Podcasts – The Deep End Design

If you haven't been able to score a design job or clients on your own, then creative placement agencies might just change your luck. Just by signing up and meeting with a recruiter in your area, you can have someone on your side. Placement agencies make their money by matching creative talent with companies who need your services, so they have a vested interest in finding you work. Whether you prefer a solid 9-5 gig, or want to stay on the freelance side, placement agencies and recruiters have the connections and expertise to connect you to a job that works for you. In this episode, we pick the brains of Diane Pirritino and Jamaal Crowley, who work as recruiters for 24Seven, one of the USA's leading creative placement agencies. We talk about how you can increase your chances of getting hired, what skills are the hottest, and what people who are hiring are looking for. Listen, take notes,  and you will have a leg up on your competition! Diane and Jamaal also stick around to help us answer this week's listener question about internships, and for our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Creative Placement Agencies: 24Seven The Creative Group Creative Circle Smart Dept. Filter Aquent Show Links: meetup.com weenudge.com

Whether you're a freelance designer, or work in an agency or a more corporate gig, graphic design revisions are ALWAYS a part of the job description. Nailing a design on the first try is a rarity, but its always nice to get the final product as efficiently as possible. In this episode, the gang shares some of our best tips and strategies for whittling those revision rounds down to a manageable number. We also answer a listener question regarding rates, and have a fresh batch of tips in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: The Dark Art of Pricing by Jessica Hische Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines Screenr.com (free online screencasting program)  

The newest version of Adobe's Creative Suite is out, and it turns out that it is a heftier upgrade than we have seen in the past few versions. In this episode, we talk about what's new in Adobe CS6. Specifically we go over a lot of the new features that are available in Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as the brand new "creative cloud" and the new WYSIWYG web design program, Adobe Muse. So if you're on the fence about whether or not you think you should make the upgrade to Adobe CS6, have a listen, and decide for yourself! In addition to our CS6 discussion, we answer a listener question and offer some brand new tips in our 'Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links Lynda.com 7 day free trial Adobe.com Placehold.it

In case you haven't heard, Pinterest is the newest and possibly the most designer-friendly social media network out there, where you can "pin" all of your favorite things on the web to a great big virtual pinboard. In this episode, we are joined by Wes' sister Kristi Duce, a freelance graphic designer who has been using Pinterest in some inventive ways to boost her business and creativity. If you have not gotten on board the Pinterest train yet, then you won't want to miss this. We talk all about how graphic designers can use Pinterest for inspiration, curation, and marketing purposes, and how you can get on it to start improving your creative flow today. We also answer a listener question, and offer up some brand new tips in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: Adobe Kuler Paul Murray Design (Pinterest Article) whereisthefold.com Lynda.com (7 day free trial) BidSketch

We recorded a full-length bonus episode just for our fans! This one isn't available on iTunes, and the only way to download it is by clicking on the button below: All you have to do is tweet about us or post to your Facebook page about us. This is our way of giving something extra to our fans who want to spread the word about our show. We love doing it, and we just want to reach as many designers as we can, so thanks for all the support! Show Links The Fox in the Dark Waze App

If you work for clients, you absolutely have to use a graphic design contract. Too much can go wrong without one, and its just good common sense to protect yourself and your client with a solid contract. In this episode, we talk about what you should include in your contract, and the best way to create one from scratch. We also have a phone interview with attorney Shawn Kravich, who specializes in art & design contract law. Our goal here is to shine a light on the subject and take a lot of the guesswork and mystery out of graphic design contracts, so there's a lot of great info packed into this episode. You can't afford to miss it! We also answer a great listener question and give out some new tips & tricks in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: Chrometa.com (forward your welcome email to: deep@chrometa.com to receive an extended 44 day free trial!) Bidsketch.com Download The Deep End's sample contract ArtLawCollective.com The Print Handbook Paper App by FiftyThree.com

Do you write proposals for prospective clients? They can be a powerful sales tool, especially when done right. Many designers are either intimidated at the thought of writing one, or they just don't see the value in it. I assure you, there is a lot of value in a well crafted proposal, and the great news is, it doesn't have to be difficult. In this episode, we talk about how to write a graphic design proposal. Specifically, what a proposal is, the benefits of submitting one to prospective clients, and what to include. We also go over a powerful online tool for streamlining your proposals that you won't want to miss. We also address the ethical issues of using free vector files available online in our listener question segment, and offer up some fresh new tips in "Do Yourself a Favor." Show links Graphic Design Proposals Made Simple – Video Tutorial Foxtophone app Chrometophone app Sitetophone app Do you include anything else in your proposals? Leave any advice or tips you would like to share in the comments below.  

