Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
“Great Job”<br />
by Rikki B<br />
offered and it required a skill set that we didn’t quite have yet. But we accepted<br />
the job and put our nose to the grindstone. We even had to hire new staff to<br />
handle the load. The client and <strong>dead</strong>lines were so demanding, our staff was<br />
racking up tons of overtime and we even had to slave through the Christmas<br />
holiday much to the chagrin of our staff.<br />
We toughed it out and kept a positive outlook, until things started going sour.<br />
Deadlines shifted and feedback and direction started getting foggy. They’d ask<br />
for something completely new and expect it overnight. They even flew in their<br />
own project manager to our “studio” (which was just Bill’s townhouse at the<br />
time) and he kept us all in check. We started getting angry at each other and<br />
morale was at an all time-low.<br />
In the end, the agency that subcontracted us went out of business and flaked<br />
on the final payment. We were stunned. We put in months of work and we still<br />
got stiffed! We did get lawyers involved but we couldn’t make the client pay because<br />
they filed for bankruptcy and we were left holding the bag.<br />
It was devastating for us, but we toughed it out and made it through. Sometimes,<br />
things get crazy when big numbers are involved. Lots of egos and reputations<br />
are on the line and it’s difficult to find that personal relationship with a<br />
client that can be so rewarding.<br />
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley<br />
Let’s Talk About HOW to Land these Big Clients<br />
I wish there was an easy formula. If there was, we’d all be handsomely paid<br />
and working on national campaigns for celebrity clothing lines. But the truth is<br />
large companies typically play it safe and hire designers or firms they trust can<br />
get the job done. It’s <strong>not</strong> often they switch from designer to designer.<br />
But there are ways to get in.<br />
Artist Reps & Agents<br />
Did you think agents were<br />
only for actors, athletes, and<br />
celebrities? Think again! Artists<br />
and illustrators all over<br />
are represented by an agent<br />
or agency and that’s how<br />
they get a lot of work. You are<br />
the talent and an agent’s role<br />
is to find clients looking for<br />
that talent.<br />
We have worked with repping<br />
agencies in the past<br />
and some of our biggest jobs<br />
came from them. Through<br />
them we were able to work<br />
for Pepsi, Monster Energy,<br />
Red Bull, Cambria Suites, and<br />
more. We were even offered a<br />
job to design shirts for Air Jordan and the payout was over $1,200 per design.<br />
At that time, we thought the price was crazy high! It was more than double what<br />
we typically got for t-shirt design jobs and we still thought we were charging a<br />
lot. The funny thing was, the rep told us “It’s apparel, so the pay is low, we’re<br />
sorry.” It makes you realize SOME people are making good money doing t-shirt<br />
design while most of us have to scratch and claw our way through each month<br />
to pay our bills. Some of you reading this may have worked with major brands<br />
before and were severely underpaid by them. It all depends! It’s mind-boggling<br />
how the pay can be so different.<br />
In the end, we ended up <strong>not</strong> getting the Air Jordan job because the client chose<br />
Freelancing 20<br />
Sex PIstols tee<br />
designed by<br />
Brandon Rike
Change language