Digital Arts Magazine

8/6/2019 Digital Arts Magazine

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M a k e i t b i g a s a , d e s i g n e ri l l u s t r a t o r D r a r t i s t

An f o g r a p h i c d e s i g n w i t h M c C a n d l e s s & F e l t r o n A d d r e a l i s m t o d ig it a l p a i n ti n g s : step- by-stepUo r l d 's h o t t e s t a r t t a l e n t c o m e s t o O F F F 2 0 1 1 G ra d s h o w s t a r s : b e s t n e w ( r e a t i v e s r e v e a l e d


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S h o u ld I b e p a r t o f a p r o f e s s i o n a l c r e a t i v e b o d y ? S h o u ld I w o r k f o r f r e e ? M i c h a e l B u r n s d i s c o v e r s ma n s w e r s t o t h e Q u e s t i o n s a b o u t h o w t o s u c c e e d i n t h e d e s i g n i n d u s t r y , w i t h a d v i c e f r o m t h o s e i n t h eT here are certain questions that cross themind of every working creative. Theymight have greater pertinence atdifferent times of a career, but they arerecognised by everyone from the newgraduate to the veteran freelancer orestablished studio owner.

A typical question that crops up is shouldyou shell out and join one of the professionalbodies in the creative space, such as the AOIor D&AD? Most creatives agree it 's your levelof activity with the group that will determine

what you'll get our of it, but there are somebenefits.

"Often they will offer free or subsidisedbusiness and legal advice," says RobO'Connor of Stylorouge. "Talking throughyour issues with peers is a very useful andcathartic experience, and can result inimprovements in your industry as a whole."

Another recurring question is whether youshould do work for free. "What you have todecide is whether doing this will benefit youby bringing you future paid work, get you

noticed by the right people - or ifsomebody trying to rip you off,"Bailey, designer at Madllid, "Also,employers ask for a design test tocompleted before or after anbe sure that your designs will notwithout your consent."

As for most of the otherlikely to have, read on. We'vegather these collective concernsthem with advice from those expeand successful in their chosen


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" W h a t d o I c h a r g e ? "I t ' s m o r e t h a n j u s t p i c k i n g a n u m b e r a n d h o p i n g t h e y s a y y e s

Above Stylorougedesign for TheLucinda BelleOrchestra album, MyVO ICe & 4S SrringsAbove right GavinBai ley design forMonsieur Baron, aluxury men's fashionretai ler in London

How much to charge is always a tricky question to answer,especially as it varies from region to region; some clientsrespond to a set fee for on a project basis, and others payan hourly rate.

Wayne Derrington, senior designer and illustrator atBeyond, says ifyou have a limited portfolio, you shouldstart with a more reasonable costing, building up your ratesas your experience grows. "You could try talking to somerecruitment agencies that specialise in freelancers and seeif they can advise you on what's ideal for your region!experience," he suggests. "You can also research on forumsto find national averages for fees, or even ask directlywhat'S correct for you."

Gavin Bailey of MadBid suggests quite a [ow rate of8-12 per hour, or around 30 per logo to start off with- at least until you've built a client base.

Even more established professionals might have to droptheir rates .."It sometimes makes sense to charge less whenyou're not busy," says smashLAB's Eric Karjaluoto, "Just tokeep active and maintain some cash flow."

Design studio on-IDLE has a commercial day rate of560, based on the number of resources that are needed,on average, to complete projects and day-to-day agencyrunning costs. "Another method is to look at whatcontemporaries are earning in full-time positions anddivide this [figure) by the number of workdays in a year-there's your day rate," says studio head Marc Peter.

THBOOM!'s Alec East says that as a freelancer, you haveto know how much you want (or need) to make, then factorin the amount of time you will spend out or work andhoning your skills, and divide this by how much money youcan reasonably expect to get away with charging.

"If you want to earn 30k, for example, considering youmay only work about 40 weeks per year, that's about ElSOper day," he says. "If you intend to supply your own laptopand software, you have to look at how much that will costyou over a period of time and add that expense into yourrates. You may also have to factor in conferences, trainingmagazine subscriptions and any other expenses."