Designing your own business cards can be an agonizing task. There are just so many stylistic and finish options, and with the ever-growing number of social media links, what should you include? This week, the gang addresses all the choices facing us as designers designing business cards, either for ourselves or for clients. In other words, we give you some great business card design tips. We also answer our very first audio listener question, and toss out some killer tips in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links How to Stay Creative in a Non-creative Job Designer QR Codes Augmented Reality Examples OvernightPrints.com 4by6.com Moo Printfinity Cards Chrometa.com Bidsketch.com

We have been getting so many great questions from our listeners, and answering just one per episode was keeping our inbox pretty full. So we decided to celebrate our 10th episode by clearing out the mailbox and answering a bunch of your design-related questions! There are quite a few great questions answered, and there is truly something for everyone. Keep the questions coming through the form on the right, or leave us a voicemail question at (323) 609-DEEP. Show Links: Conan O'Brian Can't Stop Open external links in a new window (Plugin for WordPress) Have any advice for any of the listeners questions that we didn't think of? Leave it in the comment area below!

We love working with great clients! Unfortunately, some of the bad ones will crush your soul if you let them. In this episode we talk all about the warning signs of potentially problematic clients, because if you know what red flags to look out for, you can avoid getting into sticky situations in the first place. And as we all know, prevention is the best medicine. We also review a listener's portfolio site as our listener question, and we offer some new tips in "Do Yourself a Favor." Do you have any other client red flags? Share them in the comments section below! Show Links Win a free print from Fit For a Frame! (through April 2, 2012) AngelicaPinzon.com Dr. Bott freepik.com AngelicaPinzon.com Screenshots Below are screen captures from angelicapinzon.com, which we reviewed in this week's listener question segment.  

We were lucky enough to get Jacob Cass of justcreative.com to sit in with us for our big, fat logo design episode. Listen in as we pick Jacob's brain about his process, how he gets clients, and how he makes sure he gets paid for his work. No Brandon in this episode, but Wes & Mikelle also throw in their two cents about ways they have found to make the logo design process run efficiently and smoothly. We also answer a listener question about a sticky situation one designer found himself in, and we offer some tips in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: Logo Lounge Bamboo Paper App by Wacom

There were just too many web design trends to fit in one episode, so here is the exciting conclusion to the list. Wes, Mikelle and Brandon talk about 6 new trends, as well as pajama jeans for men, and Brandon introduces us to the dangers of "the straw dog." We also answer a great listener question and offer up some practical advice in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: nizoapp.com School of Visual Concepts Seattle Fit For a Frame

Well its a new year, and its only natural to ask ourselves what 2012 will bring us in the wonderful world of web design. In this episode, the gang talks about all the new trends that have already started popping up, and are quickly gaining momentum. If you don't want to fall behind the web design curve, you would be wise to listen! And since there was just too much to talk about in 1 episode, stay tuned for our next episode, where we wrap up this 2 parter. Show Links: Google Web Fonts Nike Better World (*this site has become very simplified since I last saw it... it used to be much cooler) Iutopi.com (the underwater parallax example) The Art of Shag

Every web & graphic designer I know has pretty strong feelings about how to price their services. They seem to fall into 2 camps: fixed pricing and hourly pricing. In this episode of the podcast, the gang talks about the pros and cons of each method, and gives some insight as to why they charge the way they do. As always, there are differing opinions and some spirited conversation. They also answer a pricing-related listener question and offer some tips & tricks in the "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

Web & graphic designers are always trying to expand their business, and the best way to do that is to focus on what you do best, while subcontracting out other tasks, such as development, copywriting, illustration, etc. It may seem daunting to trust others with your client work, but if you find the right support team, you will be amazed at the amount of business you can do in a much more efficient manner. In this episode we talk about our own experiences in finding and managing support people, we answer a listener question, and offer tips and tricks in our "Do Yourself a Favor" segment. Show Links: Wacom Inkling