BecomingWhoYouWantToBe

Web designers who work for themselves will constantly face difficult decisions as they have to determine if they should accept or pass on a client’s project. Since there is no shortage of designers out there, many designers feel that they should accept every piece of work that comes their way, but that is not true.

One of the main reasons that you should not accept every project and every client is simply that some of them are not willing to pay what you need to get for your time. If you’re spending all of your time on low paying jobs it will prevent you from taking other work. Of course, there are many other reasons as well, which we will get in to.

Here we will take a detailed look at several of the most significant factors that you should always think about when you are deciding on a project or a client. When work comes your way, remember these factors and use them to help as you decide if it is something you should pursue.

1. Income

The most obvious thing that you will want to evaluate is if the potential client can afford your services. Most clients don’t have experience with web design, and that usually means they will have unrealistic expectations about how much it should cost.

The price that you need to charge for a project will be directly tied to the amount of time and effort that it will require from you, and that will directly relate to the specifics of what the clients want. If you find that a project will take you much longer than can be justified by the client’s budget, either pass on the job or present them with an option to compromise on some of the things they want.

2. Time Line

Almost every project will involve a deadline of some type. Larger projects may even have a number of deadlines or milestone dates that need to be met. In some cases the deadline may not be as firm, but the client will still have an expectation of when it will be complete.

You will sometimes run in to clients who want a ton of work done in a unrealistic time frame. In these situations your best move is to explain to them that the deadlines are not realistic for you, and suggest a deadline that would be reasonable with your schedule. Many clients are able to work with you on this, but if they insist on a deadline that you can’t make, walk away from the opportunity.

3. Fit

Most likely there are some specific areas of design and development that are your strong points, and others where you could improve. Taking jobs that are challenging and teach new skills are good to have in your schedule, but most of your work should be a good fit with your own strengths.

4. Interests

Just like each design will have strengths and weaknesses, you will also have certain types of work that you enjoy doing more than others. If you want to enjoy your work more, make an effort to find work in the types of things that you like to do.

5. Current Workload

Just like pricing is important, you should also put a lot of emphasis on your current workload. If you are already as busy as you can handle, don’t take new projects or at least schedule them to be stated at some point in the future.

If you are too busy at the time, let the potential client know when you would be able to start, and see if they are able to wait for you.

Steven Snell runs a popular web design blog that includes a free design job board to help designers find work, and to help companies find the right designer.