Design Domination

#141 As a graphic designer, document designer or web designer, understanding the WCAG color and contrast accessibility guidelines will help make your designs more inclusive and accessible to sighted individuals with or without a visual disability.

#140 Medical insurance for self-employed freelance designers can be cost prohibitive. Find out some affordable health insurance alternatives that will save you money along with what to consider before going with one of these options.

#139 Pantone color books are being phased out of Adobe Creative Cloud, greatly impacting many graphic designers. Access to all Pantone libraries will require a paid Pantone Connect subscription. Find out what you need to know and what options you have.

#138 Getting content from clients is definitely high on the list of complaints from graphic designers. Find out 12 ways to motivate your clients to get you content, so that you get projects done on time and profitably.

#137 Many graphic designers give away their advice, expertise and ideas in the sales process for free. Learn what to stop doing on consultation calls and how to get paid for discovery calls, so you get more respect and are more valued as an expert.

#136 Just because graphic designers put up a portfolio website doesn't mean potential clients will find it or contact you. Learn strategic steps to get people to your site, keep them on your site and taking action, so you build a profitable creative business.

#135 Find out what books are on my list of top creative business books for freelance graphic designers to help you with starting your own business, sales and marketing, getting clients, positioning, pricing and profit, confidence, mindset and more.

#134 Sarah Masci of Day Rate Mastery joins me to talk about how graphic designers can increase their profitability by charging day rates instead of hourly rates or value-based pricing and how she went from charging $50 per hour to $10k months working less.

#133 Find out important reasons why freelance graphic designers should use contracts for design work in their creative business, including some surprising things you may have thought of.

#132 Renowned artist/illustrator Don Bolognese joins me to talk about how it's the designer’s talent—not the tool—that’s vital for a successful creative career. He shares interesting stories and insights from his 67-year career and how it evolved over time with changes in technology.

#131 When you take on work that isn’t a good fit with your skills and expertise, it can result in a bad testimonial, no referrals and the work not being profitable. Find out when graphic designers should turn down work from a prospect or existing client.

#130 Many web designers and developers think using an accessibility-ready WordPress theme means a website will be accessible. But many themes have accessibility issues, and there is more to building an accessible website than using an accessible theme.

#129 Hear how Kelly Irvine went from being an in-house graphic designer to a freelance textile designer, creating exclusive prints for the fashion industry, and how she makes passive income with her designs in online stores at Spoonflower and Society6.

#128 Graphic designers often get ridiculous or demanding requests from clients. We can laugh at some, but others are cringe worthy. Find out 11 ridiculous client requests and how to respond to them, so that you leave your dignity and respect intact.

#127 By screening prospects and asking strategic questions, designers change the conversation from design to problem solving, get more respect and increase the perceived value of their work. Find out what questions a graphic designer should ask clients.

#126: Find out how Kyle Van Deusen went from graphic designer to web designer and how he built the business of his dreams by leveraging website maintenance packages for recurring revenue in his web design business.

#125 It's easier to get graphic design work from existing clients than from new clients. Find out 11 ways to keep clients coming back that will impress them, help you have a good experience working together and get work from them in the future.

#124 Learn how to get clients as a freelance graphic designer by standing out from other designers, getting noticed and building your authority—and not in a salesy way. You’ll maximize your marketing efforts and get in front of lots of potential clients.

#123 Did you get into freelancing to focus on design, not business tasks? Do you dread the administrative tasks you have to deal with as a freelancer? Hear from Dominique Falla how creatives can spend less time on tasks they don't like and more on design.

#122 A lot of creatives struggle with creating content for social media, blog posts or marketing emails. Here are 15 social media post ideas for graphic designers that will inspire you.