One of the biggest challenges for freelance and independent web designers is knowing which clients and projects to accept, and which ones to pass up. Most designers feel a need to take every project that comes their way, but this is not a good practice for a number of reasons.

Accepting every project is not a good idea for a number of reasons. Many potential clients, especially in today’s economic situation, will be looking for something very cheap which may not give the designer enough time to do their best job. Of course, there are other reasons as well.

In this article we’ll look at five factors that should be considered by designers when they are evaluating a potential client and project. Taking the wrong projects can be a detriment to the designer because it means they will be unable to take other work in it’s place if a better opportunity comes along.

1. Income

One of the first things you will evaluate is the amount of money that you can charge for the project. Is the client willing to pay a fair price, something that will adequately compensate you for the time that will be required by the project?

If the client is working with a very limited budget that doesn’t fit into your normal pricing scale, they should be willing to make some compromises that will reduce the amount of time required from you, or you should probably pass on the work. You may also consider having a package especially for clients who have less-than-ideal budgets. This would allow you to capture some business from clients that you would otherwise have to pass on.

2. Time Line

Almost every project will involve a deadline of some type. Larger projects may even have a number of deadlines or milestone dates that need to be met. In some cases the deadline may not be as firm, but the client will still have an expectation of when it will be complete.

Some clients will want you to finish their project by a specified time that is just not feasible. In most cases they just don’t know enough about the process to understand how much is involved, so if you explain things to them they may be willing to push back the deadline. However, if they are not able to work with you on a realistic deadline, your best move is usually to pass on the job.

3. Match

Each design will have some strengths and weaknesses, which is simply natural. Not every client that comes your way will be a great fit for what you do. Of course, you will want to challenge yourself and take some new projects to improve skills in certain areas, but generally your projects should be a good fit with your abilities and experience.

4. Personal Preferences

Not only will you have some areas of design where you are strong and some where you are weaker, but you’ll also find that some types of work you enjoy more than others. It’s a good idea to make an effort to find more work that matches up with your interests so that you can enjoy your work more fully.

5. Workload

One of the best ways to drag down the quality of your work is to try to do too much at once. Taking too many clients and projects is tempting because it may pay more, but you will soon find that you would have been better of to push that project back to a later date.

If you are too busy at the time, let the potential client know when you would be able to start, and see if they are able to wait for you.

Steven Snell runs a popular design blog that includes a web job board for web designers to help designers find work, and to help companies find the right designer.

categories: web design business,freelance designers,client relations,freelance,freelancers,web design,website design,design,designers,internet,business,self-employed

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