Hi all

I'm actually a start up my self, going through the seed funding rounds, we

have just launched. BUT, to keep the money rolling in while the new venture

takes off before the investment comes in. I freelance for all the big ad

agencies in london and design sites, flash banners, virals for small start

ups and large blue chips and have done so for 7 years. Portfolio

www.futurewebentertainment.com I agree with the other post, if you’re a

plumber or something, templates are great, cheap and quick, but if you are

launching a new brand, you have to go the bespoke route or you will wont be

taken seriously by anyone, investors or customers. Your website is your

sales person who is switched on 24 hours a day. It has to look amazing!! And

with money, well, if you come across someone who can do your job and more

for a great price and they have previous work with a proven track