I’m going to share one of the most important tools I have used for my work over many years: a journal of creative ideas. Keeping this journal is a habit I am glad to have developed early in my life; for me it has been a useful and rewarding form of professional development.

Working in a creative industry means coming up with ideas and developing them into something that someone will pay for. But inspiration isn’t a tap that you can turn on and off at will, nor can you guarantee that good ideas will always hit you between the hours of 9am and 5pm (or whatever hours you put in at work).

Getting Your Ideas Down on Paper as You Think of Them

When you rely on ideas for your profession, it’s important to have some way of recording them when they do materialise. Some people find that they do their best creative thinking at a specific time of day: in the shower, at the gym, in the car on the way to work. For me, it often happens just as I’m going to bed. I keep a journal and a pen by the bed to quickly scribble down any thoughts that I want to keep and follow up on later. If I don’t write an idea down, it has usually vanished by morning.

A Rewarding Habit

The extraordinary thing is that I’ve now been keeping this creative journal for sixteen years. I haven’t filled book after book in that time—I’m no daily diarist—and in fact I’m still using the same humble (but very thick) notebook I started with in the mid-nineties. The front cover fell off some years ago. In a few places the gap between one entry and the next is as long as six months. Other times, I’ve filled several pages in a day.

Separate From Daily Work Needs

I almost never sketch ideas for illustrations, or develop concepts for design briefs, in this notebook. I have a separate sketchbook for that purpose (and I have filled several of those over the years). But some specific ideas for illustrations have been described in the pages of the journal.

I don’t spend much time re-reading the journal further back than a few pages, as I have moved on from what I was doing (and what I was aspiring to do) sixteen years ago, and I have learned that despite writing my thoughts down, it’s only the ideas that really stay with me (and which I can’t stop thinking about) that get developed further.

Developing Your Ideas by Documenting Them

Writing things down like this is a great exercise. Over time, it’s markedly improved my ability to determine if an idea is worth following or not. Sometimes, the concept develops while I’m writing down my initial thoughts, as if it’s literally spilling out on the page and expanding as I write. Other times, my thoughts become more clear or gain a new perspective as I write. I have returned to entries a few days later and with a fresh mind, only to discover that the initial lustre has worn off. Equally, I have re-read some things and found new ideas and suggestions springing up as I return to them.

The journal is also an incredible record of my creative thoughts over a significant period of my life. This makes it one of the most valuable things that I own.

I can’t recommend this kind of journal-keeping enough. I also keep separate logs for business planning, blog post planning, illustration and the conceptual side of working through a graphic design brief. These are all essential tools for different aspects of the work that I do. However, everything begins with the seed of an idea in my battered old journal. Have you tried keeping one?

Photo credit: Cast A Line

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Designers can be a finicky bunch. We can spend hours poring over Pantone colour books or font catalogues to get the right look for our work. A lot of us still put in the time to make sure a website looks the way it was intended even in Internet Explorer 6 (a brower which is the bane of web designers’ working lives).

All that striving for perfection can drive a person nuts. For the last couple of years I’ve had a scrap of paper pinned up at my work station, with the following quote from John Updike: “Perfectionism is the enemy of creation.” I need to be regularly reminded of this point.

All the same, I’m going to share an experience which illustrates why it really pays to be thorough, especially when you’re dealing with a project that someone else (your client) will be spending a lot of money on.

Recently I was putting the finishing touches on a brochure design. The clients had spent a lot of time and resources on the brochure’s wording and photographs. I was at the point of preparing the final PDF file to send to the printer, when I loaded the client’s website to look up something. Amazingly, what appeared was the message “This website has moved. The new address is http://…”.

My clients had changed their web address, sometime in the previous week (in fact their parent organisation had done this as part of moving to a new web platform). When I visited the new site address, I found that their main email address had also changed. These were important contact details which were included in the new brochure I had just finished designing. If I hadn’t gone to the website by chance, the wrong information would have been sent to the printer.

My clients had gone through several stages of proofreading their content, and yet the change in web address still got past them, possibly because it had taken place so recently. It demonstrates that overlooking a detail like this is very, very easy to do. It’s something that clients and designers alike have to face all the time in design projects.

