http://www.flickr.com/photos/ia7mad/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Essentially, scope creep refers to the way a project tends to slowly but surely change scope as you undertake it.
You agree to design a basic website for Mr Guy.
Part way through the project, Mr Guy decides a forum would be really cool, can you add that to the website?
Oh! And we’re going to want business cards. You can do that, right?

Slowly slowly, request by request, your project has started to grow like it’s been exposed to comic book radiation, without mention of deadline extensions or pay increases and suddenly you’re wondering if you could maybe quit freelancing and get a nice job working with explosives, for the peace and quiet.

Sounds bad, right?
It needn’t be.
It can actually be an opportunity for more work, and a happier client. Win win!
What might help make it a good opportunity (rather than a never ending nightmare) is keeping these things in mind:

Your client probably isn’t trying to screw you over on this

Sometimes we assume clients know exactly what they’re doing. I mean, we know OUR role in this, don’t they know theirs?
In actual fact, very often a client has never entered into a project with a freelancer before, has no idea how the whole shebang works.
They’re trusting that you do, and with each extra task they add, they’re merely communicating their needs for the project with you.
And actually, communication is good!

The key is to try not to get frustrated.

Don’t view them as demanding or difficult – remember you’re on the same side, working to get the same project done.
They’re just letting you know what they’re thinking.

A lot of the time, a client won’t even realise that what they’re asking actually entails a whole lot more work – after all, chances are if they were industry experts, they’d be doing the work themselves.

Realise they’re just stating their needs, and be genuinely receptive to this.
Respond in a friendly and helpful manner.

Makes your terms clear

If you can do the extra work for the client at no extra cost, you’ve probably just made your client very happy indeed!
However, not everybody can do this. Especially when the scope creep is profound.
I have, for instance, been commissioned to do a portrait and then, a month later, through one request leading to another found myself up to my elbows in php for the same client’s webpage.
So before you drift off into a never ending saga of adjustments and new projects, make the terms of these new requests clear.

With this sort of thing, it’s completely ok to say “Sure, I can make those adjustments. Let’s discuss them in detail so I can understand exactly what you need, and send you an adjusted quote.”
Or to say you’re happy to tackle the new suggestions, and here’s the adjusted deadline, changed to provide time to complete the extra tasks. How does that suit you?

If other deadlines make accepting more work impossible, you can politely say no, you can’t meet the new requests. Or, as I’ve done in the past, even make suggestions for breaking the project up into parts.
I could, for instance, get the website up and running by the originally agreed upon date, meet my other commitments, then get to work on the business card in a month’s time when the other projects are done.

This is a really great opportunity for increased work and a happier client, so long as you make terms clear as soon as changes come up, so that both of you know where the project is going and what the expect.

You’re the professional – act like it

I think a mistake we often make as freelancers is leaning on the client to take control and steer the project.
I fully believe this is our responsibility, and that if the client wanted the nightmare of dealing with the nitty gritty, they’d do it themselves.

This isn’t to say that you should boss your client around, or ignore what they have to say – listening is VITAL – but I see it like this:

If I take my car to a mechanic, I expect to hand my car over to him and have him do whatever needs to be done.
I don’t know the details of what needs to happen, where he’ll start first or what bits he’ll test or what tools he’ll use. I just trust that he’s a professional that knows what he’s doing, and when my car comes back it’ll be in tip-top shape.
Let’s imagine then that my mechanic finds my brakes need replacing – something not budgeted for in the original service cost.
He tells me that he’s found they’re worn, they need replacing, it’ll cost $120.
“Yes” I say “I can afford $120, please go ahead and replace my brakes. Thanks for letting me know they needed it”.

Imagine then, the nightmare it’d be if my mechanic took my car, had a look and came back to me for direction all the time.
“Do you want me to check tyre pressure?”
“Should I open the hood?”
“Do you want the washer fluid topped up?”
“Should I look at the engine?”
“Do you want the breaks replaced?”
And then, if he expected me to make an offer of how much I think I would like to pay to have the breaks replaced.

The first mechanic, having listened to me and understood that I wanted my car looked at, inspired confidence by just getting on with the job, and upon finding that some extra work ahd to be done, made it clear and simple what that would involve and cost.

