VESSEL CREATIONS

Why a freelancer?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:50:00 +0000

It is common for some clients to feel reluctant about hiring a freelance designer as opposed to a design company, but there are a lot of advantages to hiring a freelance designer:

Cost.

Hiring a freelance designer allows you to have a better control over the budget andcontrol costs. Many freelancersare very affordable and provide their services for a fraction of the cost of anemployee or a design/advertising firm. This is because freelance work is typically very competitive—there is little job security, and freelancers must prove themselves with each and every job. Also, remember that you won’t be paying benefits, providing office space, or purchasing equipment for afreelancer.

Timeliness.

Often times, freelancers tend to be a lot more flexible when it comes to design ideas and time lines. They make sure they offer their clients flexible service in order to meet their design needs. Moreover, freelancers are used to working nights, weekends and holidays, so that big job that has to be done by Monday morning may not be a problem when it’s assigned to a freelancer Friday afternoon.

Outside the Box.

Freelancers won’t have the “blinders” that your employees may have after years at the company, and won’t be “too close to the subject” to offer fresh ideas and insight.

Reliability & Peace of Mind.

When a client chooses to hire a freelance designer, he/she can thoroughly look atthe portfolio and decide if that’s the kind of work that he/she is looking foror not. With a freelance designer (once hired), clients can expect the same person to start and finish their projects and continue to provide the equivalent caliber of designs based on the quality of the samples in their portfolio. Since freelance designers work for themselves, they are not going toquit the job or fire themselves. Which means quality of work will not change because the hired freelancer is the only one who will be working on theproject.

Expertise & Quality.

A good freelancer is a highly qualified professional. Good freelance designers know how to research, analyze, compile this information into comprehensive concepts and have a final product that successfully communicates in acreative/innovative way. Just because someone is a freelancer doesn’t mean they’re less qualified. Most freelancers bring skills as good as, even better than, a full-time employee, because they are constantly sharpening them in the ever changing and competitive market. Again because of the competitive nature of the freelance market, freelancers must prove themselves with each and every job by providing the best quality service and designs that they can offer.

Background.

Freelancers come from a diverse and varied background. Because they work with so many different kinds of clients, they have to be comfortable in a wide variety of industries and with subjects they know nothing about. They are generally fast learners, quick on their feet, and may bring a unique perspective to your company and its needs. There are many talented freelancers out there; most possess a college degree in Graphic Design, which will bring an entire higher level of design expertise and quality compared to their competitors.

3 Tips for Getting Better Freelance Design (A Parable)

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Found this interesting article and wanted to share this information to help inspire some productive meetings and successful projects.

3 Tips for Getting Better Freelance Design (A Parable)

by Hal Thomas,

I walked into my local coffee shop, excited to be meeting with a prospective client who had contacted me only days before. I introduced myself to Jill (not her real name); we ordered lattes and sat down to talk.

Jill told me about a new company she was launching. She said she would need a logo, business cards, a brochure and a web site with e-commerce features and a registered user section. And she needed it all in four weeks. After Jill gave me a few more of the project details I asked her, “What it your budget for this project?”

Jill seemed flabbergasted. After hemming and hawing for a few minutes, she finally responded to my question with a question of her own: “What is your hourly rate?”

Me: “I prefer to quote projects based on a price for the total job rather than by the hour. I’ve found it usually works out better for both me and my clients that way.”

Jill: “But if you had to charge by the hour, what would you charge?”

Me: “No less than $100 an hour. Maybe more for the web site coding. Depends on who is available to slice and code it on such a tight deadline.”

Jill: “You mean you don’t do all the web design yourself?”

Me: “No ma’am. Have you seen my portfolio or been to my web site?”

Jill: “I’ve been meaning to. I’ve been so busy I just haven’t had a chance yet.”

---

As a result of the current economic challenges, we are all looking for places to save money, and using a freelance designer versus having a full-time staff person is now a serious consideration for many churches. Contracting freelance design can seem like an intimidating process to the uninitiated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Churches can learn from Jill’s mistakes, as they are the same ones churches often make when they contract freelance design, as evidenced by my own experience and a number of the projects listed in the Freelance Lab. Follow these three tips the next time you have to outsource a design project and you’ll already be ahead of the curve.

Ask to See a Portfolio

Jill could have saved herself time and money by simply looking at my portfolio. This may sound like a no-brainer, but you would not believe how many times I meet with prospective clients who have not taken the time look at my past projects. If you are looking to outsource a redesign of your church’s web site, look for portfolios that are are heavy with web site design. If you are looking for logo design for a new ministry, look for portfolios that showcase multiple logo designs. This is really about making sure the freelancer you contract has the chops to do the job.

Be Up Front About Your Budget

Jill’s response to my question about the budget for her project was understandable for someone who doesn’t regularly contract freelance services. After all, no one wants to get "milked" for every penny possible! But the reality is that the possibilities for Jill’s project were, to a large degree, infinitely scalable. For me this was (and always is) less about money and more about beginning to define the scope of the project. It helps me to better estimate the time/work required. And because few designers want to get stuck on a project that never seems to end, most will give you a better price quoting by the job rather than by the hour.

Be Realistic About Your Time Frame

My first real red flag was when Jill said she needed everything in four weeks. I knew that was going to be a real challenge, and because it would be a rush job it would not be cheap: lots of long hours and late nights--time spent away from those I love. Not to mention the cost of the work that I would have to subcontract.

