Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers [Paperback]

Shel Perkins (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321278798 | ISBN-13: 978-0321278791 | Publication Date: March 25, 2006 | Edition: 1

&> —Frank Maddocks, President, Maddocks & Company

This comprehensive guide includes everything designers need—besides talent—to turn their artistic success into business success. You’ll find information on key issues facing designers from freelancing to the management of established design firms. A strong visual focus and to-the-point text take the fear factor out of learning about thorny business realities like staffing, marketing, bookkeeping, intellectual property, and more. These smart business practices are essential to success in graphic, Web, and industrial design. Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn:
• How to get on the right career path
• How to market your services successfully
• The best way to determine pricing for your services
• How to avoid common legal pitfalls
• How to structure projects for success
• The secrets of successful teams
• How to sustain your business long-term

Talent Is Not Enough provides a big-picture context for these and other challenges and shares practical, real-world advice. The book is destined to become an essential resource for both students and working professionals in these areas and more:
• Design planning and strategy
• Corporate identity development
• Marketing communications
• Publication and editorial design
• Brand identity and packaging design
• Advertising and promotion design
• Motion graphics
• Environmental design
• Industrial design
• Interaction design

Talent Is Not Enough is an AIGA Design Press book published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.

BONUS
Watch for free chapters online!
www.talentisnotenough.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Now that design skills have become a commodity, you need business skills to focus them. Shel Perkins has written a crackerjack book that will be on the shelf of every ambitious designer.”
Marty Neumeier
President, Neutron LLC, author of Zag and The Brand Gap

“This is the best left-brain business book I’ve ever read for right-brain designers. And, having two right brains, I know what I’m talking about. I’m recommending Shel’s book to every student of mine and buying a copy for each designer on my staff.”
Brian Collins
Chief Creative Officer, Brand Integration Group, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

“Damn good advice! This is a fantastic business handbook for designers. It’s loaded with the specific, usable, real-world business knowledge that designers need. Shel has done a masterful job of making the information simple, clear, and easy to follow. This is a must-have book for any designer who wants to succeed in business.”
Billy Pittard
President, Pittard Inc.

“This is the most concise and brilliantly informative guide I have ever wished I’d read before establishing three studios for ATTIK. Shel has managed to capture a vast array of learning that most of us only gather after many years of trial and error — a guide that every independent designer or agency owner should have within arm’s reach.”
Will Travis
President, U.S. Operations, ATTIK

“Many design firms and designers have benefited from Shel Perkins’ sound business perspectives and advice. Now Shel has written a valuable guide that continues that process. The lucky readers of Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers will absorb many important messages that are essential to success. Shel deserves a ‘Thank You’ for rendering this service to all designers.”
Roz Goldfarb
President, Roz Goldfarb Associates, author of Careers by Design

“Although designers are highly skilled at applying their creativity toward solving design-related problems, most lack the fundamental business knowledge that would enable them to start or optimally run a firm. Whether you’re a student, design contractor or design firm owner, Shel Perkins’ new book, Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers, is a comprehensive source of information on the professional practice of design.”
Gerard Furbershaw
Co-Founder and COO, Lunar Design

“Destined to become a dog-eared reference for all those parts of running a design firm that they never taught in college.”
Mitchell Mauk
Principal, Mauk Design 

“A confident and perceptive mentor, Perkins creates a painless navigation through a range of strategies and issues.”
Communication Arts Magazine

“Our favorite design consultant and your future best friend, Shel Perkins, literally wrote the book on this subject. Because he’s a designer himself, he can give advice in a way that doesn’t make creative types want to hurt themselves.”
Alissa Walker
UnBeige

“A great overview of all of the issues that designers need to know to be in business.”
Nathan Shedroff
Author of Making Meaning and Experience Design

“This book is simply a must-have for anyone working in the design profession.”
Deanna Moore
AIGALosAngeles.org

“This is a fantastic book, everyone should have a (well-worn) copy. In Shel’s typical style, the information is delivered in clear, concise language. Required and highly valuable reading for us all.”
Rob Bynder
Principal, Robert Bynder Design

“Packed with information on everything from how to get started to how to stay afloat.”
STEP Magazine

“Shel Perkins spells out every aspect of business for every type of designer in a language that is easy to understand. From career paths to pricing to legal issues, no stone is left unturned. This book is an invaluable asset.”
Troy Finamore
Finamore Design

“It is by far one of the best — if not the best — graphic design business book I have read.”
Daniel Schutzsmith
GraphicDefine.org

“Whether you’re just getting out of design school, thinking of going out on your own, or having large-firm growing pains, this is the book for you.”
Mike Lenhart
GraphicDesignForum.com

From the Back Cover

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (March 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321278798
• ISBN-13: 978-0321278791
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shel Perkins is a graphic designer, management consultant, and educator with more than twenty years of experience in managing the operations of leading design firms in the U.S. and the U.K. He currently provides management consulting services to a range of creative firms in both traditional and new media, and he serves as chairman of the AIGA Center for Practice Management.

He has written the Professional Practice column for STEP magazine, the Design Business newsletter for AIGA, and the Design Firm Management column for Graphics.com. He has given presentations and workshops for many organizations, including IDSA, SEGD, HOW, ACD, Dynamic Graphics, STEP, Seybold, APDF, PromaxBDA, InSource, RGD Ontario, and the Graphic Artists Guild.

Shel teaches courses in professional practices at the California College of the Arts, the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and the University of California. He has served on the national boards of AIGA and the Association of Professional Design Firms. He has also been honored as an AIGA Fellow "in recognition of significant personal and professional contributions to raising the standards of excellence within the design community."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Guide for Freelancers, July 27, 2006

By 

M. E. Lenhart "designer-type" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (Paperback)

I've been a freelance designer for many years and have read many books and papers on the business-side of design. I have to say that Perkins' book is the most thorough, easiest-to-understand guide on the ins and outs of freelancing I've read to date. The book is a practical guide on how to meander through the process of running a design organization - whether you're a one-person shop or a full-fledged agency. This book is a must-have for the serious design professional.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for Creative professionals!, December 16, 2008

By 

C. S. Taylor "ethical espionage" (Bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (Paperback)

This book was the answer to all my freelance questions!

How to create a freelance rate, trademarking, fixed-fee proposals, business plans, and even terms and conditions?

If you are a creative professional you owe it to yourself to get this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers, June 24, 2010

By 

Ariane Colenbrander "ariane c" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (Paperback)

Talent is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers
Shel Perkins
ISBN-13 978-0-321-70202-9

It truly isn't enough to graduate from a design school anymore. Knowing for example how to navigate your business plan, devise a proposal, and understand the important legal aspects surrounding intellectual property are equally important in order to be successful in this highly-competitive industry. Shel's book bridges all aspects of the design career into one resource. It's a must-read for those starting out. The overview of what to expect and how to grow from a student intern through to owning your own design company (and building your physical space for maximum creative potential) is all here, taken in chronological order.

I found the sections focusing on design teams and hiring and working with a sales rep a refreshing read. Don't be daunted by the book's smaller-than-usual font size: it won't take long to dig in and get through the book from cover to cover.

Even if you're a seasoned professional, there will undoubtably be chapters in the book that will appeal to you. Some of the more in-depth challenges in running a firm are rarely brought up in design courses. I wish there was a book this comprehensive while I was in school.

Shel Perkins, former AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Designers) National Representative and honorary AIGA Fellow, has taught, consulted, managed, and written numerous books and workshops. He currently teaches at the California College of the Arts, the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and the University of California.