It’s Time to Look Alive!
I’m excited to say that I can now provide you with a killer new website that you can update on your own using Joomla. (Joomla is the most popular open source Content Management System currently available.) Use it to post your own articles and announcements, Tweets, upload your own photo album, update your own online store, host a discussion forum for your users, etc, etc… the possibilities are endless. Learn more about Joomla here. View my most recent Joomla creation here.
For years, websites have practically been static pages with static information lacking almost any way for communication from potential new customers. This used to be the standard, but not today.
With the fast evolution of the internet and online social networking, popular opinion is to establish an online presence that reveals to your visitors that you are living and breathing and have something new to share almost daily! Website visitors now expect to read the latest news about businesses via Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. The ability to comment on posts holds business owners more accountable and establishes a greater level of trust in customers… thereby increasing credibility in the business and yielding higher profits.
Also, with today’s web advancements, website owners have no excuse than to be able to update their own websites with photos, articles, calendar events, store items, etc. A graphic designer in the beginning to establish the foundation of the website is definitely the way to go. To get a free custom quote on getting set up for Joomla, just shoot me an email.
How to Keep Your Design Costs within a Budget – by Retainer
One of the best things I have been able to offer to clients is a time-incremental retainer agreement… sort of like a weekly or monthly rate for ongoing design-work. It works well for you for several great reasons:
- Your jobs are placed on higher priority than non-prepaid jobs.
- The billing fee is consistent so that you have the peace of mind knowing you’re within your design budget.
- Your long-term design fee is lower than normal because I can accommodate you with more for the commitment and regular compensation.
- Over time, I will gain a greater understanding of your design needs thereby…
- maintaining brand consistency and effectiveness throughout all of your graphic pieces.
So what is a retainer, and how does it work?
A retainer fee works like a monthly fee, but since its purpose is to retain the designer, it is paid up front before any work is ordered. You are, in a sense, pre-ordering the designer’s time versus a service. The designer anticipates work from the client and blocks out the appropriate amount of time in her schedule to accommodate that client when the work comes.
Can a retainer agreement work for you?
I think the best way to explain this is through some example scenarios:
“Paul” needs new business collateral designed and produced in 2 months. The project quote is $2,000, but he is unable to put a $1,000 down-payment on the job. Normally I require a 50% deposit on any job, but in Paul’s case, I can accept a weekly retainer of $250 to get his job completed and paid for within the 2 months allotted.
“Amy” has a short-term ongoing need for design work, but she cannot afford to employ a full-time graphic designer. Amy has determined that she can afford up to $2000 in graphic design services for the next 6 months. With her, I arrange a monthly retainer agreement of $333/mo.
“Ben” doesn’t accurately predict what kinds of graphics work he’ll need for the year, but he knows he’ll need occasional small projects done. Like Amy, he will not employ a graphic designer. He determines that he’s willing to budget $3000 this year toward any graphics needs that come up. Ben and I establish a $250 monthly retainer agreement so I can efficiently handle his graphic needs as they come up.
How is the retainer agreement determined?
There are many factors that can determine the amount of the retainer fee, such as:
- frequency of design scheduling
- average amount of time needed from designer
- nature and complexity of design-work required
- length of retainer agreement
- typical level of urgency of design work
Ready to get started?
Eventually I will set up a form on my website to help you jumpstart this process. In the meantime, contact me either by phone (518-683-1597) or email (jodi@jsgraphicdesign.com) and it will be my pleasure to work with you in establishing the best option for your needs.
How I Handle Pro-Bono or Discounted Work for Non-Profit Organizations
God has blessed me greatly with a means to support my family and to be faithful with my tithes and offerings. As a Christian business owner and worship leader, I get many requests for charitable work. As much as I would take great joy in fulfilling all these requests, the counsel of the Lord still stands, and reality dictates that I have to be a wise steward over these opportunities.
Therefore, I only consider discounted or pro-bono work for Christian organizations/ministries that show active intent to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I refer to these as “Kingdom Projects.” It is important to remember, though, that each project and circumstance is different and therefore requires prayer to seek God’s leading on how to handle each request. Therefore, I do not guarantee a willingness to provide free or discounted work on any single project that meets this pre-requisite.
Also, all projects approved for pro-bono or discounted work are still subject to all regular project terms including, but not limited to, copyright ownership, usage rights, reproduction rights, and source files, and payment of all non-service materials such as stock photos and fonts. For all Kingdom projects that are charged a design fee, I donate no less than 10% of that design fee to the World Vision ministry (http://www.worldvision.org).
Vector or Raster – which do you need? – Biznik
This is an excellent description of raster versus vector graphics for those who need it: via Digital Freelancers – Vector or Raster – which do you need? – Biznik.