Clients want to feel that same confidence in us.
Clients expect that, as professionals, we will make everything they need to know crystal clear to them, including sending bills, updated quotes, adjusted deadlines, etc.
Don’t force them to have to try to guess at what the terms of the project might be – it’s unfair to both of you.
It’s your job to spell it out, and doing so means you both know what page you’re on, and inspires confidence in the client-freelancer relationship on both sides.

Avoid excessive scope creep by asking the right questions the first time around

In most projects, there’s often a small amount of scope creep no matter what you do, but by making sure you ask enough questions and pay enough attention to your client right at the very start, often you can avoid huge project changes by getting it right the first time.

Don’t just listen to what information your client offers you, ask them further questions about their needs, then make suggestions and ask for their thoughts.
Do your very best to make sure you’re understanding exactly what needs to be done from the start, and you cut down on what will surprise you part way through.

Know when to say “no”

A very small precentage of clients aren’t going to be happy no matter how much extra time or effort you give their projects.
These are those rare times where you have to realise you can’t win, and end the relationship.

For the most part, both you and your client can avoid the scope creep and find a workload that keeps you both happy through good communication right from the start.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

I can related both as a web designer and as an illustrator.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about this. Mr. Art Mojo is a real jerk sometimes, a poor house guest and a thoroughly awful business partner.
Nothing you can do but keep turning up and doing your part of the work – if he won’t help, that’s his fault. At least you’re turning up for the job.

Sometimes though, there are things that I find help me get back into it. Here’s a list of the random (and sometimes little odd) things I do to try to get the wheels turning again.

Look after yourself

Sounds simple, but artists are stupid. Have you just spent 9 hours at your work and forgotten lunch? What was lunch? Condiments on spoons aren’t lunch, try again.

Have you had enough water? When did you last shower or change your clothes?

Always remember that you’re the instrument you’re using to create with. If you let yourself get too run down, you’ll feel crap and stop feeling creative. Take multivitamins, get enough sleep, try to relax and make sure you’re remembering these things daily.
Easier said than done, but it is important.

Put it away

For now, agonising over it is going to make stuff worse.
Even if you can only ditch it for fifteen minutes, do.

Do something that makes you feel good

For me, this varies daily. Sometimes it’s a hot bath, sometimes it’s watching an episode of StarTrek or a sitcom, sometimes it’s being out in the garden and sometimes it’s doing some cooking.
The main thing is that it should absorb you and be enoyable. Try to focus on the task as you do it, or on the show as you watch it. Do your best not to let your mind drift to your work. Again, tricky, but worth the effort.

Tidy

Take a look at your work space. Is it overflowing with papers, coffee cups, weird little bits of plastic things you can’t idenfity and tumbleweeds of cat hair?
Working in a trash heap is draining. Fix this. Get your obsessive compulsive on and organise.
Personally, when my work space is not only organised but pleasing to look at, I look forward to sitting down at it.

Get the hell out

Spend time with friends, go for a walk or even go grocery shopping if you want.
Getting out of the house lets you walk away from the problems for a bit and offers a chance to get a bit of perspective. A few hours laughing with friends and you may realise that a poorly drawn hand isn’t something you’ll have to kill yourself over after all.
If you can’t get out but need company, catch up with other artists online. It’s often a huge relief to know you’re not experiencing all this alone.

Look at things that are different to your own work

As a digital painter I find that looking at other digital paintings for inspiration usually leaves me wanting to throw down my pen in a jealous rage and never work again.
So now, I seek inspiration in things entirely different from what I do.
I’ll browse watercolours, or photography or even watch a documentary about a visually stunning place. It provides me with visual input to process, without making me want to measure my own skill unfavourably against anybody else.
Similarly, music is a fantastic way to become inspired by a mood without feeling overwhelmed by other visual stimuli.

Remind yourself

I find it easy to look at an obstacle and only see the mountain of work in front of me, but I think it’s important to remind yourself of the long journey you’ve taken to get where you are with your art.
Looking back, I realise I’ve come a long way and have learnt a LOT, which is something I’m proud of. My art isn’t the quality I want yet, but it’s so much better than when I started.
Have fan mail? Read it now. I’ve stored some of my favourite positive messages from years ago for this purpose.

