A short opinion on big clients — I used to get a little scared when really big clients came knocking. 😬 Am I good enough to work with this large corporation, multi-national retailer, well-known institution, or high-profile startup? But what I’ve learned over years of working with them is that most have less design maturity than you’d…

A true story about how my business just ground to a halt. — I’ve run my own freelance design business for 20 years. The past few years have been exceptionally busy —never a shortage of work — and more profitable from one year to the next. I’ve won design awards, soaked up the praises of my clients, cashed in personal-best earnings, and thought…

Self-employment is more than delivering meals or acquiring followers on Instagram. — Why is a freelance career still difficult to describe? Are we so stuck in the 1950’s paradigm of employment that some people can’t fathom alternative career paths? Or, even worse, we lump all freelancers into the same trendy terms of gig workers and content creators? When asked what I do…

There’s only one thing that matters: are both sides happy with the exchange? — Pricing creative services is tricky. You’re always worried you’re not charging enough because you can’t help but compare yourself to others who can command higher rates. Nobody likes leaving money on the table. But you’re also worried if you charge too much you’ll lose customers, and nothing is scarier than…

Obsess over process, not outcomes. — As the field of design matures, the weight of responsibility we get from having a “seat at the table” means more pressure to measure the success of design. More metrics, more validation, more proven design outcomes. But the problem with creative work — truly innovative work — is that we…

Mind the gaps for long-term thinking and creative rejuvenation. — White space is a designer’s best friend and most powerful ally. It’s what gives great visual work breathing room. It creates moments of silence that amplify the areas of focus. It forms groupings and builds rhythm. We’d never question the value of whitespace — it’s one of the most fundamental…

One of them is never optional, and sometimes you can’t even pick two. — Surely you’ve heard it before. The iron triangle of service: good, fast, cheap — pick two. You can never have all three, as the saying goes. Cheap + Fast = low quality Good + Cheap = too slow Fast + Good = expensive I have so many problems with…

Mediocre work requires constant sales and marketing to maintain momentum. Exceptional work sells itself. — Would you rather have an average product with excellent marketing or an excellent product with average marketing? Off the top of your head, what would you pick? The perfectionist in me would choose the latter, and I would usually be wrong. The answer to this common business question frequently refers…

It’s time for a radical shift in how we present ourselves as designers. — My website needs some love. The design is showing its age—but even worse — I’ve been too busy to update it so it doesn’t even represent my best work. Sound familiar? Many creatives find themselves in this conundrum. It’s difficult to work on your own website when you’re flat-out designing…