On any design project, make doubly sure that you have all your ducks lined up in a row (yes, that explains the photo I’ve chosen for this post) even when you’re confident all of the details are solid. I had no reason to think my clients’ web address would change. And while an oversight like this may not be the designer’s fault, imagine how much better you’re going to look and feel if you do pinpoint an error before it goes to the printer.

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I find checklists useful when I’m planning a new project on a big scale, and let’s face it: a lot of websites fall into the category of big projects!

I’ve compiled this checklist to assist anyone who’s planning to get a website for their business or professional activities. It helps to have the steps clearly outlined, because not every stage is necessarily an obvious one. My last design checklist proved very helpful to many people, and I hope this one will be just as useful.

Web Host

Not the same as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) although some ISPs offer web hosting as an additional service. A web host will provide space on one of their servers to house your website. If your site is especially large or likely to draw high volumes of traffic the web host can often provide a virtual private server at an additional cost.

Domain name (DNS)

Your web address e.g. google.com. No one owns a domain for life; they can be purchased year by year (or in a block of several years, which can be cheaper). If you don’t renew your domain, you’ll lose access to it until you purchase it again. For example, I’m not the first person to have owned traceygrady.com and I was fortunate that it became available just as I was seeking a domain for my website! It’s common to buy a domain through a web host or specialist domain reseller.

• 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names at Smashing Magazine
• 12 Excellent Tools for Picking a Domain Name at Six Revisions

Target audience

The internet is a medium for communication; to get the best out of your website, you’ll need a very clear understanding of who you want to communicate with online. It also helps to find out what your target audience wants: information, problem-solving, entertainment, broader shopping choices? This is an excellent place to start when working on your website strategy, and is very helpful with the next section on your website checklist:

A purpose for getting on the web

What functions will your website serve for you or your business? A site which is used as an additional marketing tool and point of contact has fewer requirements for setup than, for example, an e-commerce site, web forum or online gallery. Make a list of all the things you want your site to do and provide. It’s important to do this very early on, before any work gets started.

A budget

You should not expect to pay less than four figures for a quality website. Be prepared to do some research into web design and how much it costs.

Content

Text, images, logo: have these ready to go before your designer starts work, and you’ll have a very smooth-running process. It can help to start by considering what your target audience will be looking for on your site. This will help you decide what pages your website will need, and what content will be necessary to fill those pages.

Content Management System (CMS)

Years ago it was necessary to pay someone or train someone in the coding skills required to update information on your website. Content Management Systems now allow people to update their own sites without any specialist training. The most popular CMS platforms are open-source (i.e. they can be used and modified free of charge). WordPress, Drupal and Joomla are examples of these. Expression Engine is another highly regarded CMS but for most users it’s only available for a fee. Alternatively, some web design/development companies create their own CMS exclusively for their clients’ use.

• CMS Toolbox at Designm.ag
• Top 12 Free Content Management Systems (CMS) at Spyre Studios

Theme

A theme sets a distinctive look, structure for the chosen CMS for your site. A theme is almost always an off-the-shelf product: every site which uses the same theme will receive the same look and structure, which they can keep as is, or choose to have customised by a designer.

• 40+ Magento Themes for E-Commerce Websites at Designm.ag
• 40 of the Best Premium Drupal Themes at Design Reviver
• 100 Amazing Free WordPress Themes for 2009 at Smashing Magazine

Web design

Customises the look, structure and some of your website’s functions. A good web designer can work with your chosen theme to create a look for your site which is unique and perfectly suited to your professional or business needs. You’ll also lose the generic feel of your theme’s original design if you use a designer to customise your site.

• 15 Incredible WordPress Theme Customizations at Freelance Folder
• 30+ Enticing Blog and Archived News Website Custom Designs at The Design Cubicle

Web development

Customises your website’s functions to an advanced level. Many common web functions (e.g. calendars, image galleries, slideshows, tabbed navigation) can be provided by your chosen theme, plugins designed for your CMS, or via your web designer. If you need unique or proprietary functions on your site, you should get these custom-coded by a web developer.

Other Useful Considerations

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

A good web designer will optimise your site for SEO, but the work doesn’t stop there. Regular updates with new content, inbound links and calls to action to encourage visitors to explore your site in greater depth than just the page they land on: these are the fundamentals for effective SEO. Some people choose to bring a marketing professional on board to help boost their SEO.

