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Imprint
Published in June/2010
Smashing edia !mb" Freiburg !erman$
Book %o&er Design: 'ndrea 'us(oni
)llus(ra(ions: *icardo !imenes
Proofreading: anuela +ller
%once,( - .di(ing: S&en ennar( i(al$ Friedman
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Preface
Being a grea( eb designer or de&elo,er is one (hing 3 running a
successful freelance business ano(her4 Whe(her $ou alread$ ha&e ork
e5,erience in com,anies or $ou6&e 7us( gradua(ed from design school:
Being self8em,lo$ed en(ails a number of (asks $ou mos( likel$ didn6(
ha&e (o deal i(h so far4 's a freelance eb designer $ou also ha&e (o
be a ,ro7ec( manager office adminis(ra(or accoun(an( con(roller and)9 e5,er(4
Juggling all of (hese among mos( designers no( e5ac(l$ ,o,ular (asks
hile concei&ing crea(i&e ideas and ,roducing s,lendid ebsi(es can
be &er$ arduous4 9o hel, $ou i(h (his fea( e ha&e com,iled 21
selec(ed ;2 ne< ar(icles abou( successfull freelancing (ha( ha&e
been ,ublished on Smashing againe and =ou,e in 200> and 2010offering $ou in&aluable (i,s and guidelines from ,rofessionals in eb
design4 9he focus lies on communica(ing i(h clien(s and co8orkers
including marke(ing s(ra(egies and ,i(ching as (his (ends (o be mos(
,roblema(ic for freelance eb designers4
We ho,e (his carefull$ edi(ed and es,eciall$ illus(ra(ed ebook ill
make $ou e&en more successful and hel,s $ou mas(er ?7uggling@4
S&en ennar( i(al$ Friedman anuela +ller
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Table of Content
Imprint........................................................................................2
Preface........................................................................................3
Basic Skills of Freelance Web Designers..................................6
.ssen(ial "abi(s of 'n .ffec(i&e Professional Freelancer444444444444A
%ommon ues(ions of Web Designers44444444444444444444444444444444444444444421
9he Designer Who Deli&ers44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444CC%ri(ical is(akes Freelancers ake4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444440
9he )m,or(ance of %us(omer Ser&ice4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444>
%rea(i&el$ "andling (he 'dmin Side of Freelancing444444444444444444E
Pi(ching ike a Pro44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444A1
9he Finances of Freelancing4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444>G
Communication it! Clients " Partners.............................#$6
"o 9o )den(if$ and Deal Wi(h Differen( 9$,es Hf %lien(s4 410A
E Sim,le 9i,s for )m,ro&ing Designer8%lien( *ela(ionshi,s 11>
"o (o %ommunica(e i(h De&elo,ers .ffec(i&el$4444444444444444412A
"o (o .duca(e Iour %lien(s on Web De&elo,men(444444444444441CG
"o (o .5,lain (o %lien(s (ha( 9he$ 're Wrong444444444444444444444441C
"o (o *es,ond .ffec(i&el$ (o Design %ri(icism44444444444444444444441EA
"o (o Persuade Iour sers Boss or %lien(s44444444444444444444444444441G
"o (o %rea(e (he Perfec( %lien( ues(ionnaire44444444444444444444441AG
%arketing & Con'incing Strategies for Freelancers...........#()!e((ing %lien(s: ',,roaching (he %om,an$4444444444444444444444444444441G
%on&er(ing Pros,ec(s in(o %lien(s444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444441>A
arke(ing *ules and Princi,les for Freelancers44444444444444444444444420A
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"o an$ )deas Do Iou Sho Iour %lien(sK444444444444444444444444444421>
Contracts " Pricing ..............................................................22*
Freelance %on(rac(s: DoLs 'nd DonL(6s44444444444444444444444444444444444444444422Wha(Ls )n ' Price: !uidelines For Pricing Web Designs4444444442CG
uali($8Price8*a(io in Web Design4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444442E0
T!e +ut!ors...........................................................................26$
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Basic Skills of Freelance Web Designers
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,ssential -abits of +n ,ffecti'e Professional
Freelancer
by Rob Smith
