Creative Sanity Snippets is my weekly newsletter with quick 1–5 minute reads on pricing, sales, proposals, systems, processes—the real stuff it takes to run a profitable creative business. Join thousands of creatives who get a weekly dose of sanity in their inbox.
How to Stand Out as a Junior Designer // Michael Janda and Elize Todd discuss techniques that can help you stand out as a junior designer. Be sure to look outside of what you offer as a designer and production artist. Search for ways to add value to the business…
How to Hire a UX Designer // Michael Janda and Elize Todd discuss strategies to help you hire a UX designer, or any employee, for that matter. Be sure to clearly define your needs. Michael recommends creating a specific list of tasks and abilities you are searching for, and then…
How to Find a Design Mentor // Michael Janda and Elize Todd discuss how to find a mentor. Elizé explains that there are mentors all around. Follow people on social media, read books, consume content. Your mentor doesn’t need to know that they are your mentor. Michael talks about the…
How to Build Your Design Business Using Social Media // In this video, Michael Janda and Lubos Volkov discuss building your design business using social media. Lubos has successfully built an a-list of clients using Dribbble and Behance and never having a dot com portfolio. Watch this video to find…
Michael Janda with Julian Rotondo discuss strategies to help you build leverage with your clients. Julian describes an innovative approach to selling brand strategy by offering to discount the brand strategy from an identity design project. This video is a “must watch” – “food for thought” for any freelance designer…
Best Practices for UI Design // In this video, Michael Janda and Lubos Volkov discuss best practices for UI design. Knowing the user and designing specifically for them is of the utmost importance.
It seems that every designer wants to land bigger and better clients. The dream of working for some of the world’s marquee brands has a lot of allure. In this video, Michael Janda and Lubos Volkov discuss each of their route to working with A-list clients like Disney, Google, Fiat,…
Michael Janda with Julian Rotondo talk about their experiences growing their design businesses through building real relationships with their clients. People do business with people they trust. In order for a client to trust you, they need to know you and have a deeper relationship. It is time to stop…
How to Scale a Creative Team // Michael Janda with Tom Ross discuss how to scale a creative team including delegation mindset and structural considerations. Michael shares how the 80/20 rule applies to team structure and employer expectations.
Michael Janda and Tom Ross (CEO of Design Cuts) discuss the importance of being “human” in your social media marketing. It isn’t about the big number, it is about building genuine connections, one on one, with your audience to have a dramatic impact on engagement.
Thoughts on Value Pricing // Value pricing is a great model for the right types of clients. In this video, G’day Frank and Michael Janda discuss alternative ways to value price (based on actual results) and one of the pitfalls of the value based pricing methodology.
How to Succeed as a Remote Designer Michael Janda and Elize Todd discuss techniques that can help you succeed as a remote designer including: organizing your workweek in advance, setting a daily work schedule, using a Slack channel for clients, and the importance of video conferencing. Your clients must see…
