There are a lot of advantages to freelancing. You will have more flexibility over the hours you work, you won’t have to commute to work any more and best of all, you are your own boss. It can be hard work landing a job. Not to mention making sure a project is completed successfully can mean working unsocial hours from time to time, however most people who leave their 9 to 5 jobs are happy with the freedom freelancing offers.

You can’t just sit at home waiting for the work to come to you though (unless you are an established freelancer with years of experience). You need to be proactive and go out and find work every month. The two most common methods of doing this are job boards and freelancing websites.

With job boards, the website owner or company posts details of the job or project that they need completed. It is then up to applicants to contact them with details of themselves, their experience online and why they are suitable for a project. Freelancing websites are a little more competitive, with many freelancers privately or publicly bidding for work from employers. Due to this, good feedback from previous clients can be an important factor on whether you are successful in a bid or not.

Today we would like to show you 18 websites perfect for finding design and programming jobs. The first 9 are on this page, and the others are on the next. Just follow the link at the bottom of the post to continue on with this hopefully useful resource.

Help Wanted Websites

1. Freelance Switch

A great freelance job board that’s updated regularly. It publishes online jobs where location isn’t an issue and location based contracts from around the world. Design, development, writing, illustration and flash positions are all listed.

2. Smashing Jobs

Used by top digital companies such as Google, Apple and Linked In; Smashing Jobs lists full time and freelance design and programming jobs.

3. Sensational Jobs

It’s not updated frequently however there are still good design and developer jobs published on Sensational Jobs every month.

4. WP Hired

A good place to find theme and plugin development work for the WordPress platform. Freelance and full time positions are advertised and you can also upload your resume so that employers contact you for work.

5. WordPress Jobs

A job board from the makers of WordPress, WordPress Jobs lists designer, programmer and blogging positions. There are also employers who simply need their WordPress installation upgraded.

6. Authentic Jobs

Online since 2005, Authentic Jobs lists positions from companies such as Facebook, Skype, Sony and Electronic Arts. Full time, contract, freelance and internship positions are available for design and development projects.

7. Coroflot

A design website that features jobs for a range of different design jobs from large well respected companies. Users can upload their portfolios so that employers can contact them directly.

8. WooJobs

Another WordPress jobs board that is actively updated. A range of WordPress design, development and support positions are advertised here.

9. Krop

A creative job board for designers, directors and freelancers. Users can create a portfolio and resume so that companies can contact them directly.

Don’t give up yet! That perfect freelancing design or programming job may still be lingering right around the corner. There are still more opportunities on the rest of the job boards and websites we have left. Read more here.

  

Ever wonder what freelance designers do all day? Do they sleep in, design in their pajamas and drink tons of coffee? How do they juggle design, social networking, admin duties, lunch, families, the gym and so on? As designers and developers, most of us have often wondered how others spend their days and manage their freelance businesses so successfully.

When we asked some creative, talented folks who have become colleagues through Twitter, we received many different answers. The designers covered in this article range from students to full-timers who have transitioned to freelance work, and some are long-term veterans. Glance below and discover how each of these fine designers spends their day.

Lee Munroe, Web Designer

My typical day: up at 6:30 am, read through RSS feeds, reply to any emails, off to the gym, then to the office, client work (on at least two different projects to help spread it out), home around 6 pm, me time (side projects, Xbox, TV, etc.). Unfortunately, the 6:30 am thing doesn’t work every day, but it’s always my aim!

What helped me become successful was working hard, learning new things, trying stuff, having mentors and role models, blogging and enjoying what I do.

My favorite productivity tip is to write your day’s to-do list the day before. Also, check emails only twice per day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This is admittedly hard to do, but keeps you focused.

About Lee

Lee Munro (@leemunroe) is a freelance Web designer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He started freelancing 10 years ago and continued to work while he studied, although he has technically been full-time for only one year (he completed his Master’s degree a year ago). His expertise is in front-end Web design: HTML, CSS, Web standards, JavaScript, user experience and WordPress. He also has experience with Flash, ASP, PHP, Ruby on Rails, SEO, content management and more.

Lee’s background is in both design and development, which makes it easy for him to work alongside developers on large-scale projects. His work has been featured on a number of Web design gallery websites and in various media publications, including Wired Magazine.

Natalie Niemi, Graphic Designer

My typical work day is demanding yet enjoyable. In the morning, during the time another person might allot to getting dressed to go to work in an office, I make a hot breakfast (one of the perks of freelancing) and sit down at my desk with a piping cup of fresh-pressed coffee.

If there’s nothing urgent to tackle first thing in the morning, I spend the first part of my day regrouping and prioritizing tasks and waking up my brain by browsing Twitter for a few minutes, where I network with hundreds of other designers and creative professionals. I learn something new about my field literally every day by reading their tweets, blogs and linked articles pertaining to creative fields.

Daily tasks include organizing to-do lists, responding to client emails, researching for projects, filling out estimate forms and contracts, invoicing, keeping records of income and expenses, interacting with colleagues, perusing the Internet for pertinent information on design and illustration trends, proofreading and editing (another service I offer to clients) and, of course, actually doing the design and illustration work.

Many of these tasks, although imperative to the daily flow of my business, are not actually billable, so it is important to book enough work to keep a steady income flowing, as well as to manage my time to allow for these tasks throughout the work day.

My favorite productivity tip would be lists, lists, lists. The more I put down on paper (or on screen), the easier it is to stay focused and organized. This applies to record-keeping (tracking income, time and expenses) as well as to scheduling and to-do’s. I use different methods for this.

For time-tracking and keeping records of my income, I use Mac Freelance combined with Google Docs spreadsheets. For scheduling, I use iCal. To make to-do lists, I prefer good old fashioned pencil and paper. I keep a notebook beside my desk so that I can make a note whenever a new task comes in. It feels great to physically cross things off that list as I get them done.

About Natalie

Natalie N. Niemi runs an independent freelance design and illustration business called NNNdesign (@NNNdesign) (named for her alliterative initials and, of course, her love of design), which is going on its fourth year. She specializes in graphic design for print, original vector illustration and Web graphics and design. Natalie believes the main factor in her success as a freelancer is versatility: maintaining a multitude of skills as well as an interest and dexterity in a variety of styles and subject matters.

“Life as a designer,” she says, “is an ongoing journey. Not only is it an artist’s personal quest to continually hone and refine his or her skills, but the trends, techniques and knowledge critical to the field of graphic arts are ever-evolving at a rapid rate. This is one of the things that makes being a graphic artist today so exciting. It’s a field that one grows into, and also one that grows and develops with you.”

Brian Hoff, Brand And Website Designer

I partition my day as much as possible. Things do come up that throw me off schedule, but normally my day starts off with reading my RSS feeds from 8:00 to 9:00 am, browsing Twitter and checking website statistics. From 9:00 10:00 am, I usually respond to emails. Then I start my client work.

I usually work between two different projects each day. This allows me to approach both projects with fresh eyes and allows me to spend only a few hours at a time on each (as opposed to eight straight hours on one project). In the last hour of my day, I usually respond to more emails, get paperwork in order, invoice (if need be) and organize expenses and payments. All in all, maintaining a workflow is extremely important.