• WordPress SEO – The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Theme Search Engine Optimization by Nathan Rice
• How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic – The Ultimate Guide at Copyblogger
• Search Engine Optimization for Local Business Results at Traffikd

Social media

Setting up a Facebook page, a twitter account and other relevant social media can draw visitors to your site, so long as you are prepared to invest the time into using social media regularly and engage with your visitors properly.

Offline marketing

Update your printed promotional and corporate materials to include your web address: these include business cards, stationery, signage, advertising and anything else which bears your logo.

Updating your browser

If you’ve been using the same version of your web browser for a few years, it’s a good idea to update it now. This is especially the case if you’re using Internet Explorer version 6 or 7, any version of Netscape, or any other browser which is at least five years old. Updating your browser won’t make a difference to your new website, but it means you’ll get to view all of the work in the conditions for which it’s best optimised.

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This collection of “busy” or pattern-style illustrations takes in everything from major product campaigns to doodles. The beauty of this style is that it can be built up through many layers of digital graphics, or left as a simple line drawing, while retaining its charm and irreverence. Which pieces do you think are the most effective?

Guilherme Marconi

Matei Apostolescu

Zookimono

Black and White Free Drawings

Paulo Arraiano

Jon Burgerman

Yellena James

Peter Gregson

Andrew Donohoe

Mike Perry

Raul Gomez

Anjo Bolarda

Pornographics Studio

Evgeny Kiselev

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3. What design really sticks in your mind?

When was the last time you saw a piece of design which really ‘clicked’: where, for whatever reason, you felt such a connection that a little photographic impression of it has been etched inside your brain ever since? Have you even realised it was happening? I recently discovered that those questions can (and in my case have) shed new light on the direction I’m taking in developing my design brand.

I started thinking about this a couple of days before writing this post, because of a question put to me via twitter, completely out of the blue. I was asked to name the most inspiring website (for its graphics) which I’d seen lately. Immediately two websites sprang to mind, but then I did something crazy: I dismissed them and tried to think deeper. I considered going back over all the website designs I’ve seen in recent months, to decide which one was the most worthy candidate. Thankfully, that moment of madness lasted only a second before I realised that the original two websites had sprung forth from my memory banks for a good reason: because they’ve been in the front of my mind (or close to it) for several months now.

I fired off a response naming the two sites, and I’ll share them both here as well.

24 Ways

A simple, elegant layout using oversized type, web transparency, clear navigation and cool rollovers. Add the great concept of a blog presented in the style of an advent calendar, and you’ve got an innovative, stylish site from Jeffrey Zeldman.

Ali Felski

In recent months I’ve spent a lot of time looking at websites designed specifically to profile an individual and their professional activities. Many thousands of blogs set out to do just that, but what really stands out here in my view is how the design conveys such a strong sense of character. Ideally all blog designs should reflect the people behind them as well as their professional activities (or interests if it’s a personal/special-interest blog). This site does so in a charming fashion.

So why have these two been so sticky? I suppose it’s because like many designers who blog, I’m thinking towards the next redesign of my site. While it won’t look anything like these two sites, I know that I want to create a design which reflects the best aspects of both: an innovative layout and design which reflects my character and professional direction. Each site has been bouncing around in my head for months. I’m very glad to have been asked a question which brought both into sharp focus and made my own rebranding priorities much more clear to me.

How about you? How would you answer the question: it doesn’t have to be a website, but which designs have really stuck in your mind?

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Graphic design is a fast-moving industry, and one of the biggest trends in recent times has been the emergence of “try-before-you-buy”: crowd-sourcing companies and ready-made design retailers. These companies allow prospective buyers to view designs before paying any money, and the asking price is almost always low.

That’s very attractive to a particular type of business owner who wants to cut costs and will be satisfied with a design which is a step up from what they could create (with no design training) themselves. When a major player like iStockphoto starts selling logos it undoubtedly upsets the design community, but the reality is that iStockphoto is catering to a market which has emerged in recent years.

This has created a seismic shift in the design industry: where clients once used to shop around for a designer to meet their needs, now it’s the design they’re shopping for, if they choose. Or (as a friend recently described it), some people would simply prefer to browse than create.

