Acuity Designs » Advice http://www.acuitydesigns.net Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:36:18 +0000 en hourly 1 Maintaining Business Standards As A Freelancer http://www.acuitydesigns.net/maintaining-business-standards-as-a-freelancer/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/maintaining-business-standards-as-a-freelancer/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:35:24 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=3021

Freelancing is very different to the majority of other businesses due to its innately personal involvement and attachment to every aspect of the business. Maintaining objectivity and a decisive decision process can be hard as your personal feelings begin to creep into the equation.

As freelancer’s its hard to remain objective. How do you maintain business standards?

Being a freelancer, you have to work hard at not letting your personal feelings and preferences cloud your judgement.  Even the worst type of client can be right, well.. they ARE right if you want to keep them as a client in the long-term. As a freelancer, you have to learn, when the time is right, to put feelings aside and just do what a client wants and what your business needs. Furthermore, this applies to not doing work that does not pay the fee it right deserves, no matter how much you want to be a nice person or help out a friend for free.

As a freelancer, you also cannot forget about the administrative aspects of your business. It can be somewhat difficult to move away in the same day from your preferred creative persona to the clerk and accountant. However, putting off doing your book keeping, your marketing and not accurately tracking your prospects and projects can lead to a whole host of problems such as running out of work! ; forgetting to bill; under billing; late tax returns etc etc

Finally, remember to never take any client for granted, as soon as you do, the relationship you have created begins to erode and all the wonderful little things like repeat business and referrals are lost.Everybody wants to be appreciated and feel like they are top priority. Thus, always return emails and calls as promptly as possible.

The longer we freelance, the easier it is to fall into potentially destructive personal habits! Why get dressed in the morning? Why go after new clients when you are so busy? Why be polite and not dismissive to cheap clients?  The longer we go the more vigilant we need to be to maintain our vigor, professionalism and personal customer service that is a huge part of any freelancer’s success!

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/maintaining-business-standards-as-a-freelancer/feed/ 3 How to Avoid Over Working Yourself As A Freelancer http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-avoid-over-working-yourself-as-a-freelancer/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-avoid-over-working-yourself-as-a-freelancer/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 07:53:19 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=2810

When running your own business it is very easy to run yourself into the ground as it feels like there is always something that needs to be done…

How do you know how to control it and yourself?

I think it’s essential (For our sanity) that weall learn how to draw the imaginary line for ourselves because business has  a sneaky way of taking over every aspect of your life if you are not careful! Discipline…

Working in a dedicated area

Freelancing from home and staying productive is an artform in itself but learning  how to give yourself dedicated time and area to work in will help leaps and bounds. Find somewhere where you can clearly mark your need for privacy while you work and don’t come out until your done!

Show clients where the boundaries are

Make it clear from the outset with your clients how your working relationship will be structured. Calls after 5pm will not be answered! Emails will not be responded to on weekends and bank holidays! You must train your clients to work in the way you do, and not the other way round.

Learn to say no

As freelancers we tend to leap t any work with open arms just because it is paying and will inject nicely into our cash flow. Also, some of us are people pleasers and simply do not like letting people down. However, is this a profitable business strategy?

Taking on jobs which will eat into your resources (time) for the sake of it, might not allow you to complete other jobs to their highest standard so you may lose referrals (those beauties) . Look at saying no / look at outsourcing? / look at passing on jobs to other freelancers for commission?

Organise and track your time

One of your most valuable resources is your time. Thus, it makes sense to organise and optimise its usage to avoid its waste. Find a system to prioritise each day / week /month the tasks that you need to complete. There will inevitably be things that pop up and eat into your time but at least you have a point of reference to go back to once you have dealt with such an eventuality.


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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-avoid-over-working-yourself-as-a-freelancer/feed/ 5 Designers – Maximising The Value Of Your Work http://www.acuitydesigns.net/designers-maximising-the-value-of-your-work/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/designers-maximising-the-value-of-your-work/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 17:24:44 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=2800

We here have been looking at developing a CRM system here, and as such we got talking about customer service and its relation to our business. Importantly, our pricing.