My blog is a major reason for my freelance success, although hard work is probably the most important aspect. Many friends look at what I do and say, “Oh, that’s awesome working for yourself!” Sure, it definitely is, but it requires a lot of work. While my friends work the typical 9:00 to 5:00 jobs five days a week, I work the 8:00 to 8:00 job five days a week, with an additional 10 hours on the weekend. I work even when I’m not supposed to be working.

My blog seems like a full-time job as well. Keeping it updated helps and inspires others, and it is a major traffic source for business because of SEO and high rankings. I also try my best to get out and network by attending events, meet-ups and other gatherings, which is important when growing a freelance business.

My favorite productivity tip is to stay organized day to day. This is the key to my success, especially when running a blog and all the aspects of an independent design business.

About Brian

Brian (@behoff) is a brand and Web designer based in Philadelphia. He collaborates mostly on corporate identity and branding but has experience building all kinds of strategic design, both in print and on the Web. He started full-time freelancing about a year ago, although for three years he spent his days working at Apple (from 9:00 to 5:00) and his nights freelancing (7:00 pm to 1:00 am) while building up his business to where it is today. Read Brian’s successful blog, The Design Cubicle.

Rafael Armstrong, Graphic Designer

These days, I’ve been doing a lot of on-site work with a couple of clients, which gives my day more consistency. What a “typical” day looks like depends entirely on the amount of work that’s required on-site in a given week. By and large, it breaks down like this.

My work day starts at around 9:00 am, when I arrive at the client’s office (give or take a few minutes, depending on traffic and whether I forgot to put coffee in a travel mug on the way out of the house). I usually work straight through and “clock out” at around 2:30 pm. At that point, I switch to Mr. Mom mode. I pick up my daughter at school, go home, supervise homework, prep dinner, etc.

After dinner (around 7:00 pm, when we pick up my wife at the train or bus station), we spend some family time together. After everyone else is in bed, I go back into the office for a while, go through my RSS feeds if I haven’t already, work on my #daily365 entry and whatever off-site projects I may have, if any. At around midnight, I tend to shut things down and call it a night. Get up around 5:30 or 6:00 am. Rinse, repeat.

My favorite productivity tip? Five words: “(Named) Layers Are Your Friends.” I know it probably sounds simplistic, but working in layers (and naming them—that’s an important component) is one of the two things that has improved my workflow and general productivity over the years. It affords me control. I can, for example, isolate the background elements in a print ad from the art/photography and type so that I can lock out whatever I’m not working on and not be afraid that I might accidentally grab something by mistake (I speak from experience here). It also provides flexibility, because I can work on different concepts for a single piece and see how each works without having to toggle between files. This is especially helpful because I work on one monitor.

About Rafael

Rafael Armstrong (@rcarmstrong) is a designer based in North Jersey. He has experience developing creative solutions for all types of print and Web projects. For the better part of the last decade, he has been involved in print campaigns, signage program creation, logo development and branding, packaging design and production, large format ads for cinema, photo retouching and photo shoot art direction. As well, he has expanded into digital design with HTML and CSS.

He also has extensive experience in production management and media negotiation. Rafael defines being successful as enjoying the variety and challenges of doing what he loves, while getting paid and having time to spend with family.

Brian McDaniel, Web And Graphic Designer

My typical day starts at 5:00 am, with the cat scratching at the bedroom door, demanding her food. Freshly ground and pressed coffee follows, accompanying my morning reading of RSS feeds and email. I tweet what I read or think others might find interesting, while simultaneously diving into whatever my main project is for the day. I use Adobe CS4, so once I have all the programs open, I get going. Usually it’s a custom CMS theme of some kind, or designing and coding an email blast of some sort. Sometimes, I will use the quiet morning to write a proposal if an email request has come in overnight.

Throughout the day I keep tabs on RSS feed updates and Twitter as much as possible without getting distracted. Around 1:00, I’ll give in to the rumbling stomach and make my way to the kitchen, where I’ll make something to eat while watching Sports Center or whatever quick snippet of TV is available. Within the next hour or so, my two daughters come home from school, so I spend a few minutes with them talking about the day. Then it’s back to open projects. At about 4:30 pm, my son makes it home from school, and we catch up, too. The day takes a pause or, if I’m lucky, ends at around 6:00 for dinner with the whole family. If it’s unusually busy, I will work after dinner, but the work day almost always ends no later than 8:00 pm.

About Brian

Brian McDaniel, or bkmacdaddy designs (@bkmacdaddy), designs as a one-man Web and graphic design studio, specializing in custom websites, WordPress themes, Joomla and Magento templates, along with anything else you might imagine for your online presence.

Founded in 1998 by Brian McDaniel as a side business for extra income, bkmacdaddy designs has grown to serve clients worldwide, using the latest technologies to provide quality solutions paired with a unique focus on affordability and extreme customer service.

Brian believes his success as a freelancer is primarily attributable to his personal approach: he believes wholeheartedly in treating people the way he would want to be treated in each and every encounter. “Unfortunately,” he says, “this seems to be a rarity in business, which means my clients find my methods refreshing and genuine. My goal by the end of every project is to exceed the client’s expectations and leave them completely satisfied.”

Grace Smith, Web Designer

A typical day means having breakfast and reading through my RSS feeds (in Google Reader), and checking the morning news at 8:00 am. I also use this time to go through my emails so that I’m ready to start work at 9:00. I work through my prioritized tasks until around 10:30, when I have a morning break. At least one cup of tea is involved in this. I also use this time to return phone calls or contact clients. I work through to 1:00 pm, when I stop for lunch and leave the office to meet with friends or family. This helps re-fuel my creative energy for the afternoon.

My work throughout the day is usually a combination of design and development work (in Photoshop, Coda, Mamp, etc.), mixed with communications, for example in Skype and Basecamp. I finish earlier than most because I like to take 20 or 30 minutes to plan my next day (using TaskPaper), prepare invoices and tie up any loose ends from the day’s work. This is a general overview of my daily routine, but of course every day is different. This is especially true because I do a variety of consulting work, so I may be out of the office or in client meetings that have been scheduled throughout the day. I try to keep both evenings and weekends free of any work-related activities and use that time for personal projects instead. I find it’s important to set boundaries and keep a good balance between work and the rest of life.

A favorite productivity tip is to use templates, with both my business documents and emails. I have templates for the following: contracts, proposals, estimates, website planner, branding questionnaire and additional services. I can easily edit and personalize all of these. I also make use of Canned Responses (in Google Apps), which saves me from having to type the same information over and over again in response to emails that I regularly receive. These are set up for inquiries that I get through my contact form and in reply to inquiries for each of my services. Templates increase your billable time by cutting down on the administrative work that you have to do for each client and project.

About Gracie

Grace Smith (@GraceSmith) is a 26-year-old Web designer and the owner of a small design studio called Postscript5, based in Northern Ireland. She works with individuals and companies that are based mainly in the UK and US on a diverse range of projects, from branding and blog design to application UIs. She has been freelancing for the last four years with Postscript5, her current brand and studio.

As for her success, she says: “In my opinion it takes four main ingredients: passion, dedication, knowledge and professionalism. However, the single biggest factor in being successful as a freelancer is reputation. Remarkable work and attention to detail will continue to generate future business. Loving what I do and being able to use that to pay the bills is, to me, success in its purest form.”

