Work for Money, Design for Love: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business, 1st edition

Chapter One: Design as a CareerWhat makes a good designer?On selling (the importance of sales)Ongoing educationWhat design schools lackSelf-teaching (never-ending)Finding your niche (we don't need another generalist)Working as an independent designerSub-contractorFreelancerWorking as an employee (team dynamics, limitations)Working as an employer (less design, more managing)Chapter Two: Starting-outExperience required (more helps, but its possible with little)Planning (creating a modern business plan)Home office vs rented workspaceChoosing your brand nameDesigning your brand identityLaunching your online presenceMarketing tips and finding new clientsEthics in designChapter Three: PricingWhen to say no (be selective)Talk about money earlyThe importance of clarifying expectationsKnowing what to chargeHandling paymentAvoiding project creepHow and when to raise your rates (and why it benefits your clients)On discounting (not for new clients, but for old clients)AlternativesPro bonoCollaboration and outsourcingChapter Four: Communicating with your ClientsYou're the designer (the client isn't)Discover the problem (don't assume there is one)Highlight the importance of strategyBeware requests for specAvoid the big reveal by involving the client throughoutDesign by committee is unavoidableThe importance of showing your design in contextCommon presentation mistakesChapter Five: LegalitiesTerms and conditionsWhy working without a contract costs thousands (Clemente case study)What to include in your contractIntellectual propertyChapter Six: Before I GoBe proud of your skillsUseful business tipsUseful books