November 2, 2006

Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual Features Utah Designers

So my Print Regional Design Annual for 2006 came the other day and I quicky flipped to find out who was featured from Utah. Since they aren’t as big as other states when it comes to design, they were under the heading “Rest of the West”. In their intro they mention “Salt Lake City has 12 firms doing great work where there use to be two, says Jeff Olsen of B/O/W/G. He adds that clients from both coasts are sustaining a new crop of startup agencies, and the excellent designers graduating from local schools like Brigham Young leave town, “but come back a few years later.”

Here are the companies from Utah that were featured.

Page 119:
Axis41, Salt Lake City, for a Self-Promotional Campaign
B/O/W/G, Salt Lake City, for a Logo Design

Page 120-121:
Axis41, Salt Lake City, for an Invitation
Struck Design, Salt Lake City, for a Logo
H Theory, Salt Lake City, for a Stationery System
Stephen Hales Creative, Provo, for a Magazine Spread
angryporcupine*design, Park City, for a Logo

Page 122-123:
H Theory, Salt Lake City, for a Stationery System
H Theory, Salt Lake City, for a Stationery System
B/O/W/G, Salt Lake City, for Packaging
Richter7, Salt Lake City, for a Poster

Page 124-125
A+B Works, Salt Lake City, for a Stationery System
Visual Think, Salt Lake City, for a Book
Axis41, Salt Lake City, for a Holiday Card
Struck Design, Salt Lake City, for a Poster
B/O/W/G, Salt Lake City, for a Handbook/Guide

Congratulations to all this years winners!

November 1, 2006

WWW 2.0 for the UHP and DMV?

I commute to work – many of us do it, and many of us do it in Utah. We daily get to drive up and down the singular artery that is I-15. Well tonight, on my way home, I had a big jacked-up truck weaving and swerving around me trying to get one or two car-lengths in front of me in the heavy traffic. And then an idea/question came to my mind:

Would Web 2.0 work on idiot drivers?
Now many of us take advantage of Web 2.0 features through feedback and comments on our favorite restaurant or place of travel. We count on the masses of people to make our online experience better for us. (One of the definitions used for Web 2.0) But what about driving? Could these comment and feedback features improve our daily commutes?

What if you could go online to the DMV and log the license plate number of that guy that cut you off, or was speeding far above the speed limit? What if the UHP (Utah Highway Patrol) could use this information as part of someone’s record in determining if they would get a citation or just a warning? Now that’s where the collective would have more power.

Where else do Web 2.0 features integrate into real life?

Habits of Highly Successful Freelance Designers

I ran across a blog post the other day, that prompted me to think about what was good and bad about my personal experience on being a freelancer. The post, entitled 7 Habits of a Highly Successful Freelance Web Designer was written by Andy Budd, the managing director of a user experience consultancy in England. After being asked by a couple people on how to make it as a freelance web designer, he posted his thoughts as 7 ideas. Here’s a summary:

1. Love what you do:

…you need to have a passion for what you do. Passion (with the aid of caffeine) will keep you working late into the night when the rest of your friends are down the pub or fast asleep.

2. Never stop learning:

…the best web designers are endlessly inquisitive and always want to keep abreast of the latest trends and technologies.

3. Specialise:

Some skills are more in demand than others, but if you’re the top of your field in a particular language or skill, you’ll always be in demand.

4. Get a killer portfolio:

…don’t post up every project you’ve ever done. You’re only as good as your last couple of projects so put your best foot forward and showcase your most recent work.

5. Network like crazy:

…people much prefer doing businesses with somebody they have met and feel comfortable with. Next time they need help on a particular project, they are much more likely to remember you and get in touch.

6. Manage your time:

Make sure people know the difference between your work time and your home time. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you have time to do the dishes, clean the house and take out the trash. Conversely don’t participate in avoidance techniques like doing the chores, making snacks or watching TV.

7. Build your reputation:

…become the person people want to do business with. That way, rather than searching for new clients, they will come to you.

Read the entire post here.

My addition to this list, would probably be:

Develop a dual personality:
Keep your personal life and work life completely separate by having separate phone numbers (don’t give out your home number), maintain a work email that is separate that your personal email, and divide your personal space into “office” and home (even if you work in a small space).

Find opportunities to be on-site:
Freelancing from home became a lonely experience for me, so I often found opportunities to visit my clients at their offices. I’d drop by in the morning with donuts (my business card attached), or schedule lunches in advance with my clients near their office. I even kept an extra computer that I could keep onsite with one of my clients to work in their office on larger projects. These clients were happy to give me some space and an Internet connection – and things moved much smoother when the client was right there.

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