Comments on: 5 Reasons You Didn’t Get That Freelance Graphic Design Job

By: dustyBin

dustyBin — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:58:41 +0000

you forgot option #3 for the client - loves the design, screws you over and has a IT production put the site together in Dreamweaver. Good Job sucker!

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:35:38 +0000

oh, i got one. you didn’t do for $300.00

By: Amanda Vlahakis

Amanda Vlahakis — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:23:34 +0000

“The mock up was weak”

I never do mock ups, firstly because I don’t see why I should hand over design ideas for free that take up my time. I want to be paid for my time.

Secondly because you don’t want to spend too much time on a mock up just in case you don’t get the job - there is a chance it’s just not going to be good enough, and then you are making the client feel that this is all your are capable of when of course you can do much better.

If you aren’t going to show them your very best in terms of mock up (but why do this when you aren’t paid for it, it devalues the industry I agree), it’s better to show them nothing at all other than portfolio works and win them over with this and your words.

By: David Sinclair

David Sinclair — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:56:19 +0000

“Your mock-up was weak”…

Never design on spec. Ever. You are wasting money and devaluing yourself if you do this.

http://www.zeldman.com/daily/0104h.shtml

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work

By: Jacob Gube

Jacob Gube — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:56:09 +0000

Craig,

Your swamp analogy is spot on, that’s probably one of the most eloquent and thought-out analogy I’ve encountered regarding freelance job searching. Thanks for the share, I’ll quote your comment from now on, whenever I attempt to describe that feeling of uncertainess.

Thanks!

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:53:23 +0000

Great article. As one who has lost jobs that I thought were in the bag, sometimes it’s like walking through a swamp at night: somethings are visible, and some things aren’t - lurking just below the surface - to bite you when you think you have made the sale. These can be: 1) Other developers that step up and say things like “hey, I want the experience, I’ll do it for free” or 2) A change in direction as you noted or 3) You were the “bid validation” victim, and you didn’t see it coming or 4) changes in management right when the decision is in process, and “the new guy” has a different approach or vision. At some point I hope to get in the groove and nail it down, but it still can be squirrely (that’s a technical term, btw).

By: Raymond

Raymond — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:09:13 +0000

This was an amazing article. Thanks for taking the time to write it and sharing it.

By: Jacob Gube

Jacob Gube — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:23:12 +0000

Thank you all for the feedback, and I’ll keep checking in here as more comments come along.

@Kofi Ansah — this article is geared specifically for you (the people just starting) out, to inspire you to keep pushing if you get turned down. It takes a lot of “No’s” before the “Yes” start rolling in.

@Tom G — Thank you, this article was a bit out of my element, since if you check out my website, you can see my writing style’s a bit more technical. This one, I wrote straight from the heart. It may not be perfect, but it’s an “experience” article not a “educating” article. I want to share what my thoughts are on “rejection”.

Love to hear your own stories, make sure to spice up the discussion over here!

By: cicero

cicero — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:18:14 +0000

you speck for free? if so, bad move to begin with. they won’t take you seriously, and you should avoid the clients who ask for this kind of thing. if you are a professional, every minute of your time is worth money, and you should look for clients who understand this from the start. otherwise, they are not the kind of clients you want. they should pick you for your portfolio then expect your work to have that style.

By: Digital base

Digital base — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:44:36 +0000

Very interesting read, tnx !