With the first question in the Designers WW series, I asked, “As a professional designer, what are the main points you want clients (potential and present) to know before contacting you about a project?”

The next logical step was to ask about client problems, if any, with “When working with clients, what do you see as the top problem areas?”

Adrian suggests poor communication

The projects that I have worked on that “blew up” seem to all suffer from poor communication between me and the client. It can be difficult for a non-design person to understand what you are doing, and if you aren’t communicating well, disaster is inevitable. I think many good designs never get off the ground because the designer assumes that the client is sensitive enough to recognize a good idea when they see one. Part of our jobs as designers is to educate our clients.

Adrian E. Hanft | Art Director | Photographer
Be A Design Group | Found Photography | Adrian3

Andy says it’s unrealistic or inflated expectations

The two main client issues I see occurring on a regular basis are unrealistic or inflated expectations, and the tendency to offer solutions rather than outline problems.

The majority of clients have little or no experience in building a website which is why they come to design professionals for help. There is a popular misconception that web design is easy, and this is something that has been propagated by tools manufacturers and educators over the years. Because of this, many clients have unrealistic expectations when it comes to budget, timeframe and features.

As web professionals, it is our job to manage our clients’ expectations and make sure they understand exactly what they will be getting as a result of the design process. Unfortunately in the rush to sell services and win pitches, agencies often over promise and under deliver. This may win clients in the short term, but in the long term they will be left feeling short changed. I think it is much wiser to under promise and over deliver. That way clients will always be delighted with the work you produce.

Good communication at the start of the project is vital as it allows you to manage client expectations. It is also an opportunity to set some ground rules and explain to clients exactly how the design process will work.

Design is all about creative problem solving. In an ideal world your clients will define the problems they are facing, and then you will come up with the best solution to solve those problems. However people are naturally helpful and clients really enjoy getting involved with design projects. As such, rather than coming to you with a problem to fix, clients will often come to you with one of several possible solutions and ask you to implement them. Examples of this could be anything from a client suggesting that a button needs to be made bigger, through to recommending functionality like a blog or a forum. In these situations, it is important to understand that the client recommendation is just one possible solution to a much deeper problem, and it is your job to examine what that problem is, look at all of the available solutions, and then suggest the best one for the job.

To avoid these situations, it is important to explain the design process up front and make sure your client is explaining what the problems are rather than simply offering one of several solutions. That way your client will get the most out of your design knowledge and the project has a much higher chance of success.

Andy Budd | Managing Director | Web Designer | Author
Andy Budd::Blogography | CSS Mastery

Brian offers a list

1. Proofing. Clients just don’t proof their copy.
2. Unreasonable expectations: yes it can be done, but are you willing to pay for it?
3. Clients don’t always understand that our expertise is valuable, and that our time is therefore billable. If you want to ask for our opinion or input, you must therefore value it. Please be willing to pay for it.
4. Clients who claim expertise because they have experience in some sort of marketing. More and more, if a client contact isn’t a communications professional, then I anticipate that the project may not go smoothly, and there will be frustration on both sides.

Brian Sooy | Design Consultant
Brian Sooy & Co | Altered Ego Fonts

Chris doesn’t design on a dime

I have to go back to price again. Whether I’m proposing a website or a business card, there’s always a client who says “Well, I can get it 10x cheaper at We Do Cheap Design.com” And they’re right, they can, but where will that company be when the client needs something ASAP? Will they answer their emails right away or just sound out a blank response telling the client that they’ll get back to them very soon?

Not knowing exactly what they want before approaching a designer. I’ve had clients unsure about the color scheme or metaphor of their website, to the client who is not sure how many business cards s/he even needs or wants. I’m not saying designers shouldn’t do a bit of leg work and research, but feedback from the client _prior_ to developing the product/project is very important.

I’m not going to design on a dime. And I mean this as in Spec work. As a “noob”, it’s tempting for me to do whatever I can to help a client get their product. But when asked to sketch out ideas or present some comps with little or no information, I’m not going to do it. I have a customer right now who wants some refrigerator magnets for his annual event. He’s not real sure what he wants, how many, what colors or even the content he wants to include. He asked that I come up with 2-3 ideas and then we can meet and figure it out. I told him no and asked that we have more information before we design/develop anything.

Chris Tomlinson | Communication Designer | Printer
Gonink | Gonink blog

Daniel feels clients are not clear

The two most common, frustrating and damaging problems is that clients have preconceived notions that are actually at odds with what they want to accomplish, and the fact that they aren’t clear about what they want to accomplish.

1. Preconceived notions. Clients want a logo or web site that looks like someone else’s or even looks like something they have in their head–it’s blue and it has circles and over here there’s a picture of a donkey wearing a crown… I have to disabuse them of these notions, because the look of something should only come after it’s really clean to them, and everyone else, what they want to say. Which leads to point 2.
2. Clients hand you lemons and expect you to make wine. Creatives need something to work from. The more specific, concise and focused the client is about their needs, the more creatives can meet them. These have to be specific, and within reason.
3. Creating graphics for themselves instead of their clients and potential clients. Design may be about you, but it’s for your potential and current customers. Customers want to know, “What’s in it for me, and why am I bothering with you?” as quickly and clearly as possible. It’s more important what your target market thinks–than whether you, or your 13 year old like it (unless the target market is you or your 13 year old son).
4. Unrealistic expectations, deadlines and budgets. Time. Money. Results. You’ve got to be clear about all three up-front, and if your client is unrealistic, it’s your job to to set them straight now, or they’re just be angry or disappointed later.

Tell them a reasonable timeframe, and if they need it much faster, make sure they know the additional cost.

Explain that “It’s not reasonable to expect your new logo, as fabulous as it is, to turn you into IBM overnight. A good logo is a vital building block, but you have to market it so it becomes familiar and this takes time and money.”

Or, “Yes, the new web site is utter and complete genius, but it still may take 3-6 months of marketing and promotion before people start finding it, unless you want to buy tattoo space on Britney Spears (that real estate value has gone down in recent months) in which case you’ll get a lot of traffic, but maybe not the kind you’re looking for.”

Or, “Yes, it would be great to have Norman Rockwell design those icons but 1) he’s dead, and 2) if he weren’t he’d be outside your budget.

I wrote How to, and not to work with a designer for clients everywhere, and designers everywhere are sending it to their clients. You can read it, and point your clients to it.

Daniel Will-Harris | Communication Designer
Will-Harris House | Schmoozeletter

Danita sees a lack

• Lack of understanding the value of design.
• Lack of understanding the process.
• Lack of consistency and importance of Branding.

