Working for Yourself

Setting up as a freelancer

When setting up as a freelancer it is a good idea to have a range of work and projects to be able to show clients. Also by creating a blog, you can show up to date designs and show development on your most recent work.

Job bag

This is a back up of everything that you do such as emails to and from clients, projects and briefs. Maybe keep a hand written diary to keep a log of everything you do. This is done in case of anything goes wrong so you can track it back and have a copy.

What is commercial creativity

This is the amount of work in which you do for the length of time given and how much you are being paid for. So if some one does not have much of a budget and can only offer you so many hours of work, you can only provide them with a cretin amount of creativity. Where as if the budget was larger the client can offer you more time to work on you designs.

Working in an Agency

The Importance of Communication
This is an important aspect to have when working in a agency so you know what is going on with the project and so no time is wasted. This will make life easier and a happier working environment. It is not only important to keep communication with your colleagues but with your clients as well. This can be done though meetings, emails, and phone calls, to ensure that the designs and products are to their specifications.

Timekeeping, dedication, professionalism
These are all good qualities to have, as this makes you reliable person. By keeping on time with projects this will result in more work, more money, and hopefully more customers. Also you will not over load yourself with work. If dedication and professionalism are both shown with in a work place this could result in a promotion or chances to work on bigger and more complex projects as this would show that you are will to go further.

Account teams
These are usually found in agencies and deal with the companies financial spending. These employers should have a good communication with the client so they know what they are spending their money on and if any extra charges should be made for printing. These teams are an important part of the companies as they basically control the profit the company makes.

Briefs (verbal and written)
With verbal briefs it is always important to take a pen and paper or note book with you so you can take down notes. This is done as a back up and proof of the briefing. This will also help you with your project. Written briefs on the other hand will usually have all the information and details that you will need for a project. Although there is always room for movement depending on where your designs take you.

Internal culture

To have a positive attitude with in a working environment is always useful. This then creates a higher quality of work and motivation though out your team. Each person in you design team will have a different job to do but the whole team will have to pull together to meet the deadlines of your project. And without this friendship, the work could be lost and the agency could loose money.

GENERAL WORK SKILLS (C)

Speed skills

Clients do not always understand the amount of work to create a project from blank slate to a printed masterpiece. And because you are a designer they think you can design something in a moments notice and if you cant deliver they will find someone who can. This is why speed is important because you cant loose out on a job and most importantly money.

The psychology of marketing

To have a basic knowledge of marketing is always an advantage in the graphic design industry, because you may be asked to step in as the marketing manager within a small company. To understand the human behaviour is a starting point as they either buy things for their needs or their wants or desires. You are not only trying to sell something to them but earn their trust and form a relationship as this will create a regular customer.

Copywriting

It’s not uncommon for the designer to have to act as copy writer. This is someone who writes or edits copy or written content for a living. They also develop the content for websites, sales, letters, articles, book, and other print information. The graphic designer who possesses these skills will certainly have an advantage over those who do not in a highly competitive market.

Art direction

An art director oversees the art, the photographs and drawn images, that appear in newspapers, magazines, ad campaigns and on book covers. They are usually the person who oversees the entire design department, working with photo editors to make sure that their imagery matches the text. An art director would work to create the specific look and feel over an entire piece of work so the visual look though out is the same.

Typography and grids

Type is everywhere and we probably take it for granted but this is the main thing that gives us information. There are many different types, different shapes and characteristics but they all follow the same rules.

Leading - This is the space between the lines, too close together it becomes difficult to read but too far apart the reader may become lost. To solve this the rule is, the leading should be 30% bigger than the font size. (9pt=12pt)

Kerning - The term kerning refers to adjusting the space between two letters. If letters in a typeface are spaced too uniformly, they make a pattern that doesn’t look uniform enough.

Tracking - This is the spacing across a word, line, or column of text is called tracking, also known as letter spacing.

Grids - The most basic grid is the single-column grid, this then moves on to a multi column grid which allows you more options on how to lay out your page. Then with horizontal rows this can be divided up even more, to give a more interesting page layout. All of these guide lines are there to help keep your text and imagery inline and in order, to achieve a consistent look and feel through out the product.

