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Lesson Info

Basic Collateral Needs for Freelancers

Our two packaging yourself so, like we mentioned you now, you know, you're really rate, you know what you're worth, you have rationale for that, you know how to describe yourself, right? And now we're going to talk about basic collateral that you need to put the word out there, we're going to talk about how to create just a very simple design system and some rules for that. I think when you're first starting out it's like, oh, you know, you kind of agonized like what's in my business card say, what did it look like on day? I want to make that really simple for you guys? Um also, uh, we're going to talk to a really good friend of mine sharing cassim, and we're going to give you some tips on making sure that whatever it is that you're putting out there now reads tio to your potential audience like that's, what you want to do, it's basically going to be like someone else proof, reading your work and being and and helping you kind of clarify we're also going to do it in class critique on, ...

we'll have some brave volunteers, and I'm very appreciative for their willingness to participate, and then we're going to talk about a few other touch points that you might want to consider that are outside of this basic collateral set um so where can I find you right how do I find out more about you that's kind of what I asked you guys in the previous segment um and I think there's five things that you're going to need um to have to be able to answer that question in a variety of circumstances so one is a website you have to have a web site you know if you're not willing to make a website for your work there's portfolio sites that are out there and I'm perfectly ok with that but your work has to be online um do you guys would you go to a restaurant that you okay when you go to a restaurant that your friend recommended to you without looking at the web site probably right I might write I really like you said this place was great fine would you go to a website that would you go to a restaurant where it wasn't a personal recommendation but just something that you like googled on yelp without going to the website? Less likely right? So you maybe still would you definitely wouldn't but it's less likely right? It's it's the web is how we wonder how we research on dh make business decisions and it's it's very common you got to put your work out there for people to see even if you're a print designer all you print designers out there right the next his business cards you have to have a business card I think people debate this too should I have a business card or not? I think there's two things that are really important about having a business card one is it's going to make you feel legit? You're going to feel a jet hey like I did this this is me now right and to their there are those times when a business card is really useful I took a lift the other day and I was going to a friend's birthday party and got to talking to the driver the driver said oh you know, uh where you going? And I said I'm going to a friend's birthday party and he said, oh that's cool and and he said the I only to lift part time and I said what what else do you do? And he said, I'm freelance designer and I said, well, what? You know what? What kind of work do you do? And he said, well, I really I'm interested in food um and the birthday party that I was going to was for my friend david, who runs noise thirteen here in san francisco and she she has she runs, I think it's the raw food she participates heavily in the raw food movement and she has several clients and food and several other really diverse clients to but the point is I said to the guy, do you have a business card? And he said, no, and I don't have any way to like, I'm not going to like, remember his aim or write it down, you know what I mean? Like, it was his moment to sell me and, you know, he he was embarrassed that he didn't have a business card and I totally get it. And there are times in my life when I haven't had a business card either, but you got to put that in your in your backpack or your purse or your wallet or whatever it is and always have one handy because that's part of the hustle, right, it's saying, you know, if he had a business card, he could have easily said, like, hey, you know, let me give you my card, and I would have gone and looked at his web site, and I would have told dave that, you know, if she was hiring, so you just those opportunities are going to happen for you and you should be prepared groups we double we went twice as fast. So resume is the next one. You know, it's, if you are working for yourself and your working by project and you know that's pretty much what you're going to d'oh it's highly unlikely that you're going to need a resume, but if you're going to take a contract somewhere and work as you know, on an hourly rate it's not uncommon for people to ask you for your resume could be part of the legal process of how they on board you you know, to their system and it's also a great way to keep track of stuff um, you know, even for yourself, so always having up to date resume the next islington lincoln is like yelp, but for business you have to be on linked in I think this is massively important, right? It's massively important in terms of business development for you, it's massively important in terms of, uh you know, and I say business development because that may be the opening tio have a meeting with someone that you wouldn't otherwise be able to get in contact with people are going to research you on linked in so you got to put your stuff up there and the last is your big now, right? Oh, I love that because we're ready down your