Matt Harrison

Sorry, I just get frustrated on this site. Always feeling like I'm justifying my own existence. I do enough of that with clients.

The business card design includes providing various options to the client, having him give feedback and then implementing the resulting revisions. It's not a cheapo digital vistaprint job. They're going to be 2 spot colour letter-pressed and die-cut cards on 500micron stock. The client gets 100 as a sample including the mag plates for any future runs. 2 days billed work isn't unrealistic for this, sorry. I'm not a student either. I work in one of those 'trendy and expensive agencies in Manchester'. They charge 3 times what I charge for a designer's day rate.

You get what you pay for

If you're in illustrator use -> effect -> artistic -> film grain

The only way to get a free and legit version is to download a 30 day trial or buy a machine with it already installed. Or maybe work for or know someone who works for Adobe.

Good answer.

Hi, I agree with what you're saying. It makes complete sense to me. I wonder though; with clients who maybe wouldn't make such a strong distinction between proficiency in design and proficient use of features in a software as you or I would. It could be a slight factor for those with weaker portfolios and less clued-up clients. Obviously portfolio should be the single most important factor and if you have a great portfolio, an exam would pale into insignificance. Matt

I'm new to the freelancing game after just getting out of uni. I'm balancing my time between finding freelance work and looking for full-time employment. Do you think certifications like the ACE are worth the money? Do they impress employers/clients or are they just another smart money-spinner for Adobe Systems? It'd be really interesting to hear you thoughts. Matt

Depends how much you'll be making. The more you make, the more you'd save by going limited, but the more records need keeping. If you just trade as a sole trader, records can be rudimentary. Just have a separate bank account (use a personal current account to save the charges) and track all incomes, business expenses (HMRC ) and capital expenditure on a spreadsheet, with a separate column for private drawings (money you take out for yourself). Also put away around 30% of profit in a instant access, savings account for Tax and NI (better still start paying NI by direct debit when you begin). At the end of the year while you file your self-assessment you'll probably have a bit left here as treat If you do see an accountant, it wouldn't need to a regular thing. They could just tell you what to claim (portion of your utility/phone bills etc) and file your return at the end of the year.

Hey Guys, I'm designing brand identity for an agency who provide web and mobile design and development. We've narrowed down choice of typefaces to the five here (please see attached PDF). After consultation and questionnaires, the client decided he most wanted his brand to be associated with the following words: The 4 most important words: Professional Fresh Knowledgeable Modern 2 quite important words: Talented Caring Integrity It'd be great to get some feedback from other designers out there. Which typeface do you think best fits the perception desired by the brand? Please vote in the poll or post your thoughts below. Many thanks, Matt P.S sorry for the weird colouration on the reversed Adele. faces_WDF.pdf

Sorry, I think you've misunderstood the question. Perhaps I was unclear. I actually meant within my Web Designer Forum profile. There is a section named gallery under my profile but I don't see an option to upload images into my gallery. I'm not after someone building me a gallery for a website. Sorry if this wasn't clear. I just wanted to upload examples of my work to share amongst the community.

Hi, I might be being dumb here, but I can't find how to create an album. I only seem to be able to add to existing albums (e.g. logo design etc). Is it possible to create a personal album (for portfolio) or can we only contribute to the pre-made galleries? I checked the help section but I couldn't find this out. Thanks, Matt

You should slow right down and go back to basics. don't be implementing whole new templates daily. Work in increments, like building a house: You start with the foundations and then the walls and add details and finishes like doorknobs later. Get one thing wrong and everything you do later is marred. Check out out dribbble too, to see what design looks like in 2011.

Looks more like this side of 2000 for sure. I'd lose the hazard stripes. It says 'warning ahead', apt you might say Also pixelated images are a no no. If those swirls are your creation, do yourself a favour and create them as vectors then save the correct size png for the placeholder. Keep at it!

