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The Business of Design - Issue #19

Consonance Club Newsletter
Consonance Club Newsletter
@https://twitter.com/ConsonanceClub
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the large dollar dollar bills, when people are less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design.
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Time Management
Felix:
As a freelancer ehn, it’s easy to overwork yourself or dawdle in your duties. 
This could be because you’re not setting a timeline for your work or you’re taking up too many side projects. 
That’s why it’s good to be having sense in this life because why will your side gig be making you give less than 50% at your main gig?? It’s not balanced na.
Felix:
As a freelancer ehn, it’s easy to overwork yourself or dawdle in your duties. 
This could be because you’re not setting a timeline for your work or you’re taking up too many side projects. 
That’s why it’s good to be having sense in this life because why will your side gig be making you give less than 50% at your main gig?? It’s not balanced na.
Legal
Interactions
Felix:
You should try as much as possible to make every interaction an email or a call. 
The informality of Whatsapp is not necessarily the best bet for your business. 
And there’s a lot that gets lost in text. Get on a call, hear how they feel about the product you want to design for. 
Also, when things are documented officially, nobody can come and say, we agreed to this, but you didn’t do this.
Felix:
You should try as much as possible to make every interaction an email or a call. 
The informality of Whatsapp is not necessarily the best bet for your business. 
And there’s a lot that gets lost in text. Get on a call, hear how they feel about the product you want to design for. 
Also, when things are documented officially, nobody can come and say, we agreed to this, but you didn’t do this.
Felix:
You should try as much as possible to make every interaction an email or a call. 
The informality of Whatsapp is not necessarily the best bet for your business. 
And there’s a lot that gets lost in text. Get on a call, hear how they feel about the product you want to design for. 
Also, when things are documented officially, nobody can come and say, we agreed to this, but you didn’t do this.
Praise: 
On the issue of compromise, here’s what I will say: do good work regardless. It doesn’t have to be great or perfect work and you might not share it in your portfolio, but do good work. 
You need to understand that the goal of a designer is for the client to be able to own the design after you’re gone because they will interact with your design many more times than you.
Picture a scenario where a client brings a table to say a designer or a carpenter: 
Three things can happen:
  • The designer doesn’t like the design at all.
  • They aren’t adequately skilled to execute the design & will try to meet up. 
  • They think they can do better.
Imagine you were the customer and what you ordered was not what you got, you’d not be happy. 
Also, if the designer did over sabi and did what he thinks is better, he could be right, however he’s not the client who will never sit on the table for years to come nor show it off to his friends because it’s not what he wanted. 
Good work is not narcissistic, it’s more like a marriage of your client’s wants and your ideas..
Praise: 
On the issue of compromise, here’s what I will say: do good work regardless. It doesn’t have to be great or perfect work and you might not share it in your portfolio, but do good work. 
You need to understand that the goal of a designer is for the client to be able to own the design after you’re gone because they will interact with your design many more times than you.
Picture a scenario where a client brings a table to say a designer or a carpenter: 
Three things can happen:
  • The designer doesn’t like the design at all.
  • They aren’t adequately skilled to execute the design & will try to meet up. 
  • They think they can do better.
Imagine you were the customer and what you ordered was not what you got, you’d not be happy. 
Also, if the designer did over sabi and did what he thinks is better, he could be right, however he’s not the client who will never sit on the table for years to come nor show it off to his friends because it’s not what he wanted. 
Good work is not narcissistic, it’s more like a marriage of your client’s wants and your ideas..
Compromise
Praise: 
On the issue of compromise, here’s what I will say: do good work regardless. It doesn’t have to be great or perfect work and you might not share it in your portfolio, but do good work. 
You need to understand that the goal of a designer is for the client to be able to own the design after you’re gone because they will interact with your design many more times than you.
Picture a scenario where a client brings a table to say a designer or a carpenter: 
Three things can happen:
  • The designer doesn’t like the design at all.
  • They aren’t adequately skilled to execute the design & will try to meet up. 
  • They think they can do better.
Imagine you were the customer and what you ordered was not what you got, you’d not be happy. 
Also, if the designer did over sabi and did what he thinks is better, he could be right, however he’s not the client who will never sit on the table for years to come nor show it off to his friends because it’s not what he wanted. 
Good work is not narcissistic, it’s more like a marriage of your client’s wants and your ideas..
Praise:
If you check the portfolios of 5 random brand designers & 5 product designers for their case studies, 6oull see similar stories with zero nuance, zero distinctive features. 