U H o w d o I f i n d g o o d c l i e n t s ? "T e c h n iq u e s t o a m a c t t h e k in d o f c l i e n t s y o u 'db e p r o u d t o t e l l y o u r m u m , a b o u tGareth Howat, creative director of Hat-trick Design, is ofthe opinion that if you do good work then everything elsewill follow from it. He says that "money will come, and ifyou do good work, then you will get good work."

"Finding the perfect client is much, much harder," saysOdin Church, MD of Nation. "Getting the dynamics of twoparties working on something creative right is based ongood chemistry. You'll know when you have a great clientbecause you're able to overcome problems together anddo so in a way that makes both of you feel like winners."

Raise your day rate if you offer specialist creativeservices, advises on-IDLE's Marc Peter, but be flexible in thefrequency of payments in the current economic climate.

"Being good at what you do isn't enough anymore,"warns THBOOMI director Alec East. "People have to knowhow good you are. First impressions count, so make sure allthe essential ingredients are in place. At the very least, youronline folio must be up to date and a linkedln profilecomplete with all possible means of contact."

"If you exhibit a strong style, fresh approach and avisible passion in the work, clients will find you," reckonsGavin Kelly, creative director of Piranha Bar. "Creativeshowcase sites like Motionographer or Stash will happilput up work where it will be seen by a wide range ofpotential clients - if it's strong enough."

Wayne Darrington has a novel approach for finding theperfect client: research your client's market of interest, seehow creative work is (or isn't) being used, then use that asyour way in. "Pick some poorly executed work, [and] tryreworking it and showing it to the client. Give them a tasteof how good things could be," he says.

Youcan also be too successful. "We always believed thatto find the perfect client you need to produce and promotethe kind of work you want to do," says Matt Rice of Sennep,"If you do too many 'money jobs' or compromise yourdesign principles too much along the way, you'll end upwith clients and projects that don't inspire you.") .

Iitiiij~igita s 1 9


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" H o w d o I k e e p m y e d g e ? "K e e p y o u r c o n c e p t s f r e s h m o n t h in , m o n th o u tAcommonly shared belief from the experts on how to keepyour ideas fresh is simply to keep your eyes peeled.

"Acquire an eclectic taste - look at lots of things," saysGareth Howat of Hat-trick. "We go to lots of lectures hostedby D&AD,the Typographic Circle, Design Museum and soon. Review your work every six months - we pin everythingup and look to see if we have started repeating styles,themes and trends."

"I always carry a digital camera with me and photographinteresting textures, signs, things, posters, anything thatcaptures my attention," says on-IDLE's Marc Peter. "It notonly provides me with a bank of potential creative sources,but also keeps me inspired."

Marc also suggests you sign-up to and follow creativebloggers, tweeters and companies and brands that youadmire, while designer Alec East recommends a good placeto start doing this isthe aptly named "WeFollow" (wejollow.com/twitter/design).

Designer Paul Blandford says treat yourself to a new fontnow and then, and look at sources such as magazines forinspiration on typography.

Animator Gavin Kelly is also an advocate of the eyes-open approach: "Stay steeped in creative culture to drawout your own personal response to the prevailing aestheticsof the moment, And if all else fails, get a collaboratorwriter/artist/il lustrator to contribute a component to yourstyle."

N; far as Gavin is concerned, there's no such thing as'downtime'. "Either you're working on a commercial projectand delivering fresh, expertly executed content on time andwithin budget, or you're progressing your short fi lm, R&Dtest or speculative spot," he says. "The non-commercialwork will allow you to explore ideas outside of theconstraints of a commercial brief."

Designer and illustrator Wayne Darrington suggestsseeding such downtime projects on the web to see whatyour peers think. "Who knows who may see them?" he says."My private work mucking around with S ca r W a rs icons gotviewed by thousands of people and opened up contactswith loads of great companies and creatives."

Another suggestion, from Stylorouge's creative directorRob O'Connor, is to work alongside people with differentskills to yours and swap tips. "Don't wallow and whingewhen you're quiet," he adds. "Make contact with dormantand potential clients, do some persona) work, or do sometutorials. AI; they always say in the self-help books,'sharpen the saw'."

