paulscottondesign
41 Years Experience
Marbella, ES
Male, 58
I have been in the graphic design industry since 1981 working in London, Los Angeles & Spain. My career started in the traditional way on a drawing board, using Rotoring Pens, Magic Markers, Pantone Pens & Letraset working as a Designer/Visualiser/Artworker. My design career has taken me through the music, toy, t-shirt, packaging & print industry. I am now a freelance graphic designer (British) based in Spain with many clients worldwide ...now using Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign on a Mac.
Well, no actual job has been dumb ...but have been asked to design something for free many times which is a pretty dumb thing to do as some people assume being a graphic designer is a hobby for fun ...but it is my full time career that pays my bills. ...so I guess that may answer you question ...and no, I do not work fro free so I guess that answers the second part of your question
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UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . In general my prices are average ...but if you put it into context, I am cheap for the experience I have. I should charge loads more than I do but clients nowadays want everything on a budget ...brand and marketing agencies can get away with charging high prices as they get all the big corporate companies, but most freelance designers have to keep their prices low ...I do not go to the cheap level though but my clients get a good price for the quality of work they receive.
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UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I do not have a favourite color for use in design. At the end of the day it is all down to the color relevant to the design/client preference. Designers should not really have a favourite as is could restrict their color choice when creating a logo etc. Creative people should be open to all colors ...hope this answers your question ...well almost!
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UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Lizzy, to be honest I do not know. I have never used an ipad for drawing or design ...not even a laptop. I have always used the largest screen available ...and 2 of them. I have 2 x 27" screens that I work on side by side. The best option is to do a Google search for reviews on the best deal ...sorry I cannot be of much help.
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????? Not sure I understand your question ...I am a "Graphic Designer" .... so that is what I do!!
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UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Sometimes, not always, depends on my mood on that day. If have to design something cool and funky I may listen to upbeat music ...if I have to design something more laid back and classical I listen to relaxing music ...it gets my mind in the right mood for the theme of the design. Hope this answers your question.
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UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I used to charge per hour but most clients like to know the final cost before they commit to using me. So I always charge per project now ...I give a client a price based on the brief they supply but also tell they that if the brief drastically changes I will add extra costs ...so they have to agree to this before I start. I take 50% deposit on all jobs plus only supply low res watermarked images of the designs for approval and only give the final hi res version once the balance has been paid. I never take a deposit off of my regular loyal clients as I have had them for years and can guarantee payment from them. As for doing jobs for free ...NO, I never do anything for free or at a discount. I have bills to pay like everyone else and all my clients get charged the same amount depending on the job. Graphic design is an investment in a company. When starting up (or well established) all companies should have a marketing budget. I have some clients say that they have just spent loads on office furniture, computers, etc, etc so do not have a lot for their logo, marketing etc and come to me with a begging bowl ....well, that is not my problem. They are the ones in control of their companies spending and should work this into the budget before spending it all. At the end of the day people start up businesses to make money right? ...so why should I offer my services next to nothing so they can be the ones making the money. I work for myself and I am in a business to make money too.... graphic design is not my hobby, it is my career and has been for 40 years. If they want cheap either do it themselves or get an inexperienced wannabe designer sitting at home in their bedroom with no outgoing expenses ...then they will see they will get what they pay for. I get all sorts of offers to get me to design for free ...mainly promises of regular work once they make money ...or telling everyone how good I am so giving me loads of exposure... well, when I first became freelance I thought that was a good idea and accepted clients like this ...but guess how many of them turned into regular clients ...a big fat ZERO. Plus their companies did not last long as they did not plan their monthly marketing budget ...they just spent money on irrelevant fancy things forgetting that the most important thing is branding and marketing as that is what gets them the work. So after all that I guess you know my answer to you asking for something for free ....NO ...lol
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