110 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads

Credit: TheGiantVermin on Flickr

Whether they’re designers, developers, copywriters, or some other creative professional, most freelancers ask themselves the very same question: How can I find more clients?

We’ve updated our monster list of over a hundred ideas designed to help you do just that. Not all of these ideas will make… read more

Inspiring Creative Process Videos

I think one of the best ways to learn is watching other artists creating, some of the most awesome techniques can be revealed with a simple sneak peek into other artist creative process. I learned a lot watching this videos and I hope your learn something from it too. If… read more

Thoughts on why Spec Work is Bad and Why You Shouldn’t Do It

Speculative, or ‘Spec’, work is in hot debate at the moment in the design industry. Design contest websites in particular have created a furore of debate over freelancers working initially for nothing, instead hoping that a client likes their work enough to want to pay for it.

What is Spec Work?

Speculative… read more

9 Tools For Managing Your Freelance Design Business

Being organized is not something creative types are necessarily known for. However, in managing your freelance design business, it’s a must. In fact, with the exception of one or two, every successful freelancer I know (design or otherwise) has this one thing in common. Organization. Of course there are a… read more

10 Cool and Creative Websites

10 Cool and Creative Websites

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Cold Calling: Separate Yourself from the Bad Guys

credit: ~*Gillian*~ on Flikr

When people tell me that their freelancing business has been slow, I suggest that they pick up the phone and start making calls. Reason: Since cold calls have worked well for me, I encourage others to try them as well.

Talk about kicking the proverbial hornet’s nest. I’m… read more

Introducing Roa Street Art

Roa is probably one of the most notorious street artists nowadays. Illustrating buildings, walls and everything paintable with his animals in many cities around the globe. I was not a huge fan of spray paintings, I always found that this technique was mostly related to the hip hop culture, but… read more

Top Freelance Jobs from Job Board

Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the… read more

Upcoming Conferences and Events for Designers and Developers in 2011

We’re well into 2011, and many designers and developers around the world are planning their travels for the year, including the possibility of attending any Web design or development conferences. To help you out with your plans for the upcoming months, we’ve put together a list of conferences and events… read more

Freelance Freedom #194: Email Delusion

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What is Copywriting and How is it Important for a Designer?

Copywriting refers to the use of written copy to promote a business or entity. The ultimate purpose of copywriting is to expand the client base of a business. Multinationals and businesses are now promoting themselves globally, with a worldwide audience at their disposal, which has led to an unprecedented rise… read more

The 80/20 Rule Applied to Web Design

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Educational Resources for Studying Graphic Design

One of the greatest things about having access to the Internet, is the educational opportunities that it affords the public. People in all professions have the ability to expand their knowledge base through the wealth of information being shared via the Internet, and the same holds true for those who… read more

20 Useful Free iPhone and iPad Apps for Designers and Developers

Big shocking news of the day: iPhones and iPads are increasingly popular and widespread and are being used by more and more people. But what’s interesting is this also includes web developers ie. you. And the following list will feature 20 free iPhone and iPad apps for web developers.

While iPhones… read more

Impressive Pieces by Android Jones

Other day while reading the news about the situation on Egypt I stumbled in a great illustration made about the issue. I liked it a lot so I tried to find more about the artist who did it. So, researching thru the web I found that the artist was Android… read more

Linkswitch #56: Web apps, writing, and marketing

5 Things You Never Want to Hear Your Client Say

You know what you call a client that knows exactly what they want, does not require revisions, always pays you on time and loves colored eggs? You call them the Easter Bunny because they do not exist.

In a perfect world… read more

Our Favorite Tweets of the Week Feb 7-Feb 13, 2011

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Best of the Week #158

It’s time for our best news of this week. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to keep you updated about what’s… read more

Designers: Try This Gorgeous Project Management App for Freelancers

We’ve just come across Solo, a beautiful new app for freelance designers — and considering the app is intended for use in the design community, the attention to details such as color, typography, animations and texture couldn’t have been used on a better project.

