After nearly 25 years in business, noted Midwest design studio Sayles Graphic Design closed its doors. Sheree Clark, one of the two firm's partners, shares the emotional and business implications of shuttering the studio.

Technology makes it increasingly easy for designers to work just about anywhere. Meet Dustin W Design, an interactive design agency in Los Angeles, that closed doors to their physical office and made the virtual transition—a decision that leaves Leslie Pollock, vice president of client services and strategic planning, with no regrets.

Here's how design professionals are using social media tools to grow their universe of business prospects, draw traffic back to their websites or blogs and develop expert reputations.

The development of creative work from concept through to finished product is the whole point of being a designer. Some designers believe they work better unfettered by the strictures of a client brief, but the contrary is true. Counterintuitively, the best way to liberate creative people is to give them a robust brief.

Choosing the right color is just as important as determining the message. Color is the first thing that attracts the eye, and once noticed, the color may determine the entire tone of the piece. With the ups and downs of the economy, color palettes have varied. See what colors are around the corner. 

Creating 20 years of stellar design work for a single self-promotion project can be challenging, but Duffy & Partners (featured in HOW magazine's October 2009 issue) has done it with style for their holiday wine bottles sent to clients annually.

Design firm Rogue Element offers a sample proposal you can use to craft your next pitch.

If you've submitted a proposal and now the potential client won't get back in touch, here are 3 steps you should take to follow up.

Veteran design-firm owner David Langton shares simple and effective marketing ideas that make sense during a recession.

Bottom line, the economy is sour, and may remain that way for quite some time. Let’s not cry about it. Let’s do something about it. Now is the time to focus on your brand and your brand strategy with these 10 tips.