Week SIX -EXTRA

A Q&A about my freelance designing career has been published on Graphic Design Blog, you can check out my answers here. The site also has valuable information about being and becoming a graphic designer.

Freelance Design - Week SIX - 26.10.07

iStock image of the week - Under the stars

As you may have noticed this is very similar to last weeks image of the week (IOTW), but I wanted to post this as I have spent some time revising the illustration and believe that it now works far better. Tell me what you think here.

My full iStock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:
Uploads. 153
Downloads. 543

What's new?

Usually I would write about my week but I would like to add a new feature 'Whats new' which will be a small comment on current trends, new brands or anything design related worth a comment. I shall begin with the new brand revisions of Next and HMV as seen below (new versions on the right). I recently had a debate with a friend of mine who has a real annoyance towards poor use of the English language. As you can see both these companies have chosen lower case typography, I really like the alterations and think they appear cleaner, simpler and even more iconic. On the other hand my friend argues that the absence of capitals shows poor use of language and cant except the general visual appeal of these designs. I would love to hear any ones opinions on this and any other examples.

This week

I spent the early part of this week finishing the African Flow Fm identity and the banner that will feature on the website. This was followed by a flurry of e-mails about new projects mostly illustratively based which I'm currently working on quotes for. I also created the preliminary business cards for the furniture shop Redbed, after the initial concept stages a final logo has been developed and I look forward to continuing this relationship.

The week was rounded off with a meeting today with a company interested in developing a new brand and packaging, I particularly enjoy these meetings because I get some good critical feedback on my portfolio which I eagerly take on board. It's where the real business element of being freelance comes in and can be quite nerve racking but great for developing the essential skills. Hopefully it went well.

Thanks for reading.

Freelance Design - Week FIVE - 19.10.07

Istock image of the week - 50's Woman

My full istock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:
Uploads. 147
Downloads. 511

I just wanted to promote iStock a bit more as yesterday I managed 18 downloads making $25.00, a new record. What I particularly like is the continual turnover, its a great idea for freelancers that want to add a bit of additional income. As well as this you can convert your earnings to credits at a subsidised rate which is great for the profit margins on design work.

This Week

I recieved positive feedback on some brand concepts for RedBed a new furniture shop, below are some of my ideas, I really wanted to stay away from drawing a red bed and create a more homely Habitat feel. The second concept features original typography. Click for bigger pics.





I have spent most of today putting together quotes which isnt the most interesting part of being freelance and something that I have learnt as I have gone along, freelanceUk has been a very useful resource regarding the business aspect of self employment and recommend you check it out if you are a freelance or considering the move.

Thanks for reading.

Freelance Design - Week FOUR - 12.10.07

Istock image of the week - Movie Viewer Black

My full istock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:
Uploads. 143
Downloads. 465

This week

I have updated my website which now includes a variety of new work and I also hope to add a bit more in the near future. At the beginning of the week I continued with the African Flow work mentioned in my last post and wrapped up a project with Buzz Attitude. Buzz Attitude is a blog site which focuses on viral and online marketing and required a new identity, business cards and banners to match. It was a real pleasure working with this client as they were enthusiastic about my past work and trusted me to create an exciting brand icon. They were particularly interested in developing a fun and playful character but with a web 2.o feel. The business cards can be seen below.

Towards the end of this week I have been working on a new brand for a furniture shop in Nottingham, this is very exciting as there is a lot of potential for large window illustrations. No images as of yet but maybe next week.

I am currently looking for a web designer that can turn my concepts into valid cms websites, I often get requests to design websites but am not competent enough to develop my ideas in cms, php or xhtml. If you are interested in helping me and have these skills please e-mail me with samples of your work.

Thanks for reading.

Freelance Design - Week THREE - 05.10.07

Istock image of the week - Robots

My full istock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:
Uploads. 141
Downloads. 427

This week

I have been busy this week with meetings and design work. A lot is still in the early concept stage so I will stick to the one I have got a bit further on with.

I have been working with an online radio station African Flow to develop a new identity and online presence with banners and illustration. I designed their first website and the client has returned to spice up his latest cms website. Below is one of the initial identities I have come up with. It incorporates all the brief requirements and expresses the radio stations African theme through colours and illustration and has a web 2.0 feel.

I shall post some more of this work as it develops as well as the final design, I plan to have a more image rich blog in the future when my clients have released the work. My apologies for the short post this week but I must push on. Thanks for reading.