A Peek into my Freelance Life

Yes this is a long title but I could honestly not find a better one that would also be shorter! Since I went freelance, a lot of things have changed in my life and although some of these changes are quite small, they’re still happening and I thought you curious lot might want to hear about it!

These are obviously comments from my own experience and although you might find them helpful if you’re thinking of going freelance, please bear in mind that everybody is different and you might not experience the same things as me!


First of all, my stress level has changed.
It’s not a secret that I’m the kind of person that can get stressed out quite easily. With Jason being quite laid back, having him around me does help a lot. When I used to work in a design agency, I was always stressed out about something. Sometimes for the obvious reasons like waiting for a client’s feedback or having to rush to finish a piece of work on time. But sometimes about things that you don’t have to deal with when you’re working on your own, like having to deal with projects that haven’t been managed properly or getting nowhere with a project that you knew from the start wasn’t right for you.

Basically, I stress about things that I can’t control, and when you’re working in a company, there are loads of things that you just can’t control, which is normal. The difference now that I’m self-employed is that I know exactly what’s going on, which project needs finishing when and what my client is after every time.

I still stress about various things (obviously), but as hard as it is to explain, this is definitely not the same type of stress. I worry about not making enough money on certain months and I still stress about some projects I take on for example, but that’s just because I’m putting pressure on myself. And if I make a mistake, I know that there’s nobody else but me to blame, which sometimes can feel quite hard to admit. But at the same time, everything you do, you do it for your business, and the satisfaction you get from it is worth all the stress you can feel in various situations.

I know it’s going to sound weird, but most of the stress I feel whilst working is good stress. The kind that makes you want to aim higher, work harder on that project and show something you’re super proud of to your client. The kind of stress that makes you jump with excitement when you’re reading that client’s feedback that you were so worried about and that in the end is very positive. And when your client is unhappy, you do all you can to make him/her happy again not because you know that your boss will be after you if you don’t, but because you’re doing it for you, your business and your peace of mind. So I kind of prefer that.


I’m definitely more tired.
Although, I can’t decide if it’s because I’m getting older too… haha! But weirdly enough, I’ve noticed that since last year, I very easily fall asleep on the couch whilst watching a movie at night. And the only thing that has changed since then is the fact that I’ve gone freelance. At one point Jason got annoyed because every night I would fall asleep at like 9.30pm whilst we were watching a movie and I would wake up at the end of it and complain that I didn’t see half of it. Yes, I would somehow manage not to blame myself but would rather complain about the fact that we will need to watch that movie again.

I honestly think it’s because I constantly think about a 1000 things at the same time and my brain is way too tired at the end of the day to concentrate on a movie. That or the fact that I’m becoming an old granny.


Flexibility.
I tend to stick to a schedule to keep organised (see my previous post here!) but I’m very aware of the fact that I’m my own boss and can change that schedule whenever I need to. One thing I try to do is to have my Friday afternoons off when I’ve finished all the work I needed to do that week. I also like the fact that even if I’m ‘late’ one morning because I felt super tired, nobody is going to yell at me for starting my work at 10am instead of 9am!

A good example was when my brother had a motorbike accident. As I’m working on a laptop, I didn’t think twice about staying almost two weeks at my parents’ so that I could help whenever I could whilst working the rest of the time. I basically just need my laptop, my external hard-drive, and a good internet connection. Well, having my graphic tablet helps a lot too.

Also, no need to ask your boss about holiday dates! Although it’s a tricky topic as to be honest, I’ve had less holidays since being self-employed purely because when you don’t work, you don’t earn any money (obvious but good to remember!). It’s easy to have half a day or even a day off here and there, it’s less easy to have whole weeks off, even more when you’re just starting! But I have more regular clients now and it’s getting easier for me to have time off as long as I plan it well and tell my clients as early as I can.


I value my time whilst working (and not working) a lot more.
Yes, Monday mornings can still be a bit hard, but definitely not as much as when I was working a 9-5 job. I’m no longer just looking forward to the weekend, I’m also looking forward to starting new projects, having an exciting meeting with a new client, or making time to work on my own projects and blog. But I also value my weekend a lot more as I make a point of not working for two days and it’s the opportunity to plan things, go out and explore or just relax a bit.

I think I value my time a lot more because I’m the one deciding when I should work and when I shouldn’t, but also because I actually enjoy what I do and most days are just good days. I mean, we all have frustrating days, things that go wrong and projects that are harder than others, but everyday I wake up feeling the same, no matter what day of the week it is, I’m just glad to start a new day and do what I love.


