Business / 3 Aug 2015
Where Should You Work as a Designer? 10 Things to Consider
Knowing that a design career is what you want is just the first step in the path to finding your dream job. Add in a little training and expertise and you still have some big decisions to make, because there are so many different types of places to find design work.
How do you know what type of place will be the right fit? The answer may be different for you at different stages in your life. Young designers almost always need the support of a more structured environment so they can develop, work with a team and grow. But more experienced designers may find that a smaller shop is a better option with more flexibility and control over their projects. Here, we’ll help you determine where your dream job might be — with a startup, as a freelancer, at an in-house shop or with a big firm?
Business / 15 Jul 2015
How to Create a Twitter Header Photo: Examples and Best Practices
With more than 302 million monthly users and 500 million tweets per day, chances are you are using Twitter to promote yourself, brand or business. (And if you aren’t using the 140-character platform, what are you waiting for?)
Twitter customization is a big part of your social media strategy. As a designer, creating a great header photo is an important part of the puzzle. Here we’ll take a look at ways to create a header photo and overall profile that stand out among the millions of other Twitter personalities out there and showcase a few pages for design inspiration.
Business / 14 Jul 2015
10 Smart Freelancer Tips to Use Every Day
Whether you are a full-time freelancer or it’s just a part-time gig, you need to be smart about your time and business. The most successful freelancers have developed a set of personal rules and routines that help them work efficiently and effectively.
Here, we have 10 things you can try every day to develop and train yourself to become a better freelancer. Your daily workflow is just one more tool to help you on the path to small business success.
Business / 24 Jun 2015
How Do You List Freelance Work on Your Resume? (We Have the Answer)
Congratulations, your freelance business is proving successful. But how do you handle talking about it or explaining freelance work to potential employers, or on your resume. (Because it can be a hard subject to explain as a single entry on paper. You don’t want freelance work to look like an employment gap.)
There are some things you can do to on paper (and LinkedIn) to help present freelance work in a way that is more understandable to others. The key for many freelancers – especially those working part-time – is remembering to include freelance work as part of your resume and design portfolio. Sometimes those jobs can be just the thing you need to help land the next big gig!
Business / 18 May 2015
10 Mistakes Every Designer Makes… And How to Avoid Them
We all have them – design projects we’d like to take back. Some of them you can attribute to a bad design brief or youth; others you just want to hide forever. The good news is that you can often avoid design mistakes; the bad news is that every designer will fall in at least one of these traps at some point in his or her career.
But part of the key to avoiding designer mishaps is knowing what they are, so you can be aware if you feel yourself slipping into one of these bad habits.
Business / 11 May 2015
Code Free Web Design With Webydo
Web design can sometimes be frustrating for those who are not fluent in HTML or JavaScript or other programming languages. This is especially true of responsive web design. Webydo is here to help.
The website building platform offers designers (and pretty much everyone) the opportunity to create a responsive website with a great design without knowing the first line of code. Without any technical knowledge, just about anyone can publish a website backed by a full content management system.
Business / 14 Apr 2015
How to Find a Great Freelancer (and Keep Them)
There’s a lot of conversation among freelancers about how to find clients and create business momentum. But what if you are one of those businesses looking for a freelancer? How can you find someone qualified to work on your projects? And how can you keep them working for you?
That can be a tough question to answer. There are plenty of freelancers in the marketplace, looking to work for you. Today, we’ll help you find them.
Business / 13 Apr 2015
Introducing Media Temple’s WordPress Hosting
We’ve hosted Design Shack with Media Temple for years. So we were very pleased when they came to us, and asked us to take a look at their new managed WordPress hosting solution.
Media Temple’s new full-featured WordPress hosting solution features four new, customizable and scalable plans. Whether you’re a photographer, web designer or creative agency, there’s a plan that should work for you. Today we’re taking a look at this new hosting product, to see how it stacks up!
Business / 8 Apr 2015
15 Things Every Young Designer Needs to Know
Let’s welcome the class of 2015 to the design marketplace. It’s a bright, big, new and scary world out there for the thousands of design grads grasping their diplomas wondering what to do next. (Get a job!)
As we look forward to the new talent entering the marketplace, we also have a few bits of advice for every young designer looking to make his or her mark. It’s a tough and wonderful world out there; welcome to the adventure.
Business / 27 Mar 2015
Why Good Website Design Matters for Every Business
Almost every business or individual working in today’s market has a website. Sadly, a large number of these websites are poorly designed or come straight from a WordPress template; this is not going to help you stand out or get ahead.
Good website design is a must in today’s highly visual market. The way your site looks tells users whether they want to interact or do business with you in just a fraction of a second. One glance can turn someone into a customer, or force that person to click away. (As a bonus, today’s post is filled with website design inspiration from the Design Shack gallery. Enjoy!)
Business / 23 Mar 2015
5 Ways Freelancers Can Actually Make Money
Many designers dream about the freelance lifestyle. What’s not to love about taking only projects you love, or working in your pajamas, or being your own boss? But it can be a hard road. Many freelancers break off on their own only to later return to a firm or company because it can be tough to make enough money to support your lifestyle.
Building a reputable freelancer business takes time, work and a lot of dedication. While the pay is not always steady, you can earn a living off freelance projects.
Business / 19 Mar 2015
How to Design a Killer Annual Report
Regardless of when your company’s fiscal year ends, you probably want to start thinking about the dreaded annual report today. Yes, “dreaded.” But it does not have to be. While annual reports are often seen as a design drag, there are plenty of ways to turn this report into a fun and memorable design project. And with better design comes more reading and retention, two positives for your brand.
You need to start thinking about it now. Don’t wait until the report hits your desk to determine a design strategy. Start talking to your team about your story for the year and how to create an annual report that will get people talking.
The best agencies choose Code My Views to deliver amazing digital products and experiences. Focus on the creative and let us handle the code.