big mouth that's also um yeah, so you are you have to tell people you have to tell people that you're doing this especially for making a career transition people may not know that you know and I think if if it's friends or acquaintances they want to see you through that transition you know what I mean it's like oh gosh, you're freelancing now that's so great like my mom you know needs a logo or I'm just not me the logo but but an example like that they may think of someone that they know and be able to refer you right so this is my website it's really simple it's got my name it's got my job functions so the things that I d'oh it has my about statement that we all wrote awesome right? Um it's got some projects and it it has this deeper about so this this more full bio and that's it really, really simple it's helvetica it's black and it's gray and that's it and that's on purpose for me um and you know it has one of my posters on we're going to talk about how to create a system like that for yourselves later but really simple really straightforward but I'm reiterating the things that I've committed tio about my business and who I am right? Well and my contact information always put your contact information um I use square space for my portfolio I there was a period in my life when I called myself a web designer and I made a lot of money doing that and it was really great and squarespace could easily put me out of business it is so easy for I it's took me like a day to make my website that is not that up until square space or things like wicks or there's other ones that was not a common experience and um you know and I think especially for people that don't have an interactive background a tool like this makes it really is you have no excuse not toe not tohave a website or have your work online this's my business card it's also really simple again I'm I'm kind of creating this simple design language but I'm using it consistent consistently just my name I don't even say what I dio right because because I did a lot of things I know because I went from from I went from blake design for designer to like nothing right because I'm telling you on you know on my website what ideo I'm telling you when I meet you um and um and so you know I decided to just not even put anything on there um name email address and then portfolio you are oh right that's it I really I just say I really like that because to me that sort of speaks about your style speaks about your style it speaks about yeah like unspoken thing that I'm picking up on visually about you yeah on and you're not pitching holing yourself and you know yes very it's very sophisticated yeah, so you're also like simple you know, I I like I do like like very simple aesthetic so you know, business card is a place where where you have potential to give someone an experience I think laura who I mentioned earlier she's actually she did it isn't scarred class um and I think uh that's a awesome class to take and think about but but I think that business cards are they're an opportunity for nothing to happen right? But there's also an opportunity to give a person and experience eso don't design like something junkie you know what I mean don't don't have anything printed that's that's junkie you know ah they serve a functional purpose of the contact information but they can be something really more more special and it doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be over designed like nice paper you know, a thick card when you get a sick cardio like, oh cool right it like feels different you know? It makes an impression and you have the opportunity to do that. So my name my email address my portfolio you're all because my resume um also uh you know, very simple, very straightforward but what I want to share with you guys is you know, again I'm using the all caps helvetica, right? And I'm talking about how I'm employed, right? I think especially when you move into freelance you're like how do I put that on my resume? You know what I mean? It's not it's, not a full time job or, you know, I don't know how to describe that, so I just say I'm a consultant that's what I'm doing now, right? Or I'm a freelancer or whatever that isthe I could say self employed there instead, and I'm talking about a client he's air there because I want people I'm not going to tell everybody everything that I'm working on, and in fact I'm not even going to tell you half the things that I work on, but I want whoever is reading my resume to be impressed by what's on there. So if I say that I want to work for startups and fortune five hundred companies, I better say who those companies are right on dh and I'm I'm trying to impress the reader and be like, ok, you know, she's legit, right? Um again email address and portfolio you earl so this is my linked in um, and the reason I bring linked in up is s so that we can focus on the top part there, so I say creative direction brown and user experience that's what I work on, but I have seen lots of people on lleyton put something like this experienced freelance illustrator seeking new opportunities very cool, right? Like, this is what I'm doing now, and I'm using linked in tow work just a little bit harder for me to let people know that, that I'm putting myself out there. Um, and it definitely piques my interest. And I think when you do this, it it creates a news story, you know, because you change something so that's, a great way to reach people. Um, you know better that are already in your network and let them know, um, and the last one is you and your big mouth, right? Um, so, like I said, you have tio get out there. You have to talk to people. You have to tell people what it is that you're doing on. Do you have to let them know?