Nicole Sims, Graphic Designer

My schedule is primarily filled with these four things and looks something like this—though not necessarily in this order after the planning stage:

1. Planning
   I’m a list girl and am rarely without my sketchbook. My day always starts by making a plan in my trusty sketchbook, and this includes setting daily goals and making lists to prioritize tasks. Good planning is what makes it possible to juggle a fluid work schedule into my hectic life.
2. Conception
   At least 40% of my time is spent in this stage, which includes reading, research, sourcing inspiration (this can be done anywhere in or out of the office, either on or off the computer or iPhone), doodling in sketchbook… I could go on forever here, and it often happens in the dark p.m. hours!
3. Production
   About 20% of my time is spent in this stage. A solid concept helps keep my production time tight. Production includes pencil and sketchbook or mouse in hand, mainly with Adobe Creative Suite. Most often I do my production during the day, unless it’s a crunch and I’m working around the clock.
4. Marketing
   This is roughly another 20% of my time and can include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, networking events (at any time, day or night), giving talks, trade shows and conferences.

I fill in the final 20% with these kinds of things (it’s a little different everyday): client meetings, invoicing, more networking events, GDC events (Canada’s AIGA), tutorials. I will always continue to learn and add to my skill set, of course. I run or use gym class to clear my head. And of course, I couldn’t do any of it without coffee!

My productivity tip is to be super-effective! I make sure to build my creative working time with a wall or cushion; that is, I completely tune out the outside world. This means turning off Skype, leaving social media tools alone until I’m on a break, not answering the phone, not replying to emails and giving a fiercely furrowed brow to anyone who knocks on my door while I’m working. I work from a home office, so this is all possible for me, but it might not be for everyone. I believe that productivity and creativity skyrocket when you’re left alone in a “vacuum.” It’s like a musician in a recording studio: when they’re recording, nothing distracts them from their mission.

About Nicole

Nicole Sims is the owner of Coley Sims (@ColeySims), a visual foundry. She is an art director and graphic designer who specializes in corporate identity, illustration and print. Nicole offers clean, well-thought-out designs that communicate messages effectively. The freelance advantage allows her to be dexterous and agile in providing swift custom solutions. Having experience in both agency and freelance environments, she has developed a toolbox of contacts and resources to assemble nimble teams of experts for any project.

Nicole started out working the better part of a year for a small design firm as she finished school. She’s been a freelancer ever since—about seven years now—although she still occasionally fills in the gaps with agency contracts.

“I measure success,” she says, “by the happiness of my clients. Over time, I’ve become better at choosing clients and helping them choose me; I sense when there’s a good fit. My portfolio is full of clients who fit and are very happy; they keep coming back, and they refer me to others! I also think success has come with a clear vision of my evolution as a designer and of what’s happening around me. I stay on top and am keenly aware of things as they shift. I’m excited about all the new platforms opening up on which I can apply my skills.”

Blake McCreary, Web Developer, Project Coordinator, Student

During the summer, when I’m not in school, I work full time. I wake up casually around 9:00 or 10:00 am. I eat a hearty breakfast at my own leisure and check my BlackBerry to see if any urgent emails need responses. I often consider my business to be “ad hoc” because I assemble groups for different purposes. Whenever I get the chance, I like to leave the office to collaborate with peers from college and trusted partners whom I’ve met over the years. We all have specialties, and when we get together we can accomplish larger projects.

Sharing ideas and approaches helps me stay fresh. Sometimes, I will leave the office and meet with clients over lunch to spice up the day. Meeting in person helps a business relationship solidify, especially because these days—with email and bidding websites—it’s too easy to be distant from clients. I also prefer a phone call to email when convenient. I never spend too much time working on one project. Stepping away allows me to regroup. When I return, I see the big picture and notice things I may have missed. Sometimes hitting the gym, taking an Xbox break or drinking a Yoo-Hoo does the trick.

Cool office tip: I keep a dry-erase board in my office, as well as several cork boards to pin up current work. The dry-erase board helps me visualize my thought process, and the cork boards hold previous work (I occasionally take a glance to critique, to remind myself of my core values, or to remember ideas that could be applied to other projects). My favorite productivity tip is to master multi-tasking and to know when to step away. Leave a frustrating problem and do other work for a while. You might be inspired, and you’ll come back with a fresh outlook.

About Blake

Blake McCreary (@BlakeMccreary) has been a freelance designer since 2003. He is currently finishing a Bachelor’s degree in visual communication at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Joanna Ciolek, Web Designer

During the day, I take care of three rambunctious boys, ages 2, 3 and 5. At night, I morph into the designer. Come around 9:00 pm, you’ll find me at my desk, sketching, drafting, coding. Somewhat less happily, I also promote and market my business, handle invoicing and billing and answer the ton of email that collects in my inbox apparently at the speed of light. Like any other freelancer, I wear many hats. I’m not yet ready to outsource the more mundane tasks because there is so much I’m still learning by handling the business all by myself.

Here is my favorite productivity tip: because checking email can easily become the biggest disruption of the day, I designate 30 minutes in the morning to scanning my inbox for anything important. I also immediately delete what isn’t. Then I make the task list for the day, in order of importance. I write it down on paper rather than on the computer because this keeps me focused and away from my laptop (once I log in, I can get lost for hours).

To avoid interruption and to complete tasks on time, I do everything in blocks of time, and I don’t deviate. I set up a block for each task or project, anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours (depending on the task), and do nothing else but what’s at hand. I close all other windows and block the sound on my computer (so that I’m not aware of new messages coming in). This works best for me and allows me to prioritize and execute efficiently.

About Joanna

Joanna is the owner of two design studios, Joanna Ciolek Web Design Studio and BOCO Creative (@BoCOCreative). Joanna says, “I started only about a year ago as Joanna Ciolek Web Design Studio. My goal from the start has been to offer affordable Web design solutions to small-business owners. What I’ve learned is that my clients were often lost when it came to building an online presence for their companies. To educate them and help them grow, I started offering consulting services in fields such as Internet marketing and social media. Just last month, I decided to start BOCO Creative, a design agency that specializes in building online strategies to help businesses maximize their online potential. BOCO’s ideal client is someone who needs the whole online package, from a targeted, ROI-oriented design to brand positioning and promotion. On the other hand, my initial studio concentrates on more creative designs, an area in which I’d like to grow.”

Conclusion

So, it seems not everyone stays in their pajamas all day drinking coffee. These are real, serious and talented designers who make a living doing what they love. Even though there is no “right” way to go about your day (as they have shown), it is definitely good practice to stay focused and organized. Everyone has their own schedule, their own way of being productive and creative. The success of these designers might motivate us to take some of their tips.

How do you stay productive throughout your day?

(al)(rb)

  

If you’re a freelance designer, or you work for another company, you got there not because you love business, but because you’re a designer at heart. The business side of things came as a necessary evil, but you really love nothing more than to doodle all day, mess around in photoshop, or bang out semantic code. There are a lot of traits of being a good designer which are counter-intuitive to being a good business person. But if you learn to embrace both sides of the coin, your business will prosper, and you’ll get to do more design.

It’s great to create beautiful works of art for Art’s sake, but the reality is, you can only afford do so if you’re getting paid. Yes, being a great designer means you need to be humble, accept criticism, have an open mind, listen to other points of view, be idealistic and possess all sorts of wonderful character traits of the enlightened and creative individual. But to afford to do so, you need learn how to run your business.