With the competition for design services intensifying, ultimately the strongest operators are the ones who will survive. Some of the cut-price operators won’t be able to sustain the low margins for long, but their existence and growth in numbers means that for many business customers, the expectations of a design studio have changed.

I haven’t mentioned the question about the quality of the designs on offer: there is plenty of debate taking place about that elsewhere. The fact that this segment of the design industry has flourished is evidence that, for the time being at least, price is more important than quality to a significant number of people.

Does this sound the death knell for traditional custom graphic design? I believe the answer is no, for these reasons:

Dealing Direct

Many in business would prefer to work with professional they can deal with face to face.

The Power of Client Referrals

People will always be drawn to a design firm (or any service provider) which generates good word-of-mouth, either in their local area or via social media.

Services that Complement Yours

Designers who build good relationships with linked businesses (printers, marketing, publishing, developers) will continue to pick up client leads from those avenues.

All of which come back to the same thing: Networking.

By maintaining good business networks, you stand to learn a great deal about the type of clients who are prepared to invest in your calibre of design services. And the more you understand them, the better you can target this group with your marketing activities, which means less time wasted chasing people who think window-shopping for a $60 logo is a reasonable investment of their time and money.

What do you think? Do you believe that this trend poses a serious threat to graphic designers and design studios?

More on iStockphoto’s decision to sell logos:

Designer Cannibalism? at littleblackmask

iStock Opens Can of Nasty Worms at Logo Design Love

iStockphoto Now Selling Logos ….. Your Thoughts? at Design O’Blog

Designing in a vacuum: Spec Work hurts the client, too at Sparky Firepants

My Idealistic Opinion on : iStock Selling Logos at imjustcreative

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2. What are the worst conditions your design can handle?
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I know nothing about Hungarian politics, but that doesn’t matter; I just love this photo and the story it tells. Someone tried to rip down this billboard poster of a political candidate, only the discover that the previous poster, concealed underneath, was another advertisement for the same person’s campaign! It shows great irony and I think it’s a marvellous way to introduce what I’ll be talking about here: the toughest conditions that your designs might face, and whether they’ll stand up to it.

Most of the time designers can work safe in the knowledge that their creations aren’t going to be ripped down or defaced. In fact the everyday concerns are usually far more mundane. Nonetheless there are some important things to consider when planning a design project, if you want the final product to be presented at its best, for as long as possible, and to effectively communicate its message. I’ve outlined some of these below.

Competition

Do you have a poster which will be vying for attention alongside hoards of others? A wine label which will find its way onto retail shelves with hundreds of competitors? Will your design stand out in the crowd? This is also relevant for postcards, greeting cards, exhibition displays, shop signs, business cards, product packaging, web and newspaper advertisements.

Light

Will your design be on display at night, or in low light conditions? Billboards, shop signs, posters, theatre programs, product packaging (not all shops have good lighting), even free postcards in some cafes can all face this dilemma.

Wear and Tear

How much handling do you expect the designed product will be subjected to? Will your design be displayed on any products that need weather-proofing? Business cards in particular get a lot of handling and are shoved into confined spaces (pockets, wallets) where they can easily be marked or scuffed. Also consider booklets, programs, brochures, or any product which you expect to be handled a great deal. Stickers (especially car bumper stickers) and signs posted in shop windows may need protection from weather or UV.

Timing

How much time are you allowing for people to take in your design message? In many circumstances, people’s attention spans are low, and in some situations people simply don’t have the luxury to linger (for example, motorists driving along a highway). Websites, advertisements (print and electronic media) and billboards are examples of design products which need this addressed.

Readability

Will your design be read at close proximity (e.g. a business card or flyer) or further away (e.g. a calendar on a wall, a shop sign across the street)? Who will be reading it? Older people generally have more trouble with small type sizes or medium to low contrast between type colour and background colour (find out more  by reading this useful article on colour contrast in design by Nani Paape). Is your logo design still readable when reduced to thumbnail size? How about when you change the logo design to white on a dark background (which is less readable than dark colours on a white background)?

