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Have you ever started a project and wanted to put up a placeholder page while you work behind the scenes? Or are you working on your site and want to put it into maintenance mode but keep your email opt-in available to your visitors? Today’s tutorial will show you exactly how to do it – […]

Saying these two words – thank you – might be the smartest business move you make this year that influences your business for next year. I usually take this Thanksgiving weekend to send custom holiday cards to my current and past clients thanking them for the opportunity to serve. This is a super easy way […]

For the last few months, I’ve been teaching advanced web design to students at a top art school – and one thing that really surprised me was that I had to teach how to organize projects. Students initially had trouble finding where their current project files were – and they were getting easily confused as […]

So it happened again a few weeks ago…I got offered equity if i did design work for a start up company. I’m always open to hearing from new strategic partners – and this one came as a referral. The project sounded interesting…until we got to discussion of fees. Ah, the old equity offer. Full branding […]

Whenever I start a new project, my first step is to review my idea collection. I’m constantly scouring the web for inspirational textures, photos, layouts, and coding techniques and saving ideas I find for different needs – these hits of inspiration help form color and layout choices and push me to think differently. If you […]

If you've ever run any type of online business, you've probably encountered a tech issue of one sort or another. Servers have glitches, plugins don't co-operate, maybe you forgot to renew your domain and everything's down. At some point you're going to have to contact tech support (whether you're the designer, the client or the […]

Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two or twenty (and some lessons I had to learn multiple times!) Here are a few lessons I hope you can take to heart and avoid my costly mistakes. 1. Buying products on behalf of the client A huge error I discovered a while ago — I […]

Here's the real deal that no one wants to talk about. You aren't imagining it. Everyone is judging you and the work you put out there. And yeah, they're looking at your source code too. And wondering why you didn't make that site responsive. Or why you used that photo. Or why you didn't make […]

Recently a reader asked what I considered a professional designer. It isn't how much you make or how flawless you think your code is – it's your actions and behavior that make you a pro. What makes a pro in my eyes? You respect your clients, your peers AND your competition You work with a […]

I'm pretty lucky that my dad is a smart guy – (and a technical wizard to boot) The first thing he does in any new house is setup his extensive tool bench. He's got electronic & mechanical parts that are older than I am — but that means he's able to fix pretty much anything. […]

When I first started my business, I lived in a studio apartment in DC. I naively thought running my own business meant I could do anything anytime I wanted. Distractions abounded. I could see everything that needed to be done around the house. I had always worked for someone else – and someone else's timetable […]

I’ve been designing software and websites since the late ’90s. And while trends and technologies have changed over the years, one thing holds true. The value you provide your client. This week I did a video site review for a consulting client – besides the glaring technical issues with the site, there was no clarity […]

I know it can get really frustrating when you look at portfolios and you see other designers charging higher rates than you for similar work. But here’s the key point – what ends up on the screen isn’t the only way to judge the value of their services. A pro designer carefully considers the solutions […]

I’m constantly looking at sites for inspiration – and if I like a site, I’ll often check out the designer who created the site. Recently I liked a cool coding trick and was looking at the designer’s site. Curious, I started reading their blog and recognized immediately a common mistake I see newer designers (and […]

How do you convert people who say they love your work into paying clients? My #1 tool for converting prospects into sales? TALKING to them on the phone! So often we hide behind our computer and email back and forth. Humans crave connection – they want to know you’re a real person. Sometimes it takes […]