Breaking Free from a Cheap Replacement Life

Just a basketful of things, really: a box of handi-wipes, a cheap mug warmer, and a few odds and ends. Just enough to fill one plastic grocery bag. Another held a box of sugar cubes, a box of inexpensive British-blend tea, grocery-store mug, and unused sponges. A life I’d crafted out of office supplies and comfort. A bag in each hand, purse slung over a proud, uplifted shoulder, and wool blanket sandwiched under one overloaded arm, I marched. Out.

Justice would be mine—carpe diem!—and all the freedom fighters and liberators who had paved my American way crowded my mind, applauding and cheering. I had won the respect and admiration of peers, friends, and family. After 12 years in the professional world, barraged by maniacal torment in the form of bosses who would not listen, co-workers who cowed and bitched but failed to unite, money that would not come, and other general unrest: I. WAS. FREE.

I’d always assumed that if I ever allowed my emotions to overtake my rationale, it would be an almighty shit storm of regret, an uncontrollable torrent of drama. But no. From that moment until this one, there has been an unending calm within me, a fury inside has quieted, maybe even been frightened away. And I could think, plan, scheme, maneuver. LIVE.

It took me nearly 2 months to deal with those two plastic bags, hastily dumped in the garage the day I’d escaped. I would warily regard them from time to time, willing myself to admit that this was a risk I hadn’t planned for, an experiment that could bubble up and explode at any moment. That one day I’d have to place those unsorted bags back into my car and set the pieces up anew.

I systematically withdrew each item, studying it as if it were an old friend, tracing the lines of wear and tear on a familiar face, smoothing them into something I could fathom. Each item has found its proper home now, where it truly belongs within the folds and crevices of my real life. All except the mug, which I accidentally dropped. No matter; it was a cheap substitute for the weighty, hand-made pottery vessels that I prefer.

In fact, it seems that nearly everything in my life before April 16 was a cheap replacement for everything in my life since.

Whew! In the past month or so, we’ve been plugging away at a variety of different projects, including these new web designs. Click the links below to view more details on our portfolio.

As a design team that prides itself on working with companies who are socially and environmentally responsible, we were glad to hear that one of our current clients, Del Sol Landscaping, was going green! The Charleston, SC-based company is undergoing a permanent transformation and adopting eco-friendly practices, changing its name to EarthFriendly Landscapes. We launched earthfriendlysc.com just a few days ago, and we’re already seeing great traffic coming in.

New Leaf Marketing Strategies, a Newington, CT-based client, needed to reach out to her own clients – mainly CEOs, CFOs, COOs – in a professional way, so she came to us seeking to create her web presence. As someone who needed to hit a high-level audience, we needed to brand the site to be in line with the look of corporate marketing materials and others’ professional websites.

Hopefully, before too long, I’ll be able to start blogging again!

Every once in a while, you have to take on a risqué project. Nonetheless, in keeping with our own style, we wanted to come up with something sexy but tasteful. We contrived two concepts: one a romantic, sultry version and the other a fun, devilish concept. AuthorMike Ink—one of our repeat clients—chose the former.

I discovered Paul Boag recently, from an online video from 2008′s Future of Web Design conference. (View it on Boag’s website.) I was struck both by his candor and sound advice.

So when I came upon Boag’s book, Website Owner’s Manual, I hungrily pored over the first chapter (download for free from his website). I didn’t hesitate to buy it, and I would recommend to any of our colleagues and their clients that they do the same.

Nothing sounds more tortuous than reading through a book about the client-designer/agency relationship during website development unless, like WAM, it’s witty. Having spent over 10 years in the publishing industry as an editor, I can tell you that that’s not easy to pull off without coming off campy, but the book’s conversational style, use of graphics and sidebars, and progressive examples really put you in mind to take the information and run with it.

Despite the main audience for WAM being the [corporate] client, as a freelance designer for small businesses, I found most of the topics to be universal. For instance, Boag points out common pitfalls for clients (unrealistic goals, vague success criteria, rushing through planning, mimicking competition, writing wish lists) and how to achieve results while avoiding those pitfalls. Armed with this information, I’ve been able to steer clients toward a more streamlined, mutually beneficial development process.

Many of my clients are initially fearful of the website development process, mainly because they’re only familiar with the Internet as an end user. Boag seamlessly introduces the reader to basic processes, concepts, and terms that s/he’ll encounter when working with designer/developers to help educate and build confidence.

The chapter I found to be most helpful for my clients is “Creating Killer Content,” which delicately handles a topic that most clients struggle with: the difference between writing straight prose and writing web copy.

