Sometimes I think it would be best if I didn’t get paid to design.
“Well that’s it. The guy’s mad! Consider thy bløg unsubscriblified!”
No no, I promise, this does make a lot of sense. You see, I think any form of design is art (one could argue that all work someone takes passion in doing is art). I also believe that while creating art, staying on budget is not something one should have to worry about, as the result will most surely be lacking because of it.
When I design a site, I never feel as if I’m finished. There’s always more I can do, things to tweak, features to add. In short, the site could always be better. Of course, I know this for myself, that some products I’ve spewed out doesn’t reflect what I actually am capable of doing. But nobody else knows.
Imagine someone reviewing your portfolio. They see that you’ve got talent, but that you apparently don’t have an eye for those important little details. Because of that, they will value your services lower than what they are actually worth, and of course pay you accordingly. You then have to design under even more constraints, producing even less optimal results. It’s an evil circle it is!
Hence, the paradox. If you don’t watch your step, the quality of your work may degrade if you start charging for it.
“Aye, he makes sense indeed! Let me just tumble over this ledge here!”
No no, there’s a solution too. Actually more than one. The most obvious one is to limit your portfolio, and only display works that represent your true capacities. Referring to what I’ve said, this is more justifiable than showing every site you’ve ever made.
Another option is to always have side projects, like a blog, a community site, or any other site that you can keep designing for yourself, so that when time approaches infinite, the sites quality does the same (yeah, I’ve got a lot of math in school).
Either way, make sure most of the work you display as “your finest” actually is just that. If not, don’t worry! The problem will eventually solve it self, because you might not get paid to design ever again.
Good piece!
It made me choose you as food for my rss monster.
This was a good read indeed. Well done.
I don’t see that there sould be a confict. By having written routines and check lists, so called Best Practice, one allways know what and how much to estimate in the quotations given. However, one have to know when to say that enough’s enough to ensure best profit.
Frits, Arjan: Thanks! :)
Martin: Yeah that’s true, you can counter this with lots of experience. But just remember that your portfolio probably doesn’t specify how much time you’ve spent on each project, and therefore can’t explain why some sites may lack attention to details.
This was a good read indeed. Well done.
How about noting time spent on the projects in your portfolio? Wouldn’t that solve some of the issues?
Yeah, noting the time might solve the issue, but I don’t think clients with little or no understanding of web design work will understand what you mean.
The bad part of being a web designer is that there’s always something that can be done to enhance the web design… maybe on the menu, fonts, etc.. There’s always something to change to make it look better. But the question is…. WILL ANYONE APPRECIATE IT? If the person who paid for it, does not know a sh… on design. Just still to the requirements, else you’d be wasting your time.
I do agree that you should be selective in what you are showing in your folio, BUT, it’s also good to see work that’s had restraints, i.e. deadlines, tight budget and yes the lovely client, this can show off a great designer, the way you can get the best you can out of bad brief / budget etc.
I think it’s good to remember half of the talent of a designer is that.
Great blog by the way ;)
i’ll have to appologise for my english, on the first place, and entroduce myself on the second. i’m a graphic design student form Croatia/Zagreb. i,ve axidently found you’r blog and read this stuf.i have to say i’m amased… i’m a growing designer who is strugeling with a meaning of design and it’s relationtship with art. i’m also a n artist deep inside (finished school for applied arts and design), and i’m deeply concerned for my talent and my abbilities. for the same reason that you have written in your blog. i have to thank you ’cause you have givven me hope and strenght to strugle for meaning or art and artistic abbilities in design….
brilliant.