Customer Reviews

The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide to Running a Small Graphics Design or Communications Business (Third Updated Edition)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read a lot of business books so I tend to think I won't get much out of any one book. That's not the case with this book. I highly recommend the book to anyone who works in any kind of creative/freelance setting.

Cameron Foote really gets to the heart of the details of creative business. Most books like this take a 10,000 foot view of all the issues. I end up being frustrated with not really learning tactics, just strategies. With this book, even the generic business issues are dealt with in a way that's relevant to creative/freelance businesses.

When I first got the book I skipped to the chapter on how to go after the right business. I then read the chapters on how to make money in the business. After those chapters I realized there wasn't anything in the book I wanted to skip. I wound up reading the whole book back to back (and for a business book that's a big compliment--at least coming from me).

This may sound like a glowing review--that's because it is. I was very impressed with the level of detail and relevancy the book has to what I wanted to know. I found a few mistakes I was making with the way I was running my own business. I used the tips Foote gave and improved the issues immediately.

One last reason you might consider this book--in the Appendix there's a ton of helpful resources. Not only that, if you log on to the author's website, you can find about two times the forms found in the book. I wound up using 3 forms the author gives away on a daily basis.

Cam Foote's book is a complete resource for new freelancers and a great "reality check" for experienced creatives. I have read his material for many years and always found it practical, clear, realistic, and helpful. Although his focus may seem to be almost entirely on graphic designers, as a copywriter I found most of his information applicable to my own business.

The sub-title of this book is "The Complete Guide to RUNNING a Small Graphic Design or Communications Business" and as such I have given it a 2-star rating. If it was re-titled "The Complete Guide to STARTING a Small Graphic Design or Communications Business" then I would probably give it a 5-star rating for readers based in the USA and a 4-star for those elsewhere.

If you are in position where you are considering starting up your own business or going it alone as a freelancer then this book contains a lot of valuable information and good advice and I would highly recommend reading it before you go any further.

Those outside the USA should be aware that some sections of the book will not be relevant (for example those focusing on company registration procedures and tax issues) as they are based on US law and regulations -but there is still a lot of other good advice.

I would estimate that around 3/4ths of the book focuses on pre start-up and start-up issues so, if like me, you are currently running your own business then much of the content is already redundant and, while the remaining content is informative, this does limit the overall usefullness of the book.

I am reviewing this, even though I purchased this as a gift for my son. He said it seems to have everything he will need to assist him if he should decide to start his own graphic design business (which mom is hoping he does someday!). I looked briefly at the chapter headings, and it seemed to be full of practical information he will need to begin a business on his own. The writing seemed easy to get into, there didn't seem to be alot of jargon that would be difficult to understand. I am hoping that this book helps him out and gets him started.

I got this book while employed and within 4 I was out on my own. I have been running my own design firm for over 10 years now. Cam and Creative Business are great! The information in this book has saved me a lot o headaches over the years. Although I had no formal business training before going out on my own, I have been able to succeed in part due to the information in this book. I think the skills of running a business are even more important in this day and age then it was 10 years ago. This is really good for Freelancers and also small Design Firms.

Cameron Foote's books and monthly newsletters are truly must-have resources for graphic designers, from the lone freelance to a busy studio. I teach design, and this book is one of about three that I have recommended to every class.

A fantastic book full of valuable insights. Most of these "how to run your business" books are drab and full of what amounts to blah blah blah. I have found this book to be revolutionary in the way that I organize my business strategies, developing a more proactive mind set, and restructuring the entire operation of running a creative studio. Amongst the hundreds of design books on my shelf, this is the one that is currently helping me the most. The tone is not pretentious, nor laymen. Designers are demanding individuals, and as a professional designer, this is necessary reading.

Very helpful, concise and confidence building resource for information on how to run a small design firm.

This book is amazing and I recommend it to all of my fellow freelancers and small business owners in various creative fields. Love the book but the lack of proofreading drives me absolutely bonkers! I was told the print version is just as bad. As useful as this book is, and though I recommend it to many, it pains me to see so many blatant and easily avoidable proofreading errors.

This is a really good book for anyone interested in starting their own graphic design business.

Many graphic designers are very visual and aren't big readers. This book does a good job and speaks in the language that a graphic designer reads and understands.

This book includes many tips, an Appendix with lot of web references, tax information, and contract templates. He also has many downloadable forms on his website that are extremely helpful if you are just starting up a business.

I am definitely not a big reader, but I was glued to this book from cover to cover.

I would definitely recommend this book for all Graphic Designers who are interested in running a small business.