The more we talked, the more we realised there is no principal value to our work. To explain, the value we place on our work is based on perception. What we consider the value of our work is defined primarily by our positioning our services in a certain way in marketing and sales.

Part of your charging process should be evaluating what your clients will find the most value in. They may care most about how well a project is executed; they mare care most that you meet stringent deadlines or they mare care most that you get the job done with out them guiding your hand the whole way.

Value = service

Value instrinsicly comes from service, not from design.. Design has long become a commidity, in that your clients can get it anywhere. They can even claim to do it themselves. Your competitors are at varying positions within what it is these days a vast pricing spectrum. there will always be somebody who charges lower than you and can design to the same level of quality as you – you need to evaluate what value you add and use that to position your services.

Customer service, as well as being ‘young and fresh’ are what at this point in time we believe stand us apart from our competitors.

What stands you apart?

You can add value by anticipating your clients needs, by under-promising and over-delivering. Find ways to add value!

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/designers-maximising-the-value-of-your-work/feed/ 4 General Rules For Doing Free Freelance Work http://www.acuitydesigns.net/general-rules-for-doing-free-freelance-work/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/general-rules-for-doing-free-freelance-work/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:19:46 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1753

Every now and then, hopefully not too often something may come along whether it is for family / friends / a charitable cause / a non-profit organisation etc where you make the decision to waive your normal fee for your services.

I have been in a few of these situations and I have learnt some hard and fast lessons. Despite the logic of it, your are not doing the work for free. You might be doing it to return a favour, to support something you believe in, to promote your name or for a inner warm nurturing feeling to put a smile on your face and help you sleep better. Either way, their is an incentive, there is a return – just in this case it is not currency.

Work for free image

Unfortunately, bumbling into these situations for whatever the return, we often ,or at least I did – switch off. Every sensibility, eye for opportunities and method of practice we have built up and put to norm gets thrown out the window. For example:

- Project specifics don’t get detailed
- We do not complete any paperwork
- Normal working hours seem to have no limits for this project and calls can come as and when pleased
- Ideas go stale and work is slap dash

What Should One Be Doing?

Written Agreements – Stipulating what you would normally go through. If you do not say that your only prepared to do 5 revisions – why should you be angry when whoever it is wants 10? You need to set boundaries as to what it you are actually prepared to do.

Room to Express – Many projects that you may do for free, should be taken advantage of, for lack of a better phrase. Use them to explore ideas and bolster up your portfolio with new concepts.. However….

Correct Research – Simple things, don’t spend 4 weeks creating a brilliant innovative folding brochure for a charity of they can’t afford to print them in the number they require.

Your commitment – When agreeing to do work in these cases, it is important that your prepared to put as much relevant time into the project as you would normally. If not, the entire thing will feel like a headache or unwanted chore. For whatever reason, you should want to be doing it.

Looking for opportunities – For instance, if doing work for a charity, insist on liasing with someone high up in the food chain. Networking! Maybe ask for credit on the finished product, with a website link and name

Do you have any advice for freelancer’s doing free work?

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/general-rules-for-doing-free-freelance-work/feed/ 6 Interview With Will Kay of OddKingdom – Becoming Your Brand http://www.acuitydesigns.net/interview-with-will-kay-of-oddkingdom-becoming-your-brand/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/interview-with-will-kay-of-oddkingdom-becoming-your-brand/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:27:00 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1693

When first starting out in any of the creative arts as a freelancer or sole designer; marketing is one of the biggest concerns. Getting clients, letting people know that you exist. Many of us started out and drudged through the first year or so through referrals, family and friends and exhausting every contact we have. Rarer so, is the designer who shoots to a certain level of authority and recognition in a shorter amount of time. One of those such people is Will Kay. Will Kay is a young, up and coming freelancer / fashion designer in London, United Kingdom. His name , his brand, Odd Kingdom; is now remarkably well known despite its late 2008 conception.

How long have you been designing & why did you decide to freelance / go it alone?

I have been designing for more than 5years and I decided to freelance because I have always wanted to be my own manager and act as my own motivator. I’m someone who feels naturally motivated to create things by myself.

When did you conceive the idea of Odd Kingdom? Why the name? Why the logo?

