Tag Archives: freelance

Whilst travelling home on Saturday night from Manchester I was thrown off a train. Not in the sense that you may think. I was neither drunk nor fair dodging - I was merely trying to get home.

Upon the start of my journey everything was running smoothly. My train arrived on time (a rare occurrence in itself) and we, the passengers, boarded. We set off. Minutes later we arrived at a second station only to be told we were now awaiting a replacement driver. He was delayed. We sat and we waited... 20 minutes later he arrived. We were on our way. Delayed, but once again, on our way. A few more minutes later we got to the next station, only to be now told that the service was to become an "express" service to make up the missed time and that all the stations between Bolton and Preston were to be missed out, and those passengers affected had to arrange alternatives. I was one of those passengers. I made my way to Bolton and made a call. I eventually got home, and made a complaint. Is it acceptable that because one man couldn't get to work on time that around 50 to 100 people were inconvenienced?

In what other business would this behaviour be accepted?

Personally, I would never treat my paying clients in such a way. I can only assume that these stations were cut in order to meet targets for time keeping somewhere along the line. What it does prove though, is that the data doesn't show all the facts. In the world of freelance design, clients are everything. I do everything in my power to make sure that they are happy, and what they are expecting is delivered. I read the other day that in 2015, 34% of designers have admitted to missing a deadline. I was not one of those creatives, and so my clients weren't disappointed. If I feel something is unachievable (this is usually based on experience) I will inform a client up front before making a start as I feel that honesty is very much the best policy. Think about this train scenario as a tender document for example: I would not enter into a contract, deliver a fraction of it, and then cut out several chapters in order to deliver it on time. The end result is not what has been contracted or agreed - my client would, quite rightly so, refuse to pay me and never request my services again. They would tell their team members never to contact me again and would pass on this negative feedback to whoever should ask...

So where am I going with this?

I can tell you that I am a trust worthy graphic designer, but what proves that point is the fact that I have recurring work from a range of clients. Would they come back for more or kindly send me testimonials if I had not delivered what they requested? I'm not so sure. I aim to be the best at what I do (I can't guarantee I am the best as there are some FANTASTIC designers out there...) and always aim to delivery beyond expectations. What I can guarantee though is that I will deliver all documents in their entirety by the deadline requested, and I don't cut corners to get there, as because in my industry it's just not acceptable to do anything else.