businessofdesign

Case studies help position freelance creatives as strategic problem solvers, rather than technicians or wrists. They present the client's problem, document and record the creative process, and showcase research findings, insights, and process to demonstrate problem-solving capabilities. In this episode I highlight the benefits of using case studies to upgrade your portfolio to attract higher value clients, and what to include in a case study.

Stress resides between an expectation of an ideal and what actually is.  When the expectation of the ideal — balance (symmetry) — collides with the messy realities of life, you can feel like you’re not good enough or you’re in the wrong lane. It’s all in what kind of balance you’re striving for. In this episode I present relief from the expectation of work-life symmetry in the form of a different point of view — asymmetry. Life is one whole thing, and a proportional approach to balancing time can relieve a lot of the distress that comes with a sense of not measuring up if you don’t achieve symmetry. There’s freedom in knowing life isn’t perfectly precise. There’s always a geometry to life, but there’s never perfect symmetry.  

Establishing and managing a business so you can make a living from your creative work — your way — isn’t easy and probably not what most of us expected when we started out. With all the competition out there, and now with AI looming as both an asset and a threat to creative work, how will you stand out? How will you make a living? How will you continue to build your business, attract your best clients, and become know for significant work? In this episode I offer 4 ways for your consideration: Get along with failure, value the purpose over the process, don't settle for "good enough", and pursue profitability.

AI is disrupting the creative industries in a variety of ways that are both beneficial and detrimental. In this episode we consider both the problems and advantages of using AI as a freelance creative, and propose answers to these questions, among others: “Why would a client pay me when they can create a thing themself for free using AI?”, “How can I use AI tools to support my business?”, “How can I protect my work from theft?”

Your host, Aya Shlachter, talks with Smita Sahoo— Owner, Founder, and Creative Director of āśaya | DESIGN.

In this episode, Aya and Smita discuss the intricacies of the business side of design and how creative thinking impacts overall business success. Smita goes into detail about her company's focus on emotions and thoughtfulness and highlights the importance of building strong networks and forming ethical partnerships, recognizing them as pivotal catalysts for success in the ever-evolving design industry. 

She also shares her vision for the future, which includes collaborations in India and working with NGOs for rural development, women's education, and employment. Make sure you listen all the way through to learn more about the intersection of design and business!

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Smita Sahoo is Owner, Founder, and Creative Director of āśaya | DESIGN, a Chicago-based luxury interior design and architecture firm, with nearly 20 years of expertise in multifamily residential, commercial and hospitality design. Smita's passion lies in crafting spaces that foster deep emotional connections, starting with compelling design concepts tailored to her clients' goals. 

Drawing from a diverse background in architecture, interior design, environmental psychology, and sustainability, her unique creations blend Western design innovations with timeless elements of the East. Through her firm, Smita aims to create projects that positively impact clients' brand equity while prioritizing economic, social, cultural, and environmental enrichment. 

Smita actively contributes to Insightful Chicago and the University of Florida's Department of Interior Design's Advocacy board, sharing insights on design thinking, industry trends, mentorship, and EDI. She also supports SHaD (She Has a Deal), an organization promoting women in hotel and commercial real estate ownership.

Find out more about Smita at www.asayadesign.com/founder or connect with her on Instagram via @asaya.design. 

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If you're a freelancer, client meetings are inevitable. Whether online, by phone, or in person, meetings are necessary for getting united around common goals and purpose, determining next steps and responsibilities. But meetings can go sideways and negatively impact your working relationships. They can solve nothing, and be a waste of time. Your time, and your client's, is valuable. In this episode I offer 7 tips for having better, more effective, client meetings.

To succeed in business as a freelance creative requires shifting from functioning solely as a creative — an illustrator, a designer, a photographer, a copywriter, an artist — to functioning as the owner of a creative business. In this episode I share half a dozen shifts we need to make in how we think about what we're doing, and why.

Episode #49 - This episode has a backstory. As projects continue to spin up with wonderful client requests, internally at TLC Creative Services, we have been revisiting our rate sheet, project timelines and project terms. The Presentation Podcast's focus on the business of presentation design is a great resource, that I found myself (Troy Chollar) using. This episode we revisit a conversation Sandy, Nolan and myself had back in 2017 were we discuss presentation project Deposits, Terms and Rates. Virtually every part of the conversation is relevant today, so much so that it is worth bringing back to the surface episode 28 and hopefully encouraging you to evaluate your project options and assuring things are advantageous for both sides of the project; the designer and recipient. Enjoy.

Full Episode Show Notes

https://thepresentationpodcast.com/2022/e149

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New Episodes 1st and 3rd Tuesday Every Month

#121: Eric Holter of Cuberis talks about how their niche of designing websites for museums has helped the creative business get work easier, be more profitable, be memorable and be seen as industry experts. He also talks about how he gets clients.

Marketing is a necessary part of any business, but creative freelancers aren't always comfortable doing it. Kick the "I hate marketing" catchphrase to the curb with a practical approach that looks at marketing, branding, and messaging as a way of giving value to your prospective clients. 

One of the things that is often disregarded is the value of creativity, and especially the value of creativity to business. There's the mindset that, “You’re doing what you love to do. It’s creative, it’s fun. You shouldn’t expect to be paid much for it because your payment is in the enjoyment of what you do.” That’s true to some extent — we should enjoy our work. The thing is, though, that we need to look at what we do as having value beyond just the enjoyment. In Episode 101 I state the case that commerce and media need what we creatives do.

Whether you freelance full-time or part-time, these time management principles will help you win the struggle to juggle the professional and personal aspects of your life. 

Freelancers have so many options for self-promotion and marketing online. Are local business listings like Yelp, YP.com, Manta and Alignable good for getting more business? It depends. I unpack some pros and cons of signing up with local business directories, share my own story, and number of alternatives that might be better options for you as a freelance designer, photographer, or illustrator. Consistency and frequency are important for your marketing, no matter what platforms you use.

What do you do when a client does a charge back? Should you discount during a crisis? How do you convince a client to stop demanding junk-drawer design? In this episode I answer 3 questions from freelance designers, share real-life answers by looking at how to solve the problems right now and ways to avoid dealing with them in the future, to help you respond well.