FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
The always-dreaded question: "How much?" I understand times are tough for a lot of folks out there, so I believe in being flexible and respecting customer's budgets. I work on a project basis, not an hourly basis. If we agree on, say, $200 for a project, then it's $200 regardless if it takes six or 10 hours. I've been doing this long enough that I know what the effort costs.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
1.) I always digest the customer's request. I take the time to think about what he/she wants and might need before responding. 2.) I respond to the request and ask a few questions of my own (timeline, look and feel, colors, size, printing, etc.) 3.) Assuming the customer replies back, I find it best to enter into a brief dialogue — via phone — to tie up any loose ends. Whatever the customer wants, they get. 4.) Should the project be a go, then I go ... straight to my Mac Book Pro. 5.) From there, we fine-tune the piece(s) until there's a finished product. Whatever it takes. 6.) We're done.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Full disclosure: I actually have no formal training in the graphic arts. Quick story: I set out in life to become a sportswriter. But one night a year or so out of college, while working at the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, the computers went down and the only terminal that worked was one that carried Quark X-Press — a program that's now obsolete in the design world. Fortunately for me, I was the only one in the entire newsroom who knew how to use Quark. So, I built that night's paper — a state capital paper — all by myself. The next day, the managing editor said, "You're done covering games and events. You'll now be designing pages." That's how I got my start in graphic design. I'm 100-percent self-taught. Not one design class or seminar. Fast-forward nearly two decades, and I've worked with some of the most high-profile brands around. I believe my portfolio speaks for itself.