We were pleasantly surprised today when we found a recent client, DanSelleck.com, was accepted into the One Page Love web archive. One Page Love is a gallery website which specializes in archiving the web’s best one-page websites.

I’m really happy that I was able to apart of the One Page Love gallery. Unleashed did a great job on making my illustrations the primary focus of my portfolio. Fellow illustrators and art directors have been praising the update as it allows them easy access to my work.
~ Dan Selleck, Illustrator

DanSelleck.com was recently redesigned in order to give his clients a more concise view of Dan’s work and increase the accessibility of his illustrations. Through the power of CSS3 and JQuery, DanSelleck.com has become an easily update-able portfolio which features Dan’s unique illustration style.

DanSelleck.com is a gentle blend of geometric presentation and supple design philosophies, you can see his work at danselleck.com and comment on his archived sketches.

Additional WordPress Integration

We were able to create a fully functional WordPress platform that allows Dan to archive and display sketches without having to crop or edit his illustrations in Photoshop. Each thumbnail is created with a Php short-code that automatically crops and repositions the image for the best possible display.

Integrated JQuery and a lightbox platoform allows visitors to view Dan’s illustrations quickly and with minor loading time. The same Php short-code used to create thumbnail images draws directly from the SQL database unique to WordPress. Each image, whose information is then stored in the database, is pulled quickly and without error from the pre-existing directories.

The entirety of the uploading process is streamlined by WordPress’ easy-to-use interface and takes very little time and effort. Dan is now able to create and upload his illustrations in very little time due to our automated integration of Php, SQL, and JQuery.

Working with clients is sometimes a delicate waltz in which designers have to chose their words, actions, and presentation very carefully. Establishing a permanent connection with your clients is like being in a relationship.

Here are several tactics that I tend to stick to when either approaching a new client and helping pre-existing clients solve new problems:

Avoid The Use Of Absolutes

This is one of the big ones. I try not to use terms like ‘always’, ‘never’, etc. These terms imply that you are rigid and inflexible. Absolutes are typically used as a ‘threat device’, warning someone that they are intruding or close to something sensitive. True, there are boundaries that are ‘never’ to be crossed, such would be the case if your client were trying to convince you to do something illegal.

We want our clients to work closely with us, not fear us or our opinions. Use ‘I can look into that’ instead of ‘no‘ or ‘I’ll see what I can’t dig up’ instead of ‘we have never offered that service.’ By deterring the use of absolutes, you are implying to your clients that you are willing to work with them, not against them.

Watch Your Tone

I know this one sounds basic. The implication of petulance or the slightest display of regret, hostility, or annoyance can send the most loyal of your clients packing. When dealing with a client, either in negotiations, daily interaction, or during a pitch, you want to maintain a calm throughout the situation.

If you have too emotional a response, a client could become leery. ‘My designer seems too excited about our new idea, is she going to try to steal it?’ or ‘Why don’t they seem to care about what I’m telling them?’ You want to be as indifferent as an assassin and as cool as iceberg.

Physical Mannerisms

Just like sitting at the dinner table with your parents, you need to mind your manners. Sit up straight, chest forward, and don’t put your feet up. Clients want their freelancers to be confident, knowledgeable, and trusting. You won’t get any of these things slumping in your chair, sitting with your shoulders forward, or putting your feet up on your client’s desk.

Much like your tone, your physical state needs to be calm, cool, and collected.

Your Appearance

It might not seem like it, but as a freelancer, you are your own best product. Clients don’t see your business when you’re sitting in front of them, they see you.

In order to instill confidence in the minds of your clients, take care of yourself! If you have crazy facial hair, trim it. Maybe you put your long hair in a pony tail or cut it a little shorter. A little over-weight? Go to the gym and start to get into shape. Need to update your wardrobe from your college clothes? Do it. These are all things that can help you appear more viable as an unbiased entity trying to help your clients solve a problem.

Conclusion

I hope all of these things can, in some shape way or form, get through to the majority of freelancers working in the market today. I know its hard to interact with clients after working alone in the studio all day, but clients are what makes our lifestyle possible. They need to be treated with the same respect and dignity as your fellow designers.

This article has been revised from a previous rendition on boxfortdiaries.com

We, as professionals, should take into account when to cut our losses. I know, our parents told us to work through it and persevere, but to be honest there are some times when you just know that the ship is sinking.

As a full-time freelancer one of the judgment calls that I have to make on a daily basis is whether a new client is an asset or liability. An asset based client is someone that pays their bills on time, depends on me for my professional opinion, and respects me as a service professional. A liability client is someone that has a hard time paying, gives me my professional opinion, and uses me for their educated mouse-hand in the design process. There are several ways in which keeping the cancer of a liability client around can severely hamper your freelance business.

The first deals with time. Your time as a freelancer is your bread and butter, its what people pay you for! Whether you’re giving a consultation, preparing files, or designing collateral your time is how you make your money. Liability clients always demand far more time than they are paying you for. Constant emails, phone calls, and office visits can slowly chew away your time and will eventually start to put a dent in your income. Secondly, they rarely respect you or your professional opinion. I have had numerous cases of ‘design by proxy’ when a client would tell me exactly what they want done, whether it was good or not. Design by ‘imaginative’ clients are rarely any good and do nothing to bolster your portfolio. Don’t be afraid to state your opinion and stand by it, if they don’t like it, you can always fire them.

Lastly, and this is by far the most important of the reasons, is that they always seem to have a hard time paying. They haggle through invoices, bicker about results, and never want to pay full price. These clients typically come to you out of desperation, ‘I need more business’ is typically a line you should watch out for. Another great one I’ve heard ‘As soon as your work starts bringing me in more money, I’ll pay you…’ or something to that effect.

Here are some ways you can deal with the liability client. First if you don’t work with some kind of contract, you should start. If you waive a legal form in your face and they balk at signing time they’re probably a liability client. Having a legally binding contract that entitles you to your payment once the work has been complete is a great way of getting your payday. I know it sounds rough and mean, but we’re in this business to make a living, we’re not a charity group.

What do you do if the client starts taking up too much time? Its your business, charge them for it! Tell them if they exceed the minimum time per month in administrative duties, they will be charged extra. Its your time and your life, you should get paid when and how you want.

My favorite is when a client cannot or refuses to pay. The best way to ensure a paycheck from a liability client is not to give them anything until the bill is paid. Your contract should clearly indicate that collateral should only be handed over once the final invoice has been paid. This gives you the legal right to withhold services until the client has come through with their part of the deal. For instance, I have turned off email addresses and taken down websites when clients have delayed payment for months at a time. Taking away email addresses and putting up a ‘didn’t pay their bill page’ instead of their normal website is a very good way to get a business owner’s attention.

These options may seem harsh or even cruel, but as I said earlier, we’re in this to get paid to do something we like to do. You’re the business owner, if you don’t want to extend the olive branch, you don’t have to.

Don’t be afraid to cut the tether when the situation starts to turn sour. Freelancing is a business and you’re the expert. The word of the day is ‘liability’ and you shouldn’t feel bad firing a client when the situation grows wildly out of control or becomes a time pit.