An article from Graphics.com on promoting yourself as a freelancer

Successful Freelancing: Creating "Brand You"

Most of you will be doing at least some freelancing when you graduate. Many of you will be freelancing full-time. This article has some good advice as you begin thinking about the process of making yourself into a business.

Some more career stats

The national Bureau of Labor Statistics sees graphic designers in a real growth mode. 

The graphic designer page is here>

It is saying that there are 261,000 graphic designers now with 25% freelancing full-time and many more doing it in addition to their other jobs.

They see 26,000 new positions by 2016.

Median salary a hair under $40,000

Adding writing and editing skills increases your value quite a bit and opens up more possibilities

If you can stand to program, code, and manage data:

Adding programming & database management skills (web developers & webmasters) can double your pay and you enter one of the fastest growing segments of employment with over 200,00 new positions expected in the next 7-8 years. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition,Computer Scientists and Database Administrators, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos042.htm (visited January 29, 2009).

How to make a bad Website

This is today's article from Site Pro News: They have excellent articles, almost daily. This just makes a good check list to make sure you are not messing up. How to Create a Bad Website and Frustrate Your Visitors  By Jason OConnor (c) 2009

If you're a sadistic kind of webmaster or website owner and have a burning desire to royally frustrate and anger your site visitors each and every time they visit your site, these three lists are just for you. If you want to have a terrible website that looks bad, works horribly and breaks fundamental marketing rules, read on.

First let me explain why there are three lists. One way to look at any website is to break it up into three equally important segments; design, technical and marketing. In other words, every site on the Web contains these three components. They all have a design or look and feel (design), they all have to be on a server and coded properly to be live on the Internet (technical) and they all have ways in which they attract visitors and make sales (marketing).

Let's look at the top ten ways in which you can annoy your website visitors and basically fail miserably at the whole website endeavor in each of the three segments. The following is a líst, broken up into the three categories, defining exactly what NOT to do.

Top 10 Web Design Mistakes:

1. Not using Web conventions, instead use crazy and wacky formats that no one's ever seen and no one can understand.

2. Writing trite, predictable, boring or copied content only and not updating your site.

3. Creating totally different and unique navigation for every page so that your visitors need to waste time re-learning your navigation every time they go to a new page. Also creating totally different look & feels for every page so that your visitors don't know if they're on the same site or clicked away.

4. Using confusing, obfuscated and mysterious labels for all your links and buttons so that no one ever has any idea where they're going if they click. The more confusing, the better.

5. Making it impossible to search the site. Offering no search box, no site map and basically no possible way to find anything on your website.

6. Including content that only talks about you. Not mentioning anything about your visitors or how you can help them, just talk about you and your history and all your achievements. Including a big picture of you and your office building right on the home page.

7. Including only poorly-written copy with lots of grammar mistakes, and ubiquitous, curious and horrendous spelling and punctuation mistakes throughout your site.

8. Not including any text. Making every page on your site one big picture. So for instance, on your home page have one giant picture of you and your office building and have no text so search engines can't see your site at all.

9. Using buttons for your navigation only, or use complicated JavaScript drop down menus that complicate your site's navigation. Either way, if you do this and include no text links, the search engines won't be able to spider (navigate and record) your website.

10. Making your site as difficult to read as possible. Use teeny, tiny fonts that are hard to read against some funky-colored background. For instance, use blue fonts on a black background.

Top 10 Technical Mistakes:

1. Making your website take forever to load in people's browsers. The longer the better.

2. Making it so that your site looks completely different on everybody's computer. So for Macs your site looks one way, and for PCs it looks another way. Or having it look totally different in Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox.

3. Making it so that any functionality on the site is confusing to figure out and works improperly and inconsistently every time it's used.

4. Including lots of broken links and missing images throughout.

5. Setting it up so that it regularly crashes. For example, if more than three people are visiting the site at the same time, the home page becomes inaccessible.

6. Has no form validation. Allowing visitors to enter any thing under the sun into your website forms. Maybe some smart hacker-types will enter executable code that corrupts or takes over your server.

7. Making all your site visitors have to download and install lots of plug-ins to view your site properly. If they don't, too bad.

8. Telling people that they have to view your site in a specific browser and browser version only.

9. Making it so that there are tons of pop-ups, moving newsletter sign-up boxes, running videos, animations and Flash movies that take forever to download before you can view the site.

