We all know that slick interface designs are pretty to look at. Personally, I ogle over them like the centerfold in a mens magazine. Is that weird? The more sleek and intuitive the design, the more I am drawn to it. Obviously, one of the results of good interface design is usability. Give me an app that looks pretty and works the way I expect it to and I am sold. Where do I pay?

I’m sure none of you will argue with the general statements above. Well, maybe the one about the mens magazines, but you know what I mean. So we all enjoy applications that work intuitively and and look pretty, but how important is good interface design to the overall succes of an application?

I say very.

I don’t just think that good interface design is important just from a usability point of view. I think it is important from a marketing and business point of view as well. It seems to me that your application ( assuming you make multiple ones ) should be an extension of your brand. I should be able to look at an apps interface and know who designed it. Obviously the general public (i.e. non designers/developers) may not be able to do this, but that doesn’t mean its not important. If you want a good example of companies that do just this, check out:

• Meta Labs
• Tapbots

One thing that I think that many app developers underestimate is the value of a good looking design. Just because the application is usable, doesn’t mean that it looks good. I have played with ( and lost interest in ) plenty of apps that worked well usability wise, but just were not pretty. Maybe I’m a design snob, but an app is so much more fun to use when it looks pretty. I am not the only one who feels this way, which is why application developers need to pay more attention to the design process. I can’t tell you how many times I have bought an iPhone app just because it looked pretty. I have at least a dozen apps that I almost never use, but bought because they look pretty.

What do you guys think about this?

I try so hard to stay organized on a daily basis. Keeping all my ducks in a row is what allows me to juggle way more projects than the typical freelancer. Despite all my efforts to keep my inbox clean, schedule calls ahead of time, run everything through my project management app, and other organizational methods; it seems like it can go to shit in a heart beat.

For me, this is usually the result of a client who refuses to use Basecamp once the project has been started. What happens next is like a monsoon in my inbox. Emails containing comments, feedback, files, copy, and other related materials come pouring in at an alarming rate. While some freelancers are used to organizing this way, I am not and it tends to throw off my whole system. Slowly my ducks are beginning to get out of line.

How Do You Stay Organized?

I’d like to hear your comments on how you keep your freelance work organized in a day to day manner. Any sort of tips and advice you can share would be great. Those of you that provide some of the best details I will contact directly for a follow up. Assuming there is enough participation on this post, expect a follow up in the next week or two with some more in depth information from your peers!

As many of you may have noticed, I haven’t had a chance to update Outlaw Design Blog in some time and it has really been bothering me. I would like to apologize for this lack of work on my part. As some of you regulars may know, I recently got married, am buying a house, and having a baby soon. On top of all that, my Wordpress Designers business has been really taking off. Not that any of this is an excuse to leave you guys high and dry, but it is a reason.

Apologize aside, I have been trying to find a new way to bring Outlaw Design Blog back to life. It seems that there are 1,001 design blogs online these days, so I have been trying to think of a way to do something new. One thing I have decided, is to do more video posts and follow them up with some written text. I also have an idea that will hopefully encourage more detailed comments and interaction on the posts.

This new blog format also calls for a new design. In the weeks to come I will be launching a new design that better suits the blogs new golas. Below is a sneak peak of the new design.

Personal Projects

Aside from all the extra personal projects such as home buying and baby making, I have a number of cool things going on online as well. I thought I’d share some screenshots to let you guys know whats going on.

If you follow me on Twitter @DannyOutlaw you have probably already seen these mockups for my re-design of Wordpress Designers. But, if you haven’t, you are in for quite a treat! This may be one of my most favorite designs I have ever done.

I also have one other project that just launched called PSD to WP. As the same suggest, it is a PSD to Wordpress conversion site. My main reason for starting this site was that fact that it is so hard to find developers who will follow your design to the last pixel. I have an obsession with finding and maintaining a certain margin in my designs. When a developer doesn’t code my design down to the last pixel, it drives me crazy.

