Freelancefolder

Interview With Adrian Diaconescu of Rubiqube – We Talk About Design, Blogging and Freelancing

Posted May 22, 2008 in Inspiration, Programming, Web Design 11 Rockin' Comments »

Hey folks, I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Adrian Diaconescu of Rubiqube. In this interview we talk design, blogging and freelancing. Enjoy! :)

Jon: Hi Adrian, thanks a lot for taking the time for this interview. Can you tell our readers a little about yourself? Where you’re from, what you do?

Adrian: Like I said, Jon, I’m a big fan of Freelance Folder and it’s really an honor for me to be considered for an interview. Thanks!

Since I started freelancing, this has become my “freelancing pick-up line”: My name is Adrian Diaconescu and I’m a freelance (web) designer based in Bucharest, Romania. I do a bit of everything (Flash animation, web programming, design for print), but my strong point is designing for the web. Lately I started to specialize in Wordpress custom theme design.

[Click Here to Read More...]

Working From Home – 5 Tips To Avoid That Dreaded Loneliness

Posted May 21, 2008 in Uncategorized 24 Rockin' Comments »

Recently Mary wrote a post on FSw about her loneliness as a freelance writer and how badly she missed human company.

Although Mary ended the post on a positive note, talking about the benefits of working from home, this is a topic which probably concerns everyone out there who is working from home.

Man is a social animal. Working from home, it’s never easy to just stay glued to your computer for the entire day without talking to or hanging out with anyone outside your family. Being a full time blogger and freelancer, who took the plunge after quitting a nice job with the world’s largest computer firm, I too sometimes tend to miss the corporate culture and the social circle and interaction.

So how to avoid this loneliness? Two solutions:

1. Go back to your full time job
2. Try some of the following tips and see if they work for you (they have worked for me)

[Click Here to Read More...]

Typography Essentials – A Getting Started Guide

Posted May 19, 2008 in News 30 Rockin' Comments »

What is typography? And why is it so important to graphic designers? As long as you spell everything correctly and make sure the message is what the client wants to see, why does the font style make any difference?

Because everything you touch, see and create is impacted by the use of writing styles and techniques. There are a lot of reasons why designers need to have a solid foundation when it comes to the use of typography.

By understanding the underlying message that your choice of text contains, you will become more effective as you design and layout projects containing words and phrases. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but you have to know a thousand words to replace it.

Typography is the art and process of arranging type for a variety of media purposes and is made up of several parts. Take a look at the image below. Depending on the font style some or all of these parts will always be present. [Click Here to Read More...]

Three Sure-Fire Ways To Receive A Killer Referral From Your Clients

Posted May 19, 2008 in Marketing 14 Rockin' Comments »

Many successful freelancers don’t do any advertising at all – their services are so good that word-of-mouth referrals get them all the business they need. There’s just something about a personal referral that carries more weight than any sales page or fancy flyer ever could.

But you don’t have to depend on your clients to do the work of spreading the word about your business – you can take matters into your own hands and get their word-of-mouth success story right on your freelancing web page.

Here are a few tips to make sure the story your clients tell about you contains all the right elements to convince your potential customers that you are the right person for the job.

Tip #1 – Let Them Know Who Their Audience Is

When many freelancers ask their clients for recommendations, they do so in a very vague way – sometimes with no more prompting that “Could you please write me a recommendation?” In return, they usually get a weak testimonial that doesn’t drive much business their way. A better approach is to paint a picture for your client, letting them know a little about the audience you’re trying to reach. For example: [Click Here to Read More...]

The Best Business Secret That You Already Know

Posted May 17, 2008 in Business 6 Rockin' Comments »

What if there was a way for you to increase customer satisfaction, get more repeat business, and multiply new business from referrals?

You’d definitely want to take advantage of any technique that could do all of that, right?

Good news! There actually IS a method of doing business that you can use to achieve all of those results. In fact, it is a method that you probably already know (but might have forgotten).

Are you ready? Here it is: [Click Here to Read More...]

Keep The Creative Juices Flowing – Tips For The Freelance Artist

Posted May 16, 2008 in Graphic Design, How-To, Web Design 21 Rockin' Comments »

As a freelance artist, I recently started blogging, I am amazed at the amount of people who have come forward through social networking sites. The exchange of services for a freelancer is absolutely an awesome beginning. I have sent out a few pieces of art to those that have helped me, and I have had wonderful emails back how they love what I have sent them.

If it’s something you love, sometimes give it away, the rewards can be astounding and can eventually lead to great business.

Here are some tips that can help get your creative juices flowing: [Click Here to Read More...]

The Violent Truth Of Opportunity

Posted May 14, 2008 in Writing 35 Rockin' Comments »

If I hear one more freelance writer whining about how she can’t find freelance gigs, I’m going to scream.

I’m like anyone else. There are times when I’m likely to sit around hoping for a new opportunity to knock me over the head. Fact of the matter is, though, I’ve come to the place in my life and career where I realize something: opportunities aren’t discovered, they are created.

I understand what it feels like to be destitute. When I lost my job in Information Technology, I applied to every position in the field within 100 miles. After six months of unsuccessful searching, I realized a couple of things:

1. My state’s economy was in the tank, and my little part of the state was worse off than much of the rest of the state.
2. Being out of work for 6 months in my field was like being out of work for six years. My skills were becoming dated, and even recruiters in growing areas didn’t give my resume a second look.

[Click Here to Read More...]

Maximizing Results As A Way Of Thinking

Posted May 12, 2008 in Uncategorized 2 Rockin' Comments »

I’ve written about why solid goals are the foundation you can build upon as far as productivity is concerned and I’ve also talked about why this process is one you cannot afford to neglect here on FreelanceFolder.

This article will be all about analyzing things from the perspective of a person who is already on top of the goal setting process. In other words, this article will answer one of the most important questions you will ever come across as its main focus: [Click Here to Read More...]

No Matter What, Design Matters

Posted May 11, 2008 in Graphic Design, Marketing, Web Design 16 Rockin' Comments »

Design matters. There’s no question about it. Whether you’re a graphic designer, copywriter, photographer or blogger, any and all sorts of design will shape the outcome of your business from the moment you present yourself.

Think about it. We all know someone that has been gracefully blessed with the divine skills of something. That something can be anything. Maybe your friend is a spectacular photographer, but he or she has no sense of how to present their portfolio. In my own experience, I can see a direct correlation between the re-design of my website and the amount of new clients coming in the door.

But here’s the catch, nothing changed. My photography portfolio, built up of the images I use as my prime work examples, did not change. The portfolio section of my site was exactly the same!

What did change was the design. A complete rejuvenation of what I wanted my photography business to be. It was a reawakening of how to present my business, my services and myself – a new attitude taken to a new level. [Click Here to Read More...]