10. Using lots of frames.

Top Ten E-Marketing Mistakes:

1. Making your website completely bounce-friendly. In other words, make it 'un-sticky' so that when people arrive on one of your pages, they leave immediately.

2. Including no calls to action so that your site doesn't ever ask your website visitors to do a thing. Making it so that every page is a dead end that leaves your visitors scratching their heads and then clicking away.

3. Does absolutely nothing to build your brand.

4. Has no terms or policies page.

5. Evoke no emotions. Making your site flat, boring, gray, dull and forgettable.

6. Making sure there is no way for anyone who visits your site to sign up for anything or give you their contact info or email address. Certainly don't use your site to build any kind of email líst.

7. Converting absolutely no one who visits your site into a paying customer. Ever.

8. Including no phone number, email and absolutely no other way to contact you. Hide behind your website.

9. Not using any kind of an analytics program like Google Analytics or Web Trends and not measuring or even looking at your website activity.

10. Making it so that search engine can't read your site and make it so that people can't really read your site either.

Follow these three lists perfectly and you'll be well on your way to having a bad and useless website and frustrating and angering everyone who visits.

About The Author
Jason OConnor owns and operates Oak Web Works, LLC, www.jasonoconnor.com and writes a periodic, free web design and marketing newsletter www.thenetgazette.net .

SALARY & JOB OUTLOOK FOR ARTISTS

I found this link this morning... Much here applies to you as MSB Graduates.

http://edu.artbistro.com/articles/282-salary_and_job_outlook_for_artists

 

Here are the highlits that apply to us:

________________________________________________________________

SALARY & JOB OUTLOOK FOR ARTISTS

Significant Points
* About 63 percent of artists and related workers are self-employed.

* Keen competition is expected for both salaried jobs and freelance work; the number of qualified workers exceeds the number of available openings because the arts attract many talented people with creative ability. 

* Artists usually develop their skills through a bachelor’s degree program or other post-secondary training in art or design.

* Earnings for self-employed artists vary widely; some well-established artists earn more than salaried artists, while others find it difficult to rely solely on income earned from selling art.

Nature of the Work
Artists create art to communicate ideas, thoughts, or feelings. They use a variety of methods—painting, sculpting, or illustration—and an assortment of materials, including oils, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, pencils, pen and ink, plaster, clay, and computers. Artists’ works may be realistic, stylized, or abstract and may depict objects, people, nature, or events.

Artists generally fall into one of four categories. Art directors formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media. Craft artists create or reproduce handmade objects for sale or exhibition. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators create original artwork, using a variety of media and techniques. Multi-media artists and animators create special effects, animation, or other visual images on film, on video, or with computers or other electronic media.

Art directors develop design concepts and review material that is to appear in periodicals, newspapers, and other printed or digital media. They decide how best to present the information visually, so that it is eye catching, appealing, and organized. Art directors decide which photographs or artwork to use and oversee the layout design and production of the printed material. They may direct workers engaged in artwork, layout design, and copywriting.

Working Conditions

Many artists work in fine- or commercial-art studios located in office buildings, warehouses, or lofts. Others work in private studios in their homes. Some fine artists share studio space, where they also may exhibit their work. Studio surroundings usually are well lighted and ventilated; however, fine artists may be exposed to fumes from glue, paint, ink, and other materials and to dust or other residue from filings, splattered paint, or spilled fluids. Artists who sit at drafting tables or who use computers for extended periods may experience back pain, eyestrain, or fatigue.

Artists employed by publishing companies, advertising agencies, and design firms generally work a standard workweek. During busy periods, they may work overtime to meet deadlines. Self-employed artists can set their own hours, but may spend much time and effort selling their artwork to potential customers or clients and building a reputation.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Postsecondary training is recommended for all artist specialties. 

Formal educational programs in art also provide training in computer techniques. Computers are used widely in the visual arts, and knowledge and training in computer graphics and other visual display software are critical elements of many jobs in these fields.

Art directors usually begin as entry-level artists in advertising, publishing, design, and motion picture production firms. Artists are promoted to art director after demonstrating artistic and leadership abilities. Some art schools offer coursework in art direction as part of postsecondary training.