Be Assertive

Like many freelancers find out the hard way, there will come a day or a client that will act as a tremendous lesson and taught you to be assertive. Now remember, assertive doesn’t mean yelling and stamping your feet; it just means sticking up for yourself and not letting yourself get bulldozed. Being assertive sooner in the process will help you avoid being angry later! An unfortunate truth we find, is that some clients will take advantage of you if you give them the opening. Make sure you don’t let them!

Don’t Set a Price Until Everything is Scoped Out

That means, not just features and functionality, but timeline, urgency, number of revisions, how many other people will be involved – the whole works. Everyone’s expectations, both yours and the clients needs to be on the table, and part of the discussion. Without knowing these vital specifics about the project, we are sure to misquote the job and probably end up costing ourselves before we can call the project closed.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For a Deposit

This might be obvious to some of you, but many of us have had clients balk at this. Many of those new to the field are not comfortable with doing this. And as many clients are also not too keen on handing over money for work that has not been done, or even in their minds, begun, we need to approach this situation both delicately and confidently. The more hesitant we are, the more our discomfort comes across, the more likely the client is to pick up on this and allow their resistance through.

We need to simply let them know that we are completely committed to their project, and as we will be investing a large amount of time in it, we need to be assured that they are committed as well. The deposit not only shows they are fully on board, but you can assure them that it will guarantee priority and timeliness of the project on your part. It can be an uncomfortable subject to broach, but if you do not, then you might end up doing a lot of work and not getting compensated at all for your time.

Let Them Know You’re the Expert

Sometimes, no matter how you run your business, you can still run into the occasional person who wants to lean over your shoulder and tell you how many pixels to move something over. The trick is try and not take on the projects for those kinds of people. However, you need to let your clients know you’re the expert at your business, and respect that they’re the expert of their’s.

We don’t often dispute the word of our doctor, we accept their expertise. We need our clients to believe in us this way too. Image by Clarita

Whenever a client makes a specific request for something you know is a bad idea, try turning it around and asking them what it is that’s bothering them. Exactly what are they trying to solve? This allows you to first try and get to the root of the problem so that you can come up with a more appropriate way to solve it; rather than just implementing the bad idea.

Even then, that sometimes doesn’t work, and they insist on the bad idea. This is when you want to assure them that you know what they are trying to achieve and you gently push for them to allow for your expertise and knowledge to give them the best website possible. Strongly discourage going down this path, informing them why the idea could actually work against their goals. Let them know that you will do it if they insist, because you want them to be happy in the end. At which point you will want your objections to this course noted in the paperwork, pointing out that this is what they requested.

That sometimes works. Writing it down makes it into a dramatic moment where they realize you don’t want to be “responsible” for doing what they are asking, and they will then think twice.

Frame Client Input

You can almost never escape needing client approval on a design piece, but there is a way to elicit feedback properly without leaving yourself open to accepting inane or subjective input. When you approach your clients for feedback, rather than leaving the door wide open, you want to frame the questions in ways that the client will effectively be choosing between options that you are already on board with.

If you have a question about the navigation, take them some variations on the idea to choose from. Instead of simply asking, “what are your thoughts on the navigation?” This prevents them from asking for something that is simply unachievable. This can also save time if they are not very clear on what they want. And sometimes they will know what they are looking for out of certain elements until they see it.

Always use a contract!

Having a contract doesn’t mean you don’t trust the client. A contract is for protecting you and the client, and makes sure everybody is clear on exactly what is being delivered and when. It’s not an issue of honesty, but of making sure everybody is on the same page. Never start work before a contract is signed.

Because nothing is written in stone, so to speak, until the contract is signed. Image by Mary R. Voght

And we have to remember that if we receive a contract, we need to check it over carefully. If there are any parts that are unclear or make you uncomfortable, do not be afraid to voice those concerns or ask for clarification. Most of the time, we will find the client receptive to these requests, we need only ask.

Often times, a contract will be written by lawyers who are only looking out for their client, and they write for an apocalypse. You need to look out for yourself and make sure you are comfortable with the agreement, too.

Don’t Do ‘Work For Hire’

…unless you’re actually being employed full-time! Work-for-hire is a term used in copyright law which grants full ownership and copyrights of your work to the person hiring you. By default, all freelancing and contract work is not work for hire. However, it can be written in to a contract (and even then, you still might have a case for arguing it, should you choose!). Technically, something is deemed work for hire if you created it while at a job which demands you be there full-time. Working from home, on a small project is not.

You might think, “What’s the big deal?” Well, if your client wants to retain full ownership and copyrights of the work, they need to pay a premium! Think of the difference of royalty-free stock photography versus rights-managed or full ownership. Owning the full-rights costs a lot of money. Also, most of us will want to include the piece in our portfolios, so taking that away comes with a price, too.

Never Do Spec Work

Working on speculation (“Do a home page design for me, and if we like it, we’ll pay you.”) is a terrible idea. Other people have said it better, so we will not go into a lot of detail here. If you would like a full rundown on the numerous reasons that spec work is bad for you and the industry overall, then go to No!Spec and read why it’s so bad.

Don’t Give Up Passwords or Files Until You’re Paid

Let’s look at it this way. The client has seen the flattened artwork and knows how things look and that you’ve spent the time on their project. At this point, it makes no sense for them to worry about you not delivering on the final product. You just want to be paid. If you turn over the files before you get paid, the client has nothing more to gain by paying you. You’re just hoping that they end up being honest…

It is usually in your best interest to keep yourself password protected. Image by Szilard Mihaly

Make sure the client knows this up-front. It’s unfair to make it a surprise if they have a tight schedule to keep. The least amount of surprises in the end tends to work out in everyone’s favor. So include this in the contract, and be sure to highlight this point once or twice when initial talks are beginning. The internet is full of freelance stories where the designer failed to put their foot down about this, and they ended up waiting months to get paid…if they were paid at all.

Note: There might be some who would argue you shouldn’t give up layered PSDs to the client. That’s a separate discussion. For web design, when you’re working with other developers, you kind of have to.

Write Down Your Policies

It may seem trivial, but for some reason, if you say, “It’s my policy…” and you have shown this to them in the beginning, people will argue with you less. If it’s a policy, people just accept it. Not entirely sure why this works, but it has often come in handy and proven itself as a worthwhile course of action for freelancers.

In Conclusion

Being assertive is not being mean. It’s having rules and standards and ways of doing business, and then sticking to them. It’s drawing clear lines and boundaries and making sure everybody is on the same page. It’s making sure you don’t get bullied around by a bad client. Ultimately, clients will respect your ability to manage your business and they’ll come back for more.

What are your thoughts on ways to effectively assert yourself with clients? Leave us your two cents and personal experiences in the comment section below.

  

Here we have somewhat of a cautionary tale for all of those in the field, to help guide us away from those behavioral models that we should all avoid. Well, that we should avoid if we do not wish to have the often negative connotations that are associated with these types of designers impacting our reputation as a member of the industry. Which might prove very difficult to shake off and recover from in the eyes of other members of the community.

Most of us have had, or have been, that friend warnings were issued about. The bad influence whose behaviors the older generation were so afraid others would begin to emulate, and then it would all be downhill from there. Well they are back! And here come the warnings to prevent as many of us in the design community as possible from following in their damaging footsteps. So take a look below at the breakdowns of those types of designers you should strive to not be, and see if you fit into any of the categories.

