internet and computer nerd and I like the idea of choosing a business name that was a little nerdy. I used to be a big fan of the old Revision3 cooking show, Ctrl+Alt Chicken and at one time had the wireless in my apartment named Ctrl+Alt Liz (even though I am a Mac user, haha.)
Most designers I know love their keyboard shortcuts, most of us have a favorite keyboard short cut! So when it came time to choose a name and I saw that the domain cmdshiftdesign.com was up for grabs — I took it! It wasn’t until after buying the domain that I started to think about the name further and it’s possible double entendre, “Command Shift” could refer to my ideas that design has the power to change the way we perceive the world and ourselves and the brands around us.
Choosing A Domain Name
In this day and age it is very important that you have the website address to match your business name, it is good that you have visual-blade.com, but if you choose to use Visual Blade as your brand name, keep trying to get visualblade.com as well! In print, like on business cards, that hyphen is nice because it serves to separate the words to make it more clear what the name is, however in spoken form you will have a better chance at people understanding when you say “visual blade dot com” as appose to “visual hyphen blade dot com.” Also people may find about you via word of mouth and going off the business name itself, the first domain they are likely to try would of course not include the hyphen.
Whether you sell your company under your name or not, you SHOULD (everyone should) own yourname.com if you can get it! Being that you’re blessed with a unique name, it looks as though daquanwright.com is available, go register it!
Of course, it’s always best if you can snag a dot com instead of a dot net or other extension, depending on your plans for the future you may want to invest in a dot tv as well, or if you’re living outside of the United States, the extension associated with your region.
Be careful, domain names can be addictive. How many of you have an arsenal of names that aren’t even being used or are all redirecting to your hub site?
Register Your Trade Name
Once you’ve settled on a name you will be doing business as, it is time to register that name! You can find the forms for this through your local Chamber of Commerce.
Creating Your Logo
As designers, you’d think this part would be easy – but it’s hard to design for yourself. I’ve seen designers who strugle with being satisfied and who are constantly changing their logos, (which makes growing brand recognition near impossible!) If logo design is not your expertise, talk with someone who is more versed in this and get their input. You may find that investing some money into bringing in an outside designer may make you more happy with the final result!
I am reminded of the design blog that Brian Hoff writes, The Design Cubicle. He has a great article on there about creating the logo for his site, and what made me think of this – even though the article is nearly a year old is because Brian opened up his process to the design community. I recall during his sketching and refinement phases he would tweet out drafts and ask for feedback from other designers! This is a great way to learn more about design and how to accept criticism! Plus you may get connected with some new people in the community!
What’s your advice?
Am I missing something? What is your advise for Daquan? Why do you use the business name that you do? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. I hope that by publishing these inquiries and my response I can do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment! If there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
Question
Hi Liz !
I am a 17 year old high school student who has just started my Senior Year. I think I may be interested in becoming a freelance web designer after graduation, but I’m not sure what is required. Would it be better to study computer science or programming in college or should I go to design school? Should I skip college and just learn from online tutorials? Will it be easier to start out as a freelancer or to get a job somewhere? Lastly, is your market competitive?
Sorry for so many questions! Thanks for any help you can offer!
- Future Freelancer?
Answer
Would it be better to study computer science or programming in college or should I go to design school?
There is always the option for a double-major, if you are able to bite off that cost and workload, do it. Getting an in depth education of both might reveal to you that you are more interested in one than the other (and you may be surprised at which one that is!)
Of course, a double-major is a whole lot to bite off — so if this suggestion has you nodding your head, understandable. I’m interested to hear other readers thoughts, but I think learning to design is something that is best learned in a classroom environment where you have the ability to feed off other ideas and work, collaborate, and critique. Once you get into the design world so much of the job is being able to work with others be it other designers, developer, writers, marketers, or clients – so getting used to being creative within this atmosphere is really valuable.
Should I skip college and just learn from online tutorials?
Of course, there are a lot of practicing web designers who did not go to college and are completely self taught. I double majored in Fine Art with a focus on Painting and Graphic Design. It wasn’t until after graduation that I really started to indulge my passion for web design and learning more about development.
Unlike something like becoming a lawyer or doctor there is no exact path you have to take to become qualified to charge people money or your web design services.
