“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ~Rollo May

Edited from a post written by Leo Babauta.

Creativity is a nebulous, murky topic that fascinates me endlessly — how does it work? What habits to creative people do that makes them so successful at creativity?

I’ve reflected on my own creative habits, but decided I’d look at the habits that others consider important to their creativity. I picked a handful of creatives, almost at random — there are so many that picking the best would be impossible, so I just picked some that I admire, who came to mind when I thought of the word “creative”.

This was going to be a list of their creative habits … but in reviewing their lists, and my own habits, I found one that stood out. And it stands out if you review the habits and quotes from great creative people in history. It’s the Most Important Habit when it comes to creativity.

The No. 1 Creativity Habit

In a word: solitude.

Creativity flourishes in solitude. With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, you can focus. Continue Reading »

There are little things that I learn in this job almost every single day. Sometimes they’re just handy bits of information or useful resources, other times they’re real eye openers to things I’ve been doing wrong. I thought it might be useful to write some down in case anyone else can find some value in them.

On Rates

Every day I learn something new about what to charge clients and how to do it. In the last 12 months I think I’ve quadrupled my rates, which suggests that I was doing things really wrong to start with. Here’s a handy benchmark: Take what you need to earn in a month to cover your expenses, double it, then divide by 10. Make sure your daily rate isn’t any less than that number.

On Timing

I constantly, constantly underestimate how long things are going to take. It’s so easy to estimate time for something but then fail to take into account that bugs will come up, clients will want revisions, and sometimes everything will go wrong. Nowadays I try to take every time estimate and double it, this tends to be much more reliable.

On Motivation

You can’t control it, it comes and goes. If you aren’t feeling motivated at all but you really need to get work done, I’ve found that the most helpful thing possible is to fully take your mind off everything for 15 minutes. How you do this will be different for everyone, personally I try to get outside of the house and, if possible, chat to someone else on the phone. In fact it was having a good chat to @Japh on the phone just now that gave me the inspiration burst to quickly type up this post.

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There is a lot that goes into the process of designing and developing a website successfully for a client. In order for the project to be truly successful, it must accomplish much more than simply an attractive design. In this article we’ll take a look at 7 keys that must be present for the designer and client to create a site that achieves the desired results for the business.

1. A Realistic Timeline

Designing and developing an effective website takes time. Most designers understand this, but some clients assume that the process can easily be done faster without considering the impact.

It’s not uncommon for a designer to be contacted by a potential client who has an unrealistic deadline. At this time the designer can either make promises that they may not be able to live up to in order to land the job, or the designer can explain to the client why the deadline is unrealistic, what steps will be rushed with this deadline, and what the consequences may be. In many cases the client will be more flexible with their projected time frame if they understand the long-term ramifications of rushing through the project. Continue Reading »

Eric Gill, Adrian Frutiger and Max Miedinger are names we associate with the classic typefaces designers use on a daily basis. Their font creations are timeless designs that look right at home no matter what century we’re in. This collection of 25 classic fonts is a round up of the best and most popular fonts every designer should own. You can be sure that they will last your whole design career.

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As a freelancer, your role can often be that of a customer service professional as much as a designer. If you want to keep clients coming back for more, you must create a competitive advantage for yourself through building strong client relationships.

Below you’ll find ten ways to help you make your clients think of you as their absolute best option for design work.

1. Don’t Be On Time, Be Early

Many of your clients will have absolutely no idea what the design process involves. Normal people (non-designers) will frequently make completely impossible requests such as “I want an amazing and innovative website, but don’t spend more than a couple of hours on it.” Obviously, this tip does not apply to such clients. In fact, if someone ever says that to you, take it as a sign that the job may be more trouble than it’s worth.

However, if you’re working with someone who has actually paid for design work in the past, they’ll have a little more insight into what a realistic time table will look like. In these instances, work with your client to develop a timeline that you’re absolutely sure you can meet. Then, if you have the time, put in a little extra effort to deliver a day early. Odds are, this will make an amazing first impression with your clients as they will be comparing you to designers they have worked with in the past who probably never attempted to beat the due date and might have even struggled just to finish by the agreed upon deadline.

2. Communicate Clearly and Frequently

Communication is perhaps the single most important element in mastering the art of making your clients love you. When someone hires a designer and/or developer, they don’t want to hear a bunch of lofty tech speak. You might think speaking over their heads is a good way to impress them with your knowledge, but ultimately it can result in confusion, miscommunication and dissatisfaction in the overall project.
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