As I’ve mentioned above, getting past these questions comes down to planning ahead and doing good research. Some good tips to follow include:

• Aim to create a design which stands out from the crowd;
• Always consider what paper stock is needed, and ask your printer for help if necessary;
• If there’s a good chance the design will be displayed in low light conditions, create enough contrast to offset this;
• Do research on where your design will be viewed and how much time you have to get your message across. This will vary greatly between (for example) people reading a newspaper, gazing at posters in a waiting room, browsing in a shop, driving along a highway or surfing the web;
• Find out the optimum size, especially font size, is ideal for your design depending upon the locations in which it will be viewed.

Would you add any considerations or guidelines to those provided here?

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For a bit of fun I’ve put together a list of things that Graphic Design Isn’t, based on my own experiences and those of others. I hope this will be helpful for designers and clients alike.

Design isn’t free

Asking a designer for a few concepts before committing to hire them is like asking a clothing boutique if you can take a garment home and wear it for a while before deciding if you’ll pay for it. No store would agree to it, and with good reason: there’s no guarantee you’d ever return to pay for the goods. A designer who provides design concepts without a signed contract is at risk of losing their ideas: the prospective client could easily take those concepts elsewhere. Always get a signed contract first, and better still get a down payment too.

Design isn’t copying

It’s reasonable (and often very helpful) when a client gives examples of designs they like and which have a similar feel to what they’re seeking for their design brief. It’s not reasonable when a client provides a design and asks for a designer to create exactly the same thing for them. Don’t ever be tempted to lift another designer’s work, whether you’ve been asked to or not.

Design isn’t random

Every time a prospective client approaches a designer, it’s because they have a problem which needs a solution. This statement underpins all professional design work. Working out the right design isn’t a matter of going with your favourite colour, or some fashionable patterns you found last week. It takes research into the client’s field, their target market and how the design is to be viewed. The right design may not necessarily be beautiful, but it does have to be effective at getting the message across.

Design isn’t IT

This one may not surface very often, but it has for me. A few years ago I worked on a design brief for a group of people who referred to me as the “IT person” throughout. I found them great to work with: very communicative and cooperative, except that my explanations that I was a graphic designer (with no IT training) went unheard. I’ve also occasionally encountered a client who, in the course of a meeting, asks me to help sort out the problems with their email program or their internet connection. Usually these requests come from someone who, again, doesn’t understand where the designer’s role starts and ends, only that you’re a person who is “good with computers”. It’s best to politely decline, and explain that your role doesn’t extend to technical support for their software or hardware.

Design isn’t web hosting

For that matter, design also isn’t printing, marketing, internet security, SEO, or other services which naturally follow on from design. Some designers do offer one or more of these as a supplementary service. However, for the most part, these services will be referred to a third party (e.g. a printing house, web hosting company or SEO firm) and no responsibility for these falls on the designer.

image by alazaat

Design isn’t copywriting

Designers rely on their clients to provide any text required for the design brief. The text may be drafted by the client themselves or by a professional copywriter. Unless otherwise negotiated, the designer doesn’t provide copywriting or proofreading services. It may be prudent to include this in the contract or Terms of Service signed at the beginning of the design job.

Design isn’t a hobby

This isn’t to say that aspects of design may not be a hobby for some people. My point is that graphic design is a profession, with a skill set that requires training, and a good understanding of established techniques and rules. It deserves respect and should be treated accordingly.

Design isn’t neat software

Photoshop is a very popular piece of software. It’s also easy to pick up the basics through night classes, books or tutorials online. Having a grasp on some powerful graphics software (I mention Photoshop simply as an example) isn’t enough to qualify someone as a fully fledged designer, though. Professional designers make use of a range of graphics programs, and know which is/are appropriate for a given design job; they understand how to take a design concept and prepare it for publication (print or screen); and very often the major conceptual work for a design is carried out well away from a computer, using a pencil and sketchbook. These days graphic designers are trained in the use of software programs, but these are just one component in the many tools of the profession.

