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.

In this article we’ll look at five factors that should be considered by designers when they are evaluating a potential client and project. Taking the wrong projects can be a detriment to the designer because it means they will be unable to take other work in it’s place if a better opportunity comes along.

1. Price

One of the first things you will evaluate is the amount of money that you can charge for the project. Is the client willing to pay a fair price, something that will adequately compensate you for the time that will be required by the project?

If the client is working with a very limited budget that doesn’t fit into your normal pricing scale, they should be willing to make some compromises that will reduce the amount of time required from you, or you should probably pass on the work. You may also consider having a package especially for clients who have less-than-ideal budgets. This would allow you to capture some business from clients that you would otherwise have to pass on.

2. Timeframe

Deadlines are an everyday part of life as a web designer. Some projects may me more flexible with deadlines and others may have multiple milestones that need to be met on the way to an overall deadline. Even in situations where the deadline is not set in stone, getting the work done in a timely manner is important to keep clients satisfied.

If a client has a time line that simply isn’t possible for you, let them know that it isn’t going to work. Tell them when you think you would be able to get it done and see if they can accept this deadline. Otherwise, you could increase your pricing for the rush job, or walk away.

3. Match

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

In addition to having some specific strengths and weaknesses as a designer, you’ll also have some types of work that you prefer and others that you really would rather not be involved with. Once you know the types of projects that you enjoy working on, make an effort to make this a higher percentage of your workload.

5. Workload

One of the best ways to drag down the quality of your work is to try to do too much at once. Taking too many clients and projects is tempting because it may pay more, but you will soon find that you would have been better of to push that project back to a later date.

If you don’t have the time to add a new client to your workload, talk to them to see if they are in a position to wait a few weeks or months, whatever the case may be, until your workload will be more conducive to a new project.

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

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I’m not a web developer and truthfully I have no plans to become one in the near future. My background has nothing technical to show for it, requiring me to work with others who have intimate knowledge of programming languages, web site design and a whole lot more.

A number of years ago I worked with an entrepreneur who told me that he never worries about development because there are tons of qualified people throughout the world who can help you achieve what you are looking for. Essentially, all you have to do is ask. Curious to know more, he shared with me some of his secrets for finding web developers who can get the job done.

Here’s how you can get access to quality developers at low cost, but it all begins with a clear understanding of what work needs to be done. The best way to start is by defining the specific tasks you want accomplished. I find that the best way to do this is by opening an Excel spreadsheet and writing down each of your tasks and providing enough detail that anyone reading them will easily understand what you want done. Make sure your list is thorough and complete with all the necessary information.

Once you’ve created a complete document of what you want and what it should look like when it’s done, you’re ready to find some qualified developers to help you create what you need. The best resources that I’ve found for finding qualified developers is eLance.com and GetAFreelancer.com. Both sites cost nothing to join and give you access to developers all over the world. Not only can you find people who are qualified to do the work, but they are much more affordable than what you’re used to paying. I’ve gotten many projects done for about 30 percent of domestic quotes.

Things happen rather quickly on eLance and related sites. Once you place your bid you will receive a number of proposals to do the work. Many people wonder how to effectively chose which company to award their bid. I like to throw out the most and least expensive proposals and focus on those in between. Sites like eLance offer feedback ratings and most companies provide samples of their work. Be careful to review the samples and make sure they relate to the job you’ve posted. If the company has a good feedback rating from a large number of people, you’re sure to have a positive experience.

In just a short while, you’ll be doing business with a number of companies. With each project, you learn more about the vendors you’re working with and take a liking to a few. Once you’ve found a company you really like to work with, go back to them again and again. If you want to keep the pricing competitive, bid all of your projects through eLance but be sure to send a request for bid from the company you like working with. This helps you keep costs in check while continuing to work with the company of your choice.

Contracting with a company that can meet your development needs isn’t all that difficult if you are using a bidding process. In fact, doing so often results in many qualified vendors clamoring to work for you at a very competitive rate. Working with providers in this way can be challenging at times but is well worth it. Make sure to pay for results, building in specific milestones and objectives into the project. This ensures that you’re paying for results and will be happy with the result.

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Her career began in Quebec City, 1998 and not long after that, she made the move to Montreal to work in advertising. This move was very crucial in expanding Annabelle’s understanding of the role and application of image in a communications context.

From this she has gained panoramic vision of the work she would go on to create.

Annabelle’s work is based on research she has conducted through her independent studies. As her move from Quebec to Montreal was a crucial move in her life, Annabelle grew to acquire the knowledge of this environment she began to love and work great within.

She has also created a very short Animation of words called “Air Is In Nothing”, which displays the word air written in cotton strings, moving in a sequence as if someone were moving them somehow.

Annabelle continues with this success of method in her designs and it is shown in her work.

Her approach to the design world with an open and free mind is combined with her desire to produce worthy designs and she has been awarded for her continuous efforts in ’05, ’08 and ’09. Her work has then lead her to work with such companies as, Aliments Alternatifs 2000-Karnivor, Films de l’Oeil inc., Luz Films, Trafic Design.

If you love Photoshop, check out more of her portfolio and many more illustrators.

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I’ve always wanted to business on the web but was initially concerned because I’m a marketing guy, not a web developer. As such I rely on others to take my ideas and turn them into web sites, web pages, blogs, etc. This requires a good deal of faith and experience in finding the right developers to work on your web site.

A number of years ago I worked with an entrepreneur who told me that he never worries about development because there are tons of qualified people throughout the world who can help you achieve what you are looking for. Essentially, all you have to do is ask. Curious to know more, he shared with me some of his secrets for finding web developers who can get the job done.

The first place to start is with a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish. This took me a long time to understand but it comes in handy for finding the right resources at the right price. If you start with only a vague notion of what you are trying to achieve, your results will be less than ideal and costs can spiral out of control. The best bet is to create an excel spreadsheet listing each task to be completed and specifically what it will look like when its done.

Once you’ve created a complete document of what you want and what it should look like when it’s done, you’re ready to find some qualified developers to help you create what you need. The best resources that I’ve found for finding qualified developers is eLance.com and GetAFreelancer.com. Both sites cost nothing to join and give you access to developers all over the world. Not only can you find people who are qualified to do the work, but they are much more affordable than what you’re used to paying. I’ve gotten many projects done for about 30 percent of domestic quotes.

Things happen rather quickly on eLance and related sites. Once you place your bid you will receive a number of proposals to do the work. Many people wonder how to effectively chose which company to award their bid. I like to throw out the most and least expensive proposals and focus on those in between. Sites like eLance offer feedback ratings and most companies provide samples of their work. Be careful to review the samples and make sure they relate to the job you’ve posted. If the company has a good feedback rating from a large number of people, you’re sure to have a positive experience.

The good news is that after using numerous developers for your project, you will find a couple that really shine. I’ve narrowed my list down to two or three development companies and stick with them for all of my projects. You may choose to bid through eLance just to keep pricing competitive but always invite the previous companies you’ve worked with to bid on your new projects as well. This is a great way to retain those you have experience with and find new providers from time to time.

Contracting with a company that can meet your development needs isn’t all that difficult if you are using a bidding process. In fact, doing so often results in many qualified vendors clamoring to work for you at a very competitive rate. Working with providers in this way can be challenging at times but is well worth it. Make sure to pay for results, building in specific milestones and objectives into the project. This ensures that you’re paying for results and will be happy with the result.

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