I also like to remind myself that I’m a professional. Sometimes I’ll even say that out loud.
I’m a professional!!
And I worked damned hard to be here. When I think of what ELSE I could be doing right now (counting baked bean cans on a shelf), I suddenly feel excited again to be living the dream.
I’m an art professional!!!
Damnit, when I think about that, that’s exciting!!
I’m an art professional and I’m living the dream!!

And lastly…

Curse

There are times where none of the above work for me. I’m living a nightmare, my bank account is almost empty, the painting I’m working on is the worst I’ve ever seen and now that I think about it, what is the purpose of art? What is the purpose of me? Of my life? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ANYTHING OMG WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER TO LIVE????
Sometimes you have to sit down, get back to work anyway, turn to Mr. Art Mojo and say in a loud, clear voice:
“Fuck you. Fuck you!“
You mustn’t think it – it MUST be said out loud. Repeat if you like.
Sometimes it takes him by surprise, and he gets back to work out of pure shock, and sometimes, it just makes you feel better to swear.

And that’s is all I’ve got. Go forth and paint stuff. But not your loved ones. A well meaning lick of paint down the back makes them cranky. People eh? I don’t know.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Those other digital artists out there know exactly what this is, but for those not familiar with the term, allow me to explain: a digital painter (like me) paints, but some digital artists pull apart photos, insert them into their painting and paint over the top of them.

Some artists do this to great effect, and some people ruin artworks this way.
Either way, to be accused of a paintover when you claim you have painted it yourself is quite an enormous insult, as a) it’s suggested that you are not telling the truth about your process and b) people are suggesting you don’t have the skill to paint it yourself.

To show I DO have the skill, I created a walk through of my process and uploaded it to my website some time ago.

Now I’m going to show you something else.

The Opposite of a Paintover!

If it is assumed that you do a paintover to cut corners with reaching realism is characters and objects (I know artists who make lovely multimedia work and DON’T use it for this reason, but we’ll ignore this in this instance and discuss just the digital painter who is trying to take shortcuts), then what is it when you put a bit of painting IN to a photo, having not painted over any photo as a base?

That’s exactly what I did for a competition entry for a design school. We were supposed to express, in 25 words or less, why we wanted to win, and I decided to opt for a visual approach.

The design school assumed it was photography. But it wasn’t.

It’s part photography, part paint.

So this image, here, is part photography, part painting. See if you can pick what I photographed and what I painted:

I’d like to think it isn’t too obvious.

So before I show you the original photo sans painting, I’m going to explain why this is different to a normal paintover – I painted the extras INTO the photo without the aide of a photo to paint over.

This is the opposite of a paintover because a paintover uses a photo segment to enhance a painting. I used painting to enhance a photo.

What does this mean?
Well, as far as I’m concerned, it means I have the skill to at least do a reasonably ok job (the people at the design school were fooled into thinking it was all photo anyway!) painting at that high level of realism.

Meaning I generally have no NEED to pull bits of photos into my paintings – in fact, it’d be slower and harder, trying to fit it in to make it look natural, and as I have demonstrated with this photo above, even when I am doing photography the images tend to fall short of what I want them to be, so they’d be useless to me anyway.
Take the rat in my walk through. How the hell am I going to do a photo paintover for THAT? Do YOU have photos of a hairless, wrinkly purple-grey rat in a bottle?

I paint what I can’t photograph.

If I had to rely on photos for paintover, I’d have much more boring artwork, I can tell you! I certainly wouldn’t have rats in bottles, or grapefruit growing in heart shapes or trees with teeth and eyes eating people.
Where the hell would I even find those photos?

In fact, I couldn’t even find the photo above. I had to manufacture it.
And, it should be noted, I am very honest about this fact – it’s not a photo. It’s a blend. And if I ever bring this technique into my painting, I will be honest about that too. ‘Cause damnit, that was hard work getting the picture above to look right!

It actually took more skill and hard work from me than just sitting down and painting from scratch.

And here’s the original photo that shows exactly why that is:

After trying and trying to get him to face the front (shaking his food container, wiggling my finger) I realised there may be a reason goldfish aren’t used much in Hollywood (they take direction very poorly!), and figured the only way I was going to get exactly what I want there was to paint it in.