Design isn’t clip art

If you’re skimming this article, I’ll cut to the chase: don’t ever use clip art in a professional design. If you’re a client, don’t accept the use of clip art in a design.
Design uses a whole range of different materials from varying sources. In some cases, photography or illustrations may be commissioned specially for a design brief. In other instances, stock images may be used (I will be talking more about this in an upcoming post). Stock images are photographs or illustrations obtained from a stock library. There are many stock libraries to be found online, offering a broad range of licensing arrangements for their images. Clip art images may come bundled with software you already own, but in design terms they represent the lowest common denominator of image use. There are so many sources of images which are far superior, even for a low budget, that there’s no reason to use clip art. In particular, the use of clip art to create a logo is fraudulent; it’s certainly not original design work.

image by acidcookie

Design isn’t filling up all of the space

One of the fundamentals of good design is balance, and a key aspect of balance in design is working with negative space. This means leaving an empty space or spaces in the design, in order to emphasise other details elsewhere. Negative space is also important for making a design easier to read and take in. It’s visually powerful and utilised in graphic design everywhere you look: from packaging to magazines, billboards and television advertising.
If a client asks for all of the space to be filled up, ask them why. Sometimes it’s unavoidable (this is usually when there is a lot of content to be placed in a small space, like on a toothpaste tube). Otherwise, if it can be avoided it should be.

Design isn’t an afterthought

The value of good design cannot be understated. It can get a company noticed, make them stand out from the competition, provide professional credibility, or it can be one of the foundations of their brand identity. Good design is a legitimate investment in a company’s future. The best clients are the ones who understand the value that a well-researched and well-executed design brings them.

What else would you add to the list of Design Isn’ts?

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When I joined twitter, I imagined I would use it primarily to talk with people I already know: friends, and designers I’ve come to know via blogs. Then, I started visiting links tweeted (and retweeted) by others … and looking at the work of the people who follow me on twitter. I really enjoy discovering fantastic designers, artists and bloggers this way. Here are some of the people I’ve encountered (and whom I now follow) thanks to twitter:

@scullyb

scullyb works for Ballas Creative, a design and branding firm in Denver, Colorado. I really like their one-page site and the work displayed in their portfolio.

@thedarlingtree

Jo Klima is an Australian graphic designer working under the business name The Darling Tree. Her website is designed with charming emblems of folk art; visit to check out a range of beautiful patterns available for download.

@pinch_bespoke

Pinch is a design company in Portland, Oregon, with a beautifully laid out website, great portfolio and an interesting blog. What more could you ask for?

@hellolawrence

Lawrence Anderson first grabbed my attention with the great logos he’s been designing; then I caught a very useful blog post he’d written on Flash microsites.

@joshhemsley

Josh is also based in Portland, Oregon, and has an impressive body of design work, starting with his own website.

@benek

Benek Lisefski lives in Auckland, New Zealand (one of my favourite cities). He designs and builds beautiful websites.

@behoff

Brian Hoff started his blog The Design Cubicle late in 2008 and quickly gained an impressive following due to some very useful and thought-provoking articles on design, freelancing and social media.

@dzovan

Janko Jovanovic (aka Janko at Warp Speed) has a nice looking blog with some great tutorials to stretch the functionality of your website(s).

@sparkyfirepants

David Billings creates fun illustrations and animations for kids, and his website indicates he’s also based in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon (I’m sensing a trend here …).

@mattikemppainen

Another great illustrator on my twitter follow list is Matti Kemppainen, from Finland. Matti’s website says he also works in 2D animation and game art. I love his take on the Grim Reaper.

@joshcouts

Josh Couts is a Colorado-based photographer, with a portfolio of stunning landscape and nature photography.

@seraphimchris

Chris Taylor creates some great illustrations and designs under the name Seraphim Collective.

@athenaemily

Athena Emily has created some beautiful wallpaper designs, which can be viewed on her blog. Living half the year in the UK and the other half in Hong Kong (as her website says), she really is mobile!

@damnpenguins

Cameron Senior (aka damnpenguins on twitter) is a Sydney-based web developer with a beautifully designed website and some useful CMS tips on his blog.

@johnonolan

UK designer John O’Nolan has a great website and a blog which outlines (among other things) his experiences in establishing his own business.

@webb_art

Art Webb is the creator of tutsearch, which aggregates digital art tutorials from a wide range of sources across the web.

@antonea

Antonea Nabors writes in her VelvetAnt blog about design and how it is applied in the real world.

@retinart

Alex Charchar is a designer based in Queensland, Australia. I really like Alex’s blog because of the sense of character, including the questioning of some design conventions, that’s apparent in the writing.