Now, in my eyes, I say – if you have the opportunity to do college, you should take it! It’s going the only time you will have to completely immerse yourself in focusing on learning, you’ll learn a lot about what interests you and you’ll be able to have some guidance in your academic journey that you won’t get by learning from online tutorials and books.
Will it be easier to start out as a freelancer or to get a job somewhere?
Just as I believe learning design within an academic community is valuable to prepare you for a job in the real world. I would also say that having a job at a design firm is going to prepare you to be successful at freelancing.
What will be easier? To be successful at either, you’re gonna have to work HARD. having experience in both environments I wouldn’t say that either is easy, but when getting started working for someone else is a lot simpler! Remember that freelancing is not JUST the design and development part of the job – you’re also running a business!
Is the design field competitive?
YES. VERY.
What’s your advice?
Am I missing something? Do you have a different perspective on this matter that you would like to share? Do you disagree with any of my thoughts? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
Ask A Freelancer #5: Finding New Clients
From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. I hope that by publishing these inquiries and my response I can do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment! If there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
This week we’ve got a short question, but I don’t know if the answer can be so cut and dry…
Question
Hi Liz!
I’d love to get any advice you have about getting started as a freelancer how you find those first few clients . . .
- Desperately Seeking Clients
Answer
DSC,
A while back, I wrote an article called, Ditching your 9to5 to be Freelance & Fancy Free which goes over some tips for getting things off the ground.. and finding new clients is mentioned, but I’ll try to explore this subject a little further as it something you will always be working on, no matter how long you’re in business. Of course as time goes on and you build your brand and name recognition, It get a lot easier, but you never want to stop marketing yourself!
Spread the word
Of course you’ve told your other design friends that your making the freelance switch, but don’t stop there! Tell your neighbor, your mailman, your barista – tell everyone you talk to that you are starting your own business, give them a business card – give them your elevator speech – make sure they understand what services you offer, cause even if they do not need to hire you – chances are that if you are likable and memorable, they will pass your information along next time they’re at a business lunch and someone says “I need to find a graphic designer!”
Invest in your Online Presence
I have a good portion of new clients who have found me via an internet search. Google has become today’s phone book! When looking for a service it is increasingly rare for someone to turn to the yellow pages, they’re more likely to type in a search query and see what results they get for their area.
Now, I know you can make the argument that I am biased on this subject (being in the business of web design,) but I sincerely believe that investing in your business online presence is one of your most valuable marketing tools in today’s world!
Now, this doesn’t mean that a hefty web design budget is going to equate to new customers banging down your door! Things like your companies website, blog, Facebook or Twitter account are simply tools, the real marketing comes with how those tools allow you to reach out to your audience and help them find you! This could mean you writing a blog about your freelance experience to connect yourself with your community and establish your name in the industry or it may be creating a simple one-page site to let a terrified homeowners with a busted water pipe know that you have a 24 hour phone line and are there to help them day and night with their plumbing needs.
Deliver the Goods
Word of mouth marketing has been my #1 route to new clients. Getting a referral to a business from someone you know and trust holds a lot more weight than any well designed ad or smartly marketed campaign. However, this type of marketing isn’t something you can buy, you have to earn it. Each of your clients has the potential to become an advocate for your business. If they get a valuable service from you and feel good about the experience of working with you, they are going to tell this story to others, and a good story is something people will remember!
Come to Them
When you’re starting out you sometimes have to go find the work, instead of it coming to you.
Job boards: You can find work via job boards like FreelanceSwitch Job Board, FreshWebJobs, Krop, AuthenticJobs. There is a ton of great job boards out there that cater to all different types of freelance work. Here prospective clients will post the details of the project they need completed and some may even give budget details while others may ask for you to contact them with your rates. Of course, these boards can be very competitive since so many people are after the same job.
Agencies: If you live in a metropolitan area, there is very likely to be a creative placement agency in your neighborhood. These agencies work as the middle men for large companies looking to work with freelancers (similar to a temp agency.) With an agency you can find jobs that may be long term contract work, or a short and fast project.
A perk of agency work is that they handle much of the business end, billing, client relations, etc. You show up and do the work needed, so it’s a lot more like having a regular job. It can be valuable since you’re able to get experience in a variety of different industries and types of businesses.