Money is tight.
Not only do I value my time more, but I also value my money more too. If you’ve read my previous post about how Jason and I manage our money (You haven't? Here it is), you know that I’ve always been careful with it, but that since I’ve gone freelance, I’ve been extra careful spending it.

When I worked at a design company, I definitely felt like I deserved the money I was earning because I was working hard but I have to say, when you earn money from your own project that you managed from beginning to end and that you worked hard to keep your client happy whilst being proud of your work, it just doesn’t feel the same. You feel like you really deserve every penny from it and that you should spend it very wisely because you don't know when you’re going to get some more.

I’m not quite at this stage anymore as I have more regular work and I get paid for various projects regularly, which makes managing my money a lot easier. But still, I’m far from rolling in gold and although I would happily do the same work for free, as a couple we also need to pay for the rent, bills, food, etc. Money doesn’t make you happy, but it helps a bit! But actually that’s not quite the point. The point is that when your client pays you for the hard work that you’ve done on your own, it feels a lot more special than getting a paycheck at the end of the month, even though the amount you’re getting can be a lot lower.


My slippers don’t last long.
Well yes, that’s one thing I’ve come to term with last year: my slippers are getting destroyed a lot quicker than they used to. And you know why, because I literally live in them. Did I say I was becoming a granny earlier?!

I’m not the type of person that would work in her pjs, I always get fully dressed ready to go out of the house if I need to, but I definitely don’t wear shoes in my house. So I wear my cosy slippers all day for at least 5 days of the week, and the poor things are suffering from it.

So yeah, get ready to buy more slippers.


And finally, I feel like I can be 100% myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I still felt like I could be myself around my colleagues, but when you’re working with other people around you, you obviously need to care a bit more about what you’re saying and what you’re doing than when you’re on your own. Most of the time there was a good atmosphere in the studio I was working in, I got on with everyone and we had quite a bit of fun sometimes, but still, I tried to not sing out loud to every song I liked, I wasn’t burping all the time and I couldn’t just pick the phone and call my mom for half an hour whilst everybody else was working around me.

Now, when I do all that, it’s only Jason that I’m annoying, and you know what, he’s so used to it by now that he doesn’t even care anymore. Good for me! Sometimes he’s laughing at his desk because even without looking at me, he can hear my chair squeaking because I’m dancing on it like a maniac.

So the one thing I love about being self-employed and working at home is that no matter how I look, what I do or say, there’s nobody else to judge me but my boyfriend and I can be 100% weird :)

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How we manage our money!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you might have read once or twice that I left my full time job last year and that my partner Jason did the same two months after. Yep, we both went freelance within a short amount of time of each other, and trust me, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do! We managed quite well though. It was a big challenge but we didn’t end up on the street and a year and a half after, we’re still going strong, so I guess we’ve done ok!

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not making a lot of money and we’re not spending much apart from the necessities, but we’ve got a few rules and a way of managing our money that means that we’ve never been in the red even though we might have had a terrible month income-wise.

If you’re curious to know how we do it, here are a few points!


The obvious: We’re super careful with our money.
Before leaving our full time jobs to become freelance designers (Jason is a graphic designer too!) we put aside at least 3 full months of expenses just in case things were not going great at the beginning. That means 3 months worth of rent, bills, food, fuel and insurance. This took a little while but it was definitely the right thing to do. Whilst putting money aside, we made sure to count every penny we were spending, and we carried on once we started our self-employed adventure too (still doing it even now!).

It’s so easy to spend £10 or £20 here and there (almost a year back in France and I’m still thinking in pounds!), go to the restaurant or for a coffee once in a while or even doing some shopping and buying some clothes you might only wear once. When you don't need to be careful with your money, you can do all this, but when you do, that’s about £200/month easy that you can avoid spending. So we did that. Every time we were buying something, even food, we were thinking ‘Do we really need it?’. At the beginning, the only luxury we had was the Unlimited card for Cineworld. That. Was. It. Apart from the bare necessities, we weren’t spending on anything else.

It’s tough sometimes, and even today, I find it hard to be so careful and not being able to splurge on something I really like, but for now, that’s just what it is and I’m still happy about my decision of leaving the security of a regular paycheck to do a job that I really love and am passionate about. But if you’re thinking of doing the same, be prepared to make some big changes in the way you spend your money!