Another crucial topic I find myself stressing repeatedly is that the site must meet the end user’s needs – not just the client’s – and Boag covers this perfectly in “User-centric Design.”

Specifically, the Website Owner’s Manual does an exemplary job of defining roles: the client’s, the designer’s, the developer’s, and the user’s. For small businesspeople, who are often in a position to have their fingers in a lot of pies but who may know little or nothing about website development, this concept seems to be extremely crucial to the success of the project.

I think all designers encounter the client who says, “OK, we want a site. Go ahead and do it.” The book in its entirety sends a clear response: If you want a website, you have a defined role and you have to be involved. (And so does your designer.)

Client wanted to attract new customers, better organize the site structure, update the content, and match the visual standards of comparable industry websites. Upon first looking, we also saw that even basic SEO techniques and analytics tracking needed to be implemented.

Utilizing the client’s existing photography, we updated the site banner and worked to improve the site’s overall content and navigation in an effort to keep users moving around the site more fluidly. We also reconfigured the pages slightly to increase exposure for financing and state programs that users will undoubtedly want to learn more about, making the site a sales conduit as well as a resource.

The following shows the redesigned home and interior pages, as well as the client’s former home page. View the site.

We’ve just finished developing our new WordPress portfolio, a more accessible, interactive, and informative way to display the work we’ve done since January 2009. We’re grateful to all our amazing clients and are proud to be able to put together such a wonderfully diverse collection. View the new portfolio.

For a freelancer, understanding the thoughts and opinions of crucial decision makers isn’t just a boon to a project; it’s integral to its progress. Having an intermediary absorb information and then translate it as s/he sees fit can dangerously destabilize the project, resulting in missed deadlines, technical problems, undoing and redoing of work, and much worse.

Intermediaries can be emotional, appealing to the freelancer on a personal level and saying things like, “I know you’re in a rush, but I don’t want to bother my boss,” or alternatively, “My boss is really on me about meeting this deadline! When can you get me those changes because I have to leave around 3 today?” In a delicate balance, the freelancer has to validate the person’s role while trying to effectively communicate business, and that can be disruptive and distracting.

Pay attention to when an intermediary communicates with the decision maker through you, i.e., when she sends an email with some instructions for you along with questions for the decision maker about those instructions. That’s a clear indication that their contact with each other is fragmented. State up front that it’s best if they submit to you any instructions, revisions, etc. only once a final decision has been made between them, unless they’re looking for your advice, of course! (This is also a great way to decrease the margin of error caused so often by back-and-forth.)

An intermediary can often assert herself as an authority figure. While she can certainly point you in a direction based on information you may or may not be privy to, the decision maker is king. Particularly aggressive or pushy intermediaries will simply make a decision without consulting the decision maker. Unless the two parties are on the exact same page, you’ll likely be redoing some work, so use caution when making revisions without a clear idea of who has authorized them.

If you must communicate through an intermediary, assess that person carefully and factor them in as you plan. Their personality, business sense, and work ethic will play a huge role in how the project is carried out.

If the intermediary is a friend – a situation I would caution you to avoid – be even more critical before you agree to take on the project. Evaluating a friend might seem harsh or too subjective, but it’s well worth it because if the working relationship isn’t ideal, the friendship will undoubtedly suffer. Be sure you’re willing to take that risk up front.

CC decision makers on all email correspondence relating to evaluating and signing off on work.  Oftentimes, a manager will be reviewing the emails, even if he isn’t responding directly to you, so be specific and share some level of accountability with the intermediary. The decision maker might occasionally pipe up when the intermediary is out of the office or working on other things. Keep careful records of changes and sign-offs, including who authorized them.

If possible, especially when working with small businesses, try to avoid communicating through a third person. Any small business owner who involves an intermediary probably thinks him/herself too busy to coordinate with you. Notify the client that the project will go more fluidly if you have some level of direct communication with him. Assure him that you will make the process as non-invasive as possible. You may be able to negotiate a compromise where you gain some closer contact with the decision maker while relying on the intermediary for day-to-day communication. For instance, the decision maker might be the only person who can sign off on various stages of the project.

Not every tri-part relationship involving an intermediary is a recipe for disaster, but some can be much more dangerous to your business and its reputation than others. If you cannot work together amicably with the intermediary, you may have to fire the client or decline finishing the work. Pay close attention to any red flags, provide directives from the beginning to promote success in the relationship, and you’ll likely emerge unscathed on the other side of the project.

Do you have any other considerations or advice when dealing with intermediaries? We’d love to hear it!