What’s your advice?
These are some of the things that have been valuable to me; but what about you? Do you do any cold-calling? Do you find work off Job boards?
Am I missing something? Do you have experience with a similar situation and would like to share how you handled things? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. I hope that by publishing these inquiries and my response I can do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment!
I’d like to make this a regular part of the blog — so if there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
Question
Liz,
I recently had a web project whose scope creeped from a 4-5 page website with basic shopping component, to 2 websites: one community/blog based, and one fully customized online shop.
It happened so slowly… I thought, maybe I should look at what I originally quoted on. Sure enough, I had really only budgeted for a 4-5 page website with a basic shop component.
My question is, how do you approach a client to ask for more money mid-project? Who bites the bullet when the project scope creeps out of hand? I hated sending the email, but realistically, I realized that my workload had more then doubled from what was initially quoted, and agreed upon. Obviously I don’t want to sour the relationship, but I also need to get paid for the hours that are being put into the project!
I don’t mind going over my budgeted hours on occasion, especially if I enjoy the project. But this one got so out of hand I don’t even know how it happened or why I didn’t speak up sooner…? I’d love to hear yours and others experience with this.
- Creeped Out
Answer
Hello Creeped Out,
Scope Creep is an issue we have all dealt with! It is always best to nip it in the bud sooner than later, but I understand how these situations can sometimes sneak up on you.
First, lets go over some things that you should have had in place, and will be sure to do NEXT time, right? ;)
Spell it Out
A standard part of all your project contracts (yes, you should have a contract!) is a detailed outline of the “Scope of Work.” This details the work you are agreeing to complete for the client and is a protection for BOTH of you by working as a guideline that clearly points to the work you will be doing for your client.
This section of your contract can be in a simple list format and should be as descriptive as possible. Be sure to spell out what is included as well as what may NOT be included. For example, a recent edition to my standard development agreement states that support for Internet Explorer 6 is an additional hourly fee.
Speak Up
Now that you have a clear agreement of the work included in your price that both you and your client have read, understood and signed — here’s the real important part – you have to stick to it!
Now I’m not saying you have to turn into some sort of design ogre, it’s OK to sometimes throw in a little extra for a client! It’s part of good customer service and as a freelancer, especially, we develop close relationships with a lot of our clients and become invested in seeing their business look its best — so we sometimes want to put in a little extra, even if it wasn’t part of the original scope! The important part here is letting your client know about it, before the work is done. Once anything extra is required or requested, it’s time to alert your client… immediately!
Chill Out
Too many freelancers don’t feel comfortable when it comes to talking about money, but if you want to get paid — you have to let this hang up go! Scope Creep happens and it doesn’t have to be any big deal, approach your client calmly, confidently and with an air of nonchalance and make them aware of the situation, “after reviewing our project agreement I see that we have added these elements (yadda, yadda, yadda), I will be in contact later today with a quote on this additional work and a revised project agreement.”
Simple. Don’t ask if they would mind paying you more or apologize that you can’t do the extra work for free. You are a professional providing a service, remember? They are professionals too and will most likely not bat an eye at this, it’s expected! More work = more cost. If your client does put up resistance at this point, you will have your signed contract to refer back to.
Is it too Late?
Now, your email was a little unclear on whether you had already completed this extra work or not. If you already banged out the 20 page website and never mentioned to your client that the extra work isn’t part of what you originally signed on for – this is a tough call… and each freelancer may have a different take on this situation, personally If I was in the midst of the now inflated project, I may contact the client and bring the situation to their attention forgoing the hours I may have put in up till then but charging now for all work I need to put in to complete what’s been asked.
What’s your advice?
If you don’t mention to the client the work your doing will incur extra costs, is it fair to assume they will understand when you give them the final bill? If you don’t speak up soon enough, is it now your punishment to eat the loss?
Am I missing something? Do you have experience with a similar situation and would like to share how you handled things? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
Question
Hey Liz,
I still have a 9 to 5, but have started moonlighting as a freelancer and eventually want to build up enough business for that to be my main income! What do you suggest I do about the whole financial side of things? I know I need to keep track of stuff, but I’m not sure what the best way to do it is. I do plan on hiring an accountant to help with taxes, but I can’t really afford to hire someone to do monthly bill paying, invoicing, etc. at this early stage! I’m guessing this is stuff I can handle on my own for now, But what kind of stuff do I need to be keeping track of? Do I need to buy Quickbooks? What do you use?