Top Design for smger-songwruer Enya'sA Day Without Rain CDalbumby StylorougeMiddle A st ill f rom an animation opener for Newport Beach FilmFestival by ElasticRight Microsite design for the Barbour Festival guide by Nation


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" D o I n e e d t o u p s t i c k s t o t h e B i g S m o k e ? ' ' 'l o n d o n m a y b e c a l l i n g . b u r i t ' s n o f e s s e n T ia l t o m a k in g y o u r c a r e e r"No, but Iwould," says - ation MDOdin Church when asked ifcreativesmust move to London when startingout. "Even for a little while, just tocheck it out. It'll be more diverse,competitive and provide experiencesthat will be incredibly useful."

Sennep's Matt Rice says that thereare plenty of examples of successfulcreatives living in the countryside orsmaller towns. "North Kingdomsprings to mind," he says. "An agencythat has been hugely influential ininteractive design and has attractedglobal clients from their HQ in

Skelleftea, several hundred miles fromStockholm."

"You don't need to be in the big cityto find work," says Alec East, whoworked in London for 20 years beforesetting up THBOOM! in Bedford."Cities offer a vibrant creative sceneand amazing opportunities but theyare also expensive, highly competitive,and you can easily end up working ina cubicle at a big faceless agency. Forsome people, being the go-to designerin a smaller area is preferable; youhave to decide which sort of personyou are"

" D o I h a v e t o d o a l l t h i s a d m i n ? "A d m in m a y b e d u l l , b u t i t k e e p s t h e m o n e y f l o w in g i na n d y o u o u f o f t r o u b l eMarc Peter of on-IDLE says you shoulddevote a quarter of your work time toadmin and keeping your records,contracts and invoices up to date. "Ifthe boring stuff is not sorted, you willneed to do it at some point, meaningyou can't produce creative artwork,meaning you can't earn money untilthe boring stuff is done," he says.

Nation's Odin Church advises thosewho don't like doing their tax returns,or simply don't know how to, eitherlearn, or employ someone who does:

"HMRC does not mess around when itwants its money and fines can quicklyadd up," he adds.

"Have a good, honest accountantand keep every receipt," saysStylorouge's Rob O'Connor. "You cansort them out later when you need tofile your accounts."

"Be current on your invoicing,"advises Elastic's Andy Hall. "No one isgoing to pay you without you asking tobe paid - and it's definitely harder toget paid quickly if it's months late." )

" W h a t y o u h a v e t o d e c i d e i s w h e t h e rd ' O i n g w o r k f o r f r e e w i l l b e n e f i t y o ub y b r i n g i n g f u t u r e p a i d w o r k , g e t y o un o t i c e d b y t h e r i g h t p e o p l e - o r i f i f ' sj u s t s o m e b o d y t r y i n g t o r i p y o u o f f "

TOp and aboveStyl 0rouge designsfor singerLivian'sHappy Returnsrelease (top) and TheImagined Village'.album Empire & Love(above)Left Srylorouge'sposter designforletterstohairi_colJ1online campaign

G a v i n B a i l e y


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" H o w d o I g e t p a i d o n t i m e( a n d w h e n d o I s u e ) ? "A g u id e t o e x t r a c t i n g c a s h f r o m e v e n t h e t r i c k i e s t o f c l i e n t sGetting paid on time is obviously extremely important, so'get it in writing'.

"Don't start work without a purchase order and signed-off agreement on what is the brief, what are the agreeddeliverables and delivery rimescales, as well as the finalbudget," says on-IDLE's Marc Peter. "Have terms andconditions in place before the project commences."

Most clients follow their own rules, some businesseshave a monthly payment cycle - so you get paid around amonth after that, but some businesses can take around 90days to pay lip.

"If you're particularly unlucky, you may sub-contract fora design agency that won't pay you until they've receivedpayment," says THBOOM!'s Alec East. "If your payment isgoing to be linked to completion of a project or specificmilestones, factor this into your rates, too."

