Business & Tech articles

The freelance economy is a hot topic these days. With more studies coming out confirming the benefits of freelancing and remote work, in addition to an influx of communication tools that make it easier to work from anywhere in the world, there is a whole new workforce forming that is defining the future of work. While it may sound great on paper (wake up when you want, work when you want and go out when you want) in reality, freelancing is challenging...

I am a failure. My side projects have not made me millions. I’ve not been featured on the App Store. I have not won Site Of The Day on Awwwards, I’ve not even had an Honourable Mention. I’m now over the hill and into my 30’s. My best is past me. I’ve failed at life. Or at least that’s how it can feel. Every day you can read articles about 20 somethings “disrupting industries” and making millions or people hitting the big time with a...

I like money. Clients give me money (when everything goes right). Ergo, therefore, and hopefully…clients = money, more clients = more money—I’m actually pretty terrible at math. When you first start out as a freelance designer or even agency, it can be pretty tempting to say “yes” to every single client that comes your way. It’s kind of like, “They have a project and a budget? Let’s do this.” However, as many designers...

“UX design doesn’t work...And it won’t make us money.” Business executives aren’t all that fond of UX design, or even design in general. It’s an incredibly common problem. Too many executives see good design as an inconvenient expense. At a certain point, executives see UX design as an unnecessary cross to bear. A burden they’re expected to tolerate. If another department needs more money in their budget, design departments...

Mass appeal is a myth. I know that goes against what we’d all like to believe, and your eternal optimist inside probably shouts, “Hey! My product is actually for everyone.” But honestly, it’s true; mass appeal is a myth. Don’t panic though… Being niche does not mean fewer paying customers. Focussing in on a niche is a good thing, scratch that, a great thing. The web today is consumer lead. It’s a buyer’s market. With so many...

It’s happened to every designer at some point: A client or co-worker makes an absolutely cringe-worthy comment about your work. Feedback is important. And often the problem with some of these elements no designer ever wants to hear is that they cause a roadblock in the communication process. So here we look at some real-world situations (with a spark of humor) and ways you can handle what comes across as tactless, thoughtless comments with...

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “Show, don’t tell.” For those of us working in creative industries, this should be your mantra when building up your résumé. With the rise of the gig-economy and freelance job platforms, which are now home to an abundance of talented freelance designers, illustrators and more, it’s essential when looking for work that you build a stand-out résumé. Before you start filling up the pages...

How does the little guy compete? How do you win against these giant companies? It’s inevitable right? The big guy always wins. Walmart decimated the Mom & Pops. Home Depot killed the local hardware stores. And now, it’s your turn. Squarespace, and Wix, and Webydo, and a dozen others are winning and putting you out of business. At least, if you and I are honest, sometimes late at night, lying in bed, it sure seems that way, right? Well, it...

Picture it: New York City, 2010; you're working full-time as a digital designer for one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. The paycheck is steady, the hours are (somewhat) flexible, and you really never have to take work home with you. To sweeten the pot, there are plenty of perks–free swag from clients and swanky company parties to enjoy. You take for granted the fact that you don't need to worry about where the work is coming from....

Getting your project organized and easily manageable is always a challenge when working as a part of a team. The problem reaches a whole new level when it concerns a creative project. Creativity blossoms the most when it’s unlimited while collaborative projects crumble without rules. So what to do with a creative agency project that requires teamwork and collaboration? Organization and leadership, if executed correctly, doesn’t...

We’ve all dreamt about working for big brands. Microsoft, Google, Apple, McDonalds, Coca-Cola…they all have one thing in common; they’re household names. But getting their attention can be tricky. Many of them hire thousands of employees and have offices all over the world. They probably hear the same pitch a hundred times from the same potential freelancer hoping to get that lucky break to create something millions of people will...

Content marketing is a marketing technique focused on creating and distributing valuable content to attract and retain visitors, and turn these visitors into customers. It has proven very effective, at least if you know what you’re doing. The advantages of content marketing are: It’s good for SEO, especially for targeting long-tail keywords. Content marketing can help attract links and improve your website’s authority in the...

There’s a tendency within the design community to depict freelancing as a goal to be achieved. Who wouldn’t want to lie in every day, do two hours of work in front of the TV, followed by an afternoon in coffee shops posing for stock photographers, all while getting paid twice your current salary, and having your pick of clients? It’s obvious to most people that freelancing isn’t a land of milk and honey; the hours are long, the future...

Building a product from scratch isn’t easy, but it can be a very rewarding process. When I had the idea for Revue, I decided to act on it immediately. Two years later, and with 20,000 users and 2 million emails per month, I can safely say that building on impulse was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I started quickly and made a lot of stuff up along the way, but I learned many lessons which I will reflect on in this article. In fact, I was inspired...