A Graphic Designer's Soap Box
Submit Your Questions for the Terry Marks Interview
Jan 13th
Apparently Designers just look at photos and don’t read…it’s cool, I do the same thing. I’ve gotten a couple of questions about why the interview isn’t up. I’ll bullet point what I need in hopes that it helps.
- Comment with questions for Terry about design
- We will take the questions and include them in the interview
- Once we get enough questions, we will do the interview
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to meet Terry Marks. He’s one of those designers you want to grow up to be like. He runs a multi-disciplinary design firm out of Seattle with clients that we all dream to land! If you are a designer just starting out or you’ve been in the industry for a couple of years, you want to listen to what he has to say.
He has agreed to sit down and do an interview with us, so what do you want to hear him talk about?
If you want to learn a little more about Terry or what he does, check out his website above. Or this link will take you directly to his work.
Great Article On Swiss Style!
Feb 23rd
In college, I had a project where I had to research Josef Muller Brockman’s style, and then create a project in that style. I hadn’t ever heard of “Swiss Style” before then, but was enlightened during the process. Today, I found an absolutely amazing article on the Swiss Style’s origin, examples, and more. A great read!
We Jumped On The Band Wagon!
Feb 14th
After being pressured into doing it, I’ve started a twitter account. So you’ll now know when I eat breakfast, what I’m watching on television, or any other mundane detail of my life that doesn’t need to be shared. How’s that for a sales pitch. So follow me, and maybe I’ll return the favor.
Any tips on how to use twitter to it’s full potential would be greatly appreciated. I almost just wrote a post that said “I’m thinking about what to twitter.” I know that’s not right….oh man, I’m so lost.
Breaking Knees
Feb 14th
It’s happened to all of us at some point, we’ve done work for someone we REALLY don’t know all that well, and they disappear. So what are your options if your client won’t pay? There are a couple of things you can do to help ensure payment or partial payment. It won’t ALWAYS work, but it’s worth a shot. More >
Rule 2: Never Barter With A Used Car Salesman
Feb 13th
Now, I’ve done design work for all sorts of things, and have had some success from it. But, every once in a while, I’ll get some completely crazy person come to me and offer something with ZERO value. That’s what we have below. More >
Rule 1: Scratch Your Own Damn Back
Feb 9th
Rule 1: The First rule of Craigstlist is you don’t talk about Craigslist….oh wait, wrong list.
Rule 1: Favors…if someone is asking you to work for cheap, don’t do it. You’re setting a precedent that you are willing to do work for cheap, and it’s hard, almost impossible to get out of that pigeon hole. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant and tell the cook this. More >
How Do You Quote A Project?
Feb 4th
Over the years, I have experimented with a bunch of different quote types. I’ve done the detailed quote where I go through the entire project and outline exactly what I will do, I’ve done the super basic thing where I just hit the big things, and I’ve done the “I’ll do X for Y”. All of them seem to have their place, but I wanted to go over my 3 primary quoting techniques, and see what works for you.
Stop Whoring Yourself
Jan 28th
It’s tough out there! I know that. But the design community has recently been cannibalizing itself. We set the fair market price for design work, and we are somewhat responsible for “lowering” the standards for design.
There are a number of websites out there that have cause the design community to force us to become sharks. Websites like 99designs and elance make a mockery of good design.
If you’re not familiar with 99designs here is how it works. A client posts a project on the website. The client posts the needs for the project as well as their budget. Designers are able to posts their designs on the site, and the client chooses which logo or design they like best. The winning designer gets the money, and the rest don’t. More >
Tennessee News Bandit
Jan 28th
This client is not only bad for your business but bad for your emotional well being.
I will not name names or the business, but simply say it is a woman who runs a newspaper in East Tennessee, a very small paper in a town of misfits and criminals. I lived in Knoxville, so she could not find anyone in her town to do the work, she drove 40 miles to Knoxville and placed an ad in the Metropulse magazine to find her victims.
My Own Worst Enemy
Jan 26th
aaaarrrrrgggghhh.
Where to begin? My absolute hands down worst of all time client was a woman who wanted a complete identity system for her new company, a consultancy. I had known her for a long time, so I didn’t think a formal contract was needed, and felt that since we had known each other, communication would be a snap. More >
Are Internships Really Worth It? Well, It Depends.
Jan 21st
Internships used to mean that a student would work alongside a seasoned senior design professional or an art director in a design studio or advertising agency for a proscribed period of time. The intern would learn the ropes from someone who understood the demands of the real world. This was (and still is) an extremely valuable experience for both the intern as well as for the Art Director. In the good old days, this used to be called an “apprenticeship.” What better way is there to learn that which can’t be taught in a school environment. It’s also a great way to see if someone is a good fit for an organization. In some cases, I consider internships to be the equivalent of another year of school. Three months at MTV can go a long way! More >
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