The Browse and Biter

First up we come to the nefarious Browse and Biter. This designer-type is characterized by their tendency to browse the web for ‘inspiration’, and they end up biting, borrowing, or simply flat out stealing the styles or designs that they see there. No matter how pure their intentions may be, this type of designer never learned the difference between being inspired by and, well, copying another’s work. Taking a look through their portfolios, one sees a lot of familiar looking or feeling works that they know they have seen somewhere before.

They see a design they like, and they just have to copy it. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being a Browse and Biter

These unfortunately unoriginal folks have a way of upsetting the understood natural order of things with their browse and bite ways, so it is best to learn where those lines are, and stay on the right side of them. Know where inspiration ends and your own voice and work begins. Know the difference between an homage and an ‘Oh, my god they ripped me off!’. Understand that if you admire someone and their work, the right way to honor them in your design is to use the way their work makes you feel and voice that through your work. Not duplicate what they have done. That tends to not be looked on as an honor. So be original, not a browse and biter.

The Stag

Next up, we have the Stag. This type of designer is mostly known for having a really specific style that never really grows or evolves. They just get to a point where they become satisfied with where they have gotten to, and they just stay there. Being stagnant. Soon all of their designs begin to feel stale, as no new ground is really ever broken in their work. And each ‘new’ piece that they craft feels very close to the last piece they just finished before it. And the one before that. And so on, ad nauseam. With this designer-type good becomes the enemy of great. They become satisfied with good and they never strive to be better. To be great.

Tips to Avoid Being a Stag

Now this is not to say that as a designer we should never be happy with the levels to which we have progressed. It is simply saying that we should always strive to be keep progressing. Growth is not a journey’s end, it is a never ending journey. A quest to always be learning more and evolving our skills. Nurturing them so they can rise to the next level and us along with them. And when we finish a design and begin a new one, we should always try to begin anew, as it were. To start fresh, and give each design a chance to be unique and not just a variation of our last piece.

The Boxer

Another designer-type to avoid becoming is the Boxer. These designers tend to be completely boxed in by the field, and for some unknown reason can not allow themselves to ever think outside the proverbial box. These incessant rule abiders become so caught up in the rules and principles of design that they never dare to break outside of or think beyond any of them. While Boxers may exhibit a technical proficiency, and their galleries may be full of precise, sharp designs, the work itself will have no heart. No daring. And as most of us in the field can attest, usually the pieces that have a lasting impact, tend to be those with heart.

For the boxer, everything makes sense in the ‘ring’, and they can’t bring themselves to step outside of it. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being a Boxer

While it is easy to see how a designer can become so enveloped in the basics and those standard design practices that they forget about actually ever trying to push any envelopes through their work, it can be overcome. Design is a dynamic and versatile field that is built on those rules, but they are meant to be more of a guide for us than an absolute. As long as we have an understanding of them, then we can try pushing beyond them every now and again to find our way to true innovation in our designs. Think of the box as our arrival packaging into the design world. Now that we are here, we are not going to stay in our original packaging. We are going to unpack the box and use those things inside the way we best see fit.

The Safe-Player

Not moving on very much, we come to the next designer-type you want to avoid becoming, and that is the Safe-Player. This is actually somewhat of a variation on the Boxer. These designers do want to push the envelopes, and take huge design leaps of faith, but alas, they are too scared, and as a result they reel it in and always end up playing it safe. When you look through their work, you get that comfortable safe feeling exuding from all of it. None of the designs feel like they dared into any new or unfamiliar territory. This often stems from the designers desire to not make any mistakes, so they opt for the safer route. Forgetting all the while, that we need to be making mistakes so we can learn and grow.

Tips to Avoid Being a Safe-Player

For the most part, the advice here follows in suit with the tips for avoiding the Boxer model. However, we should stress that if you want to cast off these Safe-Player shackles, then you really need to be comfortable taking risks in your designs. You cannot let fear of mistakes or failure keep you from trying something new. Not if you want to stand out from the masses.

The Offended Defender

Now we move into the next warning section, that of the Offended Defender. These designers are usually characterized by their offended defenses of their work against any criticisms. Even those that are intended to help the designer make improvements. And they may actually be a good designer by and large, but the fact of the matter is, that they could be great if only they knew how to take and use these critiques of their work. As you look through their gallery, you wonder why some of the works seem like they could benefit from some slight tweaking. You might even go so far as to send them a polite note suggesting one such tweak. That is when you learn why those designs are and will forever stay that way.

It does no good getting all offended and in someone’s face because they tried to help. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being an Offended Defender

The main thing that one can do to step out of this less than favorable light, is to learn how to take criticism without imploding or defensively clinging to the critiqued element and allowing the work to suffer due to some over-inflated sense of ego or pride. And that is unfortunately the way that some designers take it. Even in the harshest of critiques we can often find some useful tips or hints to take away. We just might have to dig down to find it. We also can not let someone else’s negative tone let us get defensive and tune out to what useful tidbits might be buried underneath it.

The Apt-less Pupil

Now we come to the Apt-less Pupil designer-type. Now here it is not that these designers are so much slow learners that makes them less than desirable to become, it is just that they never quite get there, but think that they have it. There is nothing wrong with being a slow learner, but clients and colleagues working with you on a project should not have to suffer through your learning curve. These designer-types also can reflect poorly on the industry overall, as they introduce a segment of the market who call themselves designers, and hire themselves out as designers, but they are not quite designers.

Tips to Avoid Being an Apt-less Pupil

Basically, learn the field before stepping onto it to play in a game. Plain and simple. Also, do not take a job that you are not yet fully qualified to be taking, and you will steer yourself clear of this label easily.

The Underwhelmer

Now we come to the next designer-type, the Underwhelmer. These not-so over-achievers are mostly recognized by their tendencies to effectively under-deliver for their clients. In fact, they even tend to talk a really good game, which makes them hard to recognize to most. But even though they themselves have set the bar of expectations they rarely, if ever, live up to their own hype. Where most designers will tell you that the secret to success is to always over-deliver for your clients, this flock tend to fall short of that mission statement.

We want to make the best of impressions all the way through the project, not completely drop the ball by under delivering on their expectations. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being an Underwhelmer

To keep from baring this brand, again you have to know your limits and not let yourself get in over your head. Whether it is by committing to a project that you do not have the design background or know-how to come through on. Or whether it is by taking on too many clients or projects so that you end up coming up short on one or more of them when the deadlines roll around. Make sure that you can stay ahead of your workload, and have enough skill to deliver on all of your promises, and you might be able to keep from falling into this category.

The Space Cowboy or Cowgirl

Moving on, we come to the Space Cowboy or Cowgirl types of designers. Sufficed to say, their heads are far beyond just being in the clouds, they have left our general atmosphere and are floating in space. These designers are typically characterized as promisers of the moon, without any consideration given to the coding that will have to breathe life into their designs. Also known as the Coder’s Nightmare. Most designers for the web understand that some level of coding background is necessary so they can proceed somewhat reasonably. The Space Cowboy or Cowgirl makes no such concession.

Tips to Avoid Being a Space Cowboy or Cowgirl

Basically, to keep from wearing this dreaded label you need to be informed. Come down from those heights and plant your feet on the ground for a spell. Walk a mile in a Coder’s shoes. Then give them their shoes back and work together to make the most of the design project. Be reasonable in your expectations from the coders, just as you would expect from your them, or as you would expect from your clients.