Six things to keep in mind when designing a logo.
I found this excellent article that discusses the essentials of a good logo design:
The Death of the Logo Has Been Greatly Exaggerated – Brand Development – Biznik
This article greatly supports my point about my most recent post “Why Pay a high Price for Logo Design“
via The Death of the Logo Has Been Greatly Exaggerated – Brand Development – Biznik.
Why Pay a High Price for Logo Design?
As a self-employed graphic designer, I have generally always sought jobs that I could handle efficiently with great skill while getting fairly compensated for my expertise. Logo design was never a niche for me even though I can confidently say I can do it well. The trouble with logo design is that clients typically think a basic design is worth as low as $50.
Every now and then I’ll get a logo request from an existing client or referral. In just the past few months I have been requested to design seven logos, and I quoted each one fairly according to the clients’ goals, my expertise, the time and research I expected to put into each logo design, and the quality of design I knew I’d be able to deliver.
With that, I noticed something interesting upon closing each project that I find worth mentioning: My clients closed on a very basic design that took me fewer than 5 minutes to illustrate.
So one could easily look at that scenario and say that if I charge $50 per logo design, I could easily make huge profits on this kind of work.
Unfortunately, many clients only have the end product in mind. They typically don’t consider the lengthy protocol that goes into achieving that end product. And if they have seen the websites, then they often consider the “benefits” they could get from cheap online logo foundries. One of the more attractive “benefits” is that they get various mockups all submitted by different designers. From my own experience, I can easily identify a problem with that: The more designers you have, the less their compensation becomes, the less “into” the project they are, and the more shallow the research and the visual communications, if either of these exist at all. Sure, the client may get various styles of design from which to choose, but that doesn’t mean a single one of the designs works visually or remotely portrays the client’s business or achieves the client’s branding goals.
I recently did an experiment to see what I would get. I hired two $50 different logo foundries to come up with some mockups for me. They asked a few creative questions, but nothing about my business goals. I received a total of 10 unique mockups and they were all amateur, lacked vision, and had virtually no potential. They even ignored my creative requests. Imagine all the business I could have lost as a result of terrible branding if I had been a real client.
Anyway, this past week I designed a logo for a client. After spending hours doing research and drawing up a bunch of ideas, I threw in an additional sketch as a 30-second afterthought. And you know what happened? My client loved it and chose it… no modifications needed whatsoever.
Let’s not mention the hundreds of hours of education and hands-on experience, plus the cost of the software and additional business overhead that it takes me to do a good design job. Had I not spent hours building a relationship with the client, researching his client industry, learning about his business, and spent even more time drawing out different visual concepts while taking the time to care, then I may never have been able to sketch out that perfect, timeless final concept.
In terms of excellent design, this kind of process is necessary. So if you were to do the math (and I’m not going to disclose my own numbers) then I’m actually making a reasonable profit – not a huge one – but I’m certainly not giving away my work for cheap. That is why a “high” price comes with good logo design.
If you’re interested in having a timeless logo created for your business, please email me with your quote request to get started.
Dealing with Client Objections & Rejections in Graphic Design
One of the things that entrepreneurs learn in their ventures is that they must learn how to deal with objections. I can say from experience that it is very easy to get discouraged when the product or service we hope to impress upon others does quite the opposite of our intentions.
As a freelance artist, I tend to wonder if it is easier to take objections personally, because, at that point it isn’t so much about persevering in our efforts as it is taking a loss or starting from scratch. Still, objections are something that a contracted artist must overcome. It doesn’t matter how skilled or creative we are; we are bound to have our few clients whose creative tastes and expectations differ from our own.
Though I try hard to avoid this issue by interviewing and getting to know my clients before the start of a project, there have been very few times where creative expectations and outcomes just don’t line up. And in this, I have observed a very narrow range of how clients present objections, or flat rejection. Here is a short list of popular scenarios I collected from colleagues and my own experiences:
1 – MIA (missing-in-action) – The client receives the mockup(s) and is never heard from again, forfeiting the down-payment and right to a change-of-direction when presented in a contract
2 – client doesn’t respond for at least a couple weeks, apologizes for being “so busy”, and proceeds with a very diplomatic list of objections
3 – client responds with a friendly request to pay the “kill” fee with no explanation and no request for a change-of-direction
4 – client presents positives before negatives, hoping to ease the blow
Scenario #4 is obviously the most desirable way listed to receive a client’s objection. It presents both what a client likes and dislikes and helps us to proceed in a more desirable direction. But regardless of how a client presents objections, take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. We artists all experience it and must receive all objections as opportunities for growth.