So my major point with all of this?

I’ve learnt to paint like I do because photos don’t capture what I want them to. If they did, I’d be a photographer.
My painting is much stronger than my photography.
So instead of photo elements as enhancement in my paintings, I’ve actually gone and put painting elements as enhancements in my photos.
Taking photos into my paintings would only slow me down, make things a lot harder, a lot slower and result in a worse painting.
Instead, I’ve made sure I’ve developed my skills as best as I can (and will continue to do so) so as to best represent what I could never capture in a photo anyway.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

1. Hook them at the start


For me, my usual first point of contact with a potential client is an email asking about what I do, can I do this, how much does it cost.
First point of contact is when you win or lose them. I almost always win them. It’s ridiculously easy but somehow most people and companies still don’t do this:

Answer their questions.

Quickly, accurately and personally.

Here’s what I mean – let’s say I get an email from somebody wanting to know if I can paint a picture for them to use on a business card for their garden business. They want to know how much it’d cost, and if I do the printing of if they have to take it elsewhere or what and can I help explain it all to them? They’ve never done this before but they like my work.

There are a few steps I then take to do my best to turn these people from potential clients into actual clients.
Firstly, I check my email and answer any emails from clients RIGHT AWAY when possible. If I can’t (say I need to research something), I do that right away and answer the email ASAP.

Think of times you’ve sent emails to companies and had a person answer right away, and compare the was you felt about that to how you feel about places that never got back to you.
The great failing on the internet in things like this is that conversation happens too slowly, where as if they were to approach you in a shop or studio, you could sit and chat for half an hour and deal with everything in one go.

Also, you can bet with a lot of clients that they’ve sent a few emails to a few people to compare prices and service.
Since my prices aren’t the cheapest prices, I make damned sure I give the BEST service. Right from the start. I want them to see right from the first email what they’re paying for – somebody who’ll communicate well, give great service and satisfaction and do the job they want.

In practical terms, this translates to sending a friendly email back (as soon as possible, as we’ve mentioned) written directly to the client – NOT a form letter.
They’re real people who have taken the time to possibly offer me work, and that deserves my time and respect.

I say hello, use their name, thank them for contacting me. I explain my prices, my terms and that I offer payment plans.
Usually I offer one or two options here (for instance, I keep copyright and it’s this amount, you keep it and it’s this amount, blah blah blah) that I feel would be best for their situation, and explain each.

Then I explain what I would intend to do for their individual project, to show I understand where they’re coming from.

Let’s say for instance here that they want one of my paintings for their business card, but they don’t know what they want me to paint.
I’d make some suggestions, given what they’ve told me about their business in conjunction with my personal style.

For instance: You mention your business is a garden shop – perhaps we could do something in lush, rich greens with some foliage in the background. How about a greenman? Or a cluster of mushrooms? Or a frog? Or some celtic knotwork?
Something that we can make punchy and eye-catching at a small size on a card, but could scale up if you want to hang the image in the shop.
I also explain that I can have them all printed and shipped to their doorstep in a tidy little box and that they need not worry about it – I take care of it all.

My goal here: have them get my email, have me answer all the questions they asked, have me answer some that they forgot to ask but now that they think of it is a good point, make them feel that their project is in good hands (that I know what I’m talking about, that I’m reassuring and inspire confidence), that I get that they’re individuals and I’m listening to them and that they get my email before anybody else’s, thus setting a benchmark that the other responses will be measured against.
Then, while they’re still waiting on other emails, they’re turning everything I said over in their head, considering working with me.

Usually they come back because I’ve made them feel confident in my ability to handle their project. I’ve hooked them with one email.

2. Live up to everything. Go above and beyond.


After this project, you want these clients to come back time and time again. You also want them to tell their friends how great you were.
The only way to do this is to make them very, very happy.

This means going above and beyond their expectations. Often without extra pay, often in your own time.

I’m not talking about selling yourself short here – I charge a higher rate for my better service. I can’t afford to do a week of unpaid extras, and I wouldn’t suggest anybody do so, unless they want to wind up poor and hungry and making a stew from the innersoles of their shoes to stave off starvation.
I’m talking only little extras from you, but things that really matter to a client.