GENERAL WORK SKILLS (B)

The balance between craft and technology

A good balance between craft and technology id ideal when showing your skills as this proves you do not stick to one area. Also by having something tangible you can always have a better idea of how it would work in the real world rather than seeing it just on screen. Although when presenting work it is sometimes better to you technology as you can show a wider range of your work which you have photographed or designed on different programs.

Colour

This is an important element of design, by using different colours can create moods and feelings. It can also be used to attract attention or even be subtle though your work. There are two areas of colour which you have to keep in mind and this is weather it will be CMYK or RGB.

• CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These four colours are what the printer uses to mix together to create the colours needed for you print out. To get the maximum quality you will have to set the document to 300dpi.
• RGB - red, green and blue. These three colours are used for on screen or web designs as this is what the screen functions on. The dpi should be set to 72 as this will load quicker and this is all we can see on the screen.

Paper

When you have completed your designs and come to printing your final the choice of paper may be tricky. Before starting your designs you should take into account what paper you are going to use as this might corse some hassle for the printer. On this website are different grades of paper with explanations which could help you with this problem.

http://swprintserv.com/papergrades.html

GENERAL WORK SKILLS (A)

Scheduling and planning
This is an important aspect of the working invironment as you will have deadlines to work to. Using a schedule and planning ahead can help you deliver the work on time and it will also help you not over load yourself with work. Using a grid or diary would help you visualize this a lot easier. At this website below you can download a scheduling chart.
http://www.wallchart.com/en/products/product_wps.asp

Budgeting and quoting
When budgeting for a job it is best to find out how much the client is willing to spend. Quote to high and you may loose the job but quote too low you may miss out on a fair price. A list of areas which you have to consider are, the time needed to complete the job, deadlines, copyright use, and printing cost. Jobs can also be done in different stages and at different cost as some things may vary such as paper use, inks, and website features. If the client does not reveal the budget you have to give a quote based on the amount of work requested.

Formats
When creating a piece of work you need to make sure that it is in the right format for printing or for other computers to recognize. Here are some formats and what they are designed for.
Print specification
When preparing a document to a printer there are many elements to include in your layout: Trim marks, Trimmed paper size, Bleed, Margins or safety. Using these will insure that your print will come out as intended.

• Trim marks - these are lines which show the printer where to cut the paper. These are the small line located in the corner of the document.
• Trimmed page size - this is the final intended size of your page. When you create your document in a program this is the trimmed page size.
• Bleed - this is necessary to eliminate the white space between the edge of the page and your image or design. This is where the image extends beyond the trim marks to the bleed line.
• Margin/safety - images that you do not want to be clipped should stay with in a margin or safety.
  

Getting a job

The end of year shows are a good starting point to get your work noticed by companies and designers. This is were you can show a full range of your work along side your contact details/business card.

Creating a CV

This shouldn't go over too many pages as this could bore the employer. It should also be the most important information as this will highlight your best qualities. Below is a website which shows you how to write a good CV.

http://www.maximrecruitment.co.uk/career-advice/writing-a-good-cv.aspx

Creating a portfolio

When creating a portfolio this may not always get you the job as your work might not be what the client is looking for. To unsure yourself to have a good chance these are some things you can do.

• have a A list, B list and Archive of designs
• a number of work samples
• organisation of portfolio (key and transitional samples)
• have a digital or fiscal portfolio (maybe both)

When creating your portfolio remember that this is branding yourself so to have an online portfolio as well as a fiscal one will optimise your chances to show a full range of your work.

Targeting, Interviews and presentation

When going for an interview it is always best to find out how much time is allocated as this will give you chance to rehearse for maximum effect. It is also useful to confirm any access to any extra hardware you may need. When you enter the room, how do they look? (stressed or relaxed) this might effect how the interview goes. Think about what are they hoping for? (that you are the right person for the job). When presenting your portfolio these are a few things to keep in mind.

• Arrive ahead of time
• smile
• basic manners (please and thank you)
• body posture
• eye contact (positive)
• remember to present within the allocated time
• precision before waffle
• don't mumble, avoid speaking too quickly, speak clearly ( two eyes, two ears, one mouth)
• answer all questions