Danita Reynolds | Communication Designer
Creative Expertise | Creative Expertise blog

Dan says less is more

Generally I have better success with more experienced clients. With a less experienced client I spend more time managing the expectations of the project, where as the more experienced client the expectations are closer to reality, and easier to meet or exceed.

Dan Sturdivant | Communication Designer | Editor
TexasDesign.com

Dawn went for client education

While I don’t have a problem justifying the value of design to clients now, I can certainly remember when it was a challenge for me, because I used to look at it as “client education” when instead all it really is is a sales presentation. Once I looked at it that way, it was much easier to sell. I can see where design/dollar justification is a huge concern to newer designers entering the market. How do they compete with the “cheapo design online” when they haven’t been able to cultivate their business/presentation skills? We’re never going to get rid of the lowballers, so designers better know how to SELL themselves. (Sidenote: If a designer doesn’t know how to sell then how can they be effective? It’s the business we’re in, we sell our clients’ products or services everyday, don’t we?)

Clients who don’t understand the importance of consistency—even after I’ve tried to educate them. I have clients who will hire me to manage their brand/message, then do things on their own that completely go against it. It creates customer confusion and an overall weakening of the brand. Why hire me if you’re going to go against my advice?

Clients who can’t make up their mind. Let’s get a gameplan together, and stick to it. Quit second-guessing every little thing and then change the focus mid-stream, it just muddies the original intent and increases the chances for failure.

Clients who don’t offer up information. (As designers we need to ask the leading questions to get the answers we need.) I have problems with long-time clients who just want to send me something and say “work it up” because they think I should instinctively know what they want by now, and I in turn think they should know what I need by now. Catch-22. :)

Dawn Burgess | Communication Designer
abdfla.com

Metin needs trust

I dislike clients who give me the feeling that they don’t have enough trust in my capabilities, by continually trying to guide me and constantly checking out what I have done so far. Also, clients who have the biggest mouths are usually the worst payers.

Metin Seven | Communication Designer
Seven’s Heaven - design and illustration

Neil wants a clear picture

Changes, at or near the end of a project, can be very problematic. They often require work outside of the scope of the original specs, resulting in increased costs for the client.

Not having a clear vision of what they’re trying to accomplish is another problem and often results in changes mentioned above.

Another problem can be a client who isn’t willing to go through the process. Some seem to think we pull this stuff out of the air. Although a winning design can come in a flash of inspiration, more often than not, it takes time to explore potential solutions.

One more problem can be dropping the ball in the middle of a gig. Both clients and designers can be guilty of this. At the onset, there a lot of energy, but somewhere in the middle people get busy, fires crop up that need to be put out and life, in general, happens. The problem part is not communicating to the other party that there’s going to be a delay. When that happens trust may begin to fall apart. Trust is critical to the client/designer relationship.

Neil (nt) Tortorella | Marketing Manager
Tortorella Design | The Marketing Mind | Creative Latitude | BoDo Team | Marketing Minute

Nigel says clients don’t read

I’ve been told many times by clients that my project briefs are the most professional that they’ve ever seen. By this, I think they mean that they like the font I used or the way I laid out the headings, because I’m constantly amazed by how few clients have actually read the content. I keep having to point out that the number of changes allowed for within this budget are stipulated within the brief, or that images and copywriting is not included.

Other things:

• The deadline for payment is not a suggestion.
• And, no, I won’t assume that the deposit is in the mail and begin working anyway.
• I don’t spend all day sitting in front of my computer, watching it execute designs; I do actually have some input.

Nigel Gordijk | Web Designer | Consultant
Common Sense Design | Common Sense Small Business Toolkit | Creative Latitude

Roger wants clients to focus on marketing issues

One of the biggest problems is that clients tent to approach design issues from an aesthetic, rather than a marketing point of view. They’re more concerned with colors, typefaces, and “fitting everything in,” rather than marketing issues like “What is the message?” and “Why should they care?”

Lack of organization can be another major roadblock to a smooth client relationship. Often, projects are assigned before the copy is written and approved, leading to frustrating delays and wasted effort. Depending on the terms of the project, this lack of organization will either result in higher feeds, or the designer losing money (and sleep!) on the project.

Projects proceed smoothly where a single individual has received delegated authority to speak on the client’s behalf, and the client has reasonable expectations for reasonable design and production costs.

Closed minds are another significant hindrance to successful relationships. An unwillingness to listen to new ideas signals trouble ahead. It reduces the designer’s role to simple production, rather than a creative search for solutions to satisfy the client’s needs.

Unreasonable expectations and the “last bullet” scenario are clues to client problems in the making. If a client leads me to think that their entire survival depends on project’s success, it’s probably not a project I want to get involved with. No matter how good the project performs, it probably will not be enough to pay off all the client’s outstanding bills and provide a launch pad for future success. There’s no substitute for due diligence and careful listening to clues to the client’s financial situation.

Roger C Parker | Designer | Writer | Marketing Consultant
Design To Sell Online | Roger C. Parker Design to Sell Blog | Design to Sell

Scott is crystal clear

Communication and responsiveness.

Communication is a key principle in design in the first place and presenting ideas, concepts and designs to clients can be challenging at times, especially when clients have a preconceived notion of what they think they need. A related problem is the client wanting something in terms of the design or functionality (in the case of web site/application) because they don’t like it. They forget or misunderstand who the real people things should be geared towards — the final end-user/audience.

While I feel that it’s important the client is happy with the work, it’s more important that it is appealing to the target audience. Being mostly focused on the web, this is a harsh reality that some clients have a hard time grasping and a harder time letting go of. As a designer, I feel it’s my job to advocate for the user, for the people who will actually interact with a website, application or print ad. It comes down to the client hiring you because you’re the expert. But everyone wants to art direct. It comes down to knowing which battles are worth fighting and knowing when to just play along.

Scott Boms | Communication Designer
Wishingline DS

Stefan sees a need for education

Some of our top problem areas when working with clients begins with many clients not understanding the value of great design. That by enhancing the image of their company using great design they will receive a very high return on investment. Too many clients are worried about the cost of design even though the return they receive from it will be ten fold. We also run into the problem of clients who want too much control. In those cases, if they can’t stand back and let us do our job, then we won’t work with them. They have to trust us to have their best interests in mind.

Also, we run into many clients who fail to come to us with a serious budget. Often times they put great design at the bottom of their budgets at the beginning of the year and are forced to try to get cheap design. Cheap and design really should never exist in the same sentence.

Appropriate timelines can also become a problem. Many clients do not understand that great design takes time, thought, and many versions before the final idea is selected for presentation. Plus, printing itself and/or the implementation of that design can take weeks.

There is often a great need for serious education about how we work in order for clients and designers to work in harmony. This kind of educating often ads time to every project because clients aren’t familiar with the process.