The whole concept came at college, being around so many people who were all trying to be a part of something was great, but I wanted to have my own world of creativity and voice amongst the crowd. The logo came about during my time at St Martins, where over time I began to fall in love with the power of typography. I then began by experimenting with all different sorts of type until I came across the right one that fitted.

How did you market yourself (find design work/new clients / get your name out) in the beginning ?

I bought the logo, got it trademarked I then off I went. I began by sticking my logo on every design I was involved in. In the beginning, I did a lot of promotional materials for musicians etc free of charge, this resulted in people seeing my work and my name got around with word of mouth.

How do you market yourself (find design work / get your name out) now ?

I use loads of little ways. I use flyers for my clothing / photography / illustration. As well as posting stickers around areas that I think will help increase my brand awareness. I wear t-shirts representing the brand to events and I network alot to find new work and similar minded people. It’s a bit of an assault!

What type of work do you do? (design for print, web, multimedia etc)

I do fashion, hand drawn illustration, photography, digital art and design for print.

You use images of yourself and market your persona as part of your brand; what made you do this?

Instead of say the more conventional approaches to marketing oneself. I wanted to show the audience that I am the man behind the designs and name, whether you like it or not. I want to become the brand itself. This is what I love to do, why not be fully immersed in everything I do with it?

Do you feel marketing yourself as Odd Kingdom and Odd Kingdom as yourself has helped you in those initial stages?

It worked both ways, in some of the scenes I am involved in, it worked well in attracting clients. However, moving into new possible areas and client bases, it does not work and a slightly different approach is required that isn’t as eccentric. This is why some times I don’t add my Will Kay name on designs. Different clients require a different approach!

You have received a lot of publication and exposure due to your clothing and Illustration work, what are your favourite pieces?

That’s good question, my favourite would have to be the new Micheal Jackson piece, because it stands alone from any other out there, it’s a great capture of him, and will be remembered in years to come.

What would be your perfect dream project ?

That would be a collaboration with Gucci, a whole range of clothes, bags, shoes all styled by me, promoted by me, photographed by me. Everything!

What blogs, magazines, podcasts etc do you subscribe to ?

To be honest, not many. My definite regular visits are at blogs Hype Beast, and Better Never Than Late

What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone starting out?

Believe and motivate your self!

Where can we see some of your work (URLs, facebook group, twitter etc)?
www.oddkingdom.co.uk, twitter.com/willkay_oddking , www.facebook.com/willkay

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/interview-with-will-kay-of-oddkingdom-becoming-your-brand/feed/ 5 Factors To Consider When Pricing For A Project http://www.acuitydesigns.net/factors-to-consider-when-pricing-for-a-project/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/factors-to-consider-when-pricing-for-a-project/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:12:21 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1708

One of the things I suffered from in the beginning when pricing clients is often forgetting to bill for all aspects of a project and thus half way through I was feeling cheated or clients were commenting on how remarkably low my prices where in comparison to other quotes they had received.

We all remember to bill for the design work we do and the skills required and for any obvious special purchases, i.e CMS or E-Commerce softwares. Even as freelancers we should have a premium (allbeit alot smaller than an agency premium) top of this that accounts for us being a business. However there are some factors you shouldn’t forget to account for.

Expenses

coins

If you are spending money in order to facilitate a project ; this is money coming out of your own pocket and it shouldn’t. There are many expenses I feel a designer should think about when billing clients. Whether s/he wants to account for 100% of the expense or a small percentage, it should be factored in. Examples could include:

  • Travel to and from meetings and liasons ( petrol / parking / train fee / buss fee / cabs )
  • Telephone expenditure. Not  a biggie for local clients; but a black hole for money when dealing with international clients that require phone time.
  • Paper samples / swatches / test-prints

These little expenses can mount up and are eating into how much you are making. Decreasing how much is eaten is up to you!

Calendar Time

If a project would take  6 weeks to complete comfortably with everything accounted for and no inconvenience to yourself; there is no way the charge for that project should be the same, if the client requires the same specification delivered in 3 weeks. As this will cause you inconvenience , require you to go into late night coffee mode and you may have to delay other projects as a result. therefore, projects with shorter / longer deadlines should be priced accordingly.

