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HOW Singles: Organically Grown
No pro formas, no elevator pitches, no 5-year plans. These entrepreneurs watched their businesses blossom, thanks to a dynamic mix of both client work and product design. See how they did it so you can grow your own thriving business.
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Clients
Clients can often be the most frustrating part of a design project. Seasoned experts share advice for setting expectations with your clients, dealing with difficult situations, balancing creative control with client needs, and creating an experience that will make them recommend you for future jobs.
Do Clients Want Design Work Soft, Gooey, Fast?
If your clients don’t understand the value of good design, and would rather pine for something soft, gooey and fast, you owe it to yourself (and the potential client) to help change their perspective and value of design. Follow these three approaches.
Categories: Clients, Creative Exercises, Design + Business, Design + Creativity, Featured, How-To
Tags: client, client tips, creativity exercises
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2 Keys for Successful Brand Extensions
A creative brief hits your desk: Your client or executive team wants to launch a brand extension. But before you start designing, there are two key things to consider that can make or break any brand extension.
Categories: Business Issues, Clients, Design + Business, Featured, Management
Tags: branding, business advice
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Collaboration: It’s What Separates Smart Designers from the Apes
For designers, collaboration provides a creative boost through the shared brain power and experiences of clients and audiences. Check out these 3 tips.
Build Your Client Base
Are you poised to pounce on any new-business opportunities? A business expert outlines 9 approaches to position your firm to build a client base now, even if you’re swamped, so that business can benefit better when things slow.
Categories: Business Issues, Clients, Design + Business, Featured
Tags: business, clients, Design Firm
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Do You Suck at Selling Your Ideas?
Phenomenal ideas, like that for the Dyson vacuum cleaner, are sometimes the hardest ideas to sell. Take tips from James Dyson on selling your next big idea to decision makers.
The Empathic Designer: 5 Tips for Better Collaborative Relationships
Design success is as often as much the result of the quality of the relationships formed with clients, as it is the quality of the design. David Holston, author of “The Strategic Designer,” offers 5 tips for better collaborative design relationships with clients.
Categories: Business Issues, Clients, Design + Business, Featured, On the Job
Tags: client relations, clients, collaboration, creativity tips, design strategy
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5 Questions Every Designer Should Ask Their Clients
Boost a design project’s success rate from the start by determining solutions to problems. To do so, read these 5 questions every designer should ask their clients.
Risk-Taking Projects
Two firms convinced their clients to take calculated risks. See how those risks payed off in these innovative projects.
Categories: Business Issues, Clients, Design + Business, Projects & Profiles
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What to Do When The Client Refuses to Pay
Ilise Benun provides solid advice on how to handle this situation and move forward.
Categories: Clients, Design + Business, Freelancing, HOW Books
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Top 10 Tips for Your Design Business’ E-newsletter
E-mail marketing is like Chinese water torture, but less painful. Here are 10 simple guidelines to revitalize your firm’s e-communications.
Categories: Business Issues, Clients, Design + Business, Freelancing, How-To, Self-Promotion
Tags: design business, e-newsletter tips, grow my business, marketing
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