PIXL Designs

One of the biggest things we have to do with running our business is trim the fat. We simply cannot waste time. It is important when there is work to be done, to do it. And when there is none, to spend time together as a family.

I will carve out specific time to work on the Web site, hone my skills or even reach out to some customers. But family is essential. That is why I trim the fat.

As a freelancer it is easy to get into a pattern of reading site after site looking for all the answers you seek on what makes good design and how to increase your design prowess. However, if you don’t learn to trim the fat you will waste your time. Trimming the fat is all about:

• increasing productivity
• maximizing free time
• creating efficiency

Focus only on things that make you productive. Don’t worry about ready every single article in the world. Read a few, find inspiration and accomplish the goals you set. Maximize your free time by cutting out the things you don’t need. If you don’t have knowledge on a subject and it is really hard for you to grasp, go on to another subject. Keep your time wasters to a minimum. This will help you in creating efficiency. Every business has time wasters, but if you can work hard to reduce these you can create efficiency. This not only helps your workflow process but it allows you time to be creative and dream.

Creativity and originality are always on the forefront of a freelancers mind. It is imperative that we don’t let it bog us down, but rather let it move us forward.

Project Management
We currently use Basecamp for all our project management needs. Basecamp is a web-based collaboration tool created by 37signals that lets you share files, consolidate communication, and assign tasks. Basecamp is also extremely easy to use and learn. Some of my first clients to use Basecamp were familiar with computers, but not as computer savvy as the current Generation X. And they figured Basecamp out in a cinch. This went a long way in my credibility and it helped create the experience for our client that we were looking for.

• Sharing files is huge in the freelance world. You want to be able to send your clients proofs, but you don’t want things to get lost in email jargon. Enter Basecamp. This project management tool let’s you upload your proofs or high-res files to your clients job where than can login and download as many times as they like.
• Consolidating communications is essential. When working as a freelancer you no doubt find it hard to keep personal and business email separate from each other. With Basecamp this is no longer an issue. Now I communicate with clients through messages on Basecamp. The biggest benefit of this is that Basecamp keeps your messages in a nice thread in your client’s project. This allows me to delete an email after I have read it or replied to it and know that it is saved under its topic in case I need to view it again.
• Assigning tasks is one of the best ways to bring your client into the project design without actually letting them control the project. We currently setup our projects once the deposit has been paid and assign tasks with deadlines. This helps to hold us accountable and it gives the client a view of the design stages. Once the design is complete, the task can be assigned to the client for proofing. This allows them to feel a part of the process, and rightfully so. This is as much their project as yours, and as your valued client they deserve to be in the know.

Basecamp has really served us well in the past year. It has some really great features and it is simple to use. In fact, it wasn’t until PIXL Designs started using Basecamp that our business really took off. I highly recommend freelancers give Basecamp a try. Who knows, you might even start to get over those design anxieties and make a little profit.

As promised, this week we’ll kick of a series on how we have implemented certain tools to help us in our freelance efforts. While not an exhaustive list, these should give you a good understanding of what/why you need something before you spend your hard-earned cash on something pointless.

Organizational Skills
Before you do anything else, you need to get organized. You need to develop a system for storing projects and their files on your computer or an external hard drive in a way that is easy to manage. And don’t forget to backup the files on a regular basis. This seems like common sense, but so many designers fall into prey for bad organization.

Just when you least expect it, a client calls will 8 months after their project and request that logo they sent for their project’s second page on the third revision. And while you are at it, they really liked you second revision and they’d like a copy of that as well. While you are stumbling over your words, your mind will definitely race back to when you first set the project up. And you’ll either freak. Or you’ll smile because you organized your project really well.

I currently assign all my clients call letters. For example one of my clients, Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church is QSBC. Then I organize a client’s project files by the month and day the design began. E.g. QSBC 0109 Would refer to Quartzsite SBC’s January 9th project. In addition, I use these call letters for invoices and estimates. This does two things for me: it keeps me organized; and it sets a date to the project that corresponds to the estimate and/or invoice.

There are many ways to stay organized and we will be discussing some Web-based practical tools throughout this week. Stay tuned and be sure to comment with your own advice on how to develop good organizational skills.