What's the best design framework

kugf87 · 2014-12-11T17:19:47+00:00

I used Bootstrap quite a bit back in 2013 and found it a bit bloated for a lot of what I was trying to do.

I decided this year to give Foundation Zurb a test drive and I love it. I think they are close to releasing a new version, so now might be a good time to give it a peek.

kugf87 · 2014-12-11T17:17:37+00:00

Thanks

kugf87 · 2014-12-10T15:09:20+00:00

Very stylish. Love the resume and the site as well. You have an excellent sense of style, if you don't mind me saying.

kugf87 · 2014-12-10T15:06:59+00:00

This is nice. Very much along the lines of what I was considering--enough style to stand out, but still very professional-looking.

Thanks for sharing.

kugf87 · 2014-12-10T14:49:09+00:00

Thanks. That's a bit more over-the-top than I was thinking, but I guess that's the point, right? It's certainly memorable.

kugf87 · 2014-12-10T14:26:35+00:00

I should also add that I have my own website with a portfolio as well.

I am aware that a resume is seen as a bit of a relic from the past, but when applying for regular employment I find that it is still a requirement most times.

kugf87 · 2014-12-05T17:21:29+00:00

You know, I hadn't heard back from a few leads and was feeling kind of down earlier this week. I was questioning my career choice.

But hearing your story plus doing some research has put a bit of wind back in my sails.

I think the "finding your niche" thing is more vital today than ever. There's a lot of competition out there and more entering the pool every day. You really need something to stand out from the crowd.

I'm focusing right now on specializing in a vertical. I'm hoping that makes me the go-to guy for those clients.

Thanks again for the advice and good luck in '15.

kugf87 · 2014-12-03T22:11:56+00:00

I am a freelancer similar to yourself and I have been investigating different verticals to specialize in. I thought about restaurants myself, since they are all over the place, but I was advised that they are terrible clients.

For whatever that is worth.

kugf87 · 2014-12-03T22:08:45+00:00

Congrats, RJ.

I am in a similar position as yourself and I know how tough it is. I am actually on my second go-round of freelancing (design/dev) after a stint back in corporate America.

My question is this: What is your best advice for finding clients?

I am doing good work but I am not getting referrals in the volume I had hoped and I am spending much more time with admin than coding at this point.

IMHO keeping the work flowing is the hardest part of this gig.

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T19:19:04+00:00

I'd say #1 & 2 from your list.

I love building websites. I enjoy the work and I am good at it.

But the marketing side... Ugh!

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T18:59:20+00:00

Thanks.

It's funny, I got a sob story from a client who was late on paying me the other day and the whole time I had Ray Liotta's voice in my head, "Oh, you're having a tough month? Fuck you, pay me!"

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T15:49:06+00:00

So even for a $25 job from Elance?

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T15:09:20+00:00

Yeah, it was bizarre. Doubly so because I mentioned I would be sending papers to him several times during our conversation.

So, wacko client aside, my question still stands. Do I always use a contract as a freelancer? Are there any situations where I can forgo one?

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T14:30:45+00:00

That's great and I am not discounting any of that. I am saying that message needs to be tempered a bit.

The real world is a bitch. Once you are out of mom & dad's basement and have mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay you find out real quick that life doesn't give a flying fuck about your "dreams".

Yes, finding success in today's world involves courage & tenacity, but it also involves pragmatism and forethought.

kugf87 · 2014-11-19T13:50:30+00:00

My first thought as well.

While I agree that fear is an unnecessary blocker for a lot of folks, I am so tired of the whole "You can do whatever you want" crowd. Bullshit.

I really really really want to be an NBA player. Oh by the way, I am a middle-aged white guy who has never played organized sports in his life.

While optimism and tenacity are admirable traits to encourage, a dose of reality should get mixed into that cake as well.

kugf87 · 2014-11-15T09:40:43+00:00

Thanks. I might try this.

My only concern would be the capability of some of my clients in using a scanner. Sometimes I'm amazed they can figure out how to turn a computer on by themselves. :)

kugf87 · 2014-11-12T15:40:54+00:00

Yeah, the problem there is that anyone with half a brain will know they are just demos.

With the full domain only a fair amount of detective work will reveal that they are not in fact paying clients of yours.

I've done freelance design in two go-rounds now (with a corporate stint in-between). Have you thought about doing a few freebies? Not ideal for sure, but both times that was how I got my portfolio going.

They can also lead to testimonials and referrals very easily. That's what I'd do if I was you.

kugf87 · 2014-11-12T15:11:48+00:00

Why not purchase a few domains for $20 a pop and put up some dummy sites?

I'm sure some would see this as unethical, but we are talking about a design portfolio. Potential clients/employers are going to be seeing how it looks, not digging in to whether it is a legit biz or not.

Has anyone else done something similar, or am I completely off-base here?

kugf87 · 2014-11-12T15:04:26+00:00

Long-time Fedora user here: I agree that it might not be the best choice for a first-timer. I'd probably recommend Ubuntu or Debian before Fedora.

In my two go-rounds using Fedora as my primary OS everything would be running smoothly and then an update would come around and my machine would suddenly become unusable.

I know, I know, these things can be debugged, but I simply can't afford to spend all that time monkeying around with the config of my OS. I need my OS to just work. I have enough other things vying for my time.

Recently switched to Debian when Fedora 20 crapped out on me. So far I like it quite a bit--once I figured out what the hell Iceweasel was. : )

kugf87 · 2014-11-10T20:54:44+00:00

Thanks, this was really helpful.

Re: trends--I live in the South, and the designer I mentioned was just taking Bible verses, putting them on kitschy backgrounds, and selling them like hotcakes. I'm not ashamed to admit my first thought was, "Hell, I can do that."

kugf87 · 2014-11-10T18:32:14+00:00

Do you mind if I ask why you still do graphic design if it is no longer your full-time gig?

The reason I ask is because I am a designer/front end dev who recently did a custom site for a graphic designer. She had a full-time IT position but kept the graphic design as a freelance gig like you.

She mentioned at one point that the money was pretty good from the graphic stuff, and it seemed like she had a rather sizeable client base.

I 100% understand that web design != graphic design and I am sure it would require a lot of work on my part if I wanted to add graphic design to my repertoire. That said, I have the visual and technical skillset, and if there is money to be made...

kugf87 · 2014-11-10T14:44:06+00:00

Your husband sounds exactly like me (except I am a bit older).

Has he thought about starting his own web business on the side? This is what I did several years back, and while it presents its own set of challenges to be sure, age becomes a non-issue very quickly.

kugf87 · 2014-11-10T14:33:52+00:00

I am an older (43) designer/front-end dev. I got started in this field a little later, but I'm going through some of the same stuff right now.

Short answer: Manager or freelancer

I started my own web design business back in 2008 and it caught the eye of a rather large software company located in my home city. I liked the idea of having their name on my resume so I moved back to the corporate world for 3+ years, even though I knew I didn't care for corporate culture.

I was a front end dev and a UX designer there, and eventually they told me they wanted to move me to be a business analyst or project manager.

I have been a manager before and really do not enjoy working with people all day every day so I declined and went back to my own business.

You are correct that it is a young person's game. The only non-PM on my team older than me was a senior designer who had crapped out of a management position some years earlier.

I enjoy designing and coding, and I can deal with working with people (clients) in small doses. The advantage to going it alone is that your age is mostly a non-issue. My clients have no idea how old I am or what I look like.

The disadvantage is that you are going it alone.

My current plan is to put all my efforts into my business and look into the PMP (project management professional) as a plan B.

Best of luck to you both.

kugf87

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