Category Articles

June 9, 2010 - 1 comment

Freelance Design: The Old College Try or Teach Yourself?

Human behaviour is such that we all – each of us – love to tell ourselves we’re worth more than we really are. At least, for our work. Just browse any portfolio and you’ll notice designers talking about how good they are at design (despite the fact they kind of lack any sense of brand or identity)

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March 31, 2010 - 2 comments

Part 1: Using an ISSN for Your Design Blog: Is It Really Worth It?

Books and periodicals — anything that gets published, really — has something called an ISSN or ISBN, an International Standard Serial Number. What’s the benefit of registering your publication for an ISSN? Why do it with a blog? Let’s go over the basics.

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March 4, 2010 - No comments

Let’s Get Inspired: 5 Simple Ways to Stay Creative

There’s no telling when inspiration will strike – and it can even get you all fired up looking at the bananas in the grocery store. No telling. But why is it harder to chase it down when you’re sitting at your desk trying to work? Here are five ways to help you get creative.

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February 22, 2010 - 4 comments

Nine Freedoms of Freelancing from a Small Office, or Nine Reasons Home Offices Rock

A lot goes around about freelancing, and most freelancers work from a home office. Or their coffee table. The great thing about the mobile, wireless internet is being able to work anytime, anywhere. Here’s ten reasons why it’s great to work for yourself, on your own time.

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February 8, 2010 - 2 comments

New Custom Shortlinks & Other Updates

Last week I received word back from the Library of Congress that ThisIsInspired has been registered as a periodical and assigned an ISSN number. (you may have noticed the slightly different look to the site, including the number under the logo type) We’ve also added a custom link shortening service.

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February 4, 2010 - 3 comments

5 Free Collaborative Tools for Designers & Developers

In the age we live in as designers and developers so much of our work takes place online — at least a large portion of the collaborative aspect of the project. When you’re setting up a design — idea hashing, wireframing, etc etc. Fortunately, there are bunch of little apps that can really help this part of a project go easier.

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January 20, 2010 - 2 comments

When Someone Says… A Guide to Rebuttals for the Freelancer

Just about each of us has encountered, at some point, a potential client or even just an acquaintance who doesn’t seem to grasp the legitimate “jobness” of what we do. Here’s a few things we can salt away in our box of quick replies. I’ve put up a few tips about how to deal with common misconceptions and wrong ideas.

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