Here’s what I mean:
Let’s say I did the painting that the hypothetical company above wanted for their business cards. I wasn’t the cheapest quote they got, but I won them over with my good service  on top of my painting skills. They tell me the text they want over the top of the image (business details), and I have them printed as promised.
Then, instead of that being the end of it, I might do something extra – maybe a larger print of the same (minus the text) to hang in their shop.
Costs me little, since I’ve already painting the thing, but it’s a nice touch that they probably weren’t expecting, and it’s the sort of thing that has them tell their friends how happy they were.

I have gotten new work from this kind of word of mouth, on top of the original client becoming a repeat customer.

Things I’ve personally done in the past include sending a matching greeting card of paintings done as gifts, gift wrapping something beautifully, throwing in some extra little prints and odds and ends, as well as bigger extras like doing serious touching up on all the product images for a site because a photographer fluffed the job and my client was unhappy, re-shooting photos, staying up super late to rush pictures to have them arrive before birthdays, delivering stuff in person (a fair way out of my way) to save my client expensive shipping.
Gift wrap, tie a bow around it, use hand-written thankyous, throw in discount vouchers.

Essentially, do everything within your power to leave your client feeling inspired and empowered at the end of a project. They will come back.

And don’t be stingy – if you’re the type who likes everything budgeted to three decimal places written down on paper, figure extras in as an advertising cost. That’s what it is. Only more effective than most other types of advertisement.

3. Be available to help in future and have a long memory.


I’ve had some clients return after a long time not hearing from them. Don’t forget them in this time.
Welcome them back, tell them it’s great to hear from them, ask them how stuff is going, are they still enjoying the painting/website/business cards you did for them? How was the holiday they were talking about going on all that time ago? How is their business going these days?

Do your best to maintain a good relationship with these people. They matter. They’re extremely, extremely important to you.
Essentially, don’t stop the good service when the final balance is paid.

If a client is emailing because the accidentally turned website text green instead of brown and it can take me less than 10 seconds to re-upload the original file I have? No charge.
Client needs another run of the business cards I designed for them? Discounted charge.
You still need to make money (rent and food is expensive, I know!), but reward loyalty with generosity.
Even if it’s only by knocking $5 off a price, or throwing in a few extra cards, or just being a bit more generous with your time.

4. Don’t get pushed around and learn to cut losses.


Yes, clients are very important to you, as I just said, but sometimes you’ll get a client from hell who has NO respect for you, your work or your time.
You’ll never be able to figure out why they even hired you, since nothing you do makes them happy.

In cases like this, I’ve learnt that there’s a time to politely and respectfully say that the working relationship is obviously not working for either of you, and recommend they go elsewhere.
What amount of fees you keep is up to you, and dependent on how much work you’ve already done, etc.

It sounds bad, but honestly, it’s better to cut your losses. They’re never going to be happy with what you do, so you’ll never earn good word of mouth from them.  In fact, they’ll probably bad-mouth you and take advantage of you any way they can. You’re better off just being professional and polite, but pulling the plug.

Remember you’re not a puppet, but a skilled worker.
Be fiercely loyal to clients who respect this, and don’t let yourself be dragged down by people who want to take advantage of you.

You want a reputation as a great person to hire, not a great person to take advantage of.

There are times when you’ll have to both stand up for yourself AND for your good clients (some people will take advantage and rip-off whenever they can), that’s just the nature of working for yourself.

Just remember to respect your clients and yourself.

That all said, luckily that type of customer doesn’t come along too often, but, by god, you’ll know when they do!

And that’s pretty much it in terms of how I go about keeping my clients. I really can’t stress how much this has gotten me by – I’ve worked for very few clients over all, really, but most of them have come back and come back and really kept me afloat when I needed it most.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

So I guess I must be doing reasonably ok.

Not great, since I’m kinda poor still, but in a time of ‘economic crisis’, when supposedly there’s less work about for artists, I’m getting more and more work. I must be doing something right.

So I’ll share what I know, which applies to freelance illustration and website and design work in my life, and may be the same across other areas of freelancing too.

1. Be Findable


It’s all well and good deciding you’re going to be a freelance whatever, but potential clients need to be able to find you. There’s work there to be had, but if you’re out of reach of a client, you’ll never get it.

