Ease your money worries and focus on being creative with CA issue 268, on sale now!
Ask any freelancer what their biggest worry is, and it’s likely to involve money. How do you decide what to charge for your talents when you're first starting out – or negotiate higher rates once you know what you’re doing? And can you get enough invoices paid on time each month to cover your outgoings?
That freelance dream of being your own boss, taking on the projects you want, setting your own hours, and working in your underwear (if you so choose) may be clouded by this financial uncertainty if you don’t get your affairs in order.
But fear not. The cover feature in July's Computer Arts is packed with great advice to help you conquer all your cash concerns as a freelancer – from selling yourself to new clients, to chasing up late-paying existing ones.
Character design trends and branding tips
With the help of the co-founders of Pictoplasma, CA also investigates the vibrant world of character design with an inspiring journey through the four hottest trends to watch out for this year.
Elsewhere, take a trip to The Clearing to discover why finding ‘clear, defendable territory’ should be the goal of any branding project. The Brand Impact Award-winning agency sheds some light on its process, and shares some tips for how to defend that territory once you find it.
Nick is a content strategist and copywriter. He has worked with world-class agencies including Superunion, Wolff Olins and Vault49 on brand storytelling, tone of voice and verbal strategy for global brands such as Virgin, Pepsi and TikTok. Nick launched the Brand Impact Awards in 2013 while editor of Computer Arts, and remains chair of judges. He's written for Creative Bloq on design and branding matters since the site's launch.