101 Tips to Land Big Clients

THAT PAY WELL,ON TIME AND RESPECT YOUR WORK.

Dec 6, 2024 - 04:54

0 119

Here we’ll teach you how to build a studio based on solid foundations no matter your If your business is built on your personal starting point. This guide is based on our practical experiences working with some of the brand, the book opening can focus on introducing your story to the readers. biggest names in the industry.

We’ve created this guide both to help people starting out and to expertise. improve working practices in the industry, making sure that creators Be as specific as you can by including know their rights, are fairly paid, and have a mutual respect in their facts, numbers, and client testimonials. work that is in line with their principles.

We’ve divided the tips into handy sections, covering specific daily challenges that we’ve come up against and have learned from. With this guide, you can avoid some And keep it relevant. If your book is on of the rookie mistakes that are so common starting out, and have a headstart email marketing, don’t write about your getting your work seen and appreciated by big clients.

GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENTS

We’ve been there. You can’t imagine how your first client could even appear, and one day you wake up to an email in your inbox: your first job offer.

At that point the money isn’t even an issue (considering the day before you weren’t travel in India, you should certainlymaking any). It’s just exciting to be offered something as a creative. As you don’t have emphasize that these tips actually benefited your own unforgettable previous experience, negotiating terms sounds like an unnecessary hassle and why risk travels. losing a client by asking too many questions or delaying signing a contract, right?

This is the case for everyone in their first job. And it tends to continue for the second and your text. Choose 1 and stick to it the third, but when does it stop? We know creatives in the industry that have been throughout to ensure consistency working for years but are still shy to ask for the project budget before accepting the job of style. offer, or even starting to work on it.

This needs to change. As creatives we are part of a community and what one does affects the other. If most of us avoid negotiating contract terms and asking the right questions, clients always have the easy option of going for someone else. If we accept clients asking us to copy someone else’s style, how do we expect ours to be respected? If agencies keep taking us away from the negotiating table, how are we ever going to improve our knowledge and ability to decide what is best for us?