Factoring in Your Credentials

Your expertise, your authority or your fame is a nice way to add a premium to a fee. If you are sort after in your field, emphasising this in your marketing can help you charge for that fact. Exclusivity, is one of the best ways to moving towards high price points.

coins

Minute Time

Your time is valuable and this goes beyond the exact number of hours you spend having to design  work on a project. For instance, take into account hours you will have to spend researching a project. This could include the following for example:

  • trips to printer’s to test paper stock and proofs
  • domain and keyword research
  • competition evaluation and comparison

All of this is eating up time that you could be using to earn moola somewhere else or complete other tasks. Thus you should factor it into your billing.

Any more factors you think we should think about?

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/factors-to-consider-when-pricing-for-a-project/feed/ 6 5 Essential Books For Running A Successful Freelance Design Business http://www.acuitydesigns.net/5-essential-books-for-running-a-successful-freelance-design-business/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/5-essential-books-for-running-a-successful-freelance-design-business/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:39:15 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1614

Christmas approaches as does the end of the year, below are 5 great gifts you can get yourself. These are books that I have personally read, so they definitely are receiving my full recommendation – full of tips and great answers towards running a successful business and making money from what you love doing!

1) The Business Side of Creativity by Cameron S.Foote


The business side of creativity

This is a great book that helps you address the validity of your ambitions aswell as taking you through matters such as tax, the importance of branding and pricing! A one-stop shop! This is one that I highly recommend.

This business companion is a guidebook for becoming a successful creative entrepreneur for freelance graphic designers, art directors, illustrators, copywriters and agency or design shop managers. It guides the reader through the process of being successfully self-employed – from getting launched as a freelancer to running a multi-person shop to retiring comfortably. The author has compiled the book over six years from the experiences of more than 4000 entrepreneurs.

2) The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating and Budgeting by Theo Stephan Williams

Another initial favourite of ours.. (we were cheap and only rented this one from the local library) loved this one as its full of loads of scannable invoices / contracts / non-disclosure agreements that you can print off and brand yourself. Lovely little resource. Goes into depth about the ‘ethos of charging’ aswell. Good for the beginner, who has no idea on charging conventions etc

A comprehensive guide to graphic design pricing procedures. It seeks to provide start-up and experienced design business owners with useful, creative methods for achieving profitability. Revised and updated, this edition covers: how to set rates; flushing out the competition; Internet pricing; pricing options; preparing an estimate; proposals; establishing and managing budgets; negotiating; and positioning the firm.

3) The Designer’s Guide To Marketing And Pricing by Ilise Benun and Peleg Top

This is easily the book that ‘reads’ the best. Simple, off the cuff, bordering colloquial advice from the authors. Jam packed full of loads of tips. Lots of it almost feel like a discussion so very engaging. Definently should be read for the marketing tips inside. It really deals with the process of marketing yourself. Spamming twitter with links is like 0.001% of what this book thinks you should be doing! Good read.

“The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing” answers all the common questions asked by creatives every day. This book teaches readers, the nuts and bolts of running a creative services business including: creating a smart marketing plan that reflects their financial goals and planning small actionable steps to take to reach those financial goals; learning which marketing tools are most effective and how to use them; and, learning how to establish contact with potential clients, or how to deal with insiders who could make referrals to potential clients.The book also touches on tricky subjects such as how to talk about money with clients and prospects, how to figure out a fair hourly rate, and how to give an accurate estimate for a project.

4) Start Your Own Graphic Design Business by George Sheldon

A great little read, you’ll probably scoot through it in like 3 days, I did. However its packed with lots of little things that you would have never thought to do. Little legal bits and pieces – how to analyse your local market – which one should always do even with the internet as a vehicle for worldwide sales… Worth the read! It’s a great little checklist of things I should have done! This book is great it deals with and prompts your mind to a lot of the related issues with setting up a business. Gives you a few sample documents, ideas for expansion etc. Only problem is that prices/start up costs/balance sheets are in dollars so you have to estimate for sterling; also advice on law etc is based upon acts registered within the USA so you have to check for UK law independently. Great otherwise.