While I have a number of developers on hand, I constantly have a need to outsource from time to time. I have tried every PSD to Wordpress site out there and most them are far from pixel perfect coders. While these guys may be much cheaper, you will definitely get what you pay for. We start at $400 for the average Wordpress theme. Check out the site if you are on the look out for a good Wordpress Developer.

At the time, I couldn’t understand how this saying could be true. I rarely ever had repeat clients, let alone ones who would come back time and time again.

Looking back, I’m sure it to do with two things:

1. The quality of my work.
2. The quality of my clients.

Problem 1

Obviously when I started freelancing I wasn’t exactly the best designer. Granted I got better as the days passed, but I was still far from exceptional. This undoubtedly was part of the reason I didn’t get repeat clients. While most of my clients were happy with the end product, it wasn’t anything special enough for them to seek me out the next time they needed work.

The solution to this problem is only one that can happen over time. In order to be able to produce designs of a caliber that cause clients to seek you out, you need practice. Becoming an amazing designer like Elliot Jay Stocks or the guys over at Meta Labs won’t happen over night. Constantly designing and pushing yourself to up your game is the only way you will ever become a sought after designer. As such, it is the main way you will get 80% of your work from 20% of your clients.

Problem 2

Assuming you have had a dozen or so clients in your time as a freelancer, I am sure you have come across a variety of clients. Some of them good, others, not so much. I have learned that the sort of clients that fall into the 20% category are a certain type. Typically, that type are the ones who appreciate good design and are willing to pay for it. These types of clients are rarely found on job boards and classified sites.

So, that begs the question, where are these 20% of clients found? More than likely they are found through word of mouth referrals and through amazing work. As I said before, if you produce amazing work, clients will find you.

Looking Back

I make no claims to be an amazing designer, but I manage to make a decent living at it. Having worked my way up from nothing as most freelancers do, I realize now that the 80/20 rule is very much true. In fact, it is a very amazing thing. You usually end up with the majority of your work coming from those 20% of clients because the two of you get along and work very well together. So not only are having to look less for work, but you are getting to work with people who appreciate your designs and creativity.

This is one of my shorter vidcasts, but an important one none the less. As your business grows and you start working with bigger companies, they are going to expect more from you than just a few emails and a contract. One essential element bigger clients expect is a formal proposal. If you have never written one of these, it can be a bit intimidating.

Waiting until you have a big name client ask for a proposal is a bad time write your first proposal.

Do yourself a favor and write a few practice ones first. Writing these practice proposals is a great way to learn what is expected in a proposal, feel more comfortable writing them, and maybe even get a job or two.

Writing these first few practice proposals will be time consuming, I can promise you that it will be well worth it. Not only will this skill help you land bigger clients, but it will probably help you land smaller clients too. Think about it, if you are after a small $2,000 job and you submit the client a well written, formal proposal, and all the other applicants just send in an email; who do you think the client will pick?

Just some thoughts I had today. What do you think?

1. Building a Resource Library

You know all those amazing Photoshop textures, brushes, patterns, and backgrounds you see floating around the web? Many of then are made with nothing more than a digital camera and a eye for design. If you are reading this post, I assume you have both. Take your digital camera with you on any outing you go. You never know when you might find a cool texture or something that could make for a useful Photoshop brush. Need a specific hand drawn doodle for your design? Do it DIY style with a pencil, paper, and your camera!

2. Cataloging Colors and Pallets

It seems to me that there are few places to find better color combination than in nature. Of course, if you are trying to build a website full of hot pinks and electric limes, you may need to look elsewhere. That said, I constantly stumble across colors in nature that I think are amazing. Have you ever seen a birch forest? It is an amazing combination of colors. Fall is an especially great time to take your camera out doors to find great colors. Save these photos for reference later or build and save color pallets in Photoshop right away.

3. Ghetto Screenshots

If for whatever reason you can’t get a screen shot of your site in a certain browser or on a computer, use your digital camera to snap a picture. Obviously this won’t be accurate interpretation of the website, but it should convey any major visible problems. This is especially handy when your clients are just to computer illiterate to figure out how to take screen shots. Most people these days at least know how to take a digital picture and upload it.

