Contents

Introduction

I Where Do You Start?

1 Essential Traits

Be curious

Show empathy

Have confidence

You’re the manager

Motivate yourself

Professionalism

Balance

Don’t blindly trust your experience

Don’t forget to...

2 Never Stop Learning

The never-ending lesson

What design school didn’t teach you

Other ways to keep learning

3 Find Your Niche

What’s a niche?

Why specialize?

Spread the risk

4 Pros and Cons of Self-Employment

II Who Do You Need to Be?

5 Work Direct or Be a Subcontractor?

Dealing directly with clients

Subcontracting with agencies

6 Planning for Success

Truth

Assertions

Money

Alternatives

People

7 Brand Naming

Everything begins with a name

8 Designing Your Brand Identity

Your graphic identity

Other parts of your identity

9 Working from Home versus Renting Space

Working from home

Renting studio space

Fit to work

10 Launching Your Online Presence

Your basic launch needs

Hard-won lessons

Treat your competitors as allies

11 Marketing Yourself and Finding Good Clients

Go pro bono

Love the ones you’re with

Market for free online

A little research, a lot of return

It’s who you know

Reach out to other design agencies

Zig when others zag

Offer a real gift

Think fast

Do business where you shop

When things go wrong...

12 Why Bigger Business Isn’t Always Better

The personal touch

You are what clients want

13 Legalities, Integrity, and Morality

Legalities

Integrity

Morality

III How Do You Manage Projects?

14 Choose Clients Wisely

Red flags

15 Handling the Client Approach

The client questionnaire

Avoid wasting time

Start on the right foot

16 Pricing Your Work

Deciding your rate

Breaking down the proposal

It’s not always about the money

Enter Mr. Procurement

How to negotiate up

Raising rates with existing clients

“You should be charging more”

17 Terms and Conditions

What to include

It’s not unusual

18 How to Best Present Your Work

IV Before We Depart

19 The Mentors Speak

20 A Future Without Clients

Online advertising

Become an affiliate

Ship your product

Write a book

Income as energy

21 Keep the Fire Burning

22 Resources

Books

Blogs

Publishers

Self-publishing

Ad providers

Project help

Don’t forget

Contributors

Index

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