Learn the different tones for different social media: The way you represent your work and express yourself will be adapted to the medium; you don’t need to be as formal on instagram as you are on your website.
Only show the work you want to be otherwise, the ebook will be too different social media: The way you hired for. Even if you’ve worked with a heavy to read. represent your work and express big client and want to show it off, if it’s yourself will be adapted to the not the style you want to continue medium; you don’t need to be as making it’s not a good idea to show it.
Less is more. It’s better to show high Present personal projects in a quality work in the style you want to do professional manner. Put them on than to show lots of lower quality or your website next to commercial work irrelevant work.
Present personal projects in a professional manner. Put them on your website next to commercial work but always with descriptions and even a title cover to elevate the project to the same level as a commercial campaign.
Use personal projects as a way of doing the work that you want to be hired for commercially. It’s the perfect opportunity to show clients what you can do.
Collaborations are great, but only if they are real. If you have another brand or artist askingyou to enhance their existing work and it doesn't benefit you, then it's not a collaboration.
Create a custom email address.It looks much more professional than having a gmail/hotmail one and the cost is minimal. You can also connect it with a Google account so it feels like using gmail on your side.
Have a simple website that shows your work. Remember you're not a website designer so people should be wowed by the content not some fancy tricks if that's not what you're selling.
Don't put the year of your website at the bottom. It's not necessary and looks bad when you (undoubtedly) forget to update it.
Spread work out across your instagram posts. Don't put all the campaign images in one post to swipe through. You could instead put close ups and WIP and save the other final images for other posts.
Take time between posts to maximise visibility.
At least 2 days between posts is good, don't bombard people's feeds with your work, but keep them wanting more.
Don't worry about making your instagram look like a mosaic with posts in 3s or colour combinations across posts. It's not relevant right now and will only give you headaches.
Social media is key. Especially if you want to represent yourself. It's a window to your work that a client can find directly.
Don’t forget about instagram stories and reels. They are great ways to have a personal connection with your audience and things don’t need to be as polished there.
Don’t forget about instagram stories and reels. They are great ways to have a personal connection with your audience and things don’t need to be as polished there.
Be wary of fake promoters. When you start growing people will start offering you to pay to be part of art books or promotion. As the artist you should not be the one paying.
Awards are great, but don’t obsess with them. There are so many out there that some people even pay to secure a win. Only go for awards that have a good reputation.
Don’t get too obsessed with art publication websites. It’s great to appear there but the reality nowadays is that most traffic comes from social media and the repercussion is not as big as you might think.
Don’t lie about the work you’ve done. If you’ve had a very small role on a big project don’t put it on your portfolio pretending you’ve done it all. It is dishonest and obvious when compared to the rest of the work.
If you don't like something, don't show it. The fact that you spent a lot of time working on something doesn't mean you have to show it. We all make mistakes sometimes but it's best to learn from them and move on to the next.
Get a professional looking portrait. There are so many opportunities in which it will come in handy and it's very obvious when you're sending a selfie against a white kitchen wall.
If you want to get into animation, short animations are the best way of showing off your skillset without taking forever.
Use good lighting in video calls. You'll look infinitely more professional and capable.
If you’re a freelancer a day rate is fine. If you’re taking on entire projects, then you’re a studio and should charge by project. The price is not based on the amount of days you work but the value you produce for the client.
Ask for the budget at the very beginning. The earlier you get it the better you can understand the project as a whole and how much you should budget/how much time you should spend/whether you should contract more people to work for you.
Don't send the source files. These are your secret recipe and should never be part of the deliverable. If there's a special reason they're needed it should be written in advance with clear usages outlined and with an additional fee attached.
Always limit usage rights by time. If you're unsure about how to negotiate rights, at least make sure that there is a time limit to them.
Only accept low budgets in very special cases. Profitable businesses should pay properly and the artist shouldn’t bear the brunt of a low budget when they’re the one doing the work.
If you are negotiating budget terms and doing creative work at the same time, keep that in different email threads. It helps to mentally separate things and not feel that you’re mixing the two worlds with the client.
Ask the client exactly what the work you produce will be used for and have it in writing. A client will always have the campaign usage in mind but will often ask for more rights than they actually need.
The client should feel that you are expensive. If they accept a budget it’s because they had that planned for the project and you want to be at the higher bracket.
Always try to get the budget from the client first. If they ask you directly, explain that projects are adaptable and that costs can vary. Try as much as possible to be the first to ask.
Put a clause in your contract Saying that if the project is cancelled the percentage of work completed should be paid.
If a client is paying late, explain that late fees will apply. This will depend on where in the world you live so look up your country’s specific laws; many have automatic late fees even if they’re not in the original contract.
Learn how to negotiate. Don’t be afraid to ask for higher rates; the worst that can happen is that the client tells you their maximum possible rate, and that’s still the best case scenario: you get more money and you’ve learnt more for next time.
