The Truth About Artists

The truth about artists

This morning, I decided to write about a message that came to my head while I was driving back home yesterday. It's interesting sometimes how God pops words or phrases in your head when you least expect it.

For those of you who are still confused on the meaning, I'll try to break it down as easy as I can. At the end of the day we all are artists, but in my opinion, not just anyone can be called a true artist. A true artists mind is more than just what's shown in the present. It's about visually exploring what hasn't been done yet.

Artist vs. True Artist

Now, let's say for example, your project for a client is to come up with a logo that has a penguin in it. The image on the right is a great example of true art. Typically, letters don't automatically come built in to look like anything other than letters. Someone had to truly see this in their head, which is a skill that many people (and I do mean many) people can not attain. Most people would come up with some kind of design similar to the one on the right and be done with it but it took a very creative mind to come up with one that is made from just letters. Here's some great logo inspirations in case you still aren't clear on artists compared to true artists.

I was thinking about college too when I wrote the phrase above and remembered the type of artists I bonded the strongest with, which were the true artists. For most people in the art department, they would come and go whenever their classes were finished, but there were a few( and I do mean three or four people) that would stick around and really craft their skill. They would stay late, think outside the box, continue working on their craft, come up with great work, and sometimes while working, others would just stare in awe at their work asking how in the world they could have imagined and created their masterpieces. It was these kind of artists that I knew I had to learn from and fast. Though they were great artists, most of them graduated before I did and I knew I had to hold onto the knowledge and wisdom they had shared with me for the rest of my life.

So the question now is, what kind of artist are you?

Design Tip: Adobe Flash Shortcut Keys

This article is all about Adobe Flash. For those of you who don't know, Adobe Flash is a multimedia and animation program.

Adobe Flash Shortcut Keys

q- Free Transform: used to change an objects angle or size

w- 3d Rotation Tool: allows you to take a 2D object and be able to rotate it on a 3D plane

e- Eraser: erases parts of a path or fill

r- Shape Tool: used to create rectangles, ovals, geometrical shapes, etc.

t- Text Tool: allows you to make text 

y- Pencil: acts similar to a real pencil and is used to create paths

u- Deco Tool: decorative drawing tool used for making shapes

i- Eye Dropper: used to pickup a color from an object

o- Primitive Tool: create shapes such as rectangles and ovals and control the amount of corner radius, size, and other properties of the shapes

p- Pen: helps you make curved paths and perfect straight lines

a- Sub selection: lets you choose specific anchor points and move them on an object or shape

s- Ink Bottle: puts a stroke around an object or change the style and color of the stroke itself 

f- Gradient Transform: allows you to change the path and size of a gradient fill

g- 3D Translation Tool: brings depth and distance to an object by moving it on the x, y, or z-axis

h- Hand Tool: lets you freely move the stage and work area around

k- Paint Fill: allows you to fill an area with color

l- Lasso: makes freehand selections around points on an object

z- Zoom: magnify more or less of a specific area on the stage

c- Convert Anchor Tool: change the curve orientation of a point

v- Selection Tool: allows you to select objects and move them freely

b- Paintbrush: create brush strokes and fill areas

n- Line Tool: used to make lines

m- Bone Tool: allows you to connect symbols and shapes together to create a character shape which can be moved, changed, and turned into different animation cycles

Design tip: As a freelancer how much should I charge?

What do I charge for my work?

After talking to a friend of mine who is just starting in graphic design (check out her awesome work at Natasha Designs), I decided it was necessary to give you my opinion on this subject based on my own experiences. For me, coming up with a price list was the hardest thing in the world to do. Forget trying to make a logo or designs, this right here topped everything. I read chapters in some graphic design business books, asked my teachers for help, looked online in group discussions, checked YouTube, but at the end of the day, I still felt uncertain.

Price?!

One reason why it's so hard to make a decision on how much to charge, is because there is no set price on any of the work that we do. If anyone tells you that there is a set price for all designers, then they are lying. You can read all the articles and guides that you want and try to follow another designers example but as a freelancer, nothing is set in stone. You have to make sacrifices. If you need money to pay rent and the only client you get can only pay half, then that's better than nothing at all, in my opinion. The best thing to do is get a mentor who has been in the same shoes you have been and learn what you can from them.

Know what Minimum Wage is

Just a good tip...you want to charge more than minimum wage. Make no mistake, the kind of service we do is a crucial factor for businesses around the world so don't ever think otherwise. Now here in the US, it is $7.25 where I'm at and if you are here in the states as well, go to the United States Department of Labor and see for yourself.

Know your Worth

This factor in determining your prices is extra crucial. You have to be confident in your skills when you make your prices. If you don't know what you are worth, then you need to re-evaluate your life and the career you chose. Uncertainty can lead to epic failure sometimes, just remember that.

Price Range Examples

If you are managing content for a client and they put you in charge of all printed media, which includes books, newspaper and magazine articles. Now the client already has a particular format they want to use, they just need you to make sure everything is placed and set where it needs to be. For me, I'd consider that an office position so for someone that has that kind of position, $10-$15 per/hr would be an okay range to start if you are a beginner. Those type of projects typically are very easy to learn because they already have a system in place but it just consumes a lot of time.

Now let's get a little deeper. You have some experience under your belt after moving on from the content management position and now have a new client. This client wants you to create logos, flyers, business cards, and everything else for their corporate branding. I'd say you should at least double the price of the starting project aka, the content management job, because the amount of time, research, and work put in will be doubled, if not more. This is the part that young, new designers don't understand. Don't just go out there and charge people $50 for everything. Take account of the type of work you do and the amount of work you put in it. If you have to take an office kind of position, look up the salaries that they make and compare with yours.

If you feel like you are the best, then go ahead and charge an arm and a leg, you just better be able to prove that you are to all your clients.

The Family and Friends

Now for those of you who aren't close with your family or friends, I know you will probably charge them the same price that you would charge anybody else. To me, I think you should go ahead give them a discount or throw in something for free and that's it. Friends and family can always help you along the way so why not give back some?

Download the Worksheet

Hourly Rate Worksheet

This worksheet provided by AIGA will help you figure out just how much money you need in order to run your freelance business.