I’d be interested in knowing what experiences you’ve had with client objections. Please share your stories here.
The Earthquake in Haiti and God’s Intent
The recent earthquake in Haiti has revealed that most of the people who lost everything had nearly nothing before the quake even occurred. For one to go from having no house to losing what little sanctuary he or she claimed amidst the filthy street corners and disease-infested water is barely something I barely know how to empathize with.
The term “take for granted” comes up often when events like this occur and, quite frankly, I dare say that most of us don’t know how good we have it, even in the current economy. I am humbled in knowing that I am one of the few richest people on earth, even at a wage that I consider to be quite humble.
Even so, I don’t own a home worth boasting about, but I certainly have warmth and food and a hope for what tomorrow brings… you get the idea. But I am thankful, and I am wise enough to know that all the material things I possess stand on shaky ground. In an instant, I could lose everything… my home, my health, my family…God forbid.
But I give God glory, because He has a sovereign plan. He allows bad things to happen for a greater purpose. I wouldn’t be so bold as to suggest what God’s intentions are for allowing the earthquake in Haiti, but I do know that His thoughts are above our thoughts and His ways above our ways. (Isaiah 55:5) Maybe He’s working on getting our attention, perhaps, to reveal who we are as a people and as individuals.
I’ve heard it said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort & convenience, but where his heart stands when no one’s watching.” I don’t know where this is from, but anything that sings truth is worth contemplating.
In the context of Haiti, could I spare a dollar or two to help a portion of humanity? Would I miss a meal to feed another, particularly someone on another part of the globe that I’ve never met, seen, nor heard? Would I sacrifice my own comfort for a day to give someone else a mere moment of relief? Or would I instead wait and give out of my abundance…you know… make sure I have enough to take care of myself before having any concern for another? And either way, would I need an acknowledgement from the world to make it feel worth my while? Or would I do it in secret, not needing to take credit for my deed?
Matthew 6:1-3 says that we should not do our deeds before men, lest we lose our reward in Heaven. Not that we should concern ourselves with a reward, but what if we are sincere in our selfless efforts? On the other hand, if we give out of our abundance so that we do not suffer, have we, in are heart’s deepest intention, really given anything at all?
Bottom line is, whether we give or don’t give, I believe our inner-most self-worth is revealed through our motive and our willingness to get uncomfortable for the sake of someone else. If we don’t give out of the mere intention of helping another soul, then what is it that we’re expecting to gain? Kudos? Satisfaction in knowing that we did a good deed in the sight of men? And if we give of our abundance and cling to our immediate indulgences, what kind of price tag are we putting on ourselves?
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16:26
Like I said, I wouldn’t dare suggest that I know what God intends with the recent devastation in Haiti, but hasn’t it already moved mankind to selfless action?
What are your thoughts?
Correctly Saving Images for Print and Web
Avoid Using Web Images for Print Purposes
I have had many clients ask me to use logos and images from their website when designing their collateral. This isn’t necessarily a problem when I need them for web display, but when I need them to design a file for commercial printing, this actually presents a great problem. Images and logos, which have been saved for the web, have a significantly lower resolution than is required for printing. It is virtually impossible to take an image and save it at a higher quality; it can only be saved down from its original state. Though the image can be enlarged slightly without too much blurring, it will never be crystal clear. I like to think of it as a latex balloon – draw a clear picture on one that is not blown up, then fill it with air and watch how your picture degrades as the balloon stretches. For this reason, I recommend you always keep backups of your raw files and save your reduced files to different filenames.
The Flip-Side: Potential Problems with Using High-Res Images for Web Display
It is also wise to understand how to save images for web display. I have seen many instances where large images have been placed into a web page and scaled down within the HTML instead of an image editing software. This presents two potential problems: 1) the image is pixilated when viewed on a web page, and 2) the loading speed of the web page is slowed significantly to accommodate the large file size of the image. For best clarity and performance with images used for web display, the images must be properly optimized with an image editing software.
How To Proceed
Unless you know how to save images for certain uses, it is in your best interest to always supply your designer with the highest resolution images you have and let him or her decide how best to save them. Where a logo is involved, always supply your designer with the original vector file, as it should have been supplied to you by the designer who created it. (A vector file is an image file that can be enlarged or reduced without any degradation to its quality and generally only applies to illustrations and logos.) When logos are not supplied to me as vector files, I require extra time to isolate the logos from the image background, costing the client extra money, and the resulting clarity is never as ideal as that of a vector file. It is better to re-build the logo from scratch and to save it as a vector file which will save your graphic designer time in the future, and hence, save you money in the long-run.
