I have a confession to make. I've been designing web sites for almost 15 years, in a variety of capacities, and I had never once logged my actual working hours... until late December of 2009, when I met Freckle, Amy Hoy and company's latest app. Oh, I had an awareness of how long things took, of cou…
Nerdburn - Web application & graphic user interface design blog by Shawn Adrian
Web site design by Shawn Adrian & friends
Blog posts in Tips For Freelancers
Time Tracking - Hassle or Help? Freckle Enlightens
Posted March 3, 2010
QuoteRobot: Helping Designers Create Quotes & Win Jobs
Posted January 4, 2010
My good friend Jon and I have been working over the holidays on a dream of mine I had a couple of years ago called QuoteRobot. It's a web app we're building that will help designers and coders create quotes and win jobs, and we're both pretty excited about it.
I figured I'd post about it and show a …
Most People Want to Pay Monthly for Web Design
Posted October 31, 2009
As a freelance web designer, I'm always thinking of ways to smooth out the natural ups and downs of project based income. One of the ideas I've been toying with for a while is offering to build websites for a monthly cost, rather than an up front cost to the client. My research about this produced s…
Freelance Designers - How to Level Income With Ongoing Contracts
Posted October 2, 2009
As a freelance web designer, one of the trickiest skills to master is maintaining a steady flow of cash. In years past, friends used to chide me about my "feast or famine" way of life. I've learned a few things since then about keeping things steady, and have written about this subject before, but t…
5 Ways I Use Google Docs as a Freelance Web Designer
Posted April 26, 2009
I never intended to become an advocate for Google Docs, and I'll probably write web apps to accommodate my needs some day, but lately I've found myself using Google Docs every day, without ever intending to depend on it. As a freelance web designer, it's an excellent tool I use to operate my day to …
Ballpark Proves There's Room for Another Invoicing App
Posted April 11, 2009
Today I learned an interesting lesson I thought I'd write about. I signed up for Ballpark, the terrific new app from Metalab Designs in Victoria, right in my backyard, and was duly impressed. I, like many of you I'm sure, have thought about creating a new invoicing app but didn't for whatever reason…
Average Web Designer Incomes: How To Set Your Freelance Hourly Rate
Posted October 22, 2008
Like many freelancers, when I decided to go full time freelance back in March of 2007, I was unsure what to charge. After polling my freelance friends and other designers and doing a little googling, I discovered the amazing rates calculator on Freelance Switch and personally determined that I shoul…
Freelancers: Two Methods for Making Sales the Easy Way
Posted September 20, 2008
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs I was constantly told, "You can have the best product in the world, but if nobody knows about it you're still going to be broke." The point is, if you're going to succeed in this (or any) business, you need to be in the business of selling.
So, what are you se…
Mastering Meetings - 10 Tips for Freelance Web Designers
Posted July 25, 2008
If time really equals money, then I've spent a decent amount of money purchasing awkward silence with strangers over the years. What I'm talking about is the minor panic evoked by a sudden realization that I'm sitting across the table from a total stranger and neither of us has anything more to say,…
Maintaining a Regular Income as a Freelance Web Designer
Posted July 10, 2008
Most freelance web designers would agree; one of the greatest discomforts of freelancing is the lack of a regular paycheck. I was recently hired as a user interface designer for Wesabe, a site that helps people track their finances, and an interesting side effect of that has been me spending a lot o…
Sample Web Design Contract, Budget, Timeline & Proposal
Posted June 25, 2008
In my previous article I offered my thoughts on how to make it as a freelance web designer. One of the things I mentioned was the need for a solid contract and proposal so here I offer my contract and proposal templates, free for your use.
About The Downloads
I'm not sure where the contract came fro…
Tips on How to Be a Freelance Web Designer
Posted June 23, 2008
Before I took the plunge and went freelance full time in March of 2007, I was a little nervous. How would I survive without a cushy agency job? Could I sell myself to potential clients as easily as I could sell an entire agency of talent? How would I find work? What about stability?
I've learned a f…
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About The Author
Shawn is a 28 year old freelance graphic and web application designer in Vancouver, BC, Canada. His other project is called QuoteRobot and it's coming soon!
Categories
- Code (2)
- General (13)
- Tips For Freelancers (12)
- User Interface Design (12)
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Nerdburn - Web application & graphic user interface design blog by Shawn Adrian
Tweets
- These are your users... read and be horrified - http://bit.ly/bPvjYB (via @smashingmag) Hilarious and sad!
- @designshard feel like helping my wife (a new designer) get going? RT http://exching.com ~ her first app :)
- exching: buy / sell used clothes and accessories ~ just launched this for my wife (her first app) ~ http://exching.com ~ please RT
Friends
Here are some links to people I work with and respect:
Blossom Effect (my wife)
Geek For Brains
Aunfin
Niklas Industries
Hail To The Heat
Null Creations
Overmind Productions
Nathan Crause
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