Design Domination

#134 Sarah Masci of Day Rate Mastery joins me to talk about how graphic designers can increase their profitability by charging day rates instead of hourly rates or value-based pricing and how she went from charging $50 per hour to $10k months working less.

#133 Find out important reasons why freelance graphic designers should use contracts for design work in their creative business, including some surprising things you may have thought of.

#132 Renowned artist/illustrator Don Bolognese joins me to talk about how it's the designer’s talent—not the tool—that’s vital for a successful creative career. He shares interesting stories and insights from his 67-year career and how it evolved over time with changes in technology.

#131 When you take on work that isn’t a good fit with your skills and expertise, it can result in a bad testimonial, no referrals and the work not being profitable. Find out when graphic designers should turn down work from a prospect or existing client.

#130 Many web designers and developers think using an accessibility-ready WordPress theme means a website will be accessible. But many themes have accessibility issues, and there is more to building an accessible website than using an accessible theme.

#129 Hear how Kelly Irvine went from being an in-house graphic designer to a freelance textile designer, creating exclusive prints for the fashion industry, and how she makes passive income with her designs in online stores at Spoonflower and Society6.

#128 Graphic designers often get ridiculous or demanding requests from clients. We can laugh at some, but others are cringe worthy. Find out 11 ridiculous client requests and how to respond to them, so that you leave your dignity and respect intact.

#127 By screening prospects and asking strategic questions, designers change the conversation from design to problem solving, get more respect and increase the perceived value of their work. Find out what questions a graphic designer should ask clients.

#126: Find out how Kyle Van Deusen went from graphic designer to web designer and how he built the business of his dreams by leveraging website maintenance packages for recurring revenue in his web design business.

#125 It's easier to get graphic design work from existing clients than from new clients. Find out 11 ways to keep clients coming back that will impress them, help you have a good experience working together and get work from them in the future.

#124 Learn how to get clients as a freelance graphic designer by standing out from other designers, getting noticed and building your authority—and not in a salesy way. You’ll maximize your marketing efforts and get in front of lots of potential clients.

#123 Did you get into freelancing to focus on design, not business tasks? Do you dread the administrative tasks you have to deal with as a freelancer? Hear from Dominique Falla how creatives can spend less time on tasks they don't like and more on design.

#122 A lot of creatives struggle with creating content for social media, blog posts or marketing emails. Here are 15 social media post ideas for graphic designers that will inspire you.

#121: Eric Holter of Cuberis talks about how their niche of designing websites for museums has helped the creative business get work easier, be more profitable, be memorable and be seen as industry experts. He also talks about how he gets clients.

Many graphic designers may unknowingly violate stock photo licensing terms when they buy a stock image or when they send one to a client. Here are some things to be aware of when choosing free and paid stock images for your graphic design projects.

#119 Looking to work for yourself as a graphic designer? Find out how to start a freelance graphic design business, including what to think about with your branding, business type, insurance, financial considerations, networking and marketing, and more.

Graphic designers, want to spot a bad client before working with them? Watch for these 17 potential red flags for bad clients, so you can avoid taking on bad clients, have more pleasant client relationships and a better freelance design business.

#117 Graphic designers love or hate Canva. Does Canva hurt the design industry? Is Canva a threat to graphic designers? Will they lose work? Can designers leverage Canva as an opportunity to get more work? Here's why designers should embrace, not hate, Canva.

#116 John Falke, web design business owner and Agency Mavericks coach, talks about how he went from a two-person web design business to having a dream team. Get lots of tips you can use when hiring someone, including a template for the hiring process.

#115 Find out 5 common web accessibility mistakes that web designers and web developers make and why they’re a problem, so that you create more accessible websites that reach more users.