4. Creating Your Own Stock Photography

Not that good stock photography is really expensive these days, but why pay for something you could create yourself? Obviously you can’t recreate every image on a stock site, otherwise you would probably be a photographer. But even a amateur with a point and shoot digital camera can create some of the pictures I see on stock sites. Being able to say you not only designed a site, but also did the photography for it isn’t something a lot of designers can say.

5. Backup Printed Documents

While many printers these days come with scanners, not everyone has one. If you are one such person, try using your digital camera as an alternative to a scanner. Before I had a scanner, I used my digital camera to photograph contracts, business cards, and other important documents. I would save them on a separate hard drive from the originals as a form of backup. This method also means you can setup an online fax account and move your business into the 1980’s. This is also another great method for getting signed versions of your contract back from clients without a scanner/fax.

My 5 Favorite Digital Cameras

I used to work as a travel writer who reviewed travel gear. As a result, I have seen and tested my fair share of digital cameras. Not to mention that I used to be a professional photographer before I got into design. I have done everything from high volume photography to print magazine work. I bring this up simply because I don’t want you to think I am shamelessly adding some affiliate links for the hell of it. These cameras are really ones that I think are great for designers and creatives.

1. Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera
This is my favorite one for the simple fact that it is waterproof. I do a lot of watersports and outdoor activities, so this is super useful to me. But, even if you aren’t really into outdoor stuff, this is still a great camera. It offers WAY more protection than your basic digital camera. It is shockproof, crushproof, freezeproof, and waterproof. What does that mean? Basically, it means short of dropping it from and extreme height or driving over it, there isn’t much you can do to make it stop working.

Other digital cameras I recommend include:

2. Nikon Coolpix S70 12.1MP Digital Camera
“The Coolpix S70 introduces Nikon’s newly developed 3.5-incg Clear Color OLED Display with refined touch control that offers a new level of intuitive fingertip shooting control and a variety of exciting playback options.”

3. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1/H 10MP
“The sleek DSC-TX1 incorporates the “Exmor R” CMOS sensor and boasts stunning low-light performance, reducing grain by more than 50%, even without a flash. High speed burst captures 10fps without distortion and expansive Sweep Panorama shots are easy to achieve with press and sweep motion. Control it all with its 3-inch touch screen LCD.”

4. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP
“The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 digital camera features Intelligent Auto mode, a 28mm wide-angle lens, automatically detects 8 scene conditions and selects the appropriate camera settings. Face Detection captures faces more naturally and helps prevent blur. Also, now record high-definition videos in 720p HD and enjoy your memories on your HDTV. ”

5. Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP
“Canon’s new EOS Rebel T1i is packed with features, both refined and new. In addition to its admirable performance with an all-new 15.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD with anti-reflective and scratch resistant coating, and compatibility with the EOS System of lenses and Speedlites, the EOS Rebel T1i adds remarkable Full HD video capture at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080.”

Digital Photography Resources

Want to learn a little more about digital photography before you invest in a new camera or buy a digital SLR? That is totally understandable. Lucky for you, there are a number of really great sites that teach even the most novice photographer how t create and capture outstanding images. Below is a list of a few of my favorite:

Photo TUTS+ - Nice site full of all kinds of tutorials and a next to no product reviews, which is nice.

Digital Photography School - This website covers every area of digital photography from tutorials, to reviews, to professional advice.

Which one is your favorite?

This is one of my longer videos, so i will let it do most of the talking. No reason to bore you with a long video and a long post!

I’ll be honest, until recently, I knew very little about what I should be doing as far as bookkeeping, banking, and taxes go as a freelancer. I think it is safe to say that many freelancers feel this way. If you don’t, then you are a rare breed of super freelancer. Over the last few weeks however, I sought out to find an affordable and helpful CPA t help me get books in order.

In a 15 minute conversation with my CPA, I learned more than I had in 10 years of self study on the topic.

If you think hiring a CPA is to expensive, let me just say that its not. On top of that, it is money VERY WELL spent. Most CPA’s that specialize in working with small businesses and freelancers generally charge $50 to $75 a month for book keeping. Payroll services can usually be added for an additional $50 to $75.