That’s All Folks

That pretty much wraps up the discussion. Well, from this end anyway, but things are far from over. Now it is up to you to take over and let us know your thoughts on the subject at hand. And remember, for any of those finding themselves fitting into one of these roles, acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery. What designer-types would you warn your kids not to grow up to become? Are there any additional tips you would offer any sufferers of these behaviors that were left out?

(rb)

  

For years the web design and development communities have had an enemy amongst the ranks. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, parading through the communities as a friend of the game, when really it is more of a foe. Perhaps a well intentioned foe, as some might argue, but a foe nonetheless. That enemy goes by the name of Spec Work. We see posts popping up all over the web condemning this community damaging practice, yet still it persists. And what is worse, is that it there are still so many in the community buying into the lie this backward business model projects and perpetuates about it being good for the community.

A No!Spec poster from designer Jeff Andrews

After years of dedicated sites and services springing up around the web to facilitate this selling out of the community, it is easy to see why so many struggling designers and developers see these contests as opportunities, and not as what they truly are. Part of the reason they are struggling. So today we are going to take a hard look at the downsides and damaging impacts of Spec Work on the design and development community in hopes to open a few more eyes to how much partaking in these communal contests for work do more harm than they do good.

The Breakdown

If you are unfamiliar with how this beast operates, we will break it down for you briefly in this first section. The Spec work model is one that relies on the ‘spirit of competition’, where a prospective client comes to the community with an ‘opportunity’ to showcase their skills and potentially get paid for the work that they complete. On the surface it seems like a fairly simple, lighthearted and fun approach that works out well for all parties involved. When in reality, it doesn’t.

A No!Spec poster from designer Rob Gough

In this model we have professionals being asked to use their time, training, and developed skills for free. Time, training, and developed skills that they could be directing towards a more promising and prosperous job. And we hear examples all the time about how you wouldn’t ask this of any other business professional, but that is really not the point. Many of us know that several businesses and handfuls of those outside the field of design undervalue it. So it should come as no surprise that we would be asked to give so much of ourselves so freely. The surprise is that there are so many in the design and development community who are willing to participate.

A Labor of Love Alone

Most of us who chose design or development as a profession do so because we enjoy it. It truly is a labor of love. However, for some, this translates into the fact that the love of doing it is all we should need to work for them. And this Spec work model is simply an evolution of that mindset, as there are a number of these so-called contests that end unresolved because the person hosting found nothing that they liked ‘even after all of their encouraging notes prompting revision after revision spoke otherwise). But the dream is not to just do what we love, there is more to it than that. We seek to make a living doing what it is we love, and Spec work is making that more difficult than ever.

The Impact on the Community

If we want to see the negative impacts that this model is leaving in its wake we need only examine a few ways that it has effected the fields so far. After all, if this model is being represented as being beneficial for the design and development community, and it is through this misguided marketing that so many buy into it, then a look at the true impact could shed light on why there are so many who are avidly anti-spec work. So many that an entire movement has sprung up to rally the community against this model.

The Competitive Market

With so many qualified professionals having chosen to populate this field of business, the market is a fairly competitive one. Just like with nearly every field of business, you have each designer and developer vying for potential clients over the rest of the field. All looking for that proverbial edge that will get them favored over the others. But there is still an artistry behind it which elevates the industry and causes everyone to step up their game. Reflecting positively on the field as a whole. The Spec model amps up the competitive aspect of the market, so that it becomes overly so, without the rest of the benefits this competition usually yields rising in balance.

Lowers the Bar

Not only does this competitive imbalance tend to lead to less than perfect end products, but it also can cause the perception of the field to get driven down from those outside it. Given that these contests undercut the overall design process by hugely shortchanging the project brief and research aspects of it, the work that gets churned out for the contest holders does not measure up to our best work. And with the highly publicized nature of these competition sites and services there are many who see this as indicative of the entire field’s potential. They see these contests and set all of their expectations of the industry based on this model. And what exactly is this saying to them?

A No!Spec poster from designer Von Glitschka

Furthermore, these contests can also leave somewhat of an less than professional taste in the outsider’s mouths. Giving them the impression that the entire field as a whole is still in the the professional infancy stages, and not growing into a fully grown industry demanding to be taken seriously. If we allow our business to determined by these games, then what incentive do they have to treat us as professionals? It is hard enough to get those outside the field to take our profession seriously because our work is steeped in creativity. Creative’s contributions are often undervalued and underestimated as it is.

Reasonable Rates?

As those outside the field begin to let their perceptions of the industry slip, witnessing these contest results and in turn discounting our processes more so than before, the rates that the rest of the community try to charge for their time and work no longer seem reasonable to them. Suddenly it seems as though those charging what should be seen as reasonable rates are looked at as greedy overchargers. And the mindset gets pushed that if there are those willing to do the work that cheaply, then those trying to scale their prices above those more minimal contest rates are doing for no other reason than avarice. In their eyes, a large portion of the community is attempting to gouge them with the pricing model.

And if the rest of us try to explain the rates by breaking down what all goes into the processes and overall time and effort involved, then we are looked at as being dishonest. After all, they can watch the results of these contests come in and argue that our quoted lengthy and involved processes are unnecessarily so. They get to then point to these examples of Spec work as indicative of the industry and say, but it obviously does not take all of that work and planning to complete the task at hand. Because for those outside the industry, they do not see any difference between those contest entries and their potential end result.

Declining Demand

And where does that road lead us? To a bit of declining demand for those wishing to not partake in the Spec work system. Given that so many see this model as a viable solution to any design and development needs, when they find themselves with needs of their own, which direction are they likeliest to turn? They will opt to hold a contest and watch the slew of puppets dance for them with the pull of a single string. So how are the rest of us in the industry supposed to compete? As this leads to less actual paying work being available as more of the potential client base align themselves with this bastardization of the design and development system.

When Scales Tip Beyond Balance

Welcome to the design and development new world order. Look around today and you can see that the scales are already tipping out of balance. When the Spec model was introduced, it was seemingly done so as a cheap alternative for those small businesses and sole proprietors who did not have the financial prowess of their big business counterparts. And so it was initially looked upon as a path of accessibility to the industry, but that is no longer the case as the model reaches beyond these smaller businesses these days. Suddenly we have big companies and businesses who can afford to pay some of the best designers and firms out there, holding competitions to get their design work done rather than handling it the professional way.

Another No!Spec poster from designer Von Glitschka

Facebook recently ascribed to this Spec approach when they decided to host an architectural and urban development contest for their new corporate headquarters that they want to build in New York. So a company that is worth as much as Facebook sees no harm in asking hundreds of professionals to give of their time and expertise freely. And they can do so because of their status. People believe that just by being associated with Facebook in some fashion that they will be looked after and safeguarded against being taken advantage of. Or what is worse, they do not care that they are being taken advantage of because of who is doing the taking.

The Huffington Post also opted for this approach in a recent logo redesign competition. With businesses this large taking part in the devaluing of the industry, it just further demonstrates to others that this is how designers and developers work. It is a labor of love and we are expected to bite any bullet we are asked to simply because we enjoy our work. No other professionals are expected to work for free, competing for a chance to maybe get paid for their work, and we should not either.

