Think about this for a second. Think back to the last time that you had a project in which the client pushed scope. How many times has it happened that they only pushed the scope once? Chances are the problem came to be in the form of what I am now referring to as the “Wave Model.” The wave model WAVE 1 – The initial warning In relation to weather, this would be the beginning warning signs such as increased wind speed and darker skies. You may encounter this first stage in the form of a vague email that asks a question regarding something that would fall outside the scope of the project. Or it could possibly come in the form of a phone call where the client begins asking... 

Every article that I read about SxSW from this year’s South by Southwest has me wishing more and more that I had decided to go. One such article is Samantha Warren’s “SXSW 2009 Wrap Up.” Aside from her insider explanation about participating in the SxSW Web Typography panel discussion, she discusses an opinion I share; that designers should start using advanced web typography now. Samantha says that as designers we need to push boundaries and get more creative with online typography whether they are personal, technical, or industry based. To view the slides from the discussion be sure to check out sxswtypography.com and to get some more great web typography resources. Regardless... 

DON’T GIVE CLIENTS BAD OPTIONS Don’t sell clients on ideas, designs or new technologies they shouldn’t choose. If given the opportunity too often a client will choose what isn’t in their best interest. Giving a client a logo that doesn’t work for their business or selling them a website with bells and whistles they don’t need is not going to help their business or yours. When you first start out it is easy to think you should give your clients every option that is available to them. It is fun to explore possibilities but not everything that can be done should be done. Learn about your client and their competitors to find what would work best for their situation.... 

Since I first started this series, the goal has been to showcase websites that did not feature the design conventions that have stereotypically accompanied web 2.0 sites. Since the beginning there have been some comments stating that web 2.0 is about the interactivity between users. I have always been aware of this however the goal was not to feature sites that necessarily were 2.0 but ones that did not “catch the trend.” That being said, I also have been challenged by some of the readers to find web 2.0 sites that do feature some amazing design. Finding amazing websites that were 2.0 proved to be a larger challenge than I had anticipated. This list is much smaller than... 

It is amazing how long a moonlighter or even full-time freelancer can go on without having to determine what their price is. Sometimes this is because you already know what the project budget is or because you are so unsure what to charge that you take what you feel the client thinks is fair in order to get the work. The is especially true when you are first starting out and are hungry for work, however this is actually probably the worst way to acquire new business. Clients can smell your hunger and some will capitalize on it in order to receive a deal. By setting a firm price you can assure that this does not happen, decrease the amount of time it takes to do a quote, and... 

There has been a debate circulating the internet for a while now about standard compliance and creativity. While standards compliance is a good thing, it alone cannot be used as a measure for success. While it is a large determinant of the quality of a site’s construction, it has almost nothing to do with the effectiveness of a design. For example there are a number of websites that do validate and are utterly horrible, and on the other side of the spectrum there are insanely effectively designed sites that have hundreds of errors. Why is this? The short answer is that it is much easier to tout the effectiveness of something measurable such as validation, where effective... 

This is something that is really starting to bug me. It seems like every web shop under the sun has been touting their ability to provide standards complaint valid HTML and CSS. But I ask you so what and who cares? I fully believe in the benefits of standards complaint and valid HTML / CSS but why do so many people use it as a selling point? IT’S ASSUMED To me this just seems like saying “a car comes with wheels.” By this point it should be assumed that you are providing this service. A couple of years ago making this claim stated that you were above the curve, today if you can’t make the claim then you are lacking. In this light, using the statement as a value proposition... 

they are desperately seeking experience to break into what is a very competitive field. Creative Internships hopes to avoid this by making access to Internship positions more available. THE NEED FOR A RESOURCE You may be thinking that the design schools already offer similar services, which is very true. This is however not the case with all schools. The amount of resources given to students to find internships varies greatly and students are often left scouring the web for positions hidden within other job boards. Additionally the schools who do offer placement programs also tend to have more students than positions which makes finding listings outside the schools resources mandatory. Benefits... 

The best piece of advice I’ve had during my (brief) career hasn’t really come from one particular person and it’s not one specific piece of advice that I can quote. I read a lot of business and freelancing-related content, and I studied business in college. A number of different times I’ve been encouraged by others to pursue my own projects as well as doing freelance work. PURSUING YOUR OWN PROJECTS During the past year I’ve been spending an increasing amount of time on my own websites and working to build assets of my own in addition to doing client work. While I do enjoy freelancing, it’s not something that I want to do for the rest of my working life. Pursuing... 

Over the past 9 months I have been blogging on Positive Space, and over that time I have expanded my skills as both a print designer and a web designer by amounts I never thought possible. Over this time, I have not only learned new skills, but through blogging I have also developed some insights that I thought would be worth sharing. For the readers who may be new to Positive Space, this article should hopefully give you a better understanding of who Anthony Zinni is and set the tone for my previous articles. 1. AESTHETICS ARE IMPORTANT No matter what the medium, the aesthetic properties of it do have an impact on its success. Don’t believe me, well think about brands...