We (almost) never buy anything new or full price.
Not only have we never been in the red with both our bank accounts, but we’ve also never taken a credit card or a loan since we’ve been living together (so almost 4 years). And that really helped us when going freelance and even now, the fact that we only have to pay the usual stuff every month and not worry about multiple loans for a car, furniture, or whatever, that’s the best.

So how did we do it? Anything that we can do ourselves, repairs on the car, building furniture we need out of palettes, or even food that we can prepare in advance instead of buying some ready meals or takeaways, we do it. It’s never the easy choice, it’s always a bit more stressful and time consuming but oh my god it saves you so much money.

Second hand shops are our best friends (hell, most of our furniture is second hand!), and we’ll never buy home appliances unless there’s an offer on. Also, we only buy clothes when there’s sales on now (which is rare in France) and trips to the restaurant are limited to once a month as a treat. Basically anything that we can save money on, we do. It sounds easy, but it can be hard sometimes when you can’t be bothered and just want to have a nice sofa in your living room without looking at the price. Our kitchen is still not complete after 9 months renting our house, but that’s only because we haven’t found what we want yet at a good price.

Very important too: we don’t spend on something we can’t afford. If we really need something but don’t have the money right now, we wait until we’ve saved enough money to buy it. Jason really wanted a new phone for example and to be fair, his old one was almost dead, so he saved enough to buy himself one a few months later (and again, it was on offer on Amazon). You’re going to tell me: what about the urgent stuff that can’t wait? Well, this is why it’s important to save money every month, for the unexpected. If tomorrow our washing machine dies, we’ve got enough money to buy a new one without using a credit card or a loan.

We both save money every month
As I just said above, this is the key to any unexpected expenses. We ‘sacrifice’ ourselves by only spending the minimum every month so that we have enough money to put aside on our saving accounts. It’s so important to us to make sure that we’re not spending the same amount of money that we’re earning. We also prefer it this way as it allows us to have some time off every now and then. Yep, when you’re both off when you’re freelance, it means that you’re earning no money at all for that period of time. So you better be prepared for that!

And let’s not forget taxes. Our good friend Hollie from Follow Films told us that the best way to be ready for it at the end of the financial year is to put at least 20% of what you’ve earned aside every time. So at the end of the month, when we calculate how much we’ve earned, we also put 20% of that amount aside, ready for our taxes when we’re having to pay them. We’re our own accountants, so we’re careful about all this and we keep track of all expenses and income regularly. I personally check my account every couple of days and I have a spreadsheet for each month of the year where I write it all down. Organisation y’all!

We stick to our budgets
We try to stick as much as we can to a budget for everything that we can’t avoid spending on. Now that we’re in France, we try not to spend more than 60€ a week on food. To save money, every Sunday night I cook a big batch of soup that we will have for lunch during the week.

Even though we’re both working at home, we spend about 60-80€ a month on fuel. We live 2 hours away from my family so we do spend quite a bit on fuel sometimes, and we also need to take into account the occasional trip on weekends to discover a nice place in Bretagne. Let’s face it, fuel is not cheap! But the one thing we can’t do is just staying at home all the time. Weekends are for discovering!

As for electricity, water and gas, well, the only gas we use is for our cooker and we spend 34€ on a big bottle every 6 months. Electricity is a bit more tricky as we need it when we’re working all day, and also for heating the house along with all the usual things. So we’re pretty savvy with it. We rarely put the heating on and when we do, never for a long time. That means that I have to wear a big jumper and scarf often in the house during winter, but it’s all for the greater good! We never leave a light on when we’re not in the room anymore and we never leave anything charging (phone, laptops, etc.) continuously. Little side note: we also switched all our bulbs to LED ones so that they don’t consume much. In Spring/Summer (so without heating), our electricity budget is only 35€ a month thanks to that.

Same thing with water, we’re super careful to use just what we need. To the point that we won’t flush the toilet when we only go for a wee. It doesn’t bother us and to us it’s not just about saving money, it’s also about being responsible for the planet.

We share our expenses equally
We don’t have a shared bank account, but we work as a team. For example, even if the rent is coming out of my bank account, Jason has an automatic transfer of half of the rent going from his account to mine every month so that we both pay half. Usually, I’m the one managing money. When we do our food shop, I’m the one paying, same thing with fuel and other similar expenses. So at the end of the week, I calculate how much we spent and Jason transfers half of the amount to my account. We’re also splitting bills as equally as possible which really helps.

