With so many freelance and independent designers out there, it’s not surprising some bad business habits have come about. After all, most don’t have MBAs, yet think quite highly of themselves.
One of the bad business habits is presenting yourself as larger than you actually are. Most of the time, this isn’t really that big of a deal. Occasionally though, it seems to do more harm than good. I’ve seen freelancers with photos of big conference rooms referencing their apparently multi-ethnic team on their websites. What happens when a client wants to meet the team, or have a meeting at your office complex? I’m just as guilty in using choice words of “we” and “us” when speaking with a client, but in my defense, I do work with sub-contractors and have had interns.
Another yellow flag: not really listening. Do you answer a prospect’s question before they’ve finished talking? Have you assumed you knew what they needed before really understanding? I know I have.
This is all a long way to go about saying we, as designers, may need an honesty and authenticity gut check now and again.
Last month, I had the pleasure of taking a trip through Scandinavia (some photos if you like). While in Iceland, I spent some time with Guðmundur Bjarni Sigurðsson (Gummi for short), a freelance web designer (who’s been getting quite a bit of love from around the web lately). We spoke for an hour or so about the differences and similarities of designing for Scandinavian and US audiences. I asked him questions about his background, the type of work he does, the business climate in Iceland (which is pretty bad at the moment), working with clients and other creatives overseas, as well as goals for the future.
The biggest points I came away with were related to both authenticity and honesty. I've chopped the video down to a few minutes, and it picks up with me bumbling my way through a question, but Gummi really takes the questions and presents a refreshing outlook.
Also worthy of note, this interview was recorded in a cafe at the lovely Blue Lagoon, so there are people walking around and a bit of background noise, but I think it's manageable.
Further Notes
- Gummisig.com: Guðmundur's website
- @Gummisig: Follow Gummisig on Twitter
- Eckhard Tolle: The spiritual teacher Gummi mentioned in the video
- We’ve been considering doing more video interviews on Design Litmus. If this is something you find relevant and interesting, please let us know via email or Twitter.
About The Author
Matt Crest runs a communication design studio in Denver, Colorado. He likes his wife, ampersands, bicycles, and trying to figure things out. Learn More.