Thanks Gerry, The client had never heard of letterpress printing, and when I showed him some samples he decided he wanted to go that route and was willing to pay the extra in this case. I would never force this upon a client just because it's a passion of mine. As for the travelling expenses, I cycle so it's purely the time I'm charging for here. But I see your point nontheless. I'll definitely bookmark your suggestions for next time. I think a more through design proposal would have helped to identify a proper timescale/charging method. Would you be willing to share an example quote/invoice of your own? With personal data obfuscated of course. Thanks, Matt

Hi Pandadoodle, I will explain the points you raised. So the Brand identity stage involves the production of a printed style guide which shows which typefaces, colours, and graphic elements which form the identity and various use cases along with all the deliverables in digital format. But perhaps you have a point here, I'll look into it next time. 2 days for business cards is not unreasonable. His business cards are not just going to be just the logo/colours slapped on a grid and digitally printed. I work with a traditional letterpress and litho printer in Manchester and we go through various stocks and finishing methods (hot foiling, die cutting, Spot UV varnish). It's a totally bespoke job and it'll take me at least 2 days and quite a bit of travelling. The reason for the 10% discount is because the client rejected the original quote. He has recently hooked me up a full-time job interview at a studio in Manchester and this was a goodwill gesture. Thanks, Matt

Yes, that makes good sense Jock. And the relative 'slowness' of my work is the thinking behind my rate. The client has accepted the quote this afternoon so I guess I just got lucky! We've chatted in depth about the project and he's accepted my proposal. Contract is the next stage now and I'll await the 50% deposit. I was in the process of creating templates for my design proposals, invoices etc and this job came along but in future I will make sure I produce better documentation beforehand. It'd be great if anyone is willing to share a sample of a contract they have used, with private info scrubbed of course.

Hey Gibson, As you say £25 is at the bottom of the scale. As I told the client, I could technically design him a logo in a few hours but he might end up changing it next year. I want to provide something timeless that he will/can use forever. I think 3 days is reasonable for this with research and revision. Smashing magazine think 4-15 days Vital Tips For Effective Logo Design Matt

Well, I'm not going to crit the website as such because there's too much I could say and it would be overwhelming for you. Firstly, I think it's quite a good thing that you're learning 'on the job' so to speak. My advice would be keep going and tap into the wealth of resources out there on the web to improve your skills and eye. It's well worth investing in a subscription to Think Vitamin and Lynda.com. Also listen to podcasts such as Boagworld to get an appreciation of UX, content, marketing and the business side. More importantly love what you do and commit to being the best and you'll go far.

Hi Jock thanks for the reply. Sorry for the confusion, my mistake. The document is more of a quote rather than an invoice. We've just had an initial consultation/chat. The contract along with terms and payment details will be forthcoming. I was just looking for feedback on the time, hourly rate and total cost I had quoted for the job based on the work involved. I'm new to all this you see. Thanks again, Matt

Cheers! £12 sounds quite low, you have a good looking site there, you shouldn't under sell yourself. It's right what you say though, that when you finish uni, you have to start thinking about paying the rent and stuff! As soon as I put a rudimentary folio together, I'll PM you the link Matt

Hey Adam, I've not got a portfolio up and running yet. In the process of building a site right now, but client work has got in the way! Thanks for the compliment on the invoice, it's actually designed in InDesign CS5 using tables and a 12pt baseline grid. The typefaces are Bryant Pro and Archer. Matt

Hey Everyone!, This is my first post at the forum but I'm looking forward to getting involved and meeting lots of other UK designers. Some brief background: I'm a recent architecture graduate from The University of Manchester. While I was completing my architecture degree, my interest in web and graphic design overtook my passion for architecture. I completed a few small projects for local business (for very small fees), including wordpress sites, an ecommerce site for a local florist amongst other small print and web jobs. I decided when I graduated to focus on freelance web design. I've finally landed a client who deals with designers all the time and appreciates high quality work. I think the client will bring lots of future work as he employs freelance designers on a monthly basis. He asked for a rebrand of his business. I've looked around and chosen an hourly rate of £25. It'd be great if a few of you who are more experienced in the field could have a look at my invoice and let me know if I'm being fair hear. Complete the poll if you don't mind. Also any feedback on my invoice design would be fab too. Thanks guys IND-001-001-REV1-1 copy.pdf