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

Tamar touches on lack of information and lost deadlines

Lack of information. Many clients appear to know just enough to be difficult. They think that what looks good online will look fine in print. They don’t understand that good, effective design takes much more than a few mouse clicks. And they think nothing of pointing to something that already exists, and saying, “I want that.” Copyright infringement never enters their mind.

Not adhering to deadlines. They think that even if they get their information to me late that I’ll work double time to stick to the original deadline. Again, we’re designers, not magicians. If the client makes me wait on something for a week, chances are the whole project will be delayed by a week.

Nickel and diming. It clearly states in my contract that the prices are an estimate only, and anything over 10% of the original estimate will require approval from the client. So why get in a huff over $10 or $20 (even though I get approval for EVERY charge over the original estimate)?

Not knowing what they want…but knowing that they’ll “know it when they see it.” We are designers, not mind-readers. If you can’t, or aren’t willing to share your ideas/thoughts/concerns, etc., then we can not effectively do our job, and we’re just wasting each other’s time.

Tamar Wallace | Communication Designer
Tamar Graphics | Tamar Graphics blog

Von’s answer is short and sweet

• Communication
• Reliance on tools rather then creativity

Von R. Glitschka | Illustrator
Glitschka Studios | IllustrationClass.com | Art Backwash | Three Thumbs Up Award

Summary

What do you do with the client who has unrealistic or inflated or unreasonable expectations, unrealistic deadlines and budgets, doesn’t adhere to deadlines, believes the deadline for payment is a suggestion, thinks the sentence ‘the deposit is in the mail’ actually means something, has a lack of understanding when it comes to the value of design, nickel and dimes, drops the ball in the middle of a gig, doesn’t offer information, has poor communication skills, does not have a clear vision, doesn’t know what they want, has preconceived notions, can’t make up their mind, doesn’t understand the importance of consistency, doesn’t understand the process, has an unwillingness to listen to new ideas, approaches design issues from an aesthetic (rather than a marketing) point of view, designs by committee, lacks organization, isn’t willing to share ideas/thoughts/concerns, offers solutions rather than outlines problems, wants too much control, lacks consistency and importance of Branding, hands lemons and expects wine, is unwilling to go through the process, relies on tools rather then creativity, doesn’t proof copy and misunderstands copyright infringement?

Sometimes you run. Sometimes you educate. It’s all in the degree of the problem really. Mostly, you are patient and understanding. You educate. You communicate. And sometimes, you slap them with a PITA charge.

If you are at the end of your rope with nowhere to go but out of the working relationship, you could send them the Clients Guide to Professional Conduct in the Design Industry. But that’s not even a ‘don’t try this at home’ suggestion as we’ve never done it ourselves. It sure has been tempting though.

In the coming posts we’ll tackle solutions to basic client problems. But if you have specific questions on dealing with problem clients, our very own Jay will field all at Ask jay. In case you weren’t watching, just this past Thursday she posted a timely Four steps to a client contact policy.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat

Four steps to a client contact policy

Dear jay,

I find myself in an awkward situation. One of my very good clients quit her job and has decided to go in to business for herself as a marketing representative.

She was a great client and we worked well together but the problem now is, she considers me a professional brain-picking source. She calls to ask how to set files up for press, to find out who the best printer is for a job, etc, etc.

I have told her repeatedly that I am not in the business of training competitors, nor a free ride. We had a big discussion about it. Two weeks went by, but now she’s back at it. I am really sick of it, but what can I do?

It does not matter what kind of consultancy/freelancing you do, you are likely to have to deal with this problem in one form or another. IT get callers asking how to clean up a virus, photographers are queried regarding light settings, etc. While a certain amount of free advice can always be regarded as good client relations, it is very easy for a drop to become a raging torrent!

1. Start from the beginning

Decide how much up-front consultation time you are willing to give a client or prospective client, taking into consideration what will work for both you and your clients. For example, you may decide that a set number of free hours or one free meeting is all you are willing to give and everything else has to be compensated.

2. When to give the green light

Decide if and under what conditions you will not charge a client. You might decide that having a five minute chat with a client now and then is good marketing strategy, but have a prepared phrase or approach to enter into a conversation that clearly signals the client when your clock starts ticking. A response such as “As a quick estimate, the answer to that question will take about (enter number) hour/s to put together for you. I can send it off (date/time) and charge you my usual hourly consulting fee, or would you like a more detailed estimate?” highlights your worth and puts the onus back on the client.

3. Get the cash

Decide how you are going to bill your clients for your advice. This goes along with the adage: A client will not respect your time if you do let them know what it is worth.

For projects, you could add in a number of hours into each proposal, calling it ‘Project Management’, ‘Client Liaison’ or ‘Consultancy’. On each invoice, highlight the number of included hours used and those remaining. Don’t forget to add your rate for time in excess of those included in the proposal. If your first meeting is free, add a line to your first invoice ‘Initial Project Discussion’ or similar wording and mark it ‘Free’ or ‘No charge’.

For times outside a project, you may decide to invoice monthly. I find this much more economical of my time than invoicing each 15 minute or half an hour job/telephone call. Keep a record of your client contact and the subject discussed or the job performed, and list each in your invoice.

4. Get the word out

Make sure new clients are absolutely clear about your client contact policy at the beginning of your relationship, by including a copy in your project proposal.

To put a positive spin to your current clients, announce it as a ‘new consultancy service in response to client demand’.

Until the next
Ask jay

You too can Ask jay!

BoDo exists to help out those new to the business of design, so when I put this series together, I thought back to questions I had as a new business start-up.

It wasn’t just my client (singular) I was unsure of. I didn’t know how to work with writers, printers (and their in-house pre press staff), illustrators, or the in-house marketing staff of my client. Then when web came into the picture, I had to turn my hand with programmers (I’ve found gifts of chocolate help pave the way).

The questions for this part of the series went out to designers with varied backgrounds and experience levels. Each have tackled similar issues, coming up with workable solutions.

To summarize: I asked designers what they wanted clients to understand about their business, the problems they’ve run into when working with clients, how they (as designers) work, how they feel a designer should be chosen, when a designer needs to be brought into a project, how they charge, and any tips they’d like to share on improving skills.

I started out with client issues because that’s where it started with me. When clients first arrive on the scene, the true reality of running a business begins. Snafus happen, lessons are learned, and eventually, experience wins the day.

Getting new clients into the design process can be time consuming. The newer the client is to working with designers, the more educating the designer needs to do before the main chunk of the work begins. An ideal would be a prepared client, so I asked designers, “As a professional designer, what are the main points you want clients (potential and present) to know before contacting you about a project?”

