The longer you work as a designer, the more opportunities you’ll have to look back and say, “What was I thinking?” It’s a natural part of your evolution. Over time, both your skills and your portfolio will grow. As a result, you’ll undoubtedly find projects you’d do differently if you could go back in time. Personally, I’ve designed (at least) a few websites that were total clunkers. Some of it is just that design trends change...

Design, by its very nature, is there to be judged. We do it every day—whether it’s our own creation, or that of someone else. When we see something, we’re looking at it and forming an opinion (positive or negative). So, those of us who do this type of work for a living do understand that it’s all part of the gig. Clients will of course give their opinions about what we have created for them. Our job is generally two-fold: Communicate with the...

Being a freelancer means that you’ve chosen a different type of lifestyle. If you work at home, then you’re not rushing to fight traffic every morning. You’re probably not wearing formal attire. Most likely, you don’t consider yourself quite so mainstream. And yes, that does make you very cool (not to mention good-looking)! The trouble is that clients, family and friends also see you as different. They may actually have a pretty hard...

2016 marks my twentieth year as a web designer. While it’s crazy to think that so much time has gone by, it’s downright cringe-worthy to think of the sites I designed back then. Seriously, some of them look like they belonged in the dark corner of shame at GeoCities. Humor aside, it’s understandable if a website built 20 years ago doesn’t quite live up to today’s expectations for form and function. After all, both technology and taste...

There are many reasons to love being a web designer. Personally, my favorite part is the creative process. I love taking ideas and creating something with them. Whether it’s the initial design of a site, or taking that design and implementing it with code, there’s a creative rush that really makes me excited to share it with the world. But, as we find out sooner or later, web design is not always fun. Sometimes, you’re stuck with work that...

Once upon a time, the web was full of crazy ideas. And no, I’m talking about the wide array of conspiracy theorists and the like (they’re still everywhere, watching as you read this). The subject I’m actually referring to is design. Back in the day, the web was a bit more of an experimental playground for both professional and aspiring designers. You saw it in the use of different navigation styles, color schemes and typography. It also...

Hard as it is to believe, it’s been over 20 years since the World Wide Web has become a mainstream part of our collective culture. It has played a major part in changing how we communicate and how we work. There aren’t many aspects of our lives that haven’t been changed by the web and its seemingly limitless collection of information. As for designers, we’re certainly thankful for the role the web has played in our lives. It has provided...

Working as a freelancer means that your business is all about you. You’re the sole person in charge of making the tough decisions. You’ll decide how to market your business, which services to offer and how much to charge. While that can give you a sense of freedom and power, there is a risk to it all. Having the power to make those tough decisions doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re automatically an expert at making them. It’s quite...

Sometimes, being a web designer is more than just creating a beautiful, functional website. You may have to play different roles depending upon the situation and the client you’re working with. One of the more common roles you’ll have to play is that of a teacher. It could be as simple as explaining how to make a website does what your clients want or need. Often, though, there’s a part of teaching that is a bit more nuanced. There will be times...

Has anyone ever tried to lure you into doing a project by telling you that it will be “easy”? Or, have you looked over the requirements of a potential project and decided that it’s going to be “simple” and “straightforward”? Over the years I’ve heard or thought those things more times than I’d like to admit. So much so that the road I’ve travelled is littered with projects that were supposed to be a slam dunk. It all makes me...

Starting out on your own as a freelancer is exciting. You’re making your talents available to the world, and are ready to make your mark. While this career path can be very rewarding (monetarily and otherwise), it’s not all kittens and unicorns. There are going to be challenges and days when you wonder why you ever wanted to do this. It’s not necessarily the care-free lifestyle you may have been lead to believe. As someone who has been freelancing...