Tag: design

Fiver , a blessing or a curse for professional designers?

Before I started my profession as a graphic / web designer I had come across a website called fiverr.com . On this site people give you things for $5.00…not even £5.00! I knew of this site but never told my boss about it, why would I want to tell him? It was like a chicken that lays golden eggs, if i told him would it put my job in danger? After a while I decided to tell him when he asked me how to increase his twitter following quickly..he didn’t care about who followed him so the niche market didn’t really matter…all that mattered was…he won a bet with his friend! In the end telling him about this website made my boss very happy so I guess that’s a designers job at the end of a day, to make others lives more enjoyable.In this blog post I plan to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of fiver from a designers point of view.

sunshine, sunrays

The good

Okay lets start from the good, sunshine and rainbows..I am a relatively young designer in terms of career, after studying for over 10 years in varying industries I eventually managed to find a position that allowed me to show my abilities that I have gained over so many years study. I managed to do some free work for family & friends, creating websites, logos & advertisements to increase my portfolio.

Improve portfolio

Unpaid work is good to some degree but to get $5.00 rather than nothing for your effort will make it a bit more worth your time than a free project for a friend plus working with friends and family is never a good idea as you might end up destroying your relationship with them if things don’t go according to plan.

Keep the creativity flowing

Fiver gives you a platform to allow you to get your designer tastes buds flowing, increase your portfolio to give you more cv power when applying for jobs and making sure that your imagination doesn’t dry up if your jobs are becoming less creative and more technical.

Oil your freelance wheels

As a freelancer, if work is pretty quiet , its a good way to bring in a few extra pennys into your account because although it says $5.00 you can sell things for more than that value. I have often seen extra items priced over $20.00 which is a little more reasonable seeing how long it takes to create a good logo design.

Other Services you may need

There are all kinds of professionals on this site, from seo specialists, website analysts, performers, musicians, photographers & more! They may have skills you need but you can’t afford the mainstream professionals. Good for those starting up a small business on a budget.

 The Bad

The thunderclouds have gathered, the rain has started and fiver starts to show its ugly side..

Not everyone is a professional

The first problem with hiring someone on fiver is that although a lot of people will be professional on the website some will just be trying their luck to try and earn a few extra pounds. There is a little risk that you are not going to be happy with the finished but  am a strong believer that you do “get what you pay for”..

Minimal Risk

For a designer, someone selling their services for $5.00 that you may charge $500.00 for is really undermining the industry you work for. It is devaluing important creative skills that not everyone has and with the client only risking 5 dollars they arent too worried about loosing the price of a burger on a logo.

The Ugly

Whether we western designers like to admit it or not, Asian Cultures can charge a lot less than us and more often than not, do just as good a job. The value of 5 dollars in developing countries is a lot higher than in the west so we do have to compete with other nations but the advantage we have over these competing talented folk is that we are local, so if problems do occurt, it is easier to contact us and rectify any issues…but, I guess this argument is really just clutching at straws..we creatives best emigrate to these hotter climates :-).

Is Fiver giving designers a high five?

When we think of fiver, we think cheap cheap services and products! Bargain basement and with bargains usually comes lack of quality..will you find a pair of Armani sunglasses in a high street pound shop? I think not.

Higher level clients with money will still look for agencies and talented freelancers. What fiver does is give the starting designer a platform to showcase their skills and work the way up the ladder into an agency or create a greater awareness of their freelance portfolio.

It is also good for start up businesses that really can’t afford really flash services so all in all , i think fiverr.com is a great website especially in this economic climate.

 

Business Card Inspiration

As a regular blogger of all things creative and design related I know how difficult it can be to get your work out there and noticed, especially if your marketing budget doesn’t stretch so far, i.e. a start up company or someone hoping to break into an industry. If you design business cards and are particularly proud of what you have created the design industry love to see your work. I know how much I love admiring the works of others, sometimes I get completely wow’d and think how did they do that!? Other times I get hugely inspired and it leads me onto a trail of creative thoughts of my own. Like the more money you spread around, the more creativity you share with the world the more than that comes to you.

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I recently uploaded my business card design for MigSolv Data Centre Consultancy & Data Centre Designers to a fantastic little website, cardobserver.com .

If you are either : –

  • a) Looking for business card inspiration
  • b) Looking for a clever business card designer

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Then this is the site for you. Don’t delay, visit today!

[button url=”http://www.cardobserver.com/” style=”” size=”small” target=”_blank” type=”primary”] Visit Site [/button]

 

 

 

Clever Business Card designs

Business Card designs are a really important part of your brand. Its not only to say who you are but it can give your potential clients a more positive image of your company if done right. I feel that bespoke business cards are a great asset for your company salesmen to have in their arsenal and the best ones can usually tell a story about what your company sells. I have compiled excellent examples for you to feast your eyes on to help you gather some inspiration for your next design.

11 Fab examples of clever business card designs that communicate and delight the senses

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Colour cards

vibrant business card, business card designer

This card delights me as a designer because of the clever use of typography and composition of the name on the back. Colour has a strong meaning subconsciously  when designing your brand so be careful which one you decide to choose ( I will discuss colour in a blog post in the future).

graphicriver.net

Photography Card

photography business card, business card designer

Some may say this is to literal but deep down even the most sophisticated business man is a big kid deep down and being able to play with your business card and identify what it is you do straight away always brings a smile to your customers faces. No one wants to be bored and if they don’t smile then they aren’t the customer for you! 🙂

youthedesigner.com

DJ Card

dj business card, businesscard design

Wika! Wika! Wa! Wa! Play that funky card record on the front of this card. Again easy to see what your profession is as well as adding an element of fun.

cardobserver.com

Ninja Card

ninja card, ninja, ninja business card, samurai, branding design

Again another attempt at being fun…although I am sure there are some Ninjas that may do business i am not quite sure if this card was designed for that purpose but all the same, it did make me go OOoooooo and i would definitely remember receiving this from someone.

webdesigneraid.com

Edible Card

Obviously designed for a baker. I love the concept but unless you store the contact details in your phone before you eat the biscuit then…oh crumbs!

enpundit.com

Character Card

business card that shows character, character business card, character design

Some people have a really striking visual appearance as well as a distinctive design style. If this is the case your business card can show that in how you design it.

cardstache.com

Breast Card

breast cancer, boobs, boob business card, breast healthcare, creative business card

Obviously to do with the care of women’s baloobies. Would definitely make us chuckle like little children if we received this.

labaq.com

Multiple uses for a card

multi use business card

Having a second use for a business card will more than likely help your client keep hold if the card a bit longer, plus you’re being environmentally friendly too! Bonus.

cardobserver.com

Pop up card

pop up card, pop up business card, business card

What is the main focus of your business? Is it you? Are you a freelancer? Then why not make yourself stand out and literally pop up out of the  customers hand. Downside of this is that it might be a bit fragile to store.

flavorwire.com

Biodegradable Plastic Card

migsolv business card, migsolv, jawilsondesign, business card designer, clever business card

This card represents that of a security swipe card. Made from biodegradable plastic with a qr code on the back that looks almost like the chip where the information for the security is stored. If I was to receive this card I would know that security is the main purpose of this company.

www.migsolv.com

Metal Card

metal business card

Looks very expensive and high tech, i’d feel pretty bad to throw this away…great thing to show others not just your clients.

formink.com

Hanger Card

hanger business card, clothing business card, fashion business card, businesscard idea, clever business card ideas

A card in the shape of a hanger…looks good but, would it fit into your wallet? Is it practical? Thats my only criticism..creativity is top level.

behance.net

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what do you think makes a great business card? Please feel free to leave a comment.