Evidence of appropriate talent and skill, displayed in an artist’s portfolio, is an important factor used by art directors, clients, and others in deciding whether to hire an individual or to contract out work. The portfolio is a collection of handmade, computer-generated, photographic, or printed samples of the artist’s best work. Assembling a successful portfolio requires skills usually developed through postsecondary training in art or visual communications. Internships also provide excellent opportunities for artists to develop and enhance their portfolios.

Many artists freelance on a part-time basis while continuing to hold a full-time job until they are established. Others freelance part time while still in school, to develop experience and to build a portfolio of published work.

Freelance artists try to develop a set of clients who regularly contract for work. Some freelance artists are widely recognized for their skill in specialties such as cartooning or children’s book illustration. These artists may earn high incomes and can choose the type of work they do.

Employment

Artists held about 208,000 jobs in 2004. Sixty-three percent were self-employed. Employment was distributed as follows:

Multi-media artists and animators 94,000 Art directors 71,000 Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators 29,000 Artists and related workers, all other 8,500 Craft artists 6,100

Of the artists who were not self-employed, many worked in advertising and related services; newspaper, periodical, book, and software publishers; motion picture and video industries; specialized design services; and computer systems design and related services. Some self-employed artists offered their services to advertising agencies, design firms, publishing houses, and other businesses on a contract or freelance basis.

Job Outlook
Employment of artists and related workers is expected to grow about as fast as average for all occupations through the year 2014. However, the competition for jobs is expected to be keen for both salaried and freelance jobs in all specialties, because the number of qualified workers exceeds the number of available openings. Also, because the arts attract many talented people with creative ability, the number of aspiring artists continues to grow. Employers in all industries should be able to choose from among the most qualified candidates.

Art directors work in a variety of industries, such as advertising, public relations, publishing, and design firms. Despite an expanding number of opportunities, they should experience keen competition for the available openings.

The growth in computer graphics packages and stock art Web sites is making it easier for writers, publishers, and art directors to create their own illustrations. As the use of this technology grows, there will be fewer opportunities for illustrators. One exception is the small number of medical illustrators, who will be in greater demand to illustrate journal articles and books as medical research continues to grow.

Salaried cartoonists will have fewer job opportunities because many newspapers and magazines are increasingly relying on freelance work. In addition, many cartoonists are opting to post their work on political Web sites and online publications. As online posting of cartoons increases, many are creating animated or interactive images to satisfy readers’ demands for more sophisticated cartoons.

Earnings

Median annual earnings of salaried art directors were $63,840 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $47,890 and $88,120. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,500, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $123,320. Median annual earnings were $66,900 in advertising and related services.

Earnings for self-employed artists vary widely. Some charge only a nominal fee while they gain experience and build a reputation for their work. Others, such as well-established freelance fine artists and illustrators, can earn more than salaried artists. Many, however, find it difficult to rely solely on income earned from selling paintings or other works of art. Like other self-employed workers, freelance artists must provide their own benefits.

 

I thought this might be of use...

--

David Bergsland

 

Bergsland Design

http://bergsland.org

 

Bergsland Type foundry

http://bergsland.org/fonts.html

 

Typography blog:

http://bergsland.blogspot.com/

Quote of the day

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." ~Henry Ford

More Positive News

StarTribune, dateline Dec 29, 2008... "While 3M, Andersen Corp., Hutchinson Technology, Best Buy, Tenant, Graco, Pentair and other big-name Minnesota-based companies shed 7,000 workers since September, dozens of small Minnesota manufacturers are growing and hiring." These small companies are thriving because they tend to be innovative and offer customized services.
In the same Business section of the strib is an article about Creatis, a creative and marketing staffing and services company. They supply creative and marketing pros to work on- or off-site for a client. With 110 full-time graphics and other professional people on staff, their revenue is growing.
Think Positive!

Advertising budgets

Many companies approach a downturn in the economy by slashing their advertising budgets. Their thought process is "where can we cut something that's non-essential". A wise business will maintain their advertising to keep their products in front of the people. In an article in the StarTribune last week (about 12/18/2008) General Mills was seen increasing their advertising expenses. Sure their products are every day needs to begin with but they were introducing new items and maintaining the exposure of existing items. The result is that their revenues are not only keeping up with most other food suppliers but are actually increasing/growing.
More reason to believe that with intelligent leadership businesses can turn this economy around. It's not just up to the federal government to bail us out.