Design Business & The Industry of Design

Get the latest expert advice in marketing, growth, management and legal issues of interest to principals and design management. And, find tips for starting your own design business. HOW has pooled together industry experts and business consultants to provide the tools to help you achieve success in the design industry as a business leader. Plus, hear stories of design businesses from around the globe and the business philosophies that guide these successful entities.

Salary Negotiation Know-How

Posted on November 7, 2012 by The Creative Group

Know the ins and outs of negotiating the salary for your new job. The Creative Group offers advice on what you should know before sitting down at the negotiation table. More

Categories: Design Business & The Industry of Design, Design Careers: Industry Advice & Job Search Tips, Designer Salary: Average Salaries for Design | Tags: , | Leave a comment

How did you handle Superstorm Sandy?

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Ilise Benun

Superstorm Sandy showed us how precarious the solopreneur life can be. After all, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. How did you handle it? How did your clients respond? What would you do differently next time? Let’s learn from each others’ mistakes. Continue reading → More

Categories: Freelance Design Work & How to Freelance | Tags: | Comments Off

Click-Throughs and Catvertising: Designing Digital Campaigns

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Laura Yoo

Kam Diba, VP of marketing for the Game Show Network, talks about the opportunities provided by technology, and what makes digital campaigns effective. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.) More

Categories: Design Business & The Industry of Design, Design Resources & Online Design Education, Editor's Picks, Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

Freelance Pricing: Hourly Rate vs. Fixed Fee?

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Ilise Benun

From a lively debate on the CFC LinkedIn Group, the pros and cons of pricing hourly vs. fixed fee. Which strategy works best for you? Continue reading → More

Categories: Web & Graphic Design Pricing | Tags: , | Comments Off

Free Videos (for anyone who hates cold calling)

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Ilise Benun

Ed Gandia, who spoke on marketing plans at CFC 2012, has developed a step-by-step process that will help you land clients faster, easier and cheaper. Sign up for his free training videos here. Continue reading → More

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5 by 5: Five Steps to Success

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Megan Lane Patrick

In HOW’s November 2012 issue, we profile Minneapolis-based 5 by 5 Design. Here, partners Wendy Ruyle and Diana Lillicrap offer their 5 best pieces of advice after 5 successful years in business. More

Categories: Design Firm Owners, Featured, HOW November 2012 | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

How to Get Digital Gigs

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Tom Tumbusch

Writer and creative freelancer, Tom Tumbusch, put together this quick list of ideas about how to get digital gigs. Continue reading → More

Categories: Self Promotion for Graphic Design & Designers | Tags: | Comments Off

LinkedIn as a Prelude to Follow Up

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Ilise Benun

Here’s a trend I’ve noticed… You attend a conference (I was at MYOB last week). You meet some new people during the networking reception and grab their card (or not — as long as you vaguely remember their name, you … Continue reading → More

Categories: Self Promotion for Graphic Design & Designers | Tags: , , | Comments Off

5 Ways to Say No (to the Wrong Clients)

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Ilise Benun

Writer, Alison Harrison, shares what she learned at CFC 2012 about how to say no to clients she doesn’t want so she can find the ones she does want. Continue reading → More

Categories: Design Business Clients: Communication & Management | Tags: , , | Comments Off

5 Qualifying Questions to Ask Inbound Leads

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Ilise Benun

Today on the CF Blog, we have notes taken at CFC 2012 by writer, Alison Harrison of AH Communications, on what questions to ask to qualifying inbound leads Continue reading → More

Categories: Web & Graphic Design Pricing | Tags: | Comments Off