Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)

The best business guide for design professionals just got better! This revised and expanded second edition includes everything designers need—besides talent—to turn their artistic success into business success. You’ll find information on key issues facing designers from freelancing to managing established design firms. A strong visual focus and to-the-point text take the fear factor out of learning about thorny business realities like staffing, marketing, bookkeeping, intellectual property, and more. These smart business practices are essential to success in graphic, Web, and industrial design. Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn:

• How to get on the right career path

• The best way to determine pricing

• How to avoid common legal pitfalls

• How to manage large projects

• The secrets of efficient design teams

• How to forecast your workload and finances

Talent Is Not Enough provides a big-picture context for these and other challenges and shares practical, real-world advice. Since its first publication, the book has become an essential resource for both students and working professionals in these areas and more:

• Design planning and strategy

• Corporate identity development

• Publication and editorial design

• Brand identity and packaging design

• Advertising and promotion design

• Marketing communications

• Environmental design

• Industrial design

• Motion graphics

• Interaction design

• Information design

“It is rare to find one individual with such a wide range of knowledge in the design-related fields. And, because of his experience as a designer, Shel brings a sensitivity and understanding to administrative issues while still respecting the artistic side of our industry.”

Frank Maddocks, President, Maddocks & Company

“Now that design skills have become a commodity, you need business skills to focus them. Shel has written a crackerjack book that will be on the shelf of every ambitious designer.”

Marty Neumeier, author of Zag and The Brand Gap

Customer Reviews:

THE Guide for Freelancers

By M. E. Lenhart "designer-type" - July 27, 2006

I've been a freelance designer for many years and have read many books and papers on the business-side of design. I have to say that Perkins' book is the most thorough, easiest-to-understand guide on the ins and outs of freelancing I've read to date. The book is a practical guide on how to meander through the process of running a design organization - whether you're a one-person shop or a full-fledged agency. This book is a must-have for the serious design professional.

Must have for Creative professionals!

By C. S. Taylor "ethical espionage" - December 16, 2008

This book was the answer to all my freelance questions!

How to create a freelance rate, trademarking, fixed-fee proposals, business plans, and even terms and conditions?

If you are a creative professional you owe it to yourself to get this book.

Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers

By Ariane Colenbrander "ariane c" - June 24, 2010

Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers
Shel Perkins
ISBN-13 978-0-321-70202-9

It truly isn't enough to graduate from a design school anymore. Knowing for example how to navigate your business plan, devise a proposal, and understand the important legal aspects surrounding intellectual property are equally important in order to be successful in this highly-competitive industry. Shel's book bridges all aspects of the design career into one resource. It's a must-read for those starting out. The overview of what to expect and how to grow from a student intern through to owning your own design company (and building your physical space for maximum creative potential) is all here, taken in chronological order.

I found the sections focusing on design teams and hiring and working with a sales rep a refreshing read. Don't be daunted by the book's smaller-than-usual font size: it won't take long to dig in and get through the book from cover to... read more