Design and the Art of Freelancing - AWDG April 2009

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A talk I gave in April 2009, tailored for the Atlanta Web Design Group — after the talk, I added some slides to the "business" section as that was discussion-only at the event, and I wanted to make sure there were some slides to hit some of the main points we talked about.

Technology Business Design

Design and the Art
of Freelancing
Atlanta, March 2009

Dan Rubin
Sidebar Creative

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Hi!
Me, according to nGen works @ http://happywebbies.com/

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Web
Standards
Creativity
by Dan Rubin
(and 9 other
guys)

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Pro CSS
Techniques
by Jeff Croft
Ian Lloyd
Dan Rubin

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

The weather in
Fort Lauderdale

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

The weather in
Atlanta

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Q:
What is design?

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

A:
Design is
problem
solving.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Non-virtual
Examples:

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Successful.
Waste Reducing
Exfoliating Body
Cleanser (aka
“soap”)
Granted, this may leave you
with smaller bits of waste,
but it’s a creative solution we
can learn from.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Not so much...
Faucet FAIL
If your interface requires
instructions, it needs to be
redesigned.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Fitts’s Law:

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

The time to acquire a
target is a function of the
distance to and size of
the target.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Big buttons are
faster.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

This:
Button

is harder to click than this:

Benjamin Button

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Warm-up Exercise:
A right-handed user is known to be within
10 pixels of the exact center of a large,
1600 X 1200 screen. You will place a
single-pixel target on the screen that the
user must point to exactly. List the five pixel
locations on the screen that the user can
access fastest. For extra credit, list them in
order from fastest to slowest access.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

3 4

1

5 2
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Let’s expand
Fitts’s Law:

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Big type
stands out
more than little type.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Large content
areas are easier
to see.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Size explains
hierarchy.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Headings Layout

H1
H2
H3
H4
H5
H6

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Size matters:
✓ Bigger targets are easier to click
✓ Larger areas are easier to recognize
✓ Hierarchy communicates importance

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Enough with
the lesson
already, let’s
have some fun!
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Simple Trick:
Light Effects

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Almost any
image can
create an effect
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Random image

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Select a single pixel line

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Stretch to fill

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Create a solid color
layer below the image

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Use layer blending
modes to modify the
colors of the gradient.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Darken

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Multiply

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Luminosity

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Look to other
mediums for
inspiration.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Use texture to elicit
subconscious tactile
reactions:

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Now let’s talk
Business.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Business:
The Basics

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Decide whether you
want to be a great
business owner or a
great designer,
developer, or creative…
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

…for that decision
will define what kind
of life you lead.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Words matter:
Clients treat
“consultants” and
“agencies” better
than “freelancers.”
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Spec work: Don’t do it.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Get an accountant.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Always require a
deposit — if a client
wants credit, there
are banks for that.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Estimating gets
easier over time —
track your hours and
make each job more
accurate than the last.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Set invoice milestones
so clients know what is
expected financially.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Business:
Projects

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Project management
is the key to sanity
— get someone to
help if needed.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Use software meant
for projects:
Basecamp, Backpack
or something you
build yourself.
©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Business:
Clients

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Choose good clients
who share your
passion, whatever
that may be.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Trust your instincts
with new clients
(this will get easier over time).

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Bad clients can
destroy your soul
(fire them if you have to).

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Discussion
(this is the part where you’re all on
the couch telling me your problems).

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

fin.

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

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(this is an extended/updated version of my presentation at Web09 — presented at An Event Apart Seattle) The real world is rarely flat and devoid of texture, yet our virtual designs often do little to mirror what lies beyond the monitor. Tasteful use of lighting, shadows, gradients, and more traditional arts such as photography, oil, water color, pencil and charcoal can help us mimic the world around us. Learn to use and create realistic textures and media, and make your designs leap off the screen.

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Design and the Art of Freelancing - AWDG April 2009

1. Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009 Dan Rubin Sidebar Creative

10. Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009 Successful. Waste Reducing Exfoliating Body Cleanser (aka “soap”) Granted, this may leave you with smaller bits of waste, but it’s a creative solution we can learn from. ©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

16. Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009 Warm-up Exercise: A right-handed user is known to be within 10 pixels of the exact center of a large, 1600 X 1200 screen. You will place a single-pixel target on the screen that the user must point to exactly. List the five pixel locations on the screen that the user can access fastest. For extra credit, list them in order from fastest to slowest access. ©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

23. Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009 Size matters: ✓ Bigger targets are easier to click ✓ Larger areas are easier to recognize ✓ Hierarchy communicates importance ©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

49. Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009 Estimating gets easier over time — track your hours and make each job more accurate than the last. ©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com

Design and the Art of Freelancing - AWDG April 2009

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