5) How To Start Your Own Business – For Entrepreneurs by Robert Ashton

This is a great little purchase for thinking outside the boxes of the design community and the conventional. If you are interesting in becoming the next big thing or maybe even owning your own agency. This book is a great starting point!

More than 300,000 people start a business every year. That number will rise over the next year or two if the current economic downturn leads to widespread job losses. It is a fact that many people choose to turn the threat of redundancy into the opportunity of self employment. It is also a fact that when economic growth is low, business failure rates are higher. There has never been a greater need for a simple, explicit, practical business start-up guide that can increase new business survival rates in tough, as well as good times. People today need a start up guide that holds nothing back and tells them all they need to know. How to Start Your Own Business for Entrepreneurs does exactly this.

Any other books that you can recommend?


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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/5-essential-books-for-running-a-successful-freelance-design-business/feed/ 23 Long Term Freelancing Success – Part 1 – Dedication http://www.acuitydesigns.net/long-term-freelancing-success-part-1-dedication/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/long-term-freelancing-success-part-1-dedication/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:51:59 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1625

Hi all, welcome to what I hope to be a series about some factors I think will be key to long term success..The first is to address your working discipline.

Read many interviews of freelancers and a common answer to ‘what do you love about being a freelancer?’ – one of the expected answers is the flexibility to work ‘at my own pace or ‘when I want’. I discern that despite this fact your ethic toward your freelancing needs to be regular, wholehearted and consistent if you truly want to be successful.

Chris Brogan also has a wonderful video series called ‘Overnight Success’ which ironically iterates the LONG haul that has gone into his successes.

When one is working for themselves it is easy to get dragged down in distractions (view the post ‘Designing with distractions‘). With this in mind though, it’s difficult when you are working freelance, because so much of your productivity depends on you being self-disciplined enough to know where the line should be. Where in an office you can have the boundaries set for you, when you’re privileged enough to work from home, it can be harder to come up with black and white rules as to what distractions are acceptable.

The more you let laziness, procastination and recreation ahead of your business is the more you allow for the demons of failure to set about their work.

5 Points to adhere to

Work Regularly – Whether this is 9 to 5 or the early hours of the morning – a routine is what most of us programmed little matrix babies need to stay focused in our working lives. The point is, those that I know , who are successful work regular hours of some sort. Yes, there is a few who wake up at 3am – do a logo – go bed at 5am and then sleep till 12pm – go for a walk etc and are doing great! but they are few and far between.

Value time – TIME IS MONEY! – Now that you are your business. No matter how boring the client / project is – you cannot afford to watch the clock go hour through hour just so that you can go away and do something else. If your at your computer – be doing something productive at your computer.

Meet Those Deadlines – As clients mount up and workloads rise – the difference between those who go onto greatness and those who fall into average joeness is those who meet their deadlines – no matter their workload. Customer service is a HUGE factor in freelancing – to date our most reliable form of getting jobs is referrals… It’s easy. Take care of your clients and they will take care of you.

Find something to do – Wallowing in self-pity about not finding clients or not earning what you want, simply… will not help you find clients or help you earn what you want. Doing something will. There is no way you have cold-called every business in the world. There is no way you have e-mailed every business in the world. You haven’t scouted every freelancer forum in the world. You have gone through every statistic in google analytics to tweak your site that little bit more. There is always something that can be done. Work is WORK.

Have a break, have a kit-kat – Despite all my ranting about not letting up on your work ethic – you do however, need to find time to relax away from freelancing. The key is, to find the balance – that perfect weight of both, that allows for both to exist without one compromising the other!

How do you keep yourselves motivated ? Do you work regular hours? Are you guilty of relaxing that little bit too much?

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/long-term-freelancing-success-part-1-dedication/feed/ 9 How To Deal with Non-Paying Clients http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-deal-with-non-paying-clients/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-deal-with-non-paying-clients/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:07:28 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1553

At some point you will come face to face with the worst type of client. The client who despite numerous attempts on your behalf, is refusing to pay outstanding fees on a project.

