Charitable, speculative and free design work is regularly sought after in the design industry. While the terms are often interchanged, there are important distinctions between them which define whether designers should accept or refuse the work.
>> Read: Managing charity, speculative and free graphic design requests
A little good advice never hurt anyone. If you’re looking for a few tips on how to improve your graphic design business, or just a little insight into how others do things, 100 habits of successful graphic designers is worth a read.
>> Read: 100 habits of successful graphic designers“A photographer went to a socialite party in New York.
As he entered the front door, the host said ‘I love your pictures – they’re wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.’
He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: ‘That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.”
– Sam Haskins
An anecdote quoted from the now late photographer, Sam Haskins. If you work in a creative field, you’ve probably heard similar comments to that of the host in this quote, I know I have. Can you relate? What is your craft, and how often do your tools get the credit?
>> Read: An anecdote for creative types everywhere
If you’ve never made an international money transfer, it can be a bit of a chore to say the least. Let’s compare to PayPal…
>> Read: Why PayPal is great for international graphic designers and clients
Having the latest design software and tools is great, but it’s your skills and ideas that people will hire you for.
>> Read: Sell your graphic design skills, not your tools
Two things that graphic design seems to have over all other industries, is the expectation of speculative work, and to a lesser extent, trading services. And while typically the service on offer is of absolutely no use, once in a life time you get lucky.
>> Read: Trading services with graphic designers