Adrian has reasonable expectations

I expect a client to be familiar enough with my work that they can trust me with their project. The best clients that I have worked with are the ones who trust me enough to let me do my job. If I could tell a prospective client one thing, it would be that I expect to be leading the design of the project. There will be time for you to give input and feedback, but ultimately you will have to trust in my ability to give you what you need. There is a huge temptation for a client to backseat drive, and that rarely results in great design.

Adrian E. Hanft | Art Director | Photographer
Be A Design Group | Found Photography | Adrian3

Andy has a practical ideal

Ideally the client will have done some preparatory work and have a rough idea of the project goals, budget and the type of design services they are looking for. However as a professional consultancy, it is our job to guide clients through the process no matter how prepared or experienced they are.

Andy Budd | Managing Director | Web Designer | Author
Andy Budd::Blogography | CSS Mastery

Anna finds the need to educate

We find we often have to educate our clients on the value of design. In the projects that we have ended up taking on, we’ve been lucky to work with great clients who really value design and are looking for something that will enhance their brand or their product. On the flip side, we have been approached by many potential clients looking for design for free (or almost free). This is always a frustrating point, and more often than not, we end up not taking on those jobs, because why work with someone who doesn’t value what you do? The other thing I like clients to do before beginning a job is have their content ready. It’s really hard to push a design forward without having all (or at least most) of the content in place.

Anna Corpron & Sean Auyeung | Interdisciplinary Design Practice
Sub-Studio | sub-studio design blog

Brian understands expectations

You have expectations, so do we:

• That you will respond to us in a timely manner
• That you will proof your copy
• That you will make us aware of budget and time constraints
• That you understand that changes to the scope of the project will result in additional fees

Brian Sooy | Design Consultant
Brian Sooy & Co | Altered Ego Fonts

Chris asks for understanding

Understand that designing is not a commodity based business. I can’t put a website on the shelf for $399 or place a yellow smiley sticker on it and call it a “sale”.

Ease of use does not equate to ease of design. Because the Internet is quite simple to use, I think people have a misconception that it’s just as easy to develop. And yet, you could ask them to build a car from scratch and they’d be clueless. Well, it’s pretty darn easy to drive a car also now isn’t it?

Your monitor is not a piece of paper. I think the majority of Joe Public believes that just because they can right/command click an icon on their screen and print it off on their desktop printer and it looks pretty “good”, that we (printers) can/will do the same thing. Sure, it can be done, but the loss of quality is tremendous and we can’t correct it before printing.

Chris Tomlinson | Communication Designer | Printer
Gonink | Gonink blog

Dan has two things

Two things. First, that design creates value for our clients- this value traditionally extends well beyond the cost of the project. Secondly, that our time is worth something.

Dan Sturdivant | Communication Designer | Editor
TexasDesign.com

Daniel’s stimulating

1. I want everyone to be happy with the results–most especially the target audience.
2. I’m fun to work with and make the process stimulating, interesting and energetic.
3. Expect the unexpected. I find that the best results are sometimes the most surprising ones–to me as well as to others involved. That these creative solutions come about as a result of many questions and answers and if you’re open minded and let one idea spark another, in the end you’ve created something with energy and life.

You can read a popular piece I wrote called How to (and not to) work with a designer.

Daniel Will-Harris | Communication Designer
Will-Harris House | Schmoozeletter

Danita has suggestions

• The extreme importance of Branding.
• Basic Design Terminology. Because they can then better communicate their needs.
• Having a good defined idea of what they need and don’t need. Being vague about content is detrimental.
• Having an open mind about creative solutions.

Danita Reynolds | Communication Designer
Creative Expertise | Creative Expertise blog

Dawn believes in partnership

Time is money. I sell my time as well as my ideas. I need time for research, time for creativity, time for production, time for implementing and management of projects, etc.. And yes, it’s all billable.

I operate a business, and my business is for profit. Please don’t ask me to work for free or reduced rates. I will, however, work within your budget, or present other ideas to maximize your budget. Oh, and PLEASE just give me at least some idea of a budget. If you need help putting one together, I’ll do that, but you have to give me a ballpark—you know you have one. Then I’ll let you know what we can and can’t do…

I want each project to be successful. My intent is not to waste your money on unnecessary items or services. The success of your projects directly reflects on my expertise and ability. If you’re not seeing results, making money, getting new customers, etc., then I’m not doing my job. I want you to be wildly successful.

I cannot do my job to the best of my abilities without complete cooperation and feedback from my clients. This is a partnership, and to be successful the lines of communication need to be left wide open. If you don’t like something I’ve done, tell me. You will not hurt my feelings. If we can’t be honest with each other, communicate, try new things, exchange ideas, then the partnership is doomed from the beginning—and there’s a good chance the project might also fail to deliver the desired results.

Dawn Burgess | Communication Designer
abdfla.com

Metin has expectations

First of all I expect clients to have checked out my website and have a good impression of what I do and especially what I don’t do, so I don’t have to disappoint them. Furthermore, I expect clients to understand that I am an experienced professional with a price tag that matches the skill level I’ve built up through the years.

Metin Seven | Communication Designer
Seven’s Heaven - design and illustration

Neil sets out requirements

First and foremost, good design requires two things – time and money. It takes time to learn about a client’s business, their competitive environment and their audience. It also takes time to explore possible solutions and distilling them down to the most appropriate for the client’s specific situation. Without the time investment, and the money to pay for it, a project can quickly erode to decoration and not strategic graphic design that solves a given communication problem.

It’s important to take personal preferences out of the design equation. Just because a client (or worse, their spouse) thinks PMS 185 is the bee’s knees, it may not be the best choice to hit a chord with the audience. Everything within a design should be there for a reason. The designer should be able to communicate, and defend why this or that is included. The client, who’s the one paying for our expertise, should listen.

For smaller and independent design practices, cash flow is often king. Clients should respect that and pay invoices in a timely manner.

Neil (nt) Tortorella | Marketing Manager
Tortorella Design | The Marketing Mind | Creative Latitude | BoDo Team | Marketing Minute

Nigel gives a few pointers

The main thing clients need to know is what their budget is. If they’re serious about their organisation or business, then they must have some idea of how much money they have in the pot. How do you run a company and not know your own finances? Of course, many people refuse to pass on this information because they fear that the designer is going to bill to the penny exactly what they say they can afford, so it’s up to me to explain and convince them that if they can only afford a smaller budget, then they may have to reduce their expectations of what their site will be able to do.