Tight deadlines are a ministry reality churches have to contend with. But because they don’t often outsource design, many churches consistently underestimate the amount of time that goes into creating something original. The more time a client can give themselves to collaborate with their designer, the greater the chances that the best design solution can be reached. (After all, who desperately wants results described as "the best we could do on such short notice?")

At the end of the day, the best client-designer relationships are not unlike the best relationships found within the body of Christ: they are based on mutual respect, trust and a common goal that brings them together. Cultivate these types of relationships and you'll get better results from your freelance design projects.

Posted by Guest Blogger at April 20, 2009 5:05 AM

Quoted from http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2009/04/3_tips_for_gett.html#more

Think Perseverance

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:31:45 +0000

Are you in a place where you could use more business?
The fields are ripe for the harvest.

A downturn in the economy can cause alarm for businesses to cut expenses in different areas, including advertising a real mistake. Downturns are unpopular and seem like a difficult time to diversify, but there are prime opportunities out there to be taken and expanded.

TNS Intersearch, a world leader in market research & business information services, determined that discounting advertising not only reduces a brand's presence before the consumer, but actively helps the competition, which then gains a greater share of voice with out increasing advertising expenditures.

Economic downturns can be fruitful opportunities and can benefit resilient marketing strategies; here are some cases in point:

A slow economy forces people to reassess what represents a good value.
Consumers and prospects begin to reexamine their brand preference to find out if there is something else out there that will get them all the benefits of their preferred brand at less cost. Good time to stand out from the competitors and offer something new with a cost benefit. Get the message out why your product or service is different from the competitors and why they should invest in your business. Bargain shoppers can lead to the most loyal and repeatable business, plus they will share the great deals that they find with their friends.

During a slow economy, many companies and businesses go into head-in-the-sand mode.
When the competition cuts back on their marketing/advertising it is the opportune moment for other businesses to stay the course or increase their marketing budget. Due to an increase in marketing a business can easily dominate its given marketplace and/or drastically increase its brand awareness. As a business, if you are reluctant to buy or use a service that you have never heard of, why would a consumer? Get out there and make a statement.

Consumers expect specials and incentive offers during a slow economy.
This is the time to be active and use smart promotions and creative with ways to intrigue the attraction of reluctant buyers. People know times are tough for companies too, so they will be expecting an offer they can't refuse. So, give them one. Again, those bargain shoppers will most likely come back and tell their friends.

By staying aggressive and having a presence with focused marketing strategies during an economic slowdown, the return on the investment for such tenacity has a higher likelihood to be more successful than efforts in the good times.

Vessel Creations understands the importance and benefit of an effective marketing strategy that doesn't break the budget. In order to reduce your stress and to help assist you on refocusing your marketing efforts, we would like to be a part of your marketing solutions. Please feel free to contact us about your marketing needs and how we can assist you!

Thanks!
-Angi

angi@vesselcreations.com

The Importance of a Logo and Marketing Materials

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:14:00 +0000

The initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes new small business owners to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally "until they get a few clients" or "until they get started." Unfortunately, designing their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses instead of having them professionally created will make getting those initial clients more difficult and may result in a business that will not succeed.

Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses, especially by creating their first business card. Or sometimes they will have an amateur designer, friend, or relative create the design. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea. An amateur logo design and business card can make your business more likely to fail for a number of reasons.

Your business will not look stable. It will appear to be more likely to fold or to fail. Clients will not have confidence in doing business with you. Would you do business with someone who seems to be on unstable footing and who might not be in business by the end of your project or after you have purchased an item?

You will look like a very small business. Large, successful businesses would never consider doing business without professional, originally designed marketing materials. Using materials that are not professionally designed (i.e., Microsoft or Vistaprint templates) makes your business appear even smaller and can possibly indicate that you cannot perform to or meet the standards required.

You will look unpolished and rough. Not having a professional "look and feel" can make it appear as though your business does not matter to you. Customers may get the impression that you do not care about the way your business presents itself, which might indicate that you would not care about the quality of your work or the way that your work reflects upon their business.

You will look unfocused. Unprofessional, uncoordinated marketing materials can make your business look "jumbled" or confused. If you have a business card with one look and feel and a Web site with another, this creates a confused -- and confusing -- look and feel for your business. This can also cause an identity crisis for a small business. When looking at your differently designed materials, potential clients may be fooled into thinking that they are looking at materials that represent different companies.

bout half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that is commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective marketing. If your marketing materials do not stand out from those of your competitors, your sales will suffer.

When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business's visibility, credibility, and memorability -- three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting off the ground. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed.

If you think that you can't afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes -- how can you afford not to?

-Erin Ferree
Small Business Brand Designer

Importance of a Graphic Designer

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:41:51 +0000

Whether we notice it or not, we face design everywhere which creates a split second impact on the viewer. This impact will influence us in what we buy, what we think and even what we do. Good business strategy involves an ongoing graphic design program because of the importance that the design role plays in our everyday decision making. Having or creating an ongoing design program that communicates a clear, and constant image of your company and or product will successfully distinguish you from your competition. Design strategies guide the appearance of everything from printed materials, logos, signage, packaging, presentation materials and exhibits.

Vessel Creations can work alongside a well-established design program or simply produce one or two small pieces. Vessel Creations is a valuable asset in getting the maximum impact for your message by having an expertise in both technical and aesthetic aspects of communications problem solving. Angi Gahler, founder and head graphic designer, has a multifaceted work experience and is educated in the impact and use of color, type, illustration, photography, printing techniques and other elements of design and production.