Solo is a project… read more

Free Summer Vector Pack

Hey guys, since I’ve started blogging on Abduzeedo I thought I should share with you some cool freebies. So since it’s summer here in Brazil I made a pack with some figures related to this season, use it as you wish :)

Download the files

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL… read more

35 Valentine’s Day Resources

35 Valentine’s Day Resources

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Ask FreelanceSwitch: Blogging and Coworking

Credit: kennymatic on flickr

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at blogging and coworking. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com. Let’s… read more

How Old-Fashioned Marketing Can Supercharge Your Design Business

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New Illustrations by God Machine

We already interviewed God Machine 2 years ago, since then he showed a great evolution on his work, getting more and more detailed as time goes by. It’s great to see artists like these that keep evoluting their style, we can say that they’re like Wine.

Nowadays God Machine work for… read more

5 Things You Never Want to Hear Your Client Say

credit: yoshiffles on flickr

You know what you call a client that knows exactly what they want, does not require revisions, always pays you on time and loves colored eggs? You call them the Easter Bunny because they do not exist.

In a perfect world all client relationships would go this smoothly…. read more

Worldwide Photography #5: Oslo

Worldwide Photography is a series of posts where every week we’re going to show a city or location around the globe bringing the coolest photography samples of it. The photographs authors are all credited right above their pictures. Today feature: Oslo

For the next week we’re going to feature the… read more

Useful Resources and Tips for Managing Your Virtual Staff

Credit: Eliffio on Flickr

If you are a typical freelancer, you probably started your business as a one person show, working from home, and spending much of the first year performing every aspect of your operation. But as your client list starts to grow, there soon comes a time where you… read more

Interview with Catherine Dedova aka Zzanthia

In this interview we will meet great Russian illustrator Catherine Dedova. She believes that vector is powerful, but it is also limited in artistic tools. In order to have your own style, new ways to use familiar tools need to be invented. This is where vector reveals its brilliant simplicity…. read more

The 7 Personality Types of Bloggers Today

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100+ Fresh and Excellent Photoshop Tutorials

When it comes to Image editing or photo enhancement, Adobe Photoshop is usually the primary option to consider. However, the software package itself is a quite hard to learn — and extremely hard to master.

Display beautiful images is a potent element in web and graphic design, where there is less… read more

42 Web Apps to Move Your Business Into the Cloud

Enterprises and Businesses are the cash cows that can make a software development company into an overnight success. Selling to them is an incredibly lucrative opportunity. There’s a catch though; you will have to work hard to convince them to make a switch from an archaic system they might be… read more

HOW TO: Be a Better Coworker

Coworking has become a big trend in the tech and startups space — an office full of people working on different things, who have no official ties to one another.

Because of this, it can be hard to get the behavioral balance right. Should you treat your coworkers… read more

Outstanding Akuma (Gouki) Collection

I’ve seen Street Fighter collections thru many design/art blogs , but I never seen a collection of the most insane and kickass character of the series: Akuma (also known as Gouki in Japan). So I picked some amazing illustrations of this anti-hero.

When I was a kid, I… read more

Learning to Love (or Survive) Speaking Events

credit: Daniel E/Flickr

Many freelancers enjoy the solitary aspect of their work style.  Working long stretches uninterrupted by co-workers, controlling when you’ll be called into a meeting, and donning your best-loved sweatshirts are all benefits of the lifestyle.  But that same solitary lifestyle can have some adverse affects.  With less reason… read more

Freelance Freedom #193: Deep Thoughts

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Things to Remember Before Launching a Website

Effective web-browsing experiences are absolutely necessary in this climate of competitive business and advancing technology. Finding a niche, making a good first impression and staying fresh are among the website owner’s goals. Maybe you’ve got a great concept, selected the perfect designer, brainstormed about design ideas, made decisions and worked… read more

6 Time-Tested Applications for Freelance Web Designers

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Create a Top Gun Badge on Illustrator

Some weeks ago, while watching the Montreal Meets I remember that Fábio and James talked about watching Top Gun. Some of you may not know, but Top Gun is a 80′s classic, I was even born when it came in to the cinemas, but I watched later and I must… read more

Linkswitch #55: User Experience, Blog Content, Scheduling Software

Strategic Customer Service: An Interview with John Goodman

If you ask any chief marketing officer about the importance of “positive word of mouth” for their product or company, they’ll inevitably say “It’s absolutely critical, word of mouth is definitely a top priority for our business.” But, when you follow up… read more

7 Tips For Freelance Success That I Didn’t Follow

7 Tips For Freelance Success That I Didn’t Follow

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Are Cover Letters Still Relevant For Social Media and Tech Jobs?