Budgets don’t make much sense. Smaller clients might have a lot of money and bigger clients might have little, depending on the campaign. Don’t make assumptions, ask for the budget.
If a project direction completely changes in the middle it should be considered a new project and the client should pay for work completed on the previous one.
If the client wants animation but they don’t have the budget offer alternatives. Short, looping animations are a great option that can be produced for the fraction of the price.
If something looks dodgy from the beginning it probably is. Even if you’re keen to do client work, it’s not worth the risk and good clients shouldn’t make you feel unsettled.
Don’t ever tolerate abuse in any way. You are an independent worker so you set your company policies from working times to holiday days to whether you want to extend the project or not. Your only commitment is what you have in writing, don’t allow clients to push you into overworking.
If you are asked to do a pitch make sure you know the details of the campaign upfront, including fullbudget, usage, deliverables and timeline. The further you get into a pitch phase, the more difficult it is to get out if the conditions aren’t right
If asked to pitch, make sure you know how many other artists or studios are also pitching. “You are an independent worker so you set your company policies; from working times to holiday days to whether you want to extend the project or not.”
In a pitch you should be yourself and be appreciated for your work. If a client asks you to copy someone else’s work you can suggest they go to the original artist.
If a client asks for changes in the pitch phase, you can say that you’ll be happy to do that after you start the project.
Try to get rights for being able to show the WIP for personal usage. It will be very helpful to be able to show the behind the scenes of a commercial project.
If you’re working with someone in a big corporation that’s being very difficult, feel free to contact someone else in the company and suggest working with someone else. We’ve done it in the past and it’s better for everyone.
Don’t be pushed into doing work you don’t want to. Just because you’re engaging in a conversation it doesn’t mean that you need to do the project. Don’t do it out of embarrassment or feeling guilty.
Put intermediate milestones in a project that both you and the client need to meet on deliverables and points of feedback. If the client doesn’t meet them that will have consequences on the timeline and budget for them.
If you disagree with feedback say so, in a polite way. You’re the artist and you have an intention behind your work so defend your points and ask the other side to explain their feedback.
Show your expertise and confidence at the beginning of a project. The client enjoys knowing that you’re in charge and know what you’re talking about.
Before agreeing to a video call make sure you know the details of a project. Video calls are a good way for the client to get you to agree to conditions you don’t want. Define the conditions first and make sure you’re interested in the project.
Explain every deliverable in detail. It might look obvious to you as the creator but it might not obvious to the client. Avoid any misunderstanding by explaining this, and showing the client that you have a process and are in control.
Take time to deliver feedback. If a client asks for extra feedback, you can apply it for the next deliverable. Don’t send additional work between delivery points as it can turn into a form of micro-management and make it difficult to move the project forward.
Avoid the middleman. If anyone is in the middle - agency, production company - always ask yourself if you really need them. If you can bypass anyone in the middle, it will make for a smoother process for you and the client.
Don’t think the client brief is set in stone. You are the expert so the client expects you to provide a direction and new ideas.
Learn and understand resolutions and formats. It might be annoying at the beginning but it's part of your job to know what you're talking about.
Be optimistic when you deliver work. Explain all the good points and what you're happy with to the client. It helps stopping feedback and makes the client join in the enthusiasm.
If you're having technical problems, solve them on your side. If you're a professional you shouldn't be coming to the client with excuses of a programme crashing or laptop going slow.
Always deliver on time. Both on the final delivery and all the milestones. You need to set the right example so that you’re in a good position to negotiate more budget if the client delays things on their side.
Ask for the technical specs at the beginning of the project. Changing the specs later can be a nightmare so set up your files correctly from the beginning.
Make the final delivery perfect. If you’re working with big file sizes, why not also provide smaller ones for preview. Make it easy for the client to see what you’ve delivered. Small touches like this make you look extra considerate and professional, and don’t require much effort.
If a client gives you a template, use it from the first delivery. Show that you are taking it into account and understand the importance.
Avoid talking on the phone. Calls are confusing and things are much better in writing. Clients shouldn’t have 24/7 access to you.
If you don’t understand something, ask. It’s much less embarrassing to ask a simple question than to misunderstand and spend time doing the wrong thing.
If the client asks for something inappropriate or offensive tell them you disagree. You’d be amazed how many campaigns went live and had to be cancelled because nobody said what they were thinking. Odds are that other people client-side agree with you but are afraid to voice their concern.
If a client or project is against your principles, don’t do the job. We can all break our principles, but we’re talking about your personal art. Show respect for it by not allowing it to be associated with things you don’t believe in. Having integrity will take you far.
If a client asks for something that you aren’t an expert in, tell them. Sometimes client can ask for things that you wouldn’t know about (like how the work might be on a website, for examples) and they might not realise that.
Don’t change things mid-project without consulting the client. The process needs to be linear and have discussion at each point of development.