More Money More Problem
Answer
Hello MMMP!
Day to day finances is something that most freelancers keep track of on their own. When your business grows to the point where managing this takes more time away from you WORK, it will be beneficial to hire someone to help manage this – but for me, day to day cash flow stuff is really easy to do on my own and I really only spend a few short hours a month on it! Check out my full video response below…
This is really all about finding what works for YOU – my system is really simple and streamlined for me, but it’s not going to be the right solution for everyone. When you’re first starting out and don’t have the work flow to justify hiring a bookeeper to do day to day things like emailing invoices or balancing your checkbook, you’re going to end up doing it yourself. This doesnt have to be scarey, just stay organized, keep clean records and with the money you save doing your own expense tracking you can invest in hiring a pro to prepare your taxes!
There is a helpful article on FreelanceSwitch, which is a good place to start: Accounting Basics for a Freelancer. There is also some good advice for those of you starting out in the book My So-Called Freelance Life.
Oh and should I just remind you, I am NOT a financial advisor — this is how I handle things and what I have learned from my advisor, you can use this as a jumping off point or to get an idea of the steps involved, but PLEASE – talk with the accountant who will be doing your annual taxes to find out how they would like to receive your numbers!
What’s your advice?
Am I missing something? Do you have experience with a similar situation and would like to share how you handled things? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. I hope that by publishing these inquiries and my response I can do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment!
I’d like to make this a regular part of the blog — so if there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
Question
Liz,
I am a web designer who is trying to get my freelance business built up. I really enjoy the creative/problem-solving part of design and sometimes I also really enjoy the coding part (it also feels creative at times to me!)
The problem is that most of the freelance work that comes to me is from designers who have already completed the website design and ONLY are looking for someone to code it for them. I take most of these jobs, because – it’s a paycheck — but I usually find myself getting really frustrated with the process when designers hand off website designs that use bad web design practices or aren’t put together with the Content Management System we are using in mind at all.
I feel bad saying that what they’ve designed sucks or that I ”can’t” do something or give them what they want. But this usually ends up in development taking WAY longer than it should and the end result being sub-par and not something I even want to include in my portfolio!
Have you ever had this problem? How do you handle it?
- Will Code for Food
Answer
WCFF,
I love web design. I love the whole process, really. Everything from client meetings about target audience and content to choosing HEX colors and Photoshop layouts to defining CSS classes. Every step of it generally makes me giddy. It’s the entire process as a whole that is very rewarding and after working through each step, your final result is something that you can really be proud of.
Of course, not all clients will be looking to hire you for that whole process – some may have completed their own information architecture and just want you to design the site and create a theme… they may have the full design and just need you to turn it into a functioning website. These projects aren’t as exciting to me as those that allow me and my client to create something together. There has been some “development only” jobs that I really regretted taking.
For a time I thought this was because I didn’t really love development, but then I realized it was the restrictive aspect of simply coding another persons design, especially in situations when those doing the design didn’t have a solid knowledge of code or the CMS being used. I’ve found that the best solution for this can be to add a collaboration stage into the process where the designer agrees to be open to layout modifications based on my knowledge of web design.
This added step will make development run smoother, quicker and your end product will be something you, the designer and your client will be much more pleased with! Don’t be afraid to bring this up to the designer you’re working with — they WANT to create the best work possible, so as long as you approach it from that angle (and don’t say ”your design sucks!”) they will be grateful to have your expertise at their disposal!
What’s your advice?
Am I missing something? Do you have experience with a similar situation and would like to share how you handled things? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
From time to time I get emails asking for advice about freelance matters. It occurred to me today that by publishing these inquiries and my response I could do a better service to my blog readers than just responding one email at a time. Plus, those of you who may have input on the matter that I didn’t think of can chime in with a comment!
I’d like to make this a regular part of the blog — so if there’s a question you have or a subject you’d like to get an opinion on, please contact me!
Question
Wondering if I could get your advice or opinion on something?