The cover letter is often an expected attachment to the résumé, serving as an applicant’s first impression on potential employers. Traditionally, it offers job seekers an opportunity to introduce their skills and qualifications, while giving hiring managers an idea of a candidate’s suitability for the position.

But as… read more

Ronin HTML5 iPhone App + Giveaway

Killer invoicing app Ronin has released an HTML5-built iPhone app for users to track time on the go and sync with their Ronin account. Because the app is built with HTML5, an Android version will be a relatively simple addition, though with a UI tweaked for the different screen sizes.

If… read more

Best of the Week #157

It’s time for our best news of this week. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to keep you updated about what’s… read more

The Guide to Crazy Comment Personality Types – Part 2

Hopefully you were able to catch our previous introduction to crazy comment personality types. Last time, we covered the delights of First! Freddy and Angry Andrew.

As we move along into the second half of our list we will be introduced to two more delightful characters. This week: Grammar Gertie and Self-Promotion… read more

8 Tips for Freelance Designers to Get Paid Faster

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How To Easily Track Your Time With Tictoc

Time is valuable. This is not just true for freelancers, but for everyone who has to be accountable for the time spent on a task. When you are in a creative mood, eager to start on a project, or when you are drowning in work, hastening to get everything done… read more

How To Tell When Your Rates Are Too Low

credit: stuartpilbrow on Flickr

A few months ago, I needed a designer to team up with on a project. I decided to work with a friend of a friend who had just graduated from art school and was desperately looking for work. She emailed me her rate and I about lost… read more

Worldwide Photography #4: Matmâta

Worldwide Photography is a series of posts where every week we’re going to show a city or location around the globe bringing the coolest photography samples of it. The photographs authors are all credited right above their pictures. Today feature: Matmâta.

While i was thinking about the next place to… read more

Creating a Cartoon Character for Your Website – Will It Stick?

In today’s market of stiff corporate competition, it’s more important than ever to create an effective online marketing strategy. Often, this involves finding a way to set your website’s image apart from those of your top competitors.

To achieve this,… read more

Find a Great Job in Social Media or Web Development

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How… read more

How to Avoid Losing Time for Freelance Designers

How to Avoid Losing Time for Freelance Designers

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Why Freelancers Should Never Retire

photo credit: kevindooley on flickr

Being a freelancer is great. You get to work in a way that fits around your hectic lifestyle and while you may initially put more energy into building up a client list (than working for an organisation which already has clients), once you’ve gained a good… read more

3D Characters by Ian Joyner

I was not a huge CG fan before I got in touch with some awesome CG artists that done some amazing characters for well known videogames. After I saw Ian Joyner characters I got impressed, this guys is really dedicated on his job, making some excellent versions of some Marvels… read more

Get Paid: What to Do When The Check is Late

Credit: meddygarnet on Flickr

You work hard on your assignment, turn it in, and do the required (ugh) revisions. You happily send in your invoice — and wait…and wait…and wait.

Your check is late! You have a mortgage to pay and you were relying on that check. Now what?

Late checks are a… read more

Interview With Travis Price

Meet Travis Price, freelance designer and illustrator from Australia. He also runs a kids label called Mister Mista. Travis says as a child he did a lot of drawing and was fascinated with skateboarding, graffiti and clothing design. Those early influences can be seen intertwined in his work. His style… read more

Freelance Freedom #192: Rushed Expectations, Finale

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Why Designers Should Learn How to Code

There’s a never-ending debate about whether web designers should be able to code. Web designers who can’t code their own designs still exist. When the web first took off, the designation “web designer” was limited in scope. Technological developments led to an ever-growing demand for web designers, and now the… read more

Changes to the Apple.com Design

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30 Brilliant iOS Applications for Freelance Designers and Developers

Mobile applications have become a staple in the bedrock of our futuristic society. There are many catalogs full of both useful and goofy apps for the world to share. These have connected us in ways never before seen and allowed software developers to really push the limits on programming techniques.

Here… read more

Linkswitch #54: Freelance Jobs & Raising Your Rates

The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites – 2011 Edition

The second edition of our Monster List of Freelance Job Sites has been valuable and much visited since April 2009. With over a hundred comments from our fantastic readers which has really added to its value. This list is a… read more

Ask FreelanceSwitch: Business Structures and Working with Agencies

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at contacting agencies for work and business structures. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question… read more

Photorealistic and Highly Detailed Artworks by Iain Macarthur

Since I started drawing when I was a kid, I always enjoyed more the shapes than the colors. Maybe that’s why one of my favorite illustrators is Iain Macarthur. His works are most black ink and white canvas, many details and a lot of hard work.

