Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are you accepting new clients?
A. YES. I would love to talk with you about working together.
Q. What types of clients have you worked with?
A. I've worked with the Department of Commerce to design a website, advertising agencies to help their overflow or troubleshoot difficult projects, printing companies to produce marketing materials, publishers to produce book covers, radio stations to produce logos, charities to do all sorts of pro-bono work, musicians to do CD covers, fortune 100 companies to produce billboard advertising, private schools to produce registration materials and all sorts of other businesses to make things like menus, direct sales materials, campaign materials, kid's menus/activity sheets, posters and just about anything else one could think of that a designer might produce. I've even designed race car graphics and tattoos!
Q. When did you start freelancing?
A. In August, 1994 I started my business full-time, bought a van and welcomed our fourth child into our family.
Q. What do you charge?
A. With the 30% applied, I now charge $70 per hour, which puts me in the range of a typical "good" freelancer. It is low for what all I do.
Q. Do you require a deposit to begin work?
A. I require a deposit of $500 or one-half of expected cost, whichever is greater, at the outset of a project.
Q. What are your terms?
A. Deposit upon job placement, 30 days NET. If the client requires 60 days there is a 5% surcharge, and at 90 days there is a 10% surcharge. I simply can't afford to finance our clients in addition to giving such a large discount.
Q. Do you raise your rates often?
A. My rates will rise with the cost of living until this recession breaks, I die or the nation falls apart, whichever comes first. (Is that morbid or pessimistic?)
Q. Do you purchase printing or place advertisements for your clients?
A. No. I do not wish to upcharge clients for their printing as it isn't in their best interest for me to do that. They can get their printing done much more inexpensively if I work directly with the printer of their choosing. I am not qualified to be an ad buyer for their marketing needs so I leave that up to my clients, then work directly with the magazines, periodicals or newspapers of their choice to make sure they each receive files according to their specifications.
Q. What are your favorite clients like?
A. My favorite clients are those that hire me for the right reasons and trust me to produce the best product I can muster. They are clear with their objectives and work to build a message their intended audience will understand, not a message only they themselves comprehend.
Q. Are you a primadonna?
A. Heck yeah. And no. I do very good, well-reasoned work and treat others with the respect they deserve, and expect to be treated with the respect I earn. I know I am excellent at my craft, yet I'm more impressed with my work with kids than I am with my design and art.
Q. Who owns the files when a job is complete?
A. I retain all files and rights of usage unless it is agreed upon in writing prior to the start of a job. If the client wishes to possess the files there is a fee to be determined at the outset of the project, based upon the anticipated usage of the files.
Q. Do you know what a calendar or clock look like? So many designers have problems getting things done on time.
A. I am very strict regarding schedules. If a project is behind schedule the customer not only knows why, but also when they can expect the work to be completed.
Q. Why will you not accept religious clients?
A. Simply put, I've been burned too often and too deeply to work with them any longer. Without going deeper into it, the way my family and I have sufferred at their hands is despicable. My responsibility to care for my family prohibits me from opening them up to more abuse. If a client operates within the ethical framework that allows them to say "God has lead us to..." with a straight face before backing away from commitments they've made, that clients needs to find someone else.
Q. Do you fire clients?
A. Yes. I prize honesty and respect. If there either is lacking in a client relationship there is not much reason to continue working in such an important position as telling their story to their clients. If they lie to me or treat me poorly while I work to build them up then I can't expect them to treat their own clients any better, and life is too short to work with such people.
Q. Isn't that kind of old-fashioned?
A. Yup.