The only thing we won’t share is personal expenses. For example, I didn’t put money towards his new phone, and he won’t put money towards my skin products. There’s a limit to it! We’re both responsible adults and we can manage our own money the way we want to as well :)

However, when one of us has earned a lot less and is struggling to pay the bills, the other one that earned more will help. When I went freelance first, I had a bad month soon after where I hardly earned anything. Jason had just left is full time job and had more money than me, so he naturally paid more towards everything that month. But then earlier this year, it was Jason’s turn to have a horrible month with almost nothing left in his account, so I took charge of everything until he could help financially again because I was earning more at that time. Basically, we always discuss about how our money is doing and when you’re living together, I think it’s crucial.


Well, I think that’s all! We’re still new (kind of) at this whole freelance life but we feel that we’re managing quite well and we’re proud of the fact that we’re making it work even though it can be hard sometimes. The only thing I miss a lot is traveling. We used to be able to go on holiday to a different country every year and go for a few weekends away, but this year, we haven’t been able to. I have to say though, it’s not just because of freelancing, it’s also because we moved to France with nothing but our clothes and a few personal items and we’ve had to start from scratch. We’re hoping that next year we’ll be a bit more settled and we’ll have more money to spare on holidays and trips far away.

I hope this helped you and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I would of course be happy to help :)

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My Work Routine!

Hey guys! I’m finally taking the time to share my work routine as a freelance designer and I know some of you will be curious to see how I organise myself! Plus, I love reading other designer’s routines as it always gives me ideas on how to tweak and improve mine. Here goes!

7.20am: The alarm goes off and five minutes later, the coffee machine is brewing fresh coffee. First, thank god for programmable coffee machines, and second, smelling the fresh coffee definitely wakes me up and it prevents me from being lazy and staying too long in bed. I have to say though, if I have tight deadlines or a very busy day ahead, I usually get ready as fast as I can and as I’m more of an early bird rather than a night owl, I definitely don’t find it difficult, which is the opposite for my boyfriend Jason! These two hilarious dogs definitely represent us (I’m the one who’s wide awake, obvs).

Between 8.30 and 9am: I’m at my desk, ready to rock n roll after a hot shower and proper breakfast (very important to me). I make a point of not eating my breakfast whilst starting to work as I really like to just be switched on with no distractions. I start with my emails, making sure to keep updated all my clients, and I check my to-do list for the week. I use Google Keep to keep track of everything on my phone and I always prepare my to-do lists way in advance so that I know what I have to do without any stressing involved. Then I work hard on all the projects that are priority until lunchtime.

Around 12.30pm: FOOD! I’m always excited about food so I look forward to my lunch break everyday. If I’m super busy, I usually don’t eat until 1pm, but then my belly is making all sorts of noises so it’s no good. I try not to eat too much though as I don’t want to feel sleepy afterwards. Even if Jason and I are working in the same room, we don’t talk much whilst working unless we need an opinion or help with our respective work (he’s a freelance designer too!), so lunch break is also a good time for us to discuss everything and nothing. During this time of year, I do a big batch of homemade soup that lasts us almost the whole week. Yum!

Between 1.30 and 2pm: Back to work! Again, I always decide on which project needs more attention than others before starting and I also try to fit in some time to post on social media as early afternoon is always a good time for my Insta followers. I’m a bit more relaxed in the afternoon and don’t mind checking my phone from time to time and scroll through Twitter and Instagram for example.

4.30pm: I’m having an afternoon break, with a cup of coffee or cappuccino and a biscuit or two. I never used to have coffee in the afternoon but I’m enjoying it now that I’ve embraced my freelance life! Also, it’s because it’s nice coffee and I can’t resist :). I get away from my computer for at least 30mins and I do whatever I feel like doing. It could be sorting out the washing, watching an episode of Friends on TV, or reading a book. The aim is to have a break from work basically.

5pm: Ready to smash that to-do list! This time of day really is different depending on how busy I am. If I’ve done everything I needed to do on that day, then I work on some personal projects and blog posts, or I search for some new work/clients. But if I’m busy and still have things on my to-do list, then I work hard to finalise my designs on time and I send those last emails before the end of the day. Jason is usually still working too by that time of the day so it gives me that motivation to carry on!