The golden rule at Piranha Bar is that if there's anydegree of doubt with a client, ask for 50 per cent up front."This may sound obvious, but it's very important to invoiceas soon as the work is signed off," adds creative directorGavin Kelly."You can't get paid without sending in yourinvoice!"Nation has a firm procedure for ensuring payment:"Make sure you have a contract," stresses MD Odin Church."If an invoice is a week late the client gets a reminder. Iexpect to hear back within the same day. If not, I'll emaileveryday until we're paid. Usually this resolves the issue."

Ifnot, Odin charges interest for late payments on a dailybasis, and if the invoice has not been paid within 60 days ofthe due date, will send a letter from the solicitor or fromthe UKGovernment's Money Claim, the small claims onlineservice (moneyc la im .gov . uk) . "If it's really bad, we'll employa debt recovery agency," he says.

Eric Karjaluoto, Creative Director at smashLAB, gets asign-off on the job and charges 30 per cent before doinganything. "You charge another 30 per cent at a keymilestone," he says. "You then charge the remainder oncompletion. Suing should be a last resort. It's difficult,expensive, and most likely won't leave you any furtherahead. Keep on top of your accounts receiva ble, so youdon't find yourself needing to consider such means."

From top to bottomSt il ls taken fromanimation work byPiranha Bar


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" H o w d o I s t o p m y s e l f f r o m t e l l i n g c l i e n t s t o t u c k o f f ? "N e g o t i a t i n g I h e t r i c k y t e r r i t o r V o f c l ie n t r e l a t i o n s h i p sClients are more demanding than even the most infuriatinguniversity lecturers. However, Gareth Howat at Hat-trickDesign suggests the following rules: "Try to work for peopleat the top, Don't work for people in the middle," he says."Try to work for people you respect and like. Be clear aboutwhat you will and won't do at the beginning of the project,so there are no surprises later on."

"Ultimately, as a freelancer or employee, your job is toprovide a service and the diem is always right," saysTHBOOM!'s Alec East. "Even when they're wrong."When working to a commercial brief, Gavin Kelly ofPiranha Bar, suggests it's useful to remind yow-self that it'sdesign, not an. "Design is where we take a set of givenrequirements and devise an elegant solution thatincorporates those in the most engaging way possible," hesays. "Art is a personal splurge of exploration and subjectiveindulgence; brilliant fun, but kind of hard to get paid for. Ithink it's important to enjoy the challenge of design - it's a

great discipline, and really rewarding when you get it right.Therefore, I think when most clients want to changesomething, it 's because the solution is not optimal. Don'tsee these as changes - they are further evolutions oriterations of your solution."

On the other hand, Gavin admits that sometimes youmay be frustrated by a nebulous brief - he describes it as"that shape-shifting amorphous sprite that appears andreforms without warning as the project progresses".

"In this instance, communication is the real key," heoffers. "If a client doesn't know what they really want,listen to them and place yourself in their shoes holding thefinished product. Formulate the brief yourself and get itsigned off. Engage with them, meet them half way - don'texpect plain sailing if you passively sit back and expect towork to explicit instructions. When working with a studio,try and get as much information about a brief as'possibleand share how long you think it will take - and be honest." )

Below Senncp aimsto do a t l ea st onepersonalproject"year as part ofongoing R&D . "Whatwe learn and theattention we get fromtheseprojects hasproven to be wellworth the effort,"saysMatt Rice. "Anexample of this is ourinteractive Ixmdelionthat is currently'touring theworld'with The V&A."Below left Nation'sOptimisiti: weatherBottom Promo forMTV fo r Hitman by1HBOOM!


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W a y n e O o r r i n g t o n

" Y o u r p o r t f o l i o : G i v e y o u r w o r k a sm u c h v i s u a l i m p a c t a s i t c a n , a s i t ' sw h a t y o u r a u d i e n c e w a n t s t o s e e "

FOrd LIlies0" the VXR- .........~ ....~QT.II-~01 ... ~ .. !!DD

l .da VAT(n!'I!!.F , a t l < . l O'~.a ; .! I . .J or R(lOIl1~( r

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= ~ : : . . .. - - : , , ': t ~ ' l J N . n . a _. ._ DlTIII_nIIr;o,t_ .... ,,~_goJIIPo1l!1.....~IKt..._

U A r e y o u t a k i n g m e s e r i o u s l y ? "H o w t o b u i l d a w i n n i n g p o r f f o l i o a n d m a k e a n a m e f o r y o u r s e lfThe advice for creating a portfolio thatwil l win over potential clients is sheercommon sense: only show work you'rereally proud of, and keep it simple.

