How to Take a Sick Leave as a Freelancer
I’m going to let you in on a little secret which will shock, dismay and maybe even anger you.
You’re not invincible. Some day or other you’re going to get sick and will be unable to meet a deadline. When that happens, the world won’t fall apart and neither will your or your client’s business. No matter how much you believe it would.
I can see from your expressions that you’re stupified. Horrified. Even terrified.
So was I the first time I realized that. I was ill and wasn’t going to be able to meet deadlines and *gasp* the freelancing world as I knew it didn’t end!
My clients all understood, my reputation remained intact and my business didn’t suffer at all!
The thing with a freelance business is that there isn’t any paid leave. There are also no sick days and no vacation time. Many freelancers end up panicking when they fall ill. Who is going to complete the project? I can barely stand on my feet, how will I meet the deadline?
Unfortunately, cold and flu don’t give a warning before attacking. You may wake up feeling fine in the morning but by the afternoon, your throat would be aching so much you can hardly swallow and your eyes would be burning. And as much as you want to continue working, you simply can’t.
To avoid the panic, you need to have a backup plan. A system you can put into place soon as you feel the first sniffles. Schedule your work around the possibility that you may fall ill.
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15 Most Influential People in Web Design
The web design industry is continuously changing and there are many people who are setting the bar higher every day with their incredible work and contribution to the web design community. Here is a list of just a few of the people who are responsible for changing the meaning of web design with their awesome work and concepts. All designers listed here are equally amazing, this isn’t mean to be a ‘Top Ten’ type list, we’re not ranking them, just listing innovators in web design.
Also, with this list I have shared their Facebook, Twitter, Dribbble & LinkedIn information so you can always stay connected and get inspired by their work.
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Which Niche Should You Focus On in Design School?
For those of you who aren’t self-taught designers and prefer the rigors of a solid education to jumpstart your career, there are a number of great schools worldwide to receive a thorough education in the design industry. When investing your time and money it’s best to assess each school programs and discover just what area of design interests you the most. The design world is ever changing and a ‘Graphic Design’ major definitely has its usefulness in the business world, but there are a number of other concentrations within the design world that may spark your interest. In this article I will present some up and coming design concentrations that may have you thinking more clearly on what area you would like to focus on in design school.
Whether you’re just starting out and wish to pursue your Bachelors or looking to explore the possibilities of an MFA, there are very notable design schools based in the U.S. – each offering their own unique perspective, content, and approach in their programs. One thing they all have in common is they all offer a valuable experience that impacts professional lives and the society we live in.
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A Short Introduction to Reddit
Reddit is a social bookmarking website owned by Conde Nast. It has over 1 billion page views monthly and has more than 600 thousand registered users. It is a multi-channeled website where almost everything that can be talked about has its own channel. Reddit is a place where professionals and experts of different fields of technology and sciences gather and discuss content they find on the internet. It is a place filled with both serious topics and humor.
Many of the current users migrated from Digg when they changed their site design, like what happened to the Gawker network.
Last April Fools Reddit admins introduced Reddit Mold which ran for a whole day. Redditors sent molds to other users, and the user who got “molded” was banned from using specific letters. The more molds, the more letters were disabled. Many Redditors resorted to using Braille. So I guess that gives you an overview of how Reddit works. The design is not that great, but that’s what makes it great.
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The Origins of User Interface Terms
“The way that you accomplish tasks with a product – what you do and how it responds – that’s the interface” – The genius HCI expert Jef Raskin defines an interface this way!”
Being a UX Enthusiast working mostly on the web, the web UI terminologies and interactions patterns are obviously a part of my daily work life, where I build user experiences by creating wireframes and interfaces which help the user accomplish a task easily. The various interaction patterns have always fascinated me and have left me wondering how closely a human-computer interaction is being related to some obvious real-time objects that we interact with, in real-time – enter the metaphors in Human-computer interaction.
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Using Social Media To Establish Your Brand Online
Everyone has a brand, including you. You’re a freelancer, that right there is the start of your brand. If you are involved in social media at any level, whether personal or professional, you have a brand. Think about it, every time you interact with someone or say something in public, you’re establishing your brand.
Did you help someone out? You just established yourself as a helpful person and that adds to your brand. Do you complain a lot? You’ll become known as a whiner. Are you the go to guy in your field of work? That’ll add to your brand too.
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Pricing Tables – Best Practices, Tips and Inspiration
Pricing tables have become an essential element of every online business website. While it can hike up your business if done neatly, it can also be the tombstone of your online business. A pricing table’s task is to help users choose the best pricing plan for them based on their needs. But we often find the tables dazzling and hard to understand. Designing an efficient pricing table requires a subtle yet solid mix of design and usability. In this post I’m going to share some tips on creating stunning pricing tables, discuss some of the best practices and present a list of some of the most successful pricing tables out there.
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Multiple Ways to Earn as a Freelancer
We freelance for various reasons. Many begin that path just as a first job, while they are still under their parents’ roof. It’s a great way to gain an extra buck and while at it, get some valuable experience and create one more entry for the future CV. Some of those folks are successful enough to keep freelancing as their job. Some choose to open their own advertisement agencies, other just get employed in one.
I pretty much did everything on that list and yet I reverted back to freelancing full-time as my job of choice. When people make a pros and cons list of that model of making a living, one of the entries you’re going to see most often in the cons section is “unsteady income.” That’s absolutely true, but you’re indeed working for yourself so the “unsteady” factor can be minimized to the extent where you don’t really need to worry about paying your bills.
People do say that freelancing is a much harder job than if you’re just employed and work the regular 9-5.. Every week, every month… every year.
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How to Land a Great Internship in Web Design
Internships can provide invaluable experience to the novice web designer who is still getting their feet wet in the design world. Companies oftentimes need an extra set of hands even moreso in hard times than if the economy is in a better shape. Although there are a host of unpaid internships out there, a great internship can prepare you enormously for the working world while giving you real world experience that the field demands. How do you go about finding the perfect internship in design? I’ll briefly touch upon some important steps to take in landing a great internship in this article.
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Surrealism and How it is Used Today
Surrealism is a cultural and art movement that started in the 1920s. It encompasses all forms, such as art, sculpture, music, literature, film and philosophy. Surrealism is a sandbox of the human subconscious mind. Artists and writers of the movement believe Surrealism to be a revolutionary philosophical movement first, using visual works merely as an artifact. Since we are graphic and web designers ourselves, let us discuss surrealism in its visual form.
Surrealism artworks often feature the element of surprise with random objects and unpredictable juxtapositions. It developed out of Dadaism during the WWI, centered around Paris, France and quickly spread worldwide from the 1920s onward.
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