7pm: I’m done! Very rarely I will carry on working after that time. By 7pm, I close my computer and I get on with what I feel like doing before starting to prepare food at around 8-8.30pm. Twice a week I try to do a workout to keep healthy, or if it’s nice outside, Jason and I go for a walk along the river down the road from our house. It’s also the best time for Jason and I to keep in touch with both our families and once a week, Jason has a Skype call with his. We also go to the cinema maybe once or twice a month and we always do our food shop on weekdays. Weekends are definitely not made for food shopping! Other than that, I’ll read a book, play around with my clay or even just crash on the sofa to watch a bit of TV if I can’t be bothered!

Weekends: We never work on weekends. We feel that working around 7 hours a day for 5 days a week is definitely enough for us. Yes, there are days when we work more like 10 hours but we try to avoid it! Plus, I definitely need the weekend to recharge the batteries, go out and explore, cook some delicious meals and just chill out. I couldn’t function anymore without my weekends off! I hear so many people on social media saying that we need to ‘hustle’ every minute of the day, every day of the week, but I couldn’t do this. To me, life is not just about work so I guess it depends on people’s priorities :)

Do you guys agree? Or do you have a completely different routine? Let me know what you think!

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Under Pressure

Let's talk about pressure. Because, let's be honest, it's become almost normal to put pressure on ourselves no matter who we are, where we live or the way we live. You might feel it more than others depending on the job you do, but I feel that lately, it's just everywhere.

The good thing is, I think that sometimes we all need a bit of pressure to finally start on a new project or accomplish a hard task. Sometimes, feeling the pressure gives us this extra bit of motivation that we needed, this kick in the butt that puts us on the right track.

But I feel that unfortunately, there are too many bad effects and too many traps that you might fall in. I don't think I would be the first one to say that as a freelance graphic designer, I've felt the pressure to be awesome at my job, to be better than the other ones out there, and faster, and smarter, and quirkier... And the list goes on! If you're lacking a bit of confidence in yourself, it's too easy to feel in doubt all the time and to start pressuring yourself to be better at everything.

My main issue has been social media. I love sharing and meeting new people on social media, and really, that's one of the best tools out there for showing your work and getting to be known as a freelancer, so definitely crucial for my business. However, I've quickly realised that there are two types of people I'm following: The ones that tell me to always take it easy, to listen to my heart and do things at my own pace, and the ones that tell me over and over that I'm probably wasting my time, that I should be productive every second of the day and that I'm not doing enough to be successful.

We're at a time where people seem to always be reaching for more. Which is great, because like I said before, it also helps us to accomplish things that we never thought we could do. But I'm starting to get tired of all this. I love to have my weekends off, and I always enjoy a break from time to time in the week, going for a walk, cooking something delicious or even just crashing on the couch for an hour or two to watch one of my favourite movies. But sometimes I have this little voice telling me that I'm just a lazy butt and that I'm not using my time wisely. It doesn't help when you scroll through your Instagram feed and see the amazing stuff that people do all the time!

I'm the first one to agree that social media is only an image that we share with the world, a perfect version of ourselves that we carefully curate. I've recently seen more people sharing their real life and struggles though, which I think is so important. I'm always reminding myself that we're all the same and even though it all seems perfect on the outside, we're all struggling with the same issues.

After participating at the Imperfect Boss Campaign, it really opened my eyes on how so many women feel this pressure to be perfect but are quite happy to go against it and decide to be themselves, no matter what. I realised that this is the best way to take it all. Yes, I might feel the pressure from time to time to be ultra productive and yes, it helps me in certain situations, but most of the time, I prefer to put it aside and not let it overwhelm me. At the end of the day, it's our choice to let it take over our life or not. And after a good period of doubt, I'm happy to say that I'm getting better at managing it all and that I'm definitely getting more confident in my day to day life (but the temptation is never that far!).

So what do you guys think? Is it something you struggle with or is it completely going over your head? I'd love to know what you think :)

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Step by Step Illustration Process

Hey guys! It's been a while since I shared a little behind the scenes in my design process and as I've shown you the children's book I've been working on very recently, I thought you might be curious to see how I illustrated it! Haven't seen the book yet? Check it out on my website :) 

You might call me old fashioned, but to me, sketching out my ideas on paper is by far the best thing to do when starting a project. I've tried a few times to sketch using my graphics tablet on Photoshop, but it's just not the same. So before working on the illustration digitally, I've been showing sketches to my client for approval. You can see that I had a pretty good idea of the layout already.

Right, this might look a bit messy to you, but it's basically all the drawn shapes as outlines. Depending on the project and the illustration's style, I find that not thinking about colours straight away helps me to concentrate on the shapes themselves. So in the book I illustrated, all the illustrations started out like that! I have to say, it's quite therapeutic to just follow the sketch, drawing away with some music in the background. Once I'm happy with everything, I start thinking about the overall artwork.

