Issue #02
Wednesday June 30, 2005
Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your new, free, bi-weekly e-letter
from the American Writers & Artists Inc.. Every other week, you can receive
this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI’s graphic design
pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional
graphic designer in the fastest time possible.
View Inside Freelance Design in HTML at: http://www.awaionline.com/insidefreelancedesign
IN THIS ISSUE:
- 10 Surefire Ways to Shift Your Career Into High Gear, by Lori
Haller
- Quick Tip: Free for You From the U.S. Postal Service
- The IFD Mailbag
- EXTRA! EXTRA! Job Opportunities for AWAI Students
10 Surefire Ways to Shift Your Career Into High Gear
by Lori Haller
Hi, everyone! I am so excited about Inside Freelance Design, and this
opportunity to help you grow your new career.
The expansion that AWAI is working on for the design program will be an incredibly
valuable tool for you as you build on the skills you’ve already learned in the
course ... and build toward being a successful professional designer. We have
exciting times ahead!
With that bright future in mind, let’s talk about getting clients. Here are some
of the things I’ve done to create a $150,000 a year design business … and that
you can do to create yours.
- My most important self-marketing advice is this: Instead of looking for ways
to get business, look for ways to help someone out. By changing your perspective,
you change your whole business approach. You automatically start looking for
opportunities instead of expecting them to come to you.
- Always remember that you don’t know who the other person knows. Very small
projects have led to big projects for me, because a person I was helping recommended
me to a friend.
- Make “No job too big … or too small” your personal motto. In other words,
don’t say “no” to a job just because it might be worth only a couple of hundred
dollars. Even today, I might do 2 or 3 magalogs a month, along with 5 or 6 small
projects. For one thing, small jobs help you gain proficiency and confidence
in your software. More important, those small jobs add up – and they lead to
bigger ones. I’ve even offered to do jobs for free that wound up leading to
more work – for pay – from the same client or someone they referred.
- Be a good listener, on time, deadline-driven, ambitious, and flexible. You’ll
be surprised by how many jobs come to you because you’re conscientious and easy
to work with. And you’ll be more surprised by the number of times it’s because
the company had to fire a difficult freelancer.
- If you don’t have samples, create some by reworking ads, brochures, and sales
letters. Creative directors are more interested in seeing that you can generate
ideas than in seeing real clips.
- Start mining opportunities right in your hometown. Place your business card
or brochure with local printers, direct-mail service companies, copywriters,
and businesses you’d like to work with. And, of course, make sure the design
of that brochure or business card is top-notch,
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce and volunteer to do design work for their
events and programs.
- When you see ads for full-time designers, contact the companies and let them
know you’d be happy to help them handle overflow on a freelance basis.
- Prepare a short verbal advertisement about your career that you can use when
people ask you what you do. And be enthusiastic when you deliver it. This recently
helped me win a new client while I was standing in line at a store. As we were
making small talk, a gentleman asked me where I worked. I told him what I do
and how much I love it – and that led to a whole new opportunity.
- Consider specializing in a specific area or two, such as magalogs, annual
reports, logos, signage, product packaging, and so on. As with most professions
today, specialists in design can earn more money in their areas of expertise.
But don’t get stuck in a rut. Be flexible and try new things when your clients
ask- – and they will.
There really is a ton of work for you, because there’s a huge demand for designers
like you who can create designs that sell. Trust me … with the set of skills
you’re learning, you already have a big leg up on the majority of designers out
there.
In no time, you’ll have more work than you can handle if you keep your eyes open
and look for opportunities to help others with your skills. The only way you won’t
get business is if you do nothing.
* * * * * * * * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * * * * *
* * *
IF YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT BECOMING
A GREAT GRAPHIC DESIGNER FAST…
… you need to know about this little-known website!
It’s the place top graphic designers and copywriters go to see what’s working…and
why.
Now this powerful, professional on-line resource is available to you – anytime
you need it! The impact it’ll have on your graphic design career will be
profound.
Check it out at: http://www.monthlycopywritinggenius.com/topdesigns/
QUICK TIP: Free for You From the U.S. Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service has a ton of free information about direct mail in general,
as well as the regulations and laws you’ll have to comply with.
And they have some fun things – also free. For example, you can easily download
templates for creating #10 envelopes, brochures, letters, postcards, and buck
slips. Use these templates as they are or as idea starters for your own designs.
Here’s a handy link for the templates: www.usps.com/directmail/templates/welcome.htm
While you’re there, explore other areas of the website that pertain to you as
a direct-marketing graphic designer.
* * * * * * * * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED* * * *
* * * *
Can You Take A Simple Photograph?
If yes, you could make good money taking snap shots in your own backyard… on
your family vacations… or anywhere in the world you care to travel. Here's
everything you need to know about this fun and lucrative business:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/photocourse
FROM THE IFD MAILBAG ...
by Kristin Schwarz
Let’s start today’s Mailbag with this question from a new student:
“I’m new to Graphic Design Success and I’m trying to build my portfolio.
But besides the assignments from the course, I have not designed any other pieces.
How do I build my portfolio?” – Michelle
Michelle, you don’t need a big, fat portfolio to attract top-flight clients.
And it’s fine to use course assignments in the beginning. Most clients won’t care.
They just want to know that you can do the job. For example, when master designer
Lori Haller (who wrote today’s main article) interviews someone with limited experience
for a project, instead of asking to see many examples of his work, she asks how
he’ll approach it.
So begin with what you have, and add to it as you go. Here’s one idea that you
can use to beef up your portfolio:
Create your own design makeover. You’ve certainly been on the receiving end of
direct mail that looked terrible –– where the designer neglected the rules of
good direct-mail design. Maybe they used the wrong font, did a poor job of guiding
the eye along the copy, or made other mistakes. Recreate the whole package and
include both “before and after” in your portfolio. Potential clients will be impressed
when you point out what you changed … and why.
Next, here’s a question from John ...
“What are OpenType® fonts? They are mentioned in the course and I read about
them online, but I am not really sure that I understand how they are different
from other fonts.”
OpenType® is a kind of font that has cross-platform compatibility. This means
it can be used in both Windows and Mac systems – which isn’t possible with other
fonts. The other main benefit of OpenType® is its ability to support widely expanded
character sets (symbols and foreign font faces) and enhanced layout features.
The only drawback is the price. For example, Times New Roman in OpenType® costs
$99. This expense is probably worth it if you are planning to take your document
from Macintosh to Windows or vice versa. But keep in mind that you can download
less-expensive OpenType® fonts from Fonts.com
Finally, let’s see if we can solve Bridgett’s problem. (If you’re working with
Word, it may be one that you’re struggling with too.)
“My assignment needs kerning and leading, but I have worked for hours trying
to accomplish this in Word. It does not appear to be working unless I manually
kern every word in the letter. I’m sure others have run into this as well. What
should I do?” – Bridgett
Bridgett, here’s how Word lets you change kerning and leading:
Highlight your copy and then go to Format>Font on the menu bar. The Font Format
window opens. It has three tabs. The first tab – “Fonts” – lets you choose the
font, font size, and effects. The second tab – “Character Spacing” – lets you
adjust the kerning. The last tab – “Text Effect” – lets you animate your copy.
Don’t use that for your design.
For line spacing, go to Format>Paragraph. In the window that opens, you’ll
find “Indents and Spacing.” This allows you to format paragraph settings like
first line indents, spacing between paragraphs, and the spacing between lines.
The tab “Line and Page Breaks” allows “orphan” and “widow” control.
For lots more useful information on working in Word, go to our website and download
April Morelock’s special report “MS Word Tips and Tricks for Graphic Design.”
Here’s the link:
http://www.awaionline.com/_pdf/MSWordspecialreport.pdf
That’s it for today! We love hearing from you. Until next time …
Kristin
[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it
to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com,
Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]
EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities for AWAI Students
GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Stonyfield Farm, makers of all natural and organic yogurt,
urgently needs a full time graphic designer. You'll design brochures, ads, coupons,
and more. You should know Quark XPress, Illustrator, and Photoshop and be knowledgeable
of the MAC operating system. Send your resume and salary requirements to HR_Resumes@Stonyfield.com.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Opteum Financial Services, a leader in the mortgage industry,
seeks an experienced Graphic Designer. You will plan and design a number of marketing
materials both for print and the web. You should know Quark, Illustrator, and
Photoshop and be familiar with web design applications. Send your resume to echrane@opteum.com.
GRAPHIC DESIGN ASSISTANT - Mill Stores in Hyannis, Massachusetts needs
a Graphic Design Assistant who is savvy to marketing strategies. You'll help to
keep all promotions and marketing materials well-branded. The environment is fast-paced
and fun. Send resume and salary requirements to hiring@millstores.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
- How to Create a Success-Centered Schedule
- Quick Tip: Finding the Right Colors
Every Time
* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *
Inside Freelance Design is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists
Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2005 American Writers & Artists Inc.
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