Nowadays Iain lives in Swindon,… read more

Applying Color Schemes Requires Seeing Them Anew

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DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Radim Malinic

Radim Malinic is a self-taught, award-winning art director, illustrator, and graphic designer based in London, England. Like many successful artists, Radim didn’t start out as a designer. He has a degree in business management, and it wasn’t until he was 24 that he turned to full-time design and illustration. His… read more

The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites – 2011 Edition

Every freelancer needs a source for clients. We rely on clients, nurture our relationships with them, and provide a quality of service that keeps then coming back. And we can never have enough of them! The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites has one purpose: to massively increase your source… read more

8 Portfolio Phrases That Send the Wrong Message

Like corporate website, which use phrases like “innovative strategies” and “leading-edge solutions” ad naseum, many freelancers’ online portfolios tend to use some of the same tired phrases again and again. I combed through dozens of freelance websites (many of them discovered through FreelanceSwitch’s Find a Freelancer Directory) to create this… read more

Starting A Web Design Business

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Worldwide Photography #3: Prague

Worldwide Photography is a series of posts where every week we’re going to show a city or location around the globe bringing the coolest photography samples of it. The photographies authors are all credited right above their pictures. Today feature: Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the… read more

Land a Great Job in Tech or Social Media

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social… read more

Managing Time With Timecard for Billings Pro

Billable hours are the most sacred things that could either make or break a company, particularly if you’re in the service industry. Apart from being key to boost revenues, billable hours are a way to keep lazy employees in check and gain credibility with the customer. The biggest issue with… read more

Former “Newsweek” President Launches Line of iPad Magazines

Nomad Editions, a new media company that publishes a series of weekly magazines specifically for mobile devices, celebrated its official launch at a press event at the New York Library Hotel on Tuesday afternoon.

It’s likely to be one of the few costly events the startup hosts. Unlike Rupert Murdoch’s forthcoming… read more

Demand Media Valued at More Than $1 Billion Following IPO

Demand Media is now officially a publicly traded company following its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, in which it raised $151.3 million. The deal values the company at nearly $1.5 billion, making it one of the largest Internet IPOs in recent history.

Early indications suggest that concerns… read more

To Propose or Not to Propose? Tips for Handling the RFP Process

credit: timparkinson on Flickr

Sorry if you’re a lovestruck freelancer, but this isn’t an article about proposing marriage.

Instead, it’s about handling requests for bids, proposals, quotes, or whatever you’d like to call them. Specifically, the ones that come your way by chance.

Handling the “Name Your Price” Callers

If you’re like most freelancers,… read more

How to Use LinkedIn for Your Web Design Business

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Get Going with Google AdWords

This week Rockable Press launched its latest eBook, Get Going with Google AdWords by author Chandler Nguyen and we couldn’t be more excited!

This book is designed with the beginner in mind, introducing you to the world of Google AdWords. Once you start to get a handle on them, you’ll be bidding on keywords that… read more

10 Easy Sites for File Sharing

Have you ever needed to send a file to a friend or coworker, but didn’t want to install a new program just to share a file? Email attachments often don’t cut it, and you can’t just attach a zip file to a Tweet. Sounds like you need a webapp for… read more

When Ignorance Is the Ghostwriter’s Friend

credit: Helga Weber on Flickr

What you do not know — or pretend not to know — about your client’s business, product, or service can be one of your greatest assets as you help your client communicate with employees, investors, customers, or prospects. Even though you have been hired to… read more

Western Movies Opening Titles

Navigating thru some movie sites I’ve found this huge collection of opening titles from western movies . What attracts me most on these titles is how the typography is used here, western movie fonts are known for using a lot of serifs and details, so here’s some great samples,… read more

Top 5 Freelance Jobs from the Job Board

Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from… read more

Guidelines for Successful Communication With Clients

OK, so this is a yet another article about dealing with clients. But let’s face it — it doesn’t matter how well you can design or code; as a freelancer or if you’re running a digital agency, if you don’t get the client management right, it can spell disaster for… read more

Freelance Freedom #191: Rushed Expectations, Part 2

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Win 5 Free Poster Prints from UPrinting

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Linkswitch #53: Backlinks, HTML5, and Social Networking Trends

The Netsetter: Legitimate Ways to Get Backlinks

SEO can be made as complicated as quantum physics, but the reality is much simpler. While there may indeed be the oft-cited “200 ranking factors,” anyone with experience knows deep down that backlinks are the lynchpin to scaling the heights of Google. However… read more

Our Favorite Tweets of the Week Jan 17-Jan 23, 2011

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eBook Review: Freelancer’s Guide to Finding Clients

Whether a freelancer is going through a slump or just looking to diversify their client base, finding new clients is an ongoing process.