As it was one of the last illustrations in the book, I had already put together a colour palette that I wanted to stick to, so I just had to use the same colours as on the previous pages. I started out with the main characters as I didn't want to have the colours in the background clashing with the ones at the front! Toucan always has the same colours, so I coloured her first and carried on with the family. 

Then I look at the details all around the main elements and I usually try to make sure that there's enough contrast between all the individual elements so that everything is clear and balanced. The main thing is to make sure that the important graphics are standing out at a first glance.

When I'm pretty happy about the whole scenery, I adjust the background's colours and I start adding the text or extra elements needed on the illustration. It's quite fun to see it all coming together this way, even more when you look at the first steps which don't look very appealing! Before finalising an illustration, I make sure to check that everything is at its right place and it's at this stage that I amend/move around shapes and graphics. Sometimes I need to have another look at it and check that the layers are ordered properly so that none of the fence's pieces are behind a bush for example.

Tadaaa! Again it depends on the style we agreed on with my client, but for this particular project, we decided to add some texture on the actual elements as well as on top of the illustration. Can you see how Toucan's head is no longer smooth for example? That's a very handy tool in Illustrator that I like to use from time to time which changes the outline of your shapes and roughens them in different ways. Here's the one I used: Window > Brush Libraries > Artistic > ChalkCharcoalPencil. The texture on top is a Photoshop file with an overlay effect.

Hope you found it interesting and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!

  

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Designing a logo - From inspiration to completion

I recently wrote a guest post on PeoplePerHour about my process when designing a logo and I thought it would be rude not to share it on my blog too :). For the curious, you can read the guest post here.

Today, I’m going to share with you a recent project that was a bit out of my comfort zone, but one I’ve really liked working on: Equine Apparel, a renowned British company and suppliers of the finest equestrian safety equipment and country clothing.

Step 1: Moodboards

I start with getting to know the person or company I’m working with before starting any design work. This way I can establish what my clients need and we can decide if we’re ready to go ahead with their projects. But before even starting to think about the concepts, moodboards are crucial in order to make sure that we are on the same page style-wise. As you can see on the image above, I collect relevant images and other branding examples that I think have the right feel for my client’s new logo. Moodboards are the base, the inspiration that you need to start a project, and they’re also very helpful to figure out which direction you should take.

For this particular project, we wanted to express the elegance of horse-riding, the clothing and equipment they sell, whilst showing the strength and agility of the horse. We also felt that an element representing the noble and regal side of this sport was needed, hence the crowns and laurels.

Sometimes I create a couple of pages showing various styles to see which one the client identifies the most with, whilst other times, the brief is quite straight forward and the style needed is very clear.

Step 2: Initial concepts 

Once I’ve received feedback from the moodboards, it is time for me to start the fun side of the project and put pencil to paper. I always start with really rough sketches to get the ideas out, and depending on the type of project it is, I sometimes include them in the document to show my client. As I usually only develop 2 to 3 main ideas/concepts, I think it’s quite important for clients to see that you’ve worked on many other ones before narrowing them down, and to me sketches are the best way of showing this. 

So on the first part of the image above, I included a few of my sketches before showing you the 3 concepts I developed on computer. As you can see, all of them have a very distinct style and I’ve learned that it’s important to show very different ideas at the initial stage rather than variations of the same concept. This way, your client can clearly tell which one feels more in line with what they want and best represent their company, shop, etc. What I’m not showing on this post is the fact that I usually present a couple of colour versions to choose from. Equine Apparel really liked the navy blue and gold so I stuck with it.

I mainly use Adobe Illustrator when designing logos as in terms of quality, it’s best to keep your artwork as vector files. Also, vector graphics are very flexible and easy to use as you don’t need to worry about the quality, pixel density, or anything like that when scaled up.

Step 3: Developing the selected concept

It’s pretty clear from the image above that my client went for concept 1 and didn’t request that many changes. Now, this is not always the case and sometimes, the development side of the project takes a lot longer and many revisions to reach the final version. This stage of the process is the key to designing a logo that is right for your client. I make sure to listen very carefully to their requests as I want my client to be 100% happy with what I’ve produced. 