Additional points:

• Clients should realise that I am a professional designer, which means that my time has a financial value attached.
• There is no such thing as a “five minute job”.
• I won’t supply designs with my written proposal, even if the other pitch candidates are (I tend to win the pitches anyway).
• I trained for several years before I became a professional designer and I currently have over 18 years’ experience. I know what I’m doing.
• Just because the client wants a simple-looking Web site does not mean it is a simple process to achieve it.

Nigel Gordijk | Web Designer | Consultant
Common Sense Design | Common Sense Small Business Toolkit

Roger believes communication is key

Clients should be able to concisely communicate their design needs in terms of marketing goals. After a few minutes conversation, designers should be able to create–on the basis of the client’s answers, a Creative Brief answering the following questions:

• Who the market is they’re trying to reach? Are their prospects young, old, rich, poor, blue collar, professional, etc. Are they accustomed to reading? What is their market’s likely attitude to the client’s message?
• What is the action they want prospects to take? Buy something, visit a website, download a report, attend an event, relocate, etc.
• What obstacles stand in the way of attaining their goals? What keeps their prospects from taking the desired action? Lack of money, lack of information, bad credit, etc.
• What is the primary message they want to communicate? What is the single, main, idea that prospects should take away from the project?
• Who are their competition? What are their competition’s URLs, what do their marketing materials look like, what are the competition’s primary messages?
• Where will the project appear? If it’s an advertisement, will it appear in an upscale magazine or a local daily newspaper?
• Are their any restrictions or limitations? Has a budget for the project been approved? Does the client have an idea of what the project should cost? What is the project’s deadline?
• Who’s in charge? Where does final responsibility rest? Is there a single individual in charge, or will the designer be reporting to a committee? Who has to sign-off on the project, and how reachable are they?

Roger C Parker | Designer | Writer | Marketing Consultant
Design To Sell Online | Roger C. Parker Design to Sell Blog | Design to Sell

Scott needs clients to tell him the problem

I’m contacted on a regular basis by clients or potential clients regarding upcoming projects for which they need design and/or html/css work. Often there’s limited information on which to produce an accurate estimate or with which to gauge the amount of time that might be required to complete the project. Couple this with evasiveness to provide even a rough budget on occasion and you have a recipe for trouble.

I find it’s a general problem with the industry and people requiring design services. It’s a difficult concept to grasp for the people outside the industry because what we do can seem like black magic. People understand the output, but have trouble grasping the process and therefore tend to undervalue the work required to get to the end product.

Ideally I’d like clients to be able to concisely tell me the problem they need to solve or some background on their situation so I can determine the actual problem. Clients will say “I need a website”. My response would be “why”?

I’d love to be able to spend more time educating clients, particularly on the web because there’s so few that really “get it”. A lot of people’s experiences with the web are really bad, they only know really badly designed websites or say “make it look like Apple”. Clients focus too much on the pure visual experience and not as much on usability, accessibility and other less glamorous things but which are equally if not more important.

I’d like clients to know a bit about me, my company, the work I’ve done in the past, the types of clients I’ve worked with. Clients need to be able to sell a project to me, not just expect that they can call and I’ll jump all over their project. It doesn’t happen. I won’t say never, but 9 times out of 10, I’m too busy to take on new work unless it’s really interesting and they can prove to me that they’ll be good to work with.

Scott Boms | Communication Designer
Wishingline DS

Stefan has the client’s best interest in mind

Well, we aren’t cheap. Good design shouldn’t be, in fact if it is, I would be a little concerned about where it’s coming from. But because we don’t pretend to be cheap, we are able to offer a service that in my mind is the best possible design available, and that is what we strive for on every project. We believe great design is essential to running a successful business. Design builds experiences, perceptions and loyalty before the consumer ever uses your product/service, so if your presentation is not the best possible, it will ultimately make choosing a much more sharp competitor that much easier. Not only that but great design gives credibility to a brand. A business that takes care to manage their brand image from the beginning is probably more likely to pay that kind of attention to their clients needs. We certainly believe that about our own brand and it is proving to be a successful philosophy.

Secondly, we are the designers. Yes, we want your input, in fact we cherish it, but if the client comes in expecting us to be production artists, then they probably aren’t the right client for us. Ultimately we want to work with every client like we are in partnership. The client came to us for design because that is not their specialty, so let us do the design work you hired us for. Because they have hired professionals, that will give them the opportunity to do what they do best, manage their company. We have every clients best interest in mind and wouldn’t let any work walk our our door that we didn’t feel would bring our client success.

Have a budget in mind. It’s always good to know what you have to work with on a project so you know if you have to be really creative in order to give them an excellent piece, or if you can splurge on some more expensive processes or materials. Ultimately we want every piece to look like a fortune was spent on it, but sometimes you don’t have a fortune to spend.

Finally, we want to be able to build a relationship with every client that walks through our doors. Loyalty is far less expensive than skipping around having to explain your story time and time again. That’s why we can offer most every need your business might have so we can fill your needs as they come up. And, it also gives us the opportunity to let you know when it might be a good time to try something new that could give your firm a leg up on your competition. That’s why being in a partnership is so beneficial. It lets us know you’ll be coming back and you know we have your best interest in mind every time.

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

Tamar has the target audience in mind

While we are designers, and for the most part, good at what we do, we are not magicians. We can not turn a 100 pixel x 100 pixel 72 dpi image into a 300 dpi 4″x 5″ print-ready image without MAJOR loss of quality.

Truth be told, the final design really isn’t about what the designer, or even the client likes - to be effective, it NEEDS to be about what will attract the target audience.

You get what you pay for. Sure, there are less expensive online companies clients can go to, but they will not get the research, experience and expertise that they would get when working with a designer.

Tamar Wallace | Communication Designer
Tamar Graphics | Tamar Graphics blog

Von gets to the point

Small business owners: If they want cheap they shouldn’t call me. I mean that both monetary wise and conceptual wise. I am not an extension of their arm. If allowed to do my job unfettered, I am a serious professional who can equip their business to succeed.

Larger Agencies/Firms: I can be your hired creative gun. Allow me to expand your firms creative spectrum and offer your clients more without increasing your overhead.

Von R. Glitschka | Illustrator
Glitschka Studios | IllustrationClass.com | Art Backwash | Three Thumbs Up Award

Summary

The answers have been written with the client in mind, but a clear message comes through for the designer - designers need to communicate how they work, and this includes their expectations of the client / designer relationship.

Several years back a number of us put together a Clients Code of Conduct. If you can hang on about fifteen minutes, it’s on the way. It was an interesting exercise, and one I feel should be batted around more, so please feel free to leave a comment as I’d love to get your views. Along these same lines is another project you may want to look into, Chuck Green’s Design Constitution.