As a business you will at some point have to go after a non-paying client, and as such should be prepared for the fight; or at least be prepared to issue the threat of a fight. Personal / Business time lengths are differential between entities but as a general rule you will know when this time sets upon you or is vast approaching when:

  • Any invoice is over 60 days old
  • At least four attempts at contact via e-mail or phone have gone unasnwered
  • A client tells you that they are not going to pay (always the easiest to identify)
  • When material you have created / sold is used before payment is settled against terms of contract
  • Wishy-washy promises start being issued of further work so settlement should be delayed until they are complete
  • A personal favourite: ‘payment has been sent, have you not received it?’

As an efficient and well prepared business you should have a method / set of rules in place for this very eventuality. You cannot expect a client to be prompt and timely with their end, if you are not the same with yours! The best way to address this hyperthetical situation is from the beginning…

1) First invoice not paid

I am not going to go into why you should have contracts, but simply this event is one of many in favour of working with contracts. One key point is having contracts in place that stipulate to the client how quickly they are expected to pay invoices once they have been issued. This immediately gives you a date to send your first reminder. Typically for us this may be between one and two working weeks. At this stage, our eyebrows are far from raised; there is a multitude of reasons why payment may not have been received. (Benefit of the doubt is given) For us, this is simply a follow-up email with the invoice attached as a PDF.
Example:

Dear ************,

Hope you are well. We are e-mailing in regard to ( project / reference number ) and its respective invoice sent on (date). As discussed, the project has now been completed and the invoice to the amount of (£ FEE ) is now overdue as per the agreed schedule of payment. There are a number of payments methods available as detailed in the attachment.

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving payment promptly,

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

2) E-mail not answered / Payment not received
At this point for us, payment is roughly 3 working weeks late and the client has been out of contact for approximately a fortnight. At this point eyebrows are raised. Lack of contact is an alarm bell in itself. This is where our tone in following contact needs to take on a certain level of seriousness. The first invoice at this point is followed by a phone call to enquire as per the status of payment and when it can be expected to be received. After this phone call, it is good practice to shoot the client an e-mail summarising your phone call and any agreements you may have come to, as well as re-issuing any amended invoice timescales etc. If unable to reach the client via telephone or they are uncooperative then an e-mail to the following extent is sent; as well as a letter to the same effect. Remember, your a business and as such you need to conduct yourself as one, being ‘nice’ at this point isn’t a requirement; being professional is:

Example:

Dear ************,

We are e-mailing in regard to ( project / reference number ) and its respective invoice sent on (date). As discussed, the project has now been completed and the invoice to the amount of (£ FEE ) is now considerably overdue as per the agreed schedule of payment within contract (ref number). The commissioned works were completed and delivered in full on the (DATE, 2009), and its payment has now been overdue by (TIME) days at the time of this emails composure. The bill of (£ FEE) was neither settled within ( TIMESCALE) as contracted and numerous attempts to contact you have been unsuccessful.

As per our normal practices, we must at this point (in accordance with our terms and conditions) request payment within (TIME SCALE) ( 7 days) of this contact. If payment is not received by (TIME, DATE) we will deem you in breach of contract and will take appropriate action. Detailed within our contract, we also feel it important to remind you that until payment is settled in full, all works are the full legal intellectual property of (COMPANY).

There are a number of payments methods available as detailed in the attachment. Please do not hesitate to get in touch via (CONTACT DETAILS).

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving payment promptly,

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

3) E-mail / Letter not answered / Payment not received

At this point you should revoke the use of any systems you have made available to the client if possible. (e.g a website). At this point you have several options. Our personal normal action after this is to simply to refer the matter to our solicitor. Solicitors will issue the following contact at a fee ( around £30.00 GBP ) per correspondence and keep us informed accordingly. Why get the law involved? Psychological warfare! Many people / small businesses will magically arise from the shadows and a ‘troublesome email server’ or an ‘office move’ when they receive a headed; formal; debt notification letter from a solicitor. One of these wonderful gems, contains diplomatically worded threat as to the consequences of further non-payment and absence of contact; it also establishes a deadline beyond which this threat will be acted upon. it is also advisable to discuss the matter in full with your solicitor, as in reality you do not want to word your letter threatening full civil action in regard to a bill of £1.00 GBP. Extreme example but you get the point. It often also states how the fee is likely to increase with interest / debt recovery fees should time pass by a further set time limit. You can also, simply send a similar letter yourself but we feel the fee is worthit. We also copy and type the letter as an e-mail to the same effect to the client.

