Author: Speider Schneider

How to Interview And Work With A Designer And What NOT To Say!

How to Interview And Work With A Designer And What NOT To Say!

I usually write advice for designers based on my career experiences and horror stories but I thought it was time for an article for design clients to make their design needs a bit easier and more efficient. Dealing with creatives is not as easy as it sounds. The difference in...

Do You Have The Right To Critique Another Designer’s Work?

Do You Have The Right To Critique Another Designer’s Work?

I don’t think I really have to go over the old saying about everyone having an opinion because we know everyone does. If we didn’t, clothing would be one style and one color and if my nephew had a choice, it would all be yellow. Well, while we all shake...

Interviewing Secrets They Don’t Write About: Part 2 – The Intellectual Part

Interviewing Secrets They Don’t Write About: Part 2 – The Intellectual Part

In part one of this article we discussed the physical part of interviewing. Running all over a company building, meeting a dozen people, keeping your appearance clean and presentable and other considerations that depend on your stamina and ability to keep prim and proper but the really difficult part of...

Interviewing Secrets They Don’t Write About: Part 1 – The Physical Part

Interviewing Secrets They Don’t Write About: Part 1 – The Physical Part

There are so many articles about interviewing tips but if you’ve read one, you can save time by not reading the others. Rest assured they all say the same exact thing. They range from the simple, common sense tips like not talking on your cell phone while being interviewed, to...

The Dollars And Sense Of Freelancing Financials

The Dollars And Sense Of Freelancing Financials

So, by choice or circumstances, you have found yourself freelancing. Your business plan consists of “making as much money as possible!” Will that work? I’ve seen plenty of articles on the formula for figuring out what you need to make to turn a profit yet none of them ever really...

Sun Tsu: The Art Of War… And Business!

Sun Tsu: The Art Of War… And Business!

I recently received a call from a young designer who I met when she was in art school. I reviewed her portfolio and several years later at a local graphic design group meeting, she reintroduced herself and thanked me for being kind and helpful in that review. She became an...

Type Discipline You Were Never Taught

Type Discipline You Were Never Taught

When I started work for a large greeting card company, they had type designers who handled all they type on cards. An illustrator would work with a designer to create the imagery and then it would be handed off to a type designer to add the copy in pretty and...

Writing A Creative Brief: Dragging The Right Information Out Of A Client

Writing A Creative Brief: Dragging The Right Information Out Of A Client

For every assignment, for every project, whether you are a freelancer or work a staff job, it’s of the utmost importance that you document every aspect of what is required to complete the project both correctly and in a timely manner. It’s also important that both you as well as...

Is Brainstorming Getting A Bad Rap?

Is Brainstorming Getting A Bad Rap?

I love brainstorming! I think it’s a way of getting the best for a project. It puts all heads together and brings out the best ideas, without bruising egos and involves the team equally. I’ve seen great things come out of brainstorms. Lately, I’ve seen people stating that brainstorming isn’t...

Instagram and Pinterest: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Instagram and Pinterest: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Marketing has taken more evolutionary leaps in the past two years then it has in the time since cave men adorned their spears and clubs with rocks and bones to differentiate their awesome possessions. Throughout the history of marketing and advertising, there have been a couple of commonalities: The first...

Are Job Ads Phishing For Free Innovation?

Are Job Ads Phishing For Free Innovation?

A recruiter recently announced an employment opportunity but it came with a test. Candidates would have to write a business plan they would implement in their first year with the company. The request was to “be innovative with your thinking!” The recruiter insisted candidates needed to “wow!” this company. With...

Explaining Creativity To Clients

Explaining Creativity To Clients

Is it that clients don’t understand business or is it they don’t understand creatives? Why is it creatives around the globe all have exactly the same complaints and horror stories about clients from hell? It’s not just ridiculously silly comments and requests, which make for the amusing stories we share...

Why I HATE Twitter… And LOVE It!

Why I HATE Twitter… And LOVE It!

In a recent article, I made a generalization about Twitter only being used to drive traffic to a designer’s web site or blog. There were a couple of comments, stating I was wrong. Sure, it was a generalization to save 1,200 words, telling people what they already knew, but in...

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

They say people are born to lead or to follow. I can’t say whether that is true or not. I was always a leader. As a child I hated listening to others tell me what to do. I always had the ideas that led to trouble for the kids in...

The Psychology Of Color In Design

The Psychology Of Color In Design

Have you ever wondered why you seem to be getting hungrier while waiting to place your order at a fast food place or why you eat faster than any human should ingest that poison? Have you ever heard of a “power tie” in business? There are things that excite the...