Author: Speider Schneider
I usually write advice for designers based on my career experiences and horror stories but I thought it was time for an article for design clients to make their design needs a bit easier and more efficient. Dealing with creatives is not as easy as it sounds. The difference in...
I don’t think I really have to go over the old saying about everyone having an opinion because we know everyone does. If we didn’t, clothing would be one style and one color and if my nephew had a choice, it would all be yellow. Well, while we all shake...
In part one of this article we discussed the physical part of interviewing. Running all over a company building, meeting a dozen people, keeping your appearance clean and presentable and other considerations that depend on your stamina and ability to keep prim and proper but the really difficult part of...
There are so many articles about interviewing tips but if you’ve read one, you can save time by not reading the others. Rest assured they all say the same exact thing. They range from the simple, common sense tips like not talking on your cell phone while being interviewed, to...
So, by choice or circumstances, you have found yourself freelancing. Your business plan consists of “making as much money as possible!” Will that work? I’ve seen plenty of articles on the formula for figuring out what you need to make to turn a profit yet none of them ever really...
I recently received a call from a young designer who I met when she was in art school. I reviewed her portfolio and several years later at a local graphic design group meeting, she reintroduced herself and thanked me for being kind and helpful in that review. She became an...
When I started work for a large greeting card company, they had type designers who handled all they type on cards. An illustrator would work with a designer to create the imagery and then it would be handed off to a type designer to add the copy in pretty and...
For every assignment, for every project, whether you are a freelancer or work a staff job, it’s of the utmost importance that you document every aspect of what is required to complete the project both correctly and in a timely manner. It’s also important that both you as well as...
I love brainstorming! I think it’s a way of getting the best for a project. It puts all heads together and brings out the best ideas, without bruising egos and involves the team equally. I’ve seen great things come out of brainstorms. Lately, I’ve seen people stating that brainstorming isn’t...
Marketing has taken more evolutionary leaps in the past two years then it has in the time since cave men adorned their spears and clubs with rocks and bones to differentiate their awesome possessions. Throughout the history of marketing and advertising, there have been a couple of commonalities: The first...
A recruiter recently announced an employment opportunity but it came with a test. Candidates would have to write a business plan they would implement in their first year with the company. The request was to “be innovative with your thinking!” The recruiter insisted candidates needed to “wow!” this company. With...
Is it that clients don’t understand business or is it they don’t understand creatives? Why is it creatives around the globe all have exactly the same complaints and horror stories about clients from hell? It’s not just ridiculously silly comments and requests, which make for the amusing stories we share...
In a recent article, I made a generalization about Twitter only being used to drive traffic to a designer’s web site or blog. There were a couple of comments, stating I was wrong. Sure, it was a generalization to save 1,200 words, telling people what they already knew, but in...
They say people are born to lead or to follow. I can’t say whether that is true or not. I was always a leader. As a child I hated listening to others tell me what to do. I always had the ideas that led to trouble for the kids in...
Have you ever wondered why you seem to be getting hungrier while waiting to place your order at a fast food place or why you eat faster than any human should ingest that poison? Have you ever heard of a “power tie” in business? There are things that excite the...