If you have any questions about money and freelancing, I strongly encourage you to watch this video and seek out a local CPA in your area.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to listen to @CarlSmith talk at a local design group meet up I attended. If you aren’t familiar with Carl, he works at wicked cool company called nGen Works and is the mastermind behind Happy Webbies. But, enough about that guy…

Being the big usability expert that he is, he constantly mentioned getting feedback from his “pool of people” on various topics. He would poll the audience, so to speak, to see what the majority of people thought about a company name, a usability feature, layout, etc.

What an awesome idea I thought!

Now I can have a way to prove clients wrong when they are being idiots!

Ok, so there’s more to it than that, but that is certainly a perk. Whats great about this idea is that’s free to do and can do wonders for your work. Find as many people who are willing to give you feedback from time to time and add them to a list. Don’t just limit yourself to the design community though. In fact, the more your each outside of the community the better. It seems that a more diverse list of people from different backgrounds, ages, and internet skills would really improve the quality of feedback you get.

So, that’s it in a nutshell, watch the video for more details and share your comments below!

Last week I talked a little bit about the importance of joining social media design sites like Behance and such. This got me thinking abut how to decide what work to put up on these sites. After all, if the point in joining these sort of sites is to get more work, it only makes sense that you should only post your best work on them.

That seems easy enough.

But, if you are anything like me, you constantly seem less than impressed by work you have done in the past. I’m always improving my skills as a designer, so I tend to look at my older work as sub par. No matter how good I may have thought the design was at the time, in retrospect I hate it.

That isn’t to say its a bad design now, I just seem to see all the flaws in it and how better it could be if I were to redesign the site today. So, how do you get over this dilemma?

The first place to start is just post what you think is the best of your worse work. The other is to poll random people or fellow designers. By polling non-creative types you can get a sense of what work of yours potential customers may be impressed with. By asking fellow designers, you are getting creative feedback that could help you improve your skills over time. Getting feedback from designers who you respect can really help you step up your game and become a better designer.

Portfolio Review Resources

Sometimes it is a lot harder than one might think to get feedback on their design. Lucky for us, in this digital age, there are a number of sites that can provide you with feedback on your design. It is important to note that you should take any feedback you get on your design on these sites with a grain of salt. There is no telling the skill level of a person based on their feedback. I mean, do you really want to take the advice of someone who designs things in MS Paint? Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea.

Concept Feedback
Concept Feedback is a nice site that practically guarantees you will receive feedback on your design within a day or two of posting. It’s a great place to hear what other creatives think about your work.

Design Critique
Uses Twitter as a tool to get reviews for your site or design. Seems ok, but reviews are limited to 145 characters.

Feedback Army
This website cost money, but is pretty affordable. It is more based on usability, but seeing as how usability and good design go hand and hand, it seems like the site could be worthwhile.

How to Self Review

If for whatever reason you don’t want a public review of your portfolio or just can’t get any decent feedback, don’t fret. Self evaluation of your portfolio isn’t terribly complicated. I usually just ask myself a few questions when deciding what work to publish in my portfolio and online networks.

1. Does this design showcase my skills? - Ok, this one is kind of a given, but it’s still important. Don’t just add stuff to your portfolio for the sake of filling it up. Less is more in this case. It seems to me that 3 amazing designs are far better than 10+ sub-par designs.

2. What does the live version of this site look like? - Double check that your clients are still using your theme or that they haven’t broke it. If a would be client visits a site in your portfolio and its all jacked up thanks to your idiot client, it could reflect badly on you.

3. Is this a big name client? - A big name client can do wonders for your portfolio. Even if it’s a sub-par design, most people will overlook that aspect and just be impressed that so and so thought you were good enough to work with.

4. Do I want more work like this? - I think it is important to show off websites you enjoyed working on. For one, this will show through in the design. Second, it could lead to more similar work. Why not try to get jobs you actually like?

5. Does this design need explanation? - Sometimes a design can just need an explanation. Not because its a bad design, but some circumstances just call for it. These sort of designs probably aren’t the best ones to add to your portfolio.