On this example, we decided to simplify the wreath as it was too busy when the logo was smaller. Also, the crown changed slightly to be bolder and to ensure that it wouldn’t be lost in the graphic. You may have also noticed from the initial stage that we explored the idea of a concise logo that would be used to represent the brand as an alternative logo. This is not obligatory but it’s a nice touch to the overall branding and adds an element of flexibility.

At this stage, I also explore more colour combinations if needed, as well as different typography styles. You can tell that the font on version A is slightly different to version B even though they have a very similar impact. As previously mentioned, I was very lucky with Equine Apparel as they knew exactly what they wanted, but sometimes the development stage requires more versions and in depth revisions.

Step 4: Completing the logo

This is definitely the best part to me as at this stage, I know my client is happy with everything and we just need to finalise the logo in order to share it with the wide world. I always double-check the graphics, typography, spacing and colours to make sure the logo is perfect and ready to be used before saving the multiple files my client will need.

As most of the time the logo needs to be used both on web and print, I usually save it in jpeg, png and eps files. Along with the colour versions, I also make sure to save mono versions (for example if they need to place a white logo on a photo). By doing this, I know my client should be able to use their logo in any situation, which is something that they always appreciate.

Also, I offer a short brand guideline (see above), showing the final versions of the logo as well as the CMYK breakdown of the colour palette and the font that should be used. Sometimes it’s good to include more details, but most of the time, this is just enough to guide your client.

The next step after completing the logo is to look at the extra print material that will forge the brand like stationery, signs, banners, etc. as well as online elements. The logo is just the start! And that’s why I find my job so exciting :)

I hope you found this step by step interesting! I always enjoy seeing how other creatives work. And if you’re just starting a career in graphic design, I hope you found this really helpful. If you would like to see more of my work, head over to my website!

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Doing what is right for you and your business

Happy Friday! As promised, I've been planning a few blog posts related to my new freelance life and how I've been experiencing it so far. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking about my favourite sites for design inspiration, but today, I'd like to get more personal and share my thoughts on all the messages and advice you hear and read when you start a freelance career and looking for some help.

Before going full-time, I decided to be safe and try and get a few freelance jobs that I would work on during evenings and weekends as side projects. It went quite well and I felt very confident that I could leave my day job by June, knowing that I had a few projects lined-up. It all worked out really well in the end and I was finding regular work even though I was still searching for new clients as I wasn't busy enough and didn't quite earn enough money to live comfortably. The thing is, in August/September, I hit a wall and realised that I wasn't earning enough at all and I didn't know what to do anymore to gain more clients and engagement. So I started seeking advice from other designers and bloggers through social media.

Now don't get me wrong, I found some really good advice but overall, I felt completely overwhelmed by all the messages I was getting through listening to podcasts, watching webinars and reading too many blog posts about how to get more clients and basically be a super successful freelance designer. At one point, I started to doubt myself and felt like I wasn't doing enough, which really knocked my confidence down as a creative. I was told that I needed to be on all social media platforms all the time, that I should set up a newsletter and get a massive mailing list, that I should use my blog as a tool to get more clients, use various tools to schedule tweets in advance... and the list goes on. It was all about telling me what I should do and what I should be.

And then it clicked. Maybe it worked for some other people, but I didn't think it will work for me. For example, I always felt that my blog was a reflection of my life in general, and even if I've slightly changed the content here and there, it always stayed true to its goal. I started my blog because I wanted people to know me better and discover my work outside of my website, not to continuously try and sell my skills and services. Also, I didn't feel right about the idea to start a newsletter. And what would it be about anyway? This idea doesn't appeal to me and there's nothing wrong about it. Maybe one day I'll feel like I have enough knowledge to share, but at the moment, I'm quite happy to let the pros do it. Also, I completely understand why some people find that scheduling tweets is the best thing ever, but I really don't think that's for me. The essence of Twitter to me is to be a platform that works on spontaneity.

The issue was that I was getting so obsessed about learning the tricks that I didn't get the chance in the end to properly practice them, and I felt a bit lost about my goals and what felt right for me and my business. So I stopped reading too many blog posts about how to succeed in a freelance career, stepped back from all the overwhelming advice and decided to reset my goals. And that's been the best decision I made in the past few months: concentrating on what I really wanted to do.