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9hereLs &er$ li((le (o s(o, an$one becoming a freelancer4 )n a highl$
com,e(i(i&e and in mos( ,laces sa(ura(ed marke( $ou need (o make
sure $our re,u(a(ion as a freelancer is ell8managed and con(inues (o
gro4 )(Ls &er$ ,ossible (o ge( a good re,u(a(ion i(hou( being (he
bes( in (he orld and i(Ls e&en easier (o lose (ha( re,u(a(ion4 )n (his
ar(icle eLll e5,lore 1E habi(s (ha( are essen(ial in hel,ing freelancers
effec(i&el$ safeguard and gro (heir re,u(a(ion and eLll also discuss
ho (o make freelancing ork for $ou4
%arketing an /elations!ips
#. T!e Presentation -abit
Iour ebsi(e should be a( (he cen(re of $our marke(ing s(ra(eg$4 )(Ls
here ,eo,le go (o see ho $ou are ha( $ouLre abou( he(her $ou
kno ha( $ouLre (alking abou( and ha( ork $ou ha&e done4 )(Ls$our silen( 2/A salesman and i( needs (o be righ(4 For(una(el$ ha(
$our ebsi(e needs is s(raigh(forard:
Well8,resen(ed ork i(h a good descri,(ion of (he roles $ou
,la$ed
' brief his(or$ of ho $ou are and h$ $ouLre here $ou are
%on(ac( de(ails (ha( are easil$ accessible %on(en( (ha( is con(inuall$ (eaked added (o and u,da(ed
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H(her (han (ha( $ou can go here&er $ou an( i(h $our on
ebsi(e M and so $ou should4 Personali($ is ke$4Jason Santa Mariagoes the whole hog with a new design for each post a lot of work
but he stands out from the crowd as a result
2. T!e 0etorking -abit
9he$ sa$ (ha( i(hin G degrees of se,ara(ion e&er$one knos
e&er$one4 So $ou need (o make sure (ha( e&er$one i(hin $our 1s(degree i4e4 ,eo,le $ou kno
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famil$ and associa(es are $our free ord8of8mou(h marke(ing 3 so
ge( (hem (alking abou( $ou righ( no4
Hnce (his is done $our ne(ork needs (o be e5(ended and enhanced4
*egis(er i(h an$ social ne(orking ,la(forms (ha( can ork for $ou
M inked)n Facebook and 9i((er4 Wi(hin (hose ,laces s(ar( ge((ing
in(o (he righ( circles4 Hn inked)n $ou ma$ 7oin some a,,ro,ria(e
discussion grou,s (ha( are ei(her local or skill based4 Hn 9i((er $ou
ma$ s(ar( (ee(ing and including a,,ro,ria(e hash(ags so more
,eo,le can see $our (ee( on (ha( sub7ec(4
9here are man$ a$s (o ne(ork and connec( i(h ,eo,le so i(Ls
crucial (ha( a freelancer no( be afraid (o (alk (o ,eo,le and share
informa(ion and con(ac(s4 earn (he ne(orking habi( and ge( $ourself
knon4
3. T!e 0ic!ing -abit
Freelancers can ge( in(o (he habi( of no( onl$ finding (heir niche bu(
crea(ing niches4 ' niche in (his case is an area in $our o&erall field of
ork in hich $ou ,ar(icularl$ s,ecialise4 )f $ouL&e become &er$ good
a( crea(ing ebsi(es for golf courses for e5am,le (hen (ha(Ls a grea(
niche4
9he reasons ha&ing a niche is &aluable are sim,le: )(Ls easier (o
become an e5,er( in a niche4 )(Ls easier (o sell (o o(her ,ros,ec(s
i(hin (ha( niche as (he$ can see ha( $ou ha&e done before4 's an
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e5,er( in (ha( niche $ou can charge a ,remium for $our de,(h of
knoledge4
9he ke$ (o (his habi( is (o ,roac(i&el$ build $our on niches4 Seek ou(
,rofi(able areas in hich $ou can ork and concen(ra(e on building
niches4
1. T!e Pricing -abit
"o $ou ,rice $our ,ro7ec(s can easil$ be (he difference be(eeninning and no( inning some ork4 Iour ,ricing needs (o be
(rans,aren( a( all (imes and should be agreed u,on u, fron(4 9hings
go rong hen hidden cos(s a,,ear la(er on4 %lien(s like (o kno
ho much (he$Lre ,a$ing hen (he$Lre going (o ,a$ i( and ha(
(he$Lre ,a$ing for4 So make i( clear from (he s(ar(4
Second ,ar( of (he ,ricing habi( M ,ro(ec( $ourself4 )(Ls eas$ (o ge( sora,,ed u, in inning a ,ro7ec( (ha( $ou forgo( some sim,le rules4 )f
$ou ha&e ne&er orked i(h a clien( before ask for a small
,ercen(age of (he fee before $ou do an$ ork4 '( (his earl$ s(age $ou
onL( kno he(her (he$ ill ,a$N *educe $our bad deb( b$ ei(her
onl$ orking for clien(s $ou (rus( or ha&ing some remunera(ion firs(4
9hird ,ar( of (he ,ricing habi( M be fle5ible4 ake sure $ou find a a$(o make (he commercial deal a in8in for bo(h ,ar(ies4 9his could
be:
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on(hl$ ,a$men(s regular cash flo o&er (he course of (he
,ro7ec(