This group is just a sample: I follow a lot of people on twitter, including many very talented designers, illustrators and bloggers whom I’ve encountered and in some cases have come to know quite well through avenues other than twitter. Perhaps that will be the subject for a future post.

Have you found twitter to be a good source of inspiration? In what way? I’d also be interested to hear of other designers you may have found this way.

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3. What design really sticks in your mind?

Good designers know how to make realistic deadlines and then stick to them. But there are times for every designer when an urgent job materialises and must be squeezed into the work schedule.

Some designers dread getting the phone call or email requesting work to be carried out at breakneck speed; others thrive on the adrenaline rush. Here are some ideas on how to manage the unexpected workload.

Know the client first

Let’s be clear about this: when a client requests a design job with a tight turnaround, it should be treated (by both the designer and the client) as a favour. Favours are acts of goodwill performed on occasion, after a strong and constructive relationship has already been established. It’s alright to do favours for clients you know, like and trust. Laura Spencer writes at Freelance Folder that “a good client … understands that quality work takes time and plans accordingly” which also means they’re likely to treat any urgent request as a favour from the start. On the other hand, if you agree to a short deadline for a first-time client, they’re likely to view that as your standard turnaround time and will expect it in future.

Get the details right before getting started

Great design involves taking the time to get to know the design brief and the client’s needs inside and out. If you cut corners at this early stage in the race to get the work done, you run the risk of making mistakes or omissions, or producing work which looks like a rush-job.

Communicate your needs to the client clearly

You’ve agreed to produce a brochure design by close of business, but you haven’t received the text (or other materials, like photos) from the client yet, and the clock is ticking. In this situation be aware of what you will need from the client, and make it clear that their help may be necessary in order to achieve their tight deadline.

Be realistic about what you can achieve

Logos can’t be created in two days. Neither can websites. Before you agree to an urgent design request, ask yourself: can I really do this in the set time?

When considering this question, also think about how comfortable you are with the type of work requested. If it’s a brochure design and that’s your core business, no problem. If it’s an e-commerce website and you don’t have much experience with e-commerce, chances are you won’t be able to carry out the work as quickly as you’d like.

Also take a look what other jobs you’re currently working on: it’s no good accepting an urgent brief to please a client, if other projects are put back and suffer as a result.

Be clear about working out of hours

Are you prepared to work through the night or the weekend to get that last-minute design job ready? If so, let the client know that this will be an extraordinary but necessary step in order to get the work done. If you have a good working relationship with them already (see above) then it’s likely they’ll respect your out-of-hours work as a gesture above and beyond your normal work situation.

Pricing urgent design work

Do you charge extra for work to be produced on a tight deadline? Designers certainly have the right to add a percentage above their normal charge when the work is required urgently, especially if out-of-hours work is necessary to meet a deadline. If you decide to raise the price, notify the client ahead of time that an additional charge will be incurred because of the tight deadline.

Is is possible to avoid last minute design requests?

Not entirely – no matter how well organised your work processes and those of your clients, it’s inevitable that something will occasionally pop up which must be addressed straight away. But there are some ways to minimise the amount of unexpected work that you find yourself doing at the eleventh hour:

Take comprehensive design briefs

How often have you completed a design brief, only for the client to request a last-minute addition? In your normal work schedule, it’s important to get the best possible understanding of a design project and the client’s needs right from the very start. This won’t rule out late add-ons, but can minimise them.

Notify clients of times when you will be unavailable

If you’re planning to be away from work for any reason, let your regular clients know a few weeks in advance. This gives them the opportunity to plan around your absence.

Seek out clients who are efficient managers of their work

Clients who run their own business operations efficiently are less likely to call you with design work requiring a tight turnaround. This type of client is much more desirable than someone who has a track record of making contact at the last minute, expecting you to drop everything to address their needs.

Make your own work practices as efficient as possible

This won’t stop clients from phoning in urgent design requests, but working efficiently yourself means you’ll be better placed to handle the unexpected glitches on your schedule.

Have you got any other suggestions? How have you handled work which had to be done yesterday?

Related posts:

1. What is the cost of compromising on good design?
2. What are the worst conditions your design can handle?
3. Design checklist: What clients should provide their designer