Certain client issues are delicate because they tend to bring up past or future sins. To get around the possibility of driving away a potential client with too much truth too soon, some designers prepare a brief how we work page on a website, a small brochure for that first or second meeting, or a pdf they can email or have clients download from their site. The downside of doing it that way is you might end up fielding window shoppers. By laying it all out (partial payment up front, kill fees, late charges, etc.), you have a better chance of weeding out the less serious clients.

If you don’t have this information easily available (and why not?) then a perfect opportunity to explain in detail (or even again) is the project proposal. Describe your process and procedures in black and white, then go over the items to field questions either in person, Skype, IM, phone or email.

If you are unsure how to put together a proposal, talented Web designer Nigel Gordijk tells all in fabulous detail in his e-book Learn how to write better, more professional Web design project proposals. For those who prefer a slim skim or want to keep their overheads down, Nigel also has a short Creative Latitude article, How to write a winning proposal.

Next week we’ll get back to the discussion of process. Before we do, up next is our Clients Code of Conduct. And for a bit of client levity, Tom, the host of Dire Straits is joining in on the client discussion with Clients, the Crisis.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat

What does it take to run your own design business?

Over the years I’ve worked for a lot of companies, big and small, in-house and freelance, start-ups and Fortune 500. I watched and learned, and thought I had a pretty good idea of what I needed to do when I started my own business. What I discovered was a huge surprise.

First off, your design talent doesn’t really matter. Sure, it matters as far as whether you’ll do good work, but it’s almost entirely meaningless when it comes to business success. There are plenty of terrible designers out there with clients lined up outside the door. The reality is that most of our clients don’t know anything about design, and wouldn’t know the difference between a genius and a talentless hack if they came pre-labeled and color-coded. Being talented might get you better clients, but it won’t make you a success, and lacking talent won’t hold you back.

The biggest factor is being successful in running your own business is… being good at running a business. That requires parts of your brain that are never touched by Pantone 253. You have to be able to spend 20 hours a week making phone calls, sending and replying to e-mail, filling out paperwork, mailing invoices, and managing your employees (if you have any). It’s not particularly creative or interesting. But it’s absolutely vital if you want to survive, much less prosper.

The second factor is how much you can stomach responsibility. When clients are late paying bills, your credit cards are maxed out, your junior designer can’t pay their rent because you haven’t given them a paycheck this week, and you need to fire your programmer for being incompetent, going back to in-house design can look pretty good. Meeting deadlines and making clients happy can be stressful, but it’s an entirely different kind of stress when you’re responsible for a company.

The final factor is your personality. Most people will make their decision to hire your company based on your personality. If you radiate confidence, competence, and friendliness, you’ll get the job. If you project doubt, fear, disorganization or surliness, you won’t. Like every other business person, your people skills are crucial to your success. You have to truly enjoy talking to clients and potential clients, and they have to enjoy talking to you.

If you are organized, responsible, confident and friendly, you might do well running your own business. If you fall short in any of those areas, you’re in for some frustration. You might be a fantastic designer, but if you can’t sell a job or get an invoice sent on time, you won’t be a fantastic business owner.

Until the next
Cube 2.0,
Josh

Josh Jeffryes | Graphic Designer | Technologist | Organizer, St. Louis Design Meetup
Jeffryes Design | On Design | St. Louis Design Meetup | BoDo Author | Cube 2.0

The Designers Working With series is about getting real people to share opinions on how they work in, or with, the design industry. For the opinions, I went to designers from all walks of life, as well as the professionals who work with designers. For the guts of the series I requested tips and advice, known issues, anything to reflect how both sides work. Exactly what I asked for, in this series you’ll find professionals telling of their experiences with designers, designers with clients. Each will then go further with descriptions of how their profession works best.

A litany you’ll read on BoDo often is “Learning how to run a design company isn’t just about design, or even the clients we design for”. That’s right. It’s about the whole - organizing, bookkeeping, personality, dependability, marketing, management skills and more. They all come into play when running a successful business.

Visiting author Josh Jeffryes (Cube 2.0) joins the conversation with:

First off, your design talent doesn’t really matter. Sure, it matters as far as whether you’ll do good work, but it’s almost entirely meaningless when it comes to business success. There are plenty of terrible designers out there with clients lined up outside the door. The reality is that most of our clients don’t know anything about design, and wouldn’t know the difference between a genius and a talentless hack if they came pre-labeled and color-coded. Being talented might get you better clients, but it won’t make you a success, and lacking talent won’t hold you back.

You’ll be able to read Josh’s views in full in the next post, What does it take to run your own design business?

Apt to this series, in my first Podcast Humpday I quoted James Archer from Forty Media:

The creative side and working with clients are just a portion of your business … there is a lot of stuff you don’t want to learn, but you’ve just gotta learn … you have to do it because it’s what keeps your business operational.

A part of that “lot of stuff” (depending on your flavour), is learning how to work with the professions responsible (in various degrees) for getting a polished product to your clients - the professions working with and in the industry.

I asked 7 short questions of writers, photographers, illustrators, marketeers, programmers, printers and pre press specialists:

1. What are the main points that you’d expect / want designers to know before contacting you about a project?
2. When working with designers, what do you see as the top problem areas?
3. How do you work?
4. How should a company or individual in your profession be chosen?
5. At what point should your profession be brought into a project?
6. How do you charge?
7. How can a designer improve their skills in your industry?

I asked the same questions of designers, but with changes to question 1 and 2 (and a minor change to question 7):

1. As a professional designer, what are the main points you want clients (potential and present) to know before contacting you about a project?
2. When working with clients, what do you see as the top problem areas?

Months into research I came across the ‘Designers Survival Manual’ by Poppy Evans. The timing was perfect. I already had the series structure, so there wasn’t a blending of layout (although I will quote / plug Poppy as often as possible).

Starting with designers, followed by writers, I’ll work through the industries on my list. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for three weeks each, we’ll get personal insight into how writers, photographers, illustrators, marketeers, programmers, printers and pre press specialists work. Also scheduled for the series are account planners, design agents and bookkeepers.

Note: In keeping with the rest of BoDo, those interviewed will be in alphabetical order, by first name. Quirky? I imagine so. It comes from going through grade school as a ‘W’.

If you would like to be included in the series, contact me as I’d love to hear from you.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat

WHEW! We made it to the end of the Starting Out and Setting Up Series. You’re ready skill-wise, taking it personally, honey has the money, and the clients, oh my! Location has been decided, you’re equipped and accounting for your actions. Right?

If that’s so, on with the hat tipping

What’s ‘hat tipping’ you ask? It’s where we review a series in its entirety, while thanking those who took the time to get back to us. It’s also where we acknowledge that it takes time to respond to requests such as ours.

If you’d like to take the time for a future series, contact Cat. There’s always a series in the works she can attach to you.