If you’re doing animation, try to push for the shortest length. Clients tend to think that 30 seconds is no time when actually many commercial messages can be told in less than 10 seconds of animation. “If a client or project is against your principles, don’t do the job. Having integrity will take you far.”
Use consistent naming for your files and deliverables. This makes it easier for the client to understand the phase you’re at with a project and go back in time to see when each phase was completed.
Say it with a document. Closed PDFs are a great way to have deliverables as things can get lost in emails.
Always follow up with an email. Whatever feedback/date change/deliverable requirement is said in a call will only be considered official if it’s in writing. Make sure you follow up any call with an email with the key points to the client.
Write well. Express yourself clearly and politely. A well written email shows that you will be organised with your work and easy to work with.
Organise your personal projects thematically. It’s a great way to show that you have control over your work to see many illustrations with the same topic or style, rather than several disparate images.
Always set a deadline, even if the client doesn’t have a set one needed. the client. This will make sure there’s an end to the project, beyond which you can negotiate a further rate if it needs to be extended.
Always put serious names on work. You never know who’s going to open a file and an internal joke can look very unprofessional or even offensive in the wrong context.
Have a system to organise your files internally. The best way is to make folders specific to programmes and deliveries, and to number everything: never call something ‘final’.
Keep work on the cloud. You never know when you might be asked to deliver and you don’t want an entire project to be in jeopardy because of a laptop breaking or being stolen.
If you hire people, only give them the information they need for their part of the job. It might look like full information is a good idea but it can confuse people to think that they’re business partners when in fact you’re hiring them to work on your project.
Only use the number of programmes absolutely necessary to a project. There’s no value on using a lot of programmes and a complicated programme chain can make feedback difficult.
Don’t save anything on the desktop. Every project should have it’s folder and be in the cloud.
Always have autosave activated.
Put the deliverables in a PDF with explanations of the feedback applied. “Every project should have it’s folder and be in the cloud.”
Create your delivery documents on the cloud. It might be fun to make beautiful documents in inDesign but the Google Creative Suite is more than enough to look professional and clear, and you have everything easily accessible and together.
Treat your studio like a company. Choose a font, colours and a logo and be consistent with them. It makes everything you produce look part of a whole.
Put a date and number on each delivery. It makes it much easier to refer back to different deliveries.
Give images a name so you and the client know what you’re talking about and can easily refer to images.
Focus on your progress and don’t despair. Looking at other people’s amazing work can be exhausting and intimidating at the beginning but remember that you’re on your personal journey.
Take the opportunities to do public speaking. Shy people can talk in front of large audiences too. It’s good to beat that fear early on as it will bring you many opportunities.
Share and be personal with your audience. People appreciate feeling that they are following a human being.
When competing against large studios for projects, don’t be afraid. They might be bigger but the quality of your work might be better. The best work is not always done by a 200 person team.
If you make a lot of money on a project use that to sustain yourself with personal work and enjoyment time. Your goal is to make beautiful art and continue growing so embrace the opportunity and don’t be desperate to get the next big project as soon as possible.
Be strict with your times. Start early and don’t stay late. You’re running your own studio so be professional.
Take the weekends off. Working on the weekend makes you tired and working more than 5 days a week is unproductive.
Do exercise. Physical activity is a great way to get your mind off work and focus on something else.
Consume art from other fields and eras. It’s not all about what your instagram feed looks like. Go to galleries, watch films, travel.
Have friends outside the industry. Sometimes things can feel competitive and it’s unhealthy to only socialise where you work. It’s good to be with people that have no idea what you’re job is about but value you for who you are.
Don’t criticise others, especially in public settings. Doing that only shows your insecurities andcreates a bad environment.
Prepare a presentation for every call. It looks bad to be browsing your computer files and it’s better to be prepared.
Don’t exploit others. If you get the opportunity to hire people to work for you, pay them properly and on time. Make sure you have money in your company to pay them if the client was to be delayed. It’s not their problem if the client delays payment.
Make work that’s true to yourself. We all work in the same era and it’s impossible to avoid trends, but if you expand your horizons you’ll find that soon you’ll be the one creating them. Once a trend has been set it looks obvious, but someone needed to come up with it.

We live in a fast-paced world and it’s easy to do things on automatic pilot, without thinking long term or seeing that there are always alternatives

We’ve made this guide to help you rethink professional relationships and attitudes towards other people’s work and your own. Not only because this is good for the industry, but also because it will help you to get further and achieve a successful long-term career.

Always remember why you got into art

We all had a beginning; a moment where we felt we’d love to do art forever. For sure pitches, video calls and organisation were not in that dream. But you always need to remember that dream is the reason why you are where you are right now. With this in mind, you’ll find that you’ll be more gentle and understanding towards others and more able to stand up for your rights as an artist and for what you believe in.

Avoid getting bitter or arrogant

As you grow in the industry, some things will be frustrating. But the best way to change them is through being positive and facing them head on. Many of those feeling bitter now things, but gave up. Please don’t did, at some point, feel frustrated and want to change join that group.

Download