For me, this involves several things. I have my own website, but to be honest that doesn’t draw that many people. I get a lot of traffic to my website by people searching for my name, which obviously means they already know who I am; they’ve already found me previously.

What has worked best for me is having a web presence generally.

What this actually means is spending time on forums relevant to what you do, maybe having a journal or blog, hanging out in chat rooms where people in your line of work hang out.
Join facebook, join twitter, join as many free galleries as you can. Pop into the forums daily.

In fact, at the start, set aside a couple of hours a day just for your social networking.

Not only do you learn from other people, but you hear things like “oh, this company is looking for artists”, as well as having people in the business (fellow artists, fellow designers) get to know you as an artist (or writer, or whatever it is you’re doing).

Perhaps they’ll mention you later. Perhaps they’ll send work your way.
A huge project I’m currently working on was sent my way by a fellow artist who thought it was a decent project, but turned it down as it didn’t suit them. They thought of me as a good artist for it, let the client know, and now I’m working on a pretty good job thanks to them.

It might seem a bit hypocritical, me talking about community activity in forums and chats and the like since I’m a bit of a hermit with that kind of thing these days, but I first had my work published in 2004 through a project I got involved with through a community forum back when I was very active in online art communities.
Once you get going a bit, you can afford to drop off some forums and devote your time to other things.

That said, I am a chronic lurker. I read forums (some daily) that people don’t even know I still visit – that way I still keep myself reasonably up to date with some things, but don’t waste too much time chit-chatting about what I ate for breakfast or who’s cat looks funniest in a Santa hat.

There are still some places where I try to be active, as it’s how you maintain friendships and relationships with your freelancing peers.
And you need them.
Sure they send clients your way, which we’ve already covered, but they are also a great source of advice, strength and motivation.

Maintain those relationships!

Simply put, it’s so much easier for clients to find you when you’re out and about.

To give you an idea, I think almost all my clients have found me though a public community gallery like Deviant Art or Epilogue, or been referred to me through a friend I made through a forum, often on the same sites. Off the top of my head, I can think only of ONE who found me through google.
Google won’t get your clients to you. Being visible generally will.

2. Be worth seeking out.


A potential client might look at 50 artists before deciding who to email. My approach is to try to make sure my stuff sticks out enough that clients find it hard to just pass me by.

It’s not enough for potential clients to find me – they have to want to employ me.

This part is simple enough in theory, and very hard in reality.
You have to keep improving.
Make your stuff stand out from what is around it. Be the best you can possibly be in the hopes that when a client looks at your work, they say “Wow, that’s amazing and I love it, I’d LOVE to have this artist do something for me!” as opposed to “Eh, it looks cheap, I guess maybe I could afford it.” You want them to REALLY want to work with you.

This happens with time, but don’t skimp on trying to improve yourself. In the end, you can have a million people seeing your stuff a day, and if it’s rubbish, not a single person will contact you for work.
Of course, sometimes you find a great artist who can’t get work, and that’s often the opposite problem – all skill and no marketing or networking, and you want to avoid that too.

Bottom line is, put time and effort into becoming a better artist (designer, writer, whatever you’re doing) and you become more employable. It pays off enormously.

3. Seek out jobs you want.


Clients don’t always come looking for you. Especially at the start of your career.

I landed my first jobs by hunting them down.

I approached companies and publishers, usually by email, and picking out a few of my best images relevant to their interests to link to in the email, as well as including a link to my bigger portfolio.
(It should be noted that I wrote each email to them specifically too – sending out “Hai I want to work for uz guyz” form letters is a huge mistake. Be professional right from the start.)

The next question I get asked whenever I mention this is “who can I email?”.
There is no ‘email these people’ answer.
Do research. Find the people you can email.

For me, I wanted to do some book covers, but big companies weren’t going to take a little fish like me, so I googled small e-book publications and send messages to companies there. With success too, I might add.
You could do the same for all sorts of companies – be inventive, and send as many as you like.

Emails cost nothing, and although there may be nothing suitable for you at the time, often these places will hold onto your details and contact you for work at a later date. I’ve had that happen more than once with places I’d given up hope on.

And there you are.