Field of Nightmares

This makes the playing field less populated with opportunities and more populated with frustrated games of chance. We end up looking down at a field of nightmares upon which we are expected to slave away with the odds stacked against us, and the rules being written without any consultation or consideration for their impacts on us. They have built it, and we are supposed to come along and be thankful for this damaging construct that undermines the industry as a whole, and our chance to play within it. But we have the opportunity to correct this slight by simply refusing to play this game. Though for some it is not so simple.

Hunger Pains

One underlying and well known reason that Spec work has taken such a hold on the industry is not because of a streak of greed that runs through the members of the community, but because of the hunger pains that run through it. With such a large number of active players in the game, naturally the amount of work we can get for ourselves can be somewhat slim when it comes to pickings. So as we see less actual opportunities on the horizon, and more of these contests cropping up, then it is easy to understand how many of the designers and developers end up with their hats thrown into the Spec work ring.

A No!Spec poster from designer Matt Clarke

Which effectively makes the entire Spec work model that much worse when you consider that by and large it is taking advantage of those struggling to find their footing in this new field. And most of them are hungry. Considering that there is faction of these participants who are also fresh to the field, it is also easy to see how they could get caught up in this industry debacle. Especially if they are students. After all, students are conditioned through internships and work of that nature to understand that not all time and work is compensated. Forgetting that with most internships you are at least given room and board of some sort, so some of your needs are effectively being looked after. In the Spec work model, no one is meeting any of your needs or looking out for any of your interests.

In Conclusion

In the end, the sad truth is that there more than likely is a small niche that the Spec work model could effectively and beneficially serve in the design and development community. However, given the rampant greed and devaluing of the industry by the large corporate sector of the business world, reigning that model into that small a niche may never fully be possible. There will always be those who are willing to take advantage of others situations and circumstances to save themselves money. And unfortunately, there will more than likely always be those hungry enough to allow themselves to be taken advantage of for a shot at bettering their situation. No matter how long a shot it is. What are your thoughts on Spec work and its impacts on the design and development communities? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Further Reading

• Don’t design on spec by Jeffrey Zeldman
• Why CrowdSpring Owners Should Be Ashamed of Their Business by Brian Yerkes
• The No!Spec Campaign vs crowdSpring by Ross Kimbarovsky
• Why the No!Spec Movement Isn’t Working. And Why That’s So Awesome! by Nick Campbell
• To Spec or Not To Spec by Ben Tollady
• Awesome and professional form letter from Supernice Studios which wonderfully explains to any potential clients expecting you to work on spec why that is an unreasonable request.

Consider Some of Our Previous Posts As Well

• Quality-Price-Ratio in Web Design (Pricing Design Work) is a post from the Smashing vaults that looks at the difficult question of whether good design always has to have a hefty price tag.
• Why Wait For The Opportunity? Create Your Own! is a another previous post from here at Smashing that discusses taking charge of our own fates and not letting our design opportunities be controlled by others.

(rb)

  

For the most part, working in the design and development communities can often leave you feeling like somewhat of a ‘Yes’ person. That person who stands behind the client, nodding in agreement and understanding as the path to the project unfolds before you. For in this business, it pays to wear this agreeable hat. It helps the client begin to see us an ally in their mission, someone who they can work with to make their project see the proverbial light of day, not have to work around so to speak.

When they see us filling the role of the ‘Yes’ person, the client is often put at ease and they can feel less guarded around us. This tends to make it easier for them to communicate their ideas as they feel like we are less likely to challenge them on any of it. They can be free to explore their ideas in what feels like a safe atmosphere. However, there comes a time in our careers that we have to step outside of that role and tell the client ‘No’. Suddenly that client comfort zone is challenged, which means we have to proceed with care. It is not as simple as just saying ‘No’.

These situations can be a bit delicate, especially since we are usually in the more submissive role as the employed. Clients are not often used to being told ‘No’ about anything in this corporate culture of “the customer is always right” that has its hold in the business world today. Besides, just because we have had to switch gears over to the ‘No’ side does not mean that we are prepared for the working relationship to come to a close. Which if we are not tactful in the least, then that may be precisely where things go once we say ‘No’. Below is a look at some of the ways we can let a client down easy without risking current or future projects.

Just For Clarification…

We are not attempting to paint all or any clients with an unreasonable brush here. We are simply saying that there are times when hearing a ‘No’ can be a deal breaker, and if not handled correctly can leave a bad taste in the client’s mouth, which will return each time they speak your name. And that is just not good for business. We do not want to get a reputation for being disagreeable, but we also know that there are times when the client has to be told ‘No’ — whether they like it or not.

And let’s be honest, each of us can have a tendency to get defensive or somewhat hurt when we are told ‘No’, so why should we not expect for our clients to feel this same tinge of rejection and react to it occasionally. After all, we are all just people. And when we are paying for a service, we often do not expect those whom we are paying, to tell us ‘No’ when we ask for anything we deem within reason. Sometimes, our clients are in this same boat, and unless we tend to the situation cautiously, it can have a lingering effect.

There are many reasons for saying “No”. One of them is a job burnout. Image Credit

Considering the Client Type

Is this a new or existing client? Because the way you handle them will generally be different depending on which category of client they fall into. If this is a new client or potential client, then you are going to tend to maintain a more professional edge to your decline that might also tend towards the dishonest end of the spectrum. Whereas if you are dealing with an existing client where the relationship is much more established and comfortable, then you might have a more relaxed approach that tends towards the open and honest side of things.

For example, if you are taking time off to go to Comic Con and because of this you cannot take on any new work, you might avoid the full details of the situation as you decline taking the task from a potential or new client. Mainly out of fear of this effecting the way they view your dedication or professionalism, and in turn your company. However, if you are dealing with an existing client, being more personal, and in this case more honest, might feel like the more comfortable path to take. After all, they will already have an idea formed about you and your company that will likely not be impacted negatively by this decline.

So the client’s status, as it were, does come into play when you are determining the best way to tackle telling them ‘No’, it is often not just a black and white situation. Where they sit on the spectrum can steer the direction we need to go in when it comes to declining their wishes, and that consideration cannot be dismissed.

In Short:

• Whether the client is a new client or an existing one can impact how you handle these situations.
• New clients tend to require more of a professional approach, whereas with existing clients we can tend to be a little bit more laid back.
• The more personal the reasons we have to say no, the more likely the white lie is the better option over the truth to maintain that professional edge.

Consider the Project Stage

Where exactly are you in the project when the situation arises? Because this can also heavily weigh in on how you handle telling the client ‘No’. If it is in the initial stages, meaning the client is just contacting you to ask you to come on board, that is quite a different situation than being in the middle of a project and having an instance crop up where you have to tell the client ‘No’. If things have not gotten started, then you can feel free to skirt around the truth and be as blase as you feel you need to. However, if you are in the middle of the project, then it is usually of utmost importance that you be completely up front and honest with the client as to why you cannot comply with what they have asked.

The easiest way to see the distinction here is by using an example where you feel that complying with the client’s request, would cross either a personal or professional line that you have decided that you would never cross. For instance, if a client approached you to do a sexually explicit site, and you or your company were opposed to doing so, you could easily turn them down and be as up front with why you declined or not. However, if you have already been hired and contracts are in place, when the client asks you to add some sort of sexually explicit elements to the project, then you have an obligation to honestly address why you feel you must decline.

So how far along the project has progressed can also set the tone for how to approach this oft times delicate situation, and govern exactly how honest you should be with them. Generally, the further along you have gone down the path with the client, the more they deserve to know the full reasoning behind your decisions to decline their offers or wishes.