Designers need to learn how to tell stories or hire someone to do it, because the business of design is as much expression as it is communication. 
Designers underplay that a lot. 
I daresay that some of the worst brands are owned by brand designers. The problem is that perception about your brand affects your business, earning capacity in many more ways than you can imagine. 
Brand designers need to start curating their portfolios as well as they do for their clients projects.
Praise:
If you check the portfolios of 5 random brand designers & 5 product designers for their case studies, 6oull see similar stories with zero nuance, zero distinctive features. 
Designers need to learn how to tell stories or hire someone to do it, because the business of design is as much expression as it is communication. 
Designers underplay that a lot. 
I daresay that some of the worst brands are owned by brand designers. The problem is that perception about your brand affects your business, earning capacity in many more ways than you can imagine. 
Brand designers need to start curating their portfolios as well as they do for their clients projects.
Communication/Storytelling
Praise:
If you check the portfolios of 5 random brand designers & 5 product designers for their case studies, 6oull see similar stories with zero nuance, zero distinctive features. 
Designers need to learn how to tell stories or hire someone to do it, because the business of design is as much expression as it is communication. 
Designers underplay that a lot. 
I daresay that some of the worst brands are owned by brand designers. The problem is that perception about your brand affects your business, earning capacity in many more ways than you can imagine. 
Brand designers need to start curating their portfolios as well as they do for their clients projects.
Praise:
If you check the portfolios of 5 random brand designers & 5 product designers for their case studies, 6oull see similar stories with zero nuance, zero distinctive features. 
Designers need to learn how to tell stories or hire someone to do it, because the business of design is as much expression as it is communication. 
Designers underplay that a lot. 
I daresay that some of the worst brands are owned by brand designers. The problem is that perception about your brand affects your business, earning capacity in many more ways than you can imagine. 
Brand designers need to start curating their portfolios as well as they do for their clients projects.
Conclusion
Design is not just a skill, it’s a business. If you’re a designer, design is your business, it’s your baby. Treat it as such!
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and Instagram.
Design is not just a skill, it’s a business. If you’re a designer, design is your business, it’s your baby. Treat it as such!
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and Instagram.
Opportunities
Love and light,
Precious from Consonance.
Love and light,
Precious from Consonance.
If you own a business, Bumpa can help you track your debtors and transactions, you even get a free website that you can manage on your mobile phone. Download the Bumpa app here.
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
Felix:
You should try as much as possible to make every interaction an email or a call. 
The informality of Whatsapp is not necessarily the best bet for your business. 
And there’s a lot that gets lost in text. Get on a call, hear how they feel about the product you want to design for. 
Also, when things are documented officially, nobody can come and say, we agreed to this, but you didn’t do this.
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
Praise: 
When it comes to the issue of pricing, the truth is there is no set price. What often happens is that people compare their earning capacity with others. 
There are usually 3 variables involved: Exposure, Experience, Skill.
If you want to change how you earn, you’d have to tweak one or all of these and also consider other factors like the size of the project & size of the client.
If an Iyin Aboyeji approaches you to make a design for him and one new startup founder from OAU that’s still figuring out what he’s doing approaches you for something similar,  the price offerings will be different. 
When it comes to pricing, think of what’s fair to you, fair to the client & fair to the project. 
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
Hi. What’s up with you? 
I have to check on my day ones now because I’ve been hearing many people saying that they have malaria.
Malaria wey you no fit taste or smell, e fit don pass malaria o.💀
Chinua Achebe once said
 “When an handshake extends beyond the elbow, it has become something else”
Shora ko mask up. Corona is still outside.🌚
Anyway, pleasantries aside, we’re still in the world of designers & we’ll be talking about the business of design today. 
Just like every other field, there’s the skill to design and there’s the business of design. 
There’s a lot of resources about the skill of design. This will include tools, tips etc, but the how tos about running design as a business, the art of being a designer, not so much. 
Today, I’ll try to talk about it a little bit. 
There are many things involved in the business of design: pricing, customer relations, project management, storytelling, collaboration, proposals, sales, legal, time management etc. 
I mean, sometimes you find great designers who aren’t getting as many gigs as they should or not raking in the  large dollar dollar bills, when  people less skilled than they are getting the mulla. 
A million and one problems, but finding answers to these questions isn’t hard for me to do. 
I sat down with two designers: Felix and Praise, who gave me their honest opinions about the business of design. 
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