That’s that over and done with for another year. Whilst the seasonal festivities will continue for a few more days yet, I talk of course of our annual dose of 24 Ways articles.

One of the reoccurring themes in this years selection pack of web design and development goodies is a concept that is splitting opinions like none other. Designing in the browser.

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The days of the ever resourceful all-in-one web designer-come-developer extraordinaire are long gone. In this industry the general consensus is that a great developer doth not a great designer make (and visa-versa).

It’s more common for designers and developers to work side-by-side collaboratively in web design harmony. Or not as the case may be. Designers tend to make developers jobs as fiddly as possible and developers have a knack for screwing up great designs.

It doesn’t have to be that way, here are five tips designers can follow to make developers’ jobs easier and ensure the site turns out as great as you intended.

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This is the second in a two part article. In the first part I looked at the perceived value of design and creative services by small businesses and tried to paint a picture of why it might make sense for a small business to consider using a cheap, untrained, non-professional designer.

In this second part I look more closely at bigger business and why getting in to bed with one of the big boys could not only be financially rewarding, but also help you avoid the feast or famine scenario many freelancers experience.

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This is the first in a two-part article examining the perceived value of design and creative services by small businesses, and what options there are for the frustrated freelancer trying to earn an honest wage.

Hi, I’d like a new website please

Exciting news, someone has asked you to quote for a project! You, being the conscientious professional that you are, spend an afternoon writing a detailed proposal and quote for the work involved. You then receive a response from your potential client explaining that your quote was considerably more expensive than they expected.

It turns out that their neighbour’s daughter’s 17 year old boyfriend (who is apparently quite good at Photoshop) has offered to do it for a fraction of your price. I’m afraid your potential client can’t afford to pay you any more than £150 for a brand new website, logo design and business cards.

Yes. Sounds very familiar doesn’t it? It’s a story I’m sure all freelance web and graphic designers have experienced.

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Commercial printers offer a range of different print processes suitable for different types of jobs. Each process has advantages and disadvantages over the others. In this article I look at each of the print processes and examine how they work and what their advantages are.

Lithographic press (litho)

Printing hasn’t really changed a great deal since Gutenburg gave us the printing press in 1468. Technology has allowed modern printing presses to produce millions of copies of a page in a single day, but the principle of applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon paper, thereby transferring an offset of an image, remains the same.

These days a printer creates a set of ‘plates’ which are used to press the image onto paper. There are initial costs involved in creating the plates and setting up the press. This means a litho job can be expensive and take time, but for large print runs it remains the most efficient process and also boasts superior quality and finish.

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When commissioning a designer or developer to assist with a web project, it is vital to write a constructive project brief. When a client takes the time to put their thoughts and aims to paper it helps both parties work together and get through the project as smoothly as possible.

A well thought-out brief allows the client to think about and formalise exactly what they want to achieve from the project. And a good brief will help the freelancer no end by providing a documented point of reference to work to.

By shining light on the project and communicating with each other as clearly as possible from the outset, important issues and questions can be addressed before the project begins. This ultimately ensures the client gets better value for their money.

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