In Short:

• The stage that the project is in also plays a part on the how this situation gets handled.
• If the project is just getting underway, then skirting around the truth or avoiding some details is usually not as big a deal.
• If the project is already in progress and you have to tell the client no, then you should be as honest and up front as you comfortably can be.

Rules of the Refusal

Now beyond the considerations that we have to make in order to judge the situation correctly for determining our approach, we also have to remember that there are a few rules that we can adhere to so that our refusals to the client are perhaps more digestible, and overall easier to swallow. Below are a few of these proverbial pointers for making the rejection have less of a lasting negative impact on both you and the client.

Do Not Leave Them in the Lurch

The first tip, and one of the most important when it comes to telling a client ‘No’ without having to suffer any repercussions, is to always recommend another course of action for the client to take. Rather than simply giving them roadblocks, offer them solutions to help them find their way once more. If you are turning down work, then point them towards others in the field whom you trust to take care of their needs. Often this kindness will be remembered by the client in the future, not to mention by the other design/development team you directed them to as well.

If you are in the middle of a project and have to tell them that you won’t be able to comply with their demands, then provide them with alternatives that you can do to still get their project where they want and need it to go. Doing so might just be the sugar needed to help make this medicine go down, so to speak. To sell them on another direction you need to be able to make it look as attractive to them as the idea they proposed, so do not try to go at this blind. Take in what they have said, and let them know that you will get back to them on this once you have fully considered what it is they are asking for. This will give you the time you need to formulate workable alternatives to present to them.

Wherever you are in the project, try not to be just another problem that they have to get around by telling them ‘No’. Try to be the provider of solutions that they had not yet considered instead.

In Short:

• When telling a client ‘No’, try to offer some other routes that they might take.
• It is always better to offer detours rather than simply putting up roadblocks, this helpfulness will tend to be remembered.
• Take in their request and do not get back to them immediately, this gives you time to formulate an alternative to provide them with.

Always Be Aware of Tone

Now this next tip might seem like a bit of a given, but we thought that we ought to bring it up anyway just to air on the side of caution. That is to always be aware of your tone of voice, or just the overall tone of the discussion. And more than just the tone, you want to fully consider how all of your words will come across and be received by the client. This is not always an easy task, but it is by far, one of the more necessary ones to tackle. There are many ways that tone can interpreted and words can be taken that spell trouble for your company, so getting to know the client is a big part of understanding how your words will go over.

This comes even more into play if all of your communication with the client is done visually via e-mails and messaging, not audibly or in person where tone is easier to discern. It is harder to get a handle on the nuances that could be read into your messages that you in no way intended. Given the circumstances, that you are essentially rejecting the client or their ideas, knowing the tone that gets attached to your dialogs is even more critical. You do not want the client walking away from the situation with the idea that you were disrespecting them, so that is the lingering feeling they have when they are asked about their experience with your company.

Read through, or go over in your head, the way that you plan to let the client down, so that you can try to assess any negative tones or hints to a lack of respect that could be gotten from somewhere in your words!

In Short:

• The tone we use when telling the client ‘No’ might communicate more than we intend, so we need to be mindful of it.
• When communication with the client is done online or via e-mail, then the tone that can be read into it needs to be considered as well.
• Take the time to vet your comments or reread your messages to ensure that no negative connotations could be interpreted from them that could hurt your professionalism.

Rejection Reassurance

The next tip for tactfully telling the client ‘No’ might seem a bit placatory, and for all intents and purposes, it pretty much is, but that does not lessen its importance in this discussion in any way. This tip has to do with rejection reassurance. What we mean by that is that you want to be sure, especially if you wish to possibly work with this client in the future, that you reassure them that this bump in the road is not where you wish things to end. You want to impart to the client that this is simply a matter of bad timing or circumstances, and that perhaps in the future they should call on you again to see if things will be a better fit at that time.

Make sure they know that even if you have to reject them now, that you might be a good fit for a future project. Image Credit

Now granted, rejection is rejection, and most of us whether we like to admit it or not, do not take it that great. We should expect the same from our clients. And if you are in the middle of a project and your telling them ‘No’ spells the end of your part of said project, you can expect even more potential fallout from this rejection. But as long as we let the client know honestly why we cannot comply, and that we would like to perhaps try to work with them again in the future on something else, then we have done all that we can to perhaps mend any sores we may have opened in the process.

Under these circumstances it is hard to judge how the rejection is going to impact future relations with that client, but if we go ahead and take the proverbial first step towards repairing this breach through this subtle reassurance then hopefully the rejection will not have a lasting reach.

In Short:

• If you wish to work with the client again, then reassure them that you turning them down now is not the end of the road, or at least it is not where you wish things to end.
• This is about softening the blow that most of us tend to feel whenever we get rejected.
• We have to understand that no matter how we attempt to sugar coat things, telling the client no might have consequences that we will have to accept.

What Best Serves the Project

The next tip that we have is also one that seems placatory to the client, but it can prove useful for removing some of the edge that telling the client ‘No’ can come with. And that is to always convey to the client that your choices are reflective of what best serves their endgame. After all, that is what they are presumably seeking to begin with. So as long as you let them know that your decision to turn down their request or job is because it is in the best interest of the project, then they are less likely to negatively react to this rejection or non-compliance.

Now we said less likely because there are always wild cards, and some clients are not going to take too kindly to hearing ‘No’ regardless of how you dress it up. Especially if that ‘No’ interrupts their progress in any way. But when you are turning them down in the middle of a job, providing alternatives as we already suggested, and you are doing so because you feel that it would be better for the project to take a different approach, then the clients tend to be less resistant to hearing you out. Especially if you can provide them a better way to serve their project in the end, and not delay their deadline by causing them to have to bring in someone else and catch them up to speed, then they might be willing to trust in your expertise.

In Short:

• When we have to tell the client ‘No’, by making our decisions based on what serves the project best it tends to be easier for the client to take.
• This may not render the situation salvageable, but it tends to put the client in a more receptive mood for hearing you out.

Do Not Beat Around the Bush

Finally, the last bit of advice that we have to offer on telling a client ‘No’, is to do the professional thing and do not beat around the proverbial bush. If you are going to turn them down or reject an idea, do it directly and clearly. Do not waste their time or yours dancing around the topic trying to avoid the direct confrontation, assuming that they understood you to mean ‘No’. You are unnecessarily prolonging the situation to try and ease out of the discomfort, when really you are causing more distress all around by avoiding the issue.

In Short:

• Do not dance around the issue when telling a client ‘No’.
• Always be clear and make sure that everyone is on the same page, so there is no confusion.

Last Thought

That wraps up the discussion of the ideas on this side, but now, as always, we turn the dialogue over to you. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on ways to tell a client ‘No’ in the comment section below. What ways have you found that work the best? Which, if any, of the ways that we discussed have you used in the past, or do you plan to use in the future? What suggestions do you have for designers and developers who face this work issue?

Consider Some of Our Previous Posts

• How To Explain To Clients That They Are Wrong is a post from our vaults that covers close to this same topic and might be one you also wish to consider.
• How To Convince The Client That Your Design Is Perfect is another post from Smashing’s past that might hold a helpful hint or two in this respect.
• Do You Want Fries With That Logo? is a great article elaborating ways on how to learn to say ‘No’ instead of rushing through projects.

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