Martha Retallick’s recent eBook the Freelancer’s Guide to Finding Clients is here you help you get proactive in finding clients rather than waiting for them to come to… read more

Using Freckle to Manage Your Time

There are plenty of project management apps out there and while some are great because they have plenty of features, it’s obvious that some are going to be better at performing certain tasks than others. Because of this, many people can be left app-hopping when they need to do something… read more

The Guide to Crazy Comment Personality Types – Part 1

Nothing can bring so much joy and pain to the hearts of writers and bloggers like the Internet commenter. With our breath held we hover over the comment link and wage the internal battle of whether to click or not.

While good writers do not live and die by comment… read more

Tips for Creating an Effective Online Design Portfolio

An online portfolio should present your image and capabilities flawlessly. Strategic planning and preparation will ensure a professional presentation. Creative designers need a place to showcase their work online. You could use an online portfolio service—many websites offer free and professional layouts—or you could make your own, with a personal… read more

Badass Illustrations by Dan Hipp

Dan Hipp is a truly incredible illustrator, he have done works for comic labels as DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Tokyopop, and Del Rey Books. He even made a graphic novel for the character Ben 10, but what really got my attention in his work are his recent… read more

Worldwide Photography #2: Galapagos Islands

Worldwide Photography is a series of posts where every week we’re going to show a city or location around the globe bringing the coolest photography samples of it. The photographies authors are all credited right above their pictures. Today feature: Galapagos Islands.

The Galapagos Islands have one of the most… read more

When Does a Freelancer Need a CPA

Credit: photo by kozumel/flickr

There’s a point in every business when having a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) becomes necessary. Your taxes get too complicated for the local tax preparer, you need to start thinking about saving for retirement and you generally need to make sure that you’re bringing in enough money… read more

New & Inspiring Artworks from João Oliveira

A while back we showcased an Interview with João Oliveira, a portuguese graphic designer and illustrator based on Porto, Portugal. João has been working in various creative fields of graphic, print, editorial, web and motion design and he has some new and inspiring artworks that we would like to share… read more

5 Tips for Freelance Mentor Relationships

credit: antonella.beccaria on flickr

January is National Mentoring Month in the United States. Wherever you are in the world, I suspect that many of us have a mentor (or five) to thank for our freelance successes. I personally have a handful of generous, wonderful people who helped connect me with potential… read more

50 Free Tools and Apps for Web Designers and Developers

Over the past year or so I have bookmarked hundreds of various tools and resources covering all aspects of web & mobile development – There are tools that will improve your work-flow, resources that will clean and validate code, apps that will allow you to collaborate with any number of… read more

Outstanding Game Trailers

Nowadays, it seems that videogames and movies are becoming more and more similar in some aspects. Movies are getting more interactive, with all these 3D effects and other inventions that were done lately. And videogames are getting more and more theatrical, with better stories, better graphics and outstanding trailers.

Being a… read more

IsoIcons – Workspace

The IsoIcons Workspace Set includes 10 isometric Designer/Freelancer workspace icons. These icons are packed with details, and incredibly well done.

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Accelerated Design: Streamline Your Workflow

Credit: Gamma-Ray Productions/Flickr

Two weeks ago, in Part One of this article were tips on how to assess a rush job and when it might be a good idea to turn one down. Some of this season’s Layer Tennis contestants also shared thoughts about how they work under the strain of a… read more

Freelance Freedom #190: Rushed Expectations

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The Elements of Retro Web Design

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Linkswitch #52: Collaboration, Data Safety

Collaborate on Your Designs With Draftboard

Design is more of a collaborative process than we often realize. In the process of designing a new site, logo, promotional flyer, and more, you’ll often end up emailing dozens of files back and forth with your coworkers and clients to see what they… read more