Starting at the beginning …

First up was the Series Introduction where Mark McGuinness opened with a quote.

In Are You Ready? Tammy Lenski had a comment to share. We then went over to Daniel Schutzsmith’s Graphic Define for even more.

On the experience side of Are You Ready?, we asked the question, was Jay ready? We found out how Leslie was ready, Neil made ready, Alina’s ready, Stefan was ready and Cat wasn’t.

In Taking it Personally, we borrowed Seth Godin’s point, which we followed with Ten Traits of Successful Business Owners.

On the experience side of Taking it Personally, Stefan’s determined, Leslie’s been practicing, Neil’s backpacking, Alina’s evolving, Danita has no regrets, Jay bites, and Cat’s bossy and barks.

In Alina’s In-sights, Alina took it further with Corporate Grinding.

In Clients, Oh My! we discussed the feasibility of starting out with none, one, four or more.

On the experience side of Clients, Oh My! we found that Leslie was covered, Neil was covered too, Stefan had it made, Jay’s been lucky and Cat’s been roaming about.

In keeping in the spirit of the series, Ask jay settled on five quick tips for getting new clients.

In Where’s the Money, Honey? it dipped into serious talk.

On the experience side of Where’s the Money, Honey? Chris discussed his money management, Stefan and Leslie did too. But Neil, he had no money, honey.

In Location, Location, Location we mulled over the pros and cons of working in or out. Writer ME “Liz” Strauss shared her location of choice, with a reminder that “it’s supposed to be fun.”

On the experience side of Location, Location, Location, Abhijit was happy at home, Leslie was dedicated, Neil was located, Jay’s domainly SOHO and Cat’s now online.

So, How Equipped Are You? By opening doors, cupboards, and drawers, we scrambled to put together a new business wish list.

On the experience side of How Equipped Are You?, Neil was equipped, Leslie was steady, Jay started out with loads of tools and Cat didn’t need as much.

We went back to the money issue with Who’s (ac)Counting now? This is where we put together another list. We’ve been told lists are good.

On the experience side of Who’s (ac)Counting Now? Neil’s into numbers, Stefan’s into services, Leslie recommends accountants and Jay minds her own business. Then there’s Cat, with a box.

On a roll, Ask jay came in with Seven ways to get organised.

We ended with the results of the Niblets Series poll, announced in the beginning.

In the coming months we’ll enlarge on each of the issues touched on in the Starting Out and Setting Up Series. Until we do, in alphabetical order, we’d like to thank those who helped make this series a success.

Abhijit Nadgouda | Freelance Software Professional
iface Consulting

Alina Hagen | Visual Communication Designer
Alina Design | Creative Latitude | BoDo Author | Alina’s In-sights

Chris Tomlinson | Visual Communication Designer
Gonik Design & Print | Gonik Blog

Danita Reynolds | Principle/Creative Director
Creative Expertise | NO!SPEC

Dr. Tammy Lenski |
I Can’t Say That! | Lenski Strategic | BoDo Author | Creative Conversations

Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua | Creative/Marketing Consultant & Coach
Burns Auto Parts–Consultants | Burns Auto Parts blog | Podcast | Book

Mark McGuinness | Coaching Creative Professionals
Wishful Thinking | BoDo Author | Creative Coaching

ME “Liz” Strauss | Business Writing
Successful Blog | Letting Liz Be | Liz Strauss.com | The Blog Herald | Performancing.com | BoDo Author | Write with ME

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

Thomas (Tom) Stephan | Director of Something Clever
BoDo Author | Dyer Straits

An lastly,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

In the first half of Taking it Personally, we talked about the ten traits of successful business owners. Now, that’s all well and good, but does everyone start out successful? Or do they learn how to work with that they have? Below is how each of us got personal.

Stefan’s determined

For me a lot of what makes who I am suitable for running this business is guts. I am always willing to go out on a limb and take a risk in order to achieve success. But I also try to find opportunities and exploit them. I like to think big, too. I’m not willing to look at our business and say “we’re only suited for small markets, or we aren’t capable of getting the really prime clients.” I say, if we produce the best work possible, deliver on our promises and continue to get better all around, then we can get any job we want. Complacency does not fit into our business plan. However, I would say that despite being willing to take business risks, I’m quite a shy person when it comes to one on ones or group events. But I have had to force myself into uncomfortable situations in order to do what’s right for this business. If that means going on tv and doing an interview or speaking to a group or class on good design/business practices, I’ll do it simply for the exposure.

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

Leslie’s been practicing

If you are going to run your own business, you had better like people, or at least play well with others. It has been my experience that loners struggle more with their creative businesses than do friendly, gregarious folks. We have to work with people, even if most of our work is done alone at our computers.

In my case, I actually have a very deep sense of personal shyness, but no one who has met me professionally or seen me at one of my lectures (or read my writings, etc.) would ever think for a second that I’m shy. Like many actors, I can get up in front of a group of strangers and do almost anything, but inside, I’m just as terrified as anyone. So, if you find it hard to talk to strangers, I suggest working on getting past that (coaching, Toastmasters, therapy).

It’s also a good idea to be organized. That doesn’t necessarily mean organized like “normal” folk–creatives are often ADDers and they need to find their own best system. Timers, PDAs, notebooks…there are all sorts of tools to try and combinations to work out. Find the right one for you and your way of thinking.

Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua | Creative/Marketing Consultant & Coach
Burns Auto Parts–Consultants | Burns Auto Parts blog | Podcast | Book

Neil’s backpacking

I’m something of an introvert and office environments don’t really suit me. Being an introvert … and card-carryin’ hermit … doesn’t mean I’m shy. It simply means I need my own space and time alone.

In the old days, I was married to my business partner and she was, and still is, the consummate extrovert and dynamic sales person. She ran interference for me. When I found myself single, I needed to make some adjustments. I had to learn how to do the “people thing.” So, I found the most extroverted person I could and did what he did. It worked.

Although I’m still an introvert at heart, I have no problem at all with public speaking – a task that rates higher than death on the “stressful things to do” list. Actually, I rather enjoy it. I’m also the guy who starts up the conversation at a “dead table” during a club lunch or other event. I’m comfortable with it now, but it’s a learned characteristic. If I can learn it, you can learn it too.

Introvert or extrovert, to my thinking, I’m responsible for my own success … or failure. Being on my own makes me the captain of my ship and I steer the course. I decide who I’ll work with and who I won’t. Sometimes that works to my advantage, other times I end up shooting myself in the foot. But, either way, it’s a result of my choices and I need to do those things that will help insure my success.

