start up design agency
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- BonSeff0
i guess i misspoke mimio.
i work in an inhouse design dept and i what i meant with the mag pub pertains to our products and advertising. come to think about it, design firms hardly ever advertise for themselves in design mags.
- DonnieTV0
Maybe you haven't met enough of them.
I have met marketing managers that read design mags. I've also met marketing managers that look at newstoday and yayhooray.
Not a lot granted, but the point was - getting in the 'right' magazines can count.
- DonnieTV0
Sorry about the way this threads going cruz_azul - back to the point.
- sparker0
hire a good it person to handle networking, servers and workstations....without tools and utilities, there is no business.
plus, if you have your own servers, you can pitch hosting and misc web services to clients...without having to count on others.
best way to do things.
it only takes 1 good system admin to handle all the shit at a small firm.
this is one of the mistakes i see small shops making - thinking that they can either outsource it or count on the standard 'service contract' bullshit from what ever large pc manufacture they use.
poor management and planning.
if you look at shops in the movie/film and video gaming industry they all employee a complete it staff for work, use their own servers, and a lot of times write their own custom tools and software in house to streamline production and work flow.
it's a hardcore investment upfront, but the return in business is worth it.
:)
- mbp0
Kiss that 9-5 (or 10:30-6:30 as is the case for many studios) goodbye. Be prepared to work multiple 18 hour days to keep those clients happy and new ones coming in...
- sparker0
fuck i do that now, and i don't work for a small design shop...in this profession, it doesn't matter what kind of office you work in, it, design and development people will always have to pull minimum 10 hour days.
:)
- nameless0
make sure the people you go in with are not sleeping together. (very important)
use someone else's money. that way when it implodes you won't be in the hole.
if you can't use anyone else's money, start out freelance and build clients, that will let you know if you have what it takes and give you a great base to start from
if you do have someone elses money, dont buy all the cool crap you can find. use the money to market yourself. the most high end equipment is all useless if you cant make money with it.
the most important thing is sales. if you dont have anyone that can close a deal, as well as dredge one up when you are workless, forget it.
if you hire people and they are not working out, get rid of them, fast. no matter the unemployment penalties.
my 2 cents, as i have help found a studio before. get ready for some pain, and learn to enjoy it.
- mitsu0
these are good words:
"These days having diversified clients is one of the best business practices. Don't rely on one industry too heavily. Smaller offices should focus on the one-stop-shop model, rather than the "Design Boutique" model. "
i used to work at a place like this (a one stop shop) and they did well even when most .com's went bust. it's still doing good today and all of its clients are satisfied.
- exador0
not necesarily sparker..
i remember when i first started, and i was pulling crazy ass hours..
and i noticed that the art director was skippin out at 5, like pretty much every day..
when i finally asked how he got to go home on time he had some smart things to say..well tyson...he said..
1st off, your new at this, and your full of piss and vinegar, and want to prove to everyone how good you are, and what a great employee you are..which is only fair..so thats one reason you're stayin late.
2) your young, and have only been doing this for a little while, and just have to learn what ideas to use and what to discard...takes a while but you'll get quicker..and finally he said..
now, i've been at this a long while, and have learned a thing or two.
1) use your time wisely..
don't go for long ass lunches, and work as diligently as you can..anticipate who on your team is a weaklink, and plan ahead...if the copywriter is late in getting stuff to you, always have something put in ahead of time...save time everywhere you can..
and last but most important..
since i've been doing this awhile, i can tell almost immediately whats going to work, and what isn't..so while youre busy mocking up 5 different ideas, only to toss 4 of em aside later cuz they suck..
i'll do two..
and know that the client will like both of em..and ya know what..
he was right.that was about 7 years ago when he was my first art director..
guys a genious...
taught me everything i know
- BonSeff0
must have been nice ex. my first AD's were idea gravytraining hacks. and were quick to dismiss our roles in production and conception. it sucked but they gor theirs
- nameless0
jesus exador, thats one of the coolest things i ever heard from your point of view, and his.
--rob
- paulrand0
isn't freelancing directly with clients the same as having an agency?
- exador0
that sucks bon...but glad to hear that karma caught up with em!
;)yeah, i have to say i was pretty lucky to hook up with that guy..
couldnt' ask for a better AD..
gave me as much free reign as i wanted..
always had lots of encouragement, and wasnt stingy with letting me jump in and lead some projects..most AD's stomp on their juniors..
but this guy's a class act..
- exador0
cheers nameless.
yeah....have to say, it was pretty cool watching and learning from that guy..
still the best creative mind ive ever worked with...
and even better, he was only a few years older than me and we ended up becoming really good friends..
now we're both art directors, and i owe it all to him...
- sparker0
that is cool, ex.
I've had one or two really good IS managers and haven't had a bad experience yet, it just takes long hours...
We have over 20 projects, some being hardass application projects...and it's not bad, but to come close to deadline you have to work long hours.
I try to make it as easy and fun as possible for my guys...but it doesn't diminish the fact there will be some late nights.
Even working effeciently during the specified work day, not taking extended lunch and goofing off at a minimum, some things can take extra time.
Especially when you get into user testing, revision and version control and such...
It's not "bad" it's just long....I don't have "bad" stress, I just have a large work load...and lots of back-log to worry about.
:)
- ********0
all very good points, good advice thanks peeps....
- nameless0
i think freelancing is completely different. for starts you are in an office around these people all day long. the interoffice dynamics make everything very different.