Standards of Professional Practice
Reading through the Standards of Professional Practice really made me pause and think about what it means to be a responsible designer. There’s a lot more to this profession than I first thought. It’s about trust, honesty, and knowing how to handle things professionally behind the scenes.
It talks about the importance of being clear and open when working with others, especially if juggling multiple projects. I also hadn’t ever fully considered how much responsibility we have to keep information confidential and protect the client’s business.
I found it reassuring that it also protects designers, for example, not accepting unethical instructions or being expected to work for free or in shady payment situations. It’s comforting to know that there are standards in place to support fair treatment on both sides.
How your clients want to be treated
The next section of this book focuses on keeping your clientele happy, with the aim of retaining them long term. Interestingly, the text states that, on average, a client relationship lasts between 23 and 29 months—which doesn’t seem particularly long term. Of course, this statistic isn’t based on your specific situation, as different areas of design attract different types of clients. Still, it makes you reconsider just how important it is to keep clients satisfied.
One part of the text mentions that why a client leaves is more important than how long they stay. I think the reason they highlight this is because the last experience someone has with you tends to be the most memorable, as it’s the most recent. So, ending things on good terms is incredibly important.
The last point I want to mention is the idea that “treating clients well doesn’t mean treating them identically.” I found this to be a really interesting statement. While it’s obvious that different clients have different needs, I think it’s easy to fall into the habit of treating everyone the same without considering their individual requirements.
The Process of Setting Fees
This part of the book is about setting your fees. It covers all the fundamentals and goes in-depth about how to calculate your wage, something I’ve never really known how to do. Some people charge hourly, some per project. Sometimes people are upfront about costs, while others wait until after the work is done. I think this is something all freelance creatives struggle with: figuring out their salary.
In this chapter, they give an example of how to calculate your hourly rate: take your annual overheads (including your desired salary and profit), divide that by your annual billable hours, and that gives you your hourly rate. They also mention that this hourly rate should be for your eyes only, it’s not something you need to share with clients. Instead, it’s better to be transparent about the overall cost of a project.
How detailed should a timesheet be? One option is to itemise everything, planning, meetings, briefings, while another is to create a more generalised breakdown. This depends on the kind of management you’re working under, if any at all. It’s a great example of why having an accountant is so valuable when freelancing.
Legal Structures for the Design Firm
This chapter helped me understand the different legal structures for design businesses. It talks about how choosing the right setup, like sole proprietorships or partnerships, can affect things like taxes, liability, and control. I highlighted “maximum possible benefits” because it reminded me that it’s important to pick a structure that protects me and works best for my goals.