Neil (nt) Tortorella | Marketing Manager
Tortorella Design | The Marketing Mind | Creative Latitude | BoDo Team | Marketing Minute

Alina’s evolving

I am an in-house designer and always worked in-house except for a few months when circumstances left me on my own. Because I was a single mom, I didn’t have the resources (or experience at that time) to go it alone. I wanted and depended on a steady income with health insurance, sick leave and other benefits. I liked knowing where I would be each day, and I liked the interaction with others and feeling like part of a team. When I was younger, I was more introverted, so it was difficult for me to market myself.

It’s interesting… as I become more experienced and less introverted, I am finding it more and more difficult to be in a corporate setting, perhaps because although I did work in-house, most of my supervisors allowed me to work independently, which worked very well.

Alina Hagen | Visual Communication Designer
Alina Design | Creative Latitude | BoDo Author | Alina’s In-sights

Danita has no regrets

Most of my career has been in-house for different corporations. For me at the time working in-house was more of a security issue while raising my family. It was nice to get a steady paycheck + benefits with no worries. Throughout the years I have taken on independent work on the side as well. Recently I gave notice for half-time at my current position so I can concentrate on starting my own design business.

I’m a go-getter and leader. I’m a solution maker and work hard to keep everything and everyone on track. Most people would be surprised to know that I was never like this. I had been shy for years. One day I asked myself “Why am I so afraid to take chances? What would I have to lose if I took a chance?” I realized then that I didn’t have anything to lose and if I didn’t take a chance now I would regret it later in life. I also realized that I had everything to gain from trying. I figured that whatever I decided to do didn’t work out then no harm done, right? It wasn’t easy in the beginning but not before long I was more confident of myself and my capabilities that it became natural to take on bigger responsibilities.

Because of my nothing-to-lose attitude I’ve become Sr. Graphic Designer for corporations, started and host a once a month meet-up for designers in my area, am on a local college graphic design advisory board, am a major contributor and a committee member for NO!SPEC, have judged design competitions, and now starting my own business.

It really is true, if you make the effort you will reap the rewards.

Danita Reynolds | Principle/Creative Director
Creative Expertise | NO!SPEC

Jay bites

I have an obsessive personality that is well suited to running my own business and managing my own time. When I sink my teeth into a project, I am totally absorbed, whether it is a job for a client or learning something interesting. ‘Office Hours’ are non-existent and it’s not unusual to work into the early hours of the morning. In my own business I do not need to engage in office politics, gossip, clock watching or other employee requisites.

I’m certainly not anti-social, but I can’t stand working with people standing over me, behind my back, watching me work. Or worse, watching me think. I love the freedom and control that I have by being in my own business.

Jeanette (jay) Wickham | Systems Manager
FastCoconut.com | NO!SPEC | BoDo Team | Ask jay

Cat’s bossy and barks

There’s no doubt that I have a bossy, take charge personality. I love to organise; I hate taking unnecessary orders. I thrive on being a group all working together (like NO!SPEC and Creative Latitude), but I also find it easy to work independently of others. I enjoy making the tough decisions, saying THIS is what we need to do, not THAT. And we need it NOW. Or not.

Back when I had an office to go to, I chose to stay away from office politics. I worked away in the quiet, at home. Yes, I do enjoy flesh and blood people, with their warmth and different personalities. But I find I can get more done working physically on my own.

And from my days working corporate, I discovered I don’t have the personality that easily wakes up by alarm clock, gets foofed with eyes still partially shut, eats breakfast on the run, then the dashes out the door to sit in traffic, arriving ready to work. I’m happier forgoing the stress by working in pj’s with a pot of tea at my elbow and a cat nuzzling my powerbook. Do I miss working with others? Sure. But design friends such Alina, Betta, Dawn, Jay, Nt and others are just a Skype away. And sometimes Jay is right here.

Catherine (cat) Morley | Project Manager
Creative Latitude | NO!SPEC | Katz-i | FastCoconut.com | BoDo team

The next post, Clients, Oh My!, gets serious with clients. Mine. Yours. Future. Past.

Until then,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

Welcome to BoDo’s first Podcast Humpday.

Midweek, on Wednesdays (hence the hump in Humpday), I’ll review podcasts on the business of design, running a business, pretty much anything to do with BoDo’s subject matter. Later on there will be a mix - BoDo podcasts, as well as those we feel are a ‘must hear’.

If you are a podcaster, contact me as I’d love to hear from you.

Now on to our first Podcast Humpday …

James, the internal entrepreneur, goes external.

You won’t find distractions on Sean Tierney’s (Grid7 Venturecast) interview with James Archer. What you will find is roughly 45 minutes of pure business talk. A near-on 45 minutes of James. Delivered, as promised.

The subject of this podcast is entrepreneur and owner of Forty Media, a web design, web development, award winning branding agency in Arizona, USA. Confident of their services, Forty Media invites visitors to shop around at their competition. Rare. I’m impressed.

An incomplete synopsis of the podcast (only enough to tantalize) is how James slide into web design via technical writing. How he moved into project management, where he learned how to work with clients, proposals, designers, etc. It goes on to tell how James reached a point where his fear of going out on his own and failing, was less than his fear of never doing it.

The conversation flows well, with tips business of design start-ups should pay special attention to - the kind of information seasoned business owners know well.

Listening to the podcast, I thought about the domain name been-there-done-that.com (btw - it’s taken) as that’s exactly what we’ll be doing here on BoDo. Bringing in advice from those like James, who have been there, done that.

Advice from James:

The creative side and working with clients are just a portion of your business … there is a lot of stuff you don’t want to learn, but you’ve just gotta learn … you have to do it because it’s what keeps your business operational.

The key to surviving in a small business is willing to take those hits, learn from them, and move on.

Lessons learned:

The value of a good contract and writing good proposals (as you never know where things are going to go).

A contract doesn’t do you a whole lot of good without guiding the client in what’s going to happen. Write contracts to allow flexibility, yet with clear guidelines.

What qualifies as an entrepreneur:

… the willingness to learn and change quickly … the ability to come in, see a situation, decide you want to do and conquer it … decide what you want to get done and just get it done … even if it’s not pleasant, do it anyway.

Elevator pitch:

40 media is a solid Branding and Creative firm. We understand how to get inside your customer’s head without being detached from the technical side.

An interesting and well-done podcast, it continues on with communication tools, modern compared to pre-google systems, project management applications, zoho creator, notepad, productivity, GTD, 37signals, Fruitcast, podcasts, 9rules, Arizona, the start up mentality, doing something different, bad clients, bad contractors, Refresh Phoenix and making a difference.

James Archer’s parting comment:

Get good at what you want to do and do it. No looking back.

Until the next
Podcast Humpday,
cat