"I'd rather se e a portfolio that ismade of three strong pieces of work,as opposed to ten mediocre ones," saysAndy Hall of Elastic.

"Make a name for yourself withinthe first few years of starting," advisesGareth Howat of Hat-trick. "You needa job that gets you noticed, then use itto the max."

However, there's no point putting ahuge brand project in your foliowithout some rationale ofyour role inthat project, according to Nation MDOdin Church. "Similarly, with self-initiated work, we want to know aboutthe journey taken to arrive at the finalpiece."

Start and finish with a strong piece,is the advice from Rob O'Connor ofStylorouge. "If you're presenting yourportfolio personally, try and talkthrough the work anecdotally, keepingyour stories quick, memorable andpositive."

smashLAB Creative Director EricKarjaluoto feels you should think ofyour portfolio as proof, as opposed to

a vanity project. "In the plainestfashion possible: describe the problemyour client faced, explain how youresponded to it, and note what yourinfluence resulted in," he says."The way you frame the situation is asimportant. as the visuals you present,And once you have it all ready to go,sort through it once more and removethe three weakest examples - even if ithurts to do so."

Agencies and clients don't have alot of time to view your work, sosimplicity and loading speed is crucial,Illustrator Wayne Darrington says hismost successful portfolio to date hasbeen one where it was just fullscreenshots of each piece of work(nicely presented) with a title and themeans to scroll onto the next. "Giveyour work as much visual impact as itcan, as it's what your audience wantsto see," he says.

"There's a huge array of resourcesout there for creating onlineportfolios", says THBOOM! directorAlec East. "From Behance, whichintegrates with Linkedln, to customsites and WordPress themes. The trickis really down to making it simple forthe audience to understand and view." )

Work byWayneDorrington:Fa x l eft BBC'sTop G"ar websiteredesignLeft Star War.e pi sode re told iniconoscopes


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00

" C a n I w o r k f o r b i g c l i e n t s w i t h o u t s e l l i n g m yH o w t o m a in t a in v o u r v i s i o n a n d s t a v T r u e 1 0 v o u r e t h i G sAccording ro senior designer and illustrator at Beyond, London,Darrington, the answer to this is yes. "Of course, the bigger themore they need tojustify their spend and will probably require themwork though several levels of approval at their end."Wayne's clients include the likes of American Express, eBay, BBC,Ericsson and Santander. He advises that when you get into U"!,UULtlUU,sure you ask what their internal process will be, as it may lead to yourto work in a different way to be more efficient.

"In my experience, working with small to medium-sized companiesmore work," says Wayne. "They want more value for their spend, andwork for itl But in the end, big company clients look impressive in yourso will help your status."

To balance this corporate interest, you can do pro-bono work for chiHowever Wayne recommends you should be sensible about the amounyou spend on it. "Experience in working in any sector may help you w irfurther down the line," he adds .Left and aboveDesigns from Hat-trick's T il ePa r ty Pack

T h a n k s T oBeyond bynd.comElastic, not toscale . t v /d i rector /elas ti c ,lElemental, e iem en tc t/ comms .c o. u kHat-crick Design hat-trickdesign.co.ukMadBid, madbid,comarion, wearenation.com

on-IDLE,on-idle.comPaul Blandford, behance. net!paulblandjordPiranha Bar, piranha.bQ1~ ieSennep, sennep.comsmashLAB, smashlab.comStylorouge, stylorouge.comTHBOOM!, THBOOM.com

P l u sWe asked our Twitter followin images of their confuseduse in this article. We used tfive, who all received a prizeFrom left to rightJoseph LawrenceJames WalkerMichaela MckoneScott PollardJamie Stockley

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