Speider Schneider

Speider Schneider is a former member of The Usual Gang of Idiots at MAD Magazine and has designed products for Disney/Pixar, Warner Bros., Harley-Davidson, ESPN, Mattel, DC and Marvel Comics, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon among other notable companies. Speider is a former member of the board for the Graphic Artists Guild, co-chair of the GAG Professional Practices Committee and a former board member of the Society of Illustrators. Follow him on Twitter @speider or add him on Google+

3 successful ways to get paid by a client who has “no money”

Every freelancer has heard the pitch from clients about “no money now, but there will be later”, “help start my…

How to be found by clients

The number one question I always am asked is, “How do I get prospective clients to look at my portfolio?” It comes from…

How to boost your personal brand as a designer

Perception is everything! Many famous creatives grew to fame because people knew about them, more than their work.…

The ghost of childhood past, George Pal’s pioneering 3D animation

While I write this, one of my sons is yelling at me to come look at yet another YouTube Poop animation. He thinks they…

Are you sure you’re ready for your website to go live?

I recently witnessed a startup website train wreck. It was an extreme failure because the owner launched too soon and…

What creative opportunities will a legal marijuana market present you?

I had an advertising teacher who claimed that big tobacco companies had registered the 1970s names for different…

The secret of grid layouts, and the mistake you’re probably making

I mentioned the “Swiss School” and “the grid” layout in another article and while most comments were positive about the…

How to transform design limitations into design success

Think of design as a road map for consumers, taking them where you want them to go. Design makes an efficient way to…

Graphics, guts and glory

I write articles about how to get a client to accept a contract, keeping your dignity and rights as a professional…

5 things to consider before saying “yes” to a startup

Startups are exciting! It’s something new that may become a multi-billion dollar company like Facebook and you could be…

How to decline requests for free work with style

It's aggravating and demeaning when a business asks for free work. You feel belittled and often foster an urge to prove…

Don't be a douche bag! A simple guide to being an ethical designer

The creative field, which encompasses design, illustration, photography and anything else that is a commercial-based…

Unforeseen side effects of Google Glass reported

It was seen as the future of the Web and mobile devices. Google Glass was the thing we all saw in movies about the near…

Creative freedom may not be as free as you think

There are three things every creative yearns to hear: "we pay the total up front," "our staff is ready to sexually…

Do business and religion mix?

I’m a little choosy about who I follow back on Twitter. As with my other opt-in social sites, I’m not into quantity but…

The trick to designing a great layout

Why are magazines and books always laid out the same? Even with alternative design, there is a harmony in layout or the…

Were you an art student with "it"?

There's always that one big problem in art school, where you spot a few fellow students that you know "have it!" They…

How I learned to be REALLY creative

As I grew up, being a "creative child," which was the description my school psychologist used to explain why I didn't…