Pulling the trigger. When do you do it? When do you hold off? Making decisions can be easy somedays and terribly stressful on others. When it comes to running Barrel Roll Creative I’ve struggled with just saying yes to things. I want to make sure things are just right. I want to weigh out every
They say if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. Whether it’s keeping our team up to speed on a projects status, collaborating with our clients on design proofs, or breaking out into an impromptu chat conversation about last night’s Walking Dead episode, it’s imperative
There is the great little Photoshop trick where you can make text look like it’s imprinted into the background. Like most Photoshop techniques there’s a number of ways to achieve the effect. Here’s a quick rundown of how I do it. 1. First open up a new document 800px wide by 400px high (72dpi works).
I take a lot of notes. Whether it’s in a meeting with the team, a meeting with a client or I’ve just had an idea I want to try later, I write it down. Usually I capture it into my sketch book but if I’m online I’ll jot it down on my Gmail tasks or
When it comes to idea generation and problem solving especially in the design field, one of the most productive and efficient methods I use is the sketch process. Pencil and paper helps me get ideas down quickly and allows me to iterate on the fly. So changing something becomes a breeze. For example, when I
The city of McAllen, Texas is moving on up. Named one of the fastest growing cities in United States, McAllen has been upgrading many aspects of its identity in the last few years. The latest upgrade, McAllen Metro. Public transportation in McAllen has struggled to acquire the popularity bigger cities like Austin have come to
Don’t forget to acknowledge your successes and celebrate them. So often we get lost in the routine of working that we feel like we don’t have time to stop and acknowledge that something went right, you landed that big client, you launched that website or that new logo design was a hit at the meeting. It’s important
It can be a big challenge making the jump from student to professional, especially in the design field. I’ve done my best to collect 6 things that helped me transition from student to a self-employed full-time graphic designer. 1. Be Awesome At What You Do The most important thing you can do for yourself and
Freelancer, self-employed, sole proprietor, or consultant. If you call yourself any one of these you are in charge of your own company. More specifically you are in charge of attracting clients, meeting with clients, dealing with clients and collecting money from clients. All are things that can be a source of stress and bad experiences. Why
When I first started out as a graphic designer the most challenging question I wrestled with was “how much do I charge?”. Being self-employed is different from other jobs in that your salary isn’t set for you. Below I’ll try to outline a few tips to keep in mind when pricing your work. If you