There are a couple projects I am working on where the client has felt the need to provide VERY specific sketches/colours… Now I’m all for client feedback, but I basically feel like the client is requesting a very specific design — after I provided a ton of variations (first mistake).
How do you avoid them having THAT much input? There’s no grid, the colours don’t match, everything is in boxes… I’m so non-confrontational and struggle to be really honest with clients sometimes. I figure, you HIRED me to do this, why would you think to do it yourself? Why not buy Photoshop and you’re good to go?
Any advice for a fellow freelancer? Am I just supposed to suck it up, do it as they want, then pretend I had nothing to do with it? The client is really nice and the logo development went so smooth! How did the website slip out from underneath me??? Sigh. Any words of wisdom?
- Not A Pixel Pusher
Answer
Hello NAPP,
I’m not sure if I will have a cure all solution for you, but there are steps you can take to avoid finding yourself in this position again and possibly how to flip this current client into being the passenger and not the driver!
Be an Expert, Always
You said it, NAPP — the HIRED YOU. So why are they now treating you more like a computer operator instead of a designer? This seems especially curious since you say that the process of branding with them went so smoothly. I have a feeling that perhaps you are not presenting yourself with the amount of confidence in your web design abilities as you may have with your print design abilities, is this a possibility?
Clients are hiring you because they need an expert and if they get the feeling that you aren’t doing the driving they may feel the need to grab the design wheel!
Research more, design less
You mention showing the client a “ton of variations” which, in my experience, I have seen this can do a couple of things to a client.
1. The client see’s a large group of ideas and is overwhelmed, feels like you are unsure on the direction things should be going and that it is their job to make the call.
2. The client see’s a large group of ideas and then see’s the process as less of a problem solving venture. They become focused more on the button having sharp corners or rounded corners and loose track of the process being about communicating with their customers in the most effective way.
The best way to combat this is to spend more time in the research phase before moving in to the design phase. Talk with your client about their customers, their needs, their goals. Examine their industry and give them guidance on what they should include and what they shouldn’t concern themselves with. Clients WANT your guidance, they want hand holding, they want you to tell them what’s the smartest thing to do (where design is concerned.) This isn’t about a confrontation – it’s just about making your client feel like they’re in good hands. Remember, they HIRED YOU because they need someone who knows web design, so don’t be afraid to show them how much you know!
Design Smart
After spending more time in with your research process, the design process can go a lot smoother and less things are left up to whim or fancy. If you have a valid reason for all your design decisions that can be articulated, this shows your client that you really are doing a job for them!
Choose your Words
Some of the most valuable lessons I learned about interacting with clients, I gained while working in sales. So much has to do with the language we use, the way we talk to our clients and about the project at hand. Unfortunately, this isn’t and exact science, it’s something you just have to get the hang of. Listen to what your client is saying and think about what they are really trying to accomplish.
It’s all about talking from a problem solving mind set and phrasing things so that they are plans of attack! You’re not looking to your client for the solution, you know the solution and you are excited to let your client know that you have things in control.
Client: “Let’s get rid of that contact link and make the background red, the blue is too corporate.”
You: “It’s a must that your customer has quick access though out the site to your contact information, you don’t want to miss an opportunity for a sale… And a I do have an idea for giving the site a little more warmth, this falls in line with our initial meeting where you said that your company is approachable!”
Get Your Client to Say “Yes”
Some of what I have here related really well to this presentation by Paul Boag (of BoagWorld fame!) I watched this a long time ago and after writing this post ended up looking it up again, I totally learned a lesson or two from listening to Paul, I’m sure you will too!
What I Would Do…
So this advice may be better suited for your future client interactions, but what about your problem with the here and now? Well, this is what I would do if I were in your shoes.
1. Take the mess of a design that the client gave you and find the redeeming qualities in it. There has got to be something: one color, the placement of a link, anything that can be salvaged
2. Incorporate that element into a refined and fully thought out design
3. Present this to the client, pointing out what you did and why your did it and how it is going to benefit them! Be excited and highlight the GREAT idea they had about making the search box on the right hand side!
4. Remember the lessons covered here and in Boag’s talk and choose your words accordingly. :)
What’s your advice?
Am I missing something? Do you have experience with a similar situation and would like to share how you handled things? Leave a comment and tell us about it!