I did find a bit of useful advice and tools to help me get where I am now and I'm so grateful for that (list below!) but I've learnt my lesson and try to only select things that feel right for me and the way I want my business to grow. If you're at the same stage as me, I hope this post has helped you :)

Here are some amazing links that I couldn't wait to share with you!
- I did the chalkboard method from Being Boss and it changed everything. I've already mentioned it, but if you haven't done it yet, then you're definitely missing out!
- I found Being Boss through their Facebook group along with Savvy Business Owners and so far I'm loving it! Being on two groups is way enough for me and it allows me to really concentrate on them.
- Pretty obvious but until I read this post by Nesha Woolery, I never thought about updating my About page!
- I read this book by Aimee Song, and there are loads of very useful Instagram tips that helped me realise what was wrong with my 'strategy'. I also switched to a professional account on Instagram which is great as I can see all the stats from my account.
- As part of my chalkboard method, one of my goals was to attend at least 5 networking events in the next couple of months. So I found f2n business network and it's been a great experience so far (you need to have a look at it if you're based in North Wales!). Jason and I have also been to two really cool and inspiring events in Manchester, YENA networking and Glug.
- And last but not least, I religiously follow Rowan Made's blog, full of useful tips that really speak to me.

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Design Inspiration - My Favourite Sites

Hey guys! So after following the Chalkboard Method by the amazing gals at Being Boss (definitely recommend it!), I realised that one thing I didn't do enough on this blog is actually talking about what I do and how I do it. So I put together a little list of topics that you might be interested in and if you're a newbie in the creative world, then these posts will be perfect for you.

Today I'd like to share with you my favourite sites when it comes to finding inspiration and developing moodboards for various projects. I didn't include Pinterest in this list because I felt it was pretty obvious and it's also not made exclusively for design inspiration.

OK, here we go!

BEHANCE
I have to say, if you don't know Behance, then shame on you. But we all need to start somewhere and this one is a really good start. Behance is a platform where creatives share their projects and designs in the form of a portfolio. So you can create your profile and add projects as and when. The great thing about it, is that you can literally see everything that everyone has been sharing and it's the perfect source of inspiration if you're stuck with a brief or in need of examples for your moodboards. I find the search tool very helpful when I'm searching something quite specific. I'm on Behance actually, so feel free to have a look at my profile right here.

DESIGNSPIRATION
Yep, pretty good isn't it? It's close to Pinterest in the layout, and it's full of design related inspiration. I quite like sometimes to not search for anything specific and just scroll down to see a good mix of visuals that might spark an idea in my little brain. It's also great for logotypes and typography. Oh and talking about search tools, they actually have one where you can select the colour you're after. So cool.

FROM UP NORTH
I discovered this one thanks to Jason a while back now, and the website has been through quite a few changes, but it's always been great for inspiration and I love the categories that they organise the visuals into. They now have handy resources that you can purchase and you can submit your artworks to be featured in their next articles!

BP&O
This one is orientated towards branding and packaging and I love it. Richard Braid, who's behind the whole website, gives a real insight in the designs he's sharing and I always find his opinion really valuable. Plus, rather than seeing just one image of the project featured, you always see multiple examples, which is really important to me. If I see a new brand design I find interesting, I like to see the collaterals to have a good idea of how the whole brand was produced.

GRAPHIC EXCHANGE
This is Mr Cup design's blog and every time I need to look for luxurious stationery and intricate illustrations, I immediately have a look at it. It's pretty much eye candy all the way for any designer out there. A designer himself, Fabien has put together a letterpress calendar for the past couple of years and I'm always drooling over it. Also, the 'Excellence' section (in the Topics menu) is one of my favourites.

SITE INSPIRE

On the rare occasion that I have to work on some web design, this is my go to website. I only wish they would update it more often! The filter system is great and I always find loads of inspiration. However, I also found this one very recently called The Best Designs and it really helped me with one of my projects. Again, easy to use and very practical! 

DRIBBBLE

I guess this one is a bit like Behance, who doesn't know it? But it's a great source of inspiration so I had to add it! I seem to be checking it more often when I'm working on branding but then again, I find it great for illustrations too. I know you only see a snippet but sometimes that's just enough. The whole website is made as a community of designers that are sharing their work. If you sign up, you can also appear in the list of designers to hire. Handy!

THE JEALOUS CURATOR

Very different, but oh so inspiring! Danielle's blog brings me back to my source: art. I started my journey into design as an art student and sometimes I do miss it a bit. But it's not just great for finding amazingly talented artists. I find that inspiration should come from various sources and when I venture on The Jealous Curator, I get a break from the typical design inspiration I'm usually looking for and it's a bit like I'm escaping and letting my imagination wander as I scroll down the blog.

I hope you found this list really helpful and keep you eyes peeled for the next posts!

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