Only three things, but these are the things I’ve done and had work for me when seeking out work.
KEEPING clients, though, is another thing entirely, and is something I’ll write about in another post at a later date.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

In the beginning (of the end), there were Crocs.

We bitched about how these shoes were the stupidest, ugliest shoes ever and made anyone who wore them look like a garden gnome, yet they only increased in popularity. Somebody actually wears them. For something other than gardening or washing the boat.  A whole lot of somebodies.

There was also the fad that confused almost every Australia – Ugg boots as shoes.

Ugg boots have been around in Australia forever. Just not as shoes. As slippers. You wear them in the dead of winter, in your own home.
Wearing them outside to collect more fire wood, put out the garbage or check the mail box is acceptable. You may also, on a rainy Sunday, say, wear them to the corner shop when you’ve run out of milk for tea.
And that’s all.
You may not wear them on a train, you may not wear them in the rain! You may not wear them into town, you may not wear them to the mall. You may not wear the upside down, you may not wear them out at all!

Then, tragedy struck, and Crocs fell in love with Ugg.
And they had a baby.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you:

THE CRUGG BOOT!

Everything you hate about Crocs and Uggs in one seriously unsightly package.

And sadly, these aren’t the only WTF shoe hybrids available at the moment.
Take the Ugg boot, a ballet slipper, a wedge heel, mix them with ripstop fabric, suede, and glossy patent leather, then add a twist of Nike Air technology:

It’s scary stuff.
And somebody must be buying these. Hopefully as a gag. Hopefully nobody thinks this is a good idea…
Of course, there’s always the chance that one of you out there own a pair of these. If that’s the case, I’d like to apologise for making fun of them.
I’d like to, but I just can’t. So I offer my sympathy instead. After all, you’re the victim here. It’s ok. Everything will be ok.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

Ok, it’s time to discuss yet another thing that irks me – ‘Shabby Chic’.

Why does shabby chic in particular give me the pip? Why mention it now, when shabby chic has been around for yonks now?

People keep commenting on my taste in home furnishing being shabby chic.
That’s right, my personal taste has been mistaken for shabby chic.
To me, this is about as morally offensive as somebody saying my writing style is like Douglas Adams, or my sense of humour in line with Family Guys – A MORTAL SIN.

Those that know me know that I, while shabby, am in no way chic.
And I would like it known that I have NEVER lime-washed, partially sanded or taken a hammer to the surface of furniture in an attempt to approximate down at heel, old money aristocrats.
I don’t need to. I AM down at heel. And actually, while I do have aristocrats back in my family tree somewhere, I’m in no way fooling anybody that I belong in society’s upper echelons. I wouldn’t want to.

Instead, I am a beach combing bum. A road side scavenger.
Many is the time I’ve arrived home, pockets bulging with sticks and stones, lugging a bit of found furniture with me while Seth rolls his eyes and says “But it’s RUBBISH! People throw it out because it’s RUBBISH!”
Looking around my lounge room/home office, I see only two bits of furniture that I paid for – a $2 coffee table from a garage sale, and a $15 stool from another garage sale. I scavanged the tv cabinet. The lounges were hand-me-downs somebody was going to throw away. Same for a lot of the other items. And the shelving behind me is scrap timber held up on cinder blocks.

Yeah, not so chic now, eh?

The way I want my house decorated? I want to feel like I’m on constant holiday.
But NOT in a French provincial or Hamptons holiday house type way, and it should be noted that most chintz makes me want to hurl.

Instead, I’m inspired by the South Pacific (that is, after all, where I live!) and holidays I took when I was a kid. Beautiful islands past the Tropic of Capricorn, coral islands out on the Great Barrier Reef, stony bays and coves on the NSW South Coast, dusty old cabins in the Snowy Mountains.
I want it to be a beat up place where you can wear your shoes straight inside all over the floor, tracking whatever the hell you like about the place, with rocks and feathers and shells tucked safely on every shelf, collected bits of driftwood by the front door and old saved glass bottles by the back. With maps and bits of dried mud walked into the hallway, and boots by the back door so you can slip them on while still in your pajamas to set off into yard.

