Get it right – the first time! Clients often ask Designers if they can update them daily, bi-daily, or other timeframes that suits their craving. Designers, stop doing this. For good reason, I promise.

Designing is a process – a process that often adapts and transforms along the way. During this process, I’m sure I’m not the only designer that hates how it looks in the early stages. If I’m not proud or feel the decisions I made are the right solutions, why show the client? I can guarantee if you aren’t happy the client won’t be either.

It makes them nervous. A nervousness that leads to unnecessary changes early on which halts the entire system’s process. Great discoveries are often made through refined decisions. If clients are stopping them before they take shape, they take the steam out of the process and the designer. Not to mention the other effects nervous client syndrome results in (ticky-tack changes; endless phone calls; mockups over your mockup using MS Paint – you know what I’m saying). Setting the tone and exceptions early on is important to long term project success.

I’d be a liar if I sat here and told you I get it 100% right every time, every day, but you’d be amazed how a client respects your decision making and opinion if the first showing is something you can stand behind, support and feel confident presenting. As designers we have this unique ability to see beyond the process and into the final results. Clients often need to see to believe.

The interface brightness (you can make the entire UI various shades of grey) is also a plus. For the first release ever, I can honestly say I am stoked to by the full version when it’s released.

1. Name layer groups the same as the file you want to create for them
2. Drop in your PSD
3. Done! The extracted files are ready. Save, drag, copy or auto-repeat.

The first edition boasts lovely layout, beautiful typography and interfaces with Dan Cederholm (Dribbble), Drew Wilson (pictos), Benjamin de Cock, and Andrew Wilkinson to name a few.

The Giveaway: Three free copies of Offscreen Magazine Issue 1

In order to win, tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post and the hashtag #offscreenmag (the hashtag is important as this will be how we’ll be tracking entries).

Here’s a sample tweet: (feel free to copy and paste if you like)

Yippie! @behoff’s giving away 3 free copies of the beautiful, new design magazine: @offscreenmag details: http://behoff.com/EZoP #offscreenmag

I’ll be selecting three people by random at the end of tomorrow (March 1st).

Here’s just a few questions and my responses to get you started:

.net: How did you get to where you are today?

Passion, timing, risk, curiosity … Four years ago this coming October, I found myself growing tired of working in Apple retail as a ‘creative’ (aka a software/hardware trainer), and wanted to focus on what I thought about all day: design. At that time, I was reading loads of great design blogs and felt inspired to start my own, The Design Cubicle. A few months after writing my first article, I was receiving more traffic than I’d ever imagined and getting an increasing number of job requests. I spent a year debating and eventually took a risk, quit my job and haven’t looked back.

.net: Why do you call yourself a graphic designer and not a web designer?

I’m a bit of a dabbler. Although 80 per cent of my work is in web and interaction design, I occasionally take on an exciting logo project or two. I enjoy both, plus I often find myself restless if I stick to one area for too long. Restricting my title to ‘web designer’ gives off the impression of limitations in my work.

.net: How would you describe your style?

I have an obsession with typography, so I like to think that shines through in my work. My personal motto is to employ all the right detail in all the right places while leaving anything unnecessary behind, and I hope that it adds to the overall experience for the user.

Read the full interview over at .Net Magazine’s site.

Being the nice folks they are over at Bunker App, they’ve decided to give away eight (8) one-year subscriptions for free.

For those new to Bunker App, it’s a project management software with sleek, minimalist interface. Tasks such as project management, time tracking and invoicing clients is intuitive. I particularly enjoy the unique URLs invoices create to send to clients. It’s also web-based, so everything is on the go and where you need it.

EIGHT (8) FREE, ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS

In order to win, tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post and the hashtag #bunkerapp (the hashtag is important as this will be how we’ll be tracking entries).

Here’s a sample tweet: (feel free to copy and paste if you like)

Free project management giveaway: @behoff is giving away 8 free subscriptions to @bunkerapp http://behoff.com/DDXS #bunkerapp

I’ll be selecting eight people by random at the end of tomorrow (January 11th). Jump to it.