4) Contact and Resolution / ‘Walking the walk’

At this point, fortunately for us in the two honest occasions this has happened, the client has paid in full with an e-mail summarising their ‘circumstances’ within days of receiving the solicitors lawyer. The key for us, was simply responding in a professional manner:

Example:

Dear ************,

Hope you are well. We are happy to confirm receipt of payment for (project / ref number) and its invoice (number / reference). Please find attached the statement of accounts and receipt of payment. (Relevant files / services will be re-instated/sent) to you within 24 hours. We wish you the best in your further endeavors and would hope you would not hesitate to contact us in the future for your design projects.

Kind Regards,

(SIGNATURE)

However, not everyone’s tale ends in a fairytale happily ever after. The client may offer to compromise, in which case you will have to decide, in consultation with your solicitor upon the terms of that compromise. Sometimes, settlement for an agreed fee is the most economical and beneficial resolution to the matter.

If after setting upon the following process, and going out of your way to accommodate your client, then you have to decide if you wish to pursue the matter and carry out your diplomatically worded threats….

How do you deal with non-paying clients?

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]]> http://www.acuitydesigns.net/how-to-deal-with-non-paying-clients/feed/ 29 When Your Client Wants To Become The Designer http://www.acuitydesigns.net/when-your-client-wants-to-become-the-designer/ http://www.acuitydesigns.net/when-your-client-wants-to-become-the-designer/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:31:56 +0000 London Design @ Acuity http://www.acuitydesigns.net/?p=1506

Every now and then you receive a client who gets involved in your end of the deal, and is questioning / making firm suggestions about directions to take. This could be due to their eagerness, misunderstanding of professional boundaries or personality; but it needs to be addressed when they begin to intrude too much upon the design of your project; to its detriment..

I have found, the best way to approach this niggle in la backside and take control is to explain why you are the designer and they are the client.

Experience

Make sure you take the time to explain that you are the designer and as such have a wealth of experiencing designing and they well… don’t. This is often a hard point to word without being antagonistic but make sure it is seen as a simple statement and not a call to argument.

Professional Skill

This is the point that you should be itching to use in your arsenal. You have reasons behind your madness – explain them. Explain why comic sans and neon green is not the correct brand colour for an emerging accountancy firm. Explain why that subtle flick on the tail of a character of text is a key element to the design. Explain why flash should be used sparingly when it is not appropriate etc

Homework

Another great approach is to validate your concerns as to why for instance a huge flash splash page is not necessary, is by letting the client read up o the issue. We have a great design community full of loads of little articles explaining many issues you may come to loggerheads over. Take the time to source something relevant and send it over to them.

On the flipside

It is also important to approach the situation from a professional standing, and ask why you object to their suggestions?

Pride

With every project, it is essential to maintain a professional distance. This distance is what allows you to evaluate their suggestions and to be objective. You need to ask, are you opposed to their intrusion because they are going to break the site’s function or logo’s fitness for purpose? Or are you opposed because you really think doing a certain something in a certain way will look great in your portfolio?

Contracts

This situation amongst others is another wonderful example of why having a detailed and pragmatic contract is essential! Ensuring that design revisions, what constitutes a revision, extra fees for extra revisions & how many revisions are included cemented within the contract protects both of you. Controversial to say, but if your client is adamant and set upon their course – remember two of the key points here are to provide what the client wants and that you are a business and such are being paid. If the client wants to delay proceedings by a month to see how a new web design will look, or to receive 4 more logo concepts, GREAT… show me the money.

Outside Perspective
There is no harm in seeking outside perspective… ask a fellow professional and if applicable ask a somebody who is not a design professional. Maybe your judgement is off and maybe this may be one of the rare situations where you will have to hold your hands up and say… ‘I was wrong’

Inspired by a thread on WDF

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