It’s an Australian home, filled with things I’ve collected on my trips here, and some things people have bought back from other places. Our stuff from the USA, gifts from New Zealand, a couple of old things my parents bought back from Tonga.
Mostly though, stuff I’ve collected myself. Locally.

It’s not pretentious. It has nasty old green lino in the kitchen, half covered up with a sea grass mat.
It reminds me of old school, low budget holiday houses. Of going fishing with my dad, or collecting shells with my mum. Or the endless hours I spent with Laurie, swimming every opportunity we got and tracking sand into the house, wrapped in a towel and in a fit of giggles. Playing totem tennis in the backyard while we wait for the barbecue to start.
Which is exactly how I like it.

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend

What a mess!!!

So I’m a little late (it was released in August), but I just got the chance to sit down and have a good look at Ikea’s 2010 catalogue.

And I noticed something was wrong…

dun dun DUN!

Which of course led me to the realisation that has everybody talking (well, not everybody… maybe not even mostbody, but Ikea followers and those with an interest in design and nothing better to do) :

Ikea, after 50 years of usage, has switched from Futura to Verdana as their ‘official font’.

Why?
I can’t imagine. Sure, it’s only a slight difference. Perhaps many people wouldn’t even notice. But especially given that….why bother?

For those of you who have no clue what the hell I’m yammering on about in regards to these fonts (not to be confused with those of you who don’t care – you can just skip ahead), here’s a bit of an explanation and a history of what makes these fonts different:

Futura

Futura was designed in the 1920s. It was a ‘modern’ typeface, a forward-thinking typeface. It became representative of the ‘Bauhaus’ style – a school which believed all art forms should be bought together in a complete and total work of art. This was a huge influence on design at the time, and especially influenced Modernist architecture and interior and graphic design.
While the school was closed in by the Nazis in 1933, the influence of the Bauhaus school lived on.

But…

Verdana

was released in 1996 after being created especially  for the Microsoft Corporation.
Specifically designed to look good on screen, it quickly became one of the most used fonts on the web, but is not considered a font for print and is very rarely used as such.

So what’s the difference between the two in this situation?
Well, visually speaking, maybe not a WHOLE lot to the average Ikea shopper.

You can see what I mean:

While to me, the old Futura font will always scream ‘Ikea’, and I’ll never see that with Verdana (Verdana screams internet to me) many people may never notice.

But that’s not the point, and only a small part of it in my books.

Ikea prints an annual catalogue (it’s more like a book. It’s great for squashing cockroaches – that’s a free tip for you!!!), filled with the coming year’s new designs, and each year they print more of these hefty Ikea roach-squashing catalogues than the Bible itself.
They’ve been doing this since 1951, and now it’s printed in 36 countries, in 27 languages.

Egads.
A lot of readers, such as myself, have now switched to the online version of the catalogue (better for the environment, you know, though it does leave me rather defenseless in the war against cockroaches in the nighttime), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to anybody anywhere in the world.
That’s a large, incredibly widespead publication! Which makes them a monster in the design world.

So why does this matter?
It matters to me that Ikea, supposedly embodying Swedish modern design and representing it the world over, has opted for the meaningless over the historical. Actually, not even opted – actually made a serious effort to discard the historical for the meaningless.
‘The New York Times’ described the change as
“so offensive to many because it seems like a slap at the principles of design by a company that has been hailed for its adherence to them.”
Which I think sums up my feelings perfectly.

So, really Ikea, why would you do that?

I don’t know for sure, but I imagine that that must have been an incredible pain in the arse (and probably expensive), and to top it off, it pissed off Ikea followers and designers everywhere: Verdana for print? Are you mad? Is this a publicity stunt?

Perhaps I shouldn’t care so much, but I do.
And given that this change has sparked a backlash of internet controversy now referred to as “Verdanagate”, it seems plenty of other folks care as well.

But am I just mad at Ikea? Not really.
It’s not like their the only company that spits on their core founding principles, but opting for a Microsoft design is just rubbing salt in the wound, as far as I’m concerned.

What do you guys think? Do you considering this sort of thing significant? Does it really bug you? Does it not bug you at all? Do you considering it fitting, considering that Ikea is a monster corporation much like Microsoft anyway?
What are your thoughts on this?

• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tumblr it
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post
• Tell a friend