Linkswitch #58, Design Process, New Facebook Pages, Useful Freelance Tools

As a freelancer, you count on your website as an important part of your marketing system. It is like a sales representative, gathering leads and warming them up to become paying clients, 24/7.

That is, IF your website provides the appropriate content, attracts the right readers, is properly optimized for conversion, and is a pleasure to use.

It’s the same story everywhere you work: You can’t think on the fly during meetings or jump in during call-it-out brainstorming sessions. You feel drained after office events that involve being around a lot of people, no matter how nice they are. And you’re always pegged as the quiet one.

Portfolio sites are often excellent sources of design inspiration. With photography portfolios the primary focus is of course the photography itself, so the design is often minimal to allow the photos to have the attention of visitors. In this post we’ll showcase 25 photography portfolios that show how design and photography can work together to create a beautiful portfolio site.

Where do good ideas come from? It’s a question that matters a great deal to designers, yet seems to be curiously discounted in the common perception of graphic design. Any time I talk with, say, an uncle at Thanksgiving about my work, I’m reminded that, in most people’s minds, the job of being a designer is mainly a matter of learning a set of computer applications — programs which, when properly operated, presumably do the work of generating ideas on their own.

Even the most positive, well-adjusted person in the world still falls victim to his or her own negative thoughts now and again. It’s human nature. It’s The Saboteur. It’s the price we pay for all that amazing human intelligence. But that doesn’t make it right.

Are you wondering what to do about the new Facebook page changes? This article will explore the important changes and what it means for your business.

On Thursday, February 10, Facebook finally pulled the trigger and announced the updated layout of Facebook pages. They made the change to bring them more in line with the recently redesigned personal profiles and to provide a more consistent user experience.

Being a freelancer can sometimes feel like a solo venture into the unknown, an exciting but nevertheless daunting prospect! We all have our particular strengths and individual weaknesses, but few of us would decline a little help with some of the more practical aspects of being a freelancer.

For the most part, working in the design and development communities can often leave you feeling like somewhat of a ‘Yes’ person. That person who stands behind the client, nodding in agreement and understanding as the path to the project unfolds before you. For in this business, it pays to wear this agreeable hat. It helps the client begin to see us an ally in their mission, someone who they can work with to make their project see the proverbial light of day, not have to work around so to speak.

I love comics. So do tens of millions of people transcending age and gender. But sadly, like all the other old media houses, the comics industry hasn’t been very eager to join the digital revolution. Half hearted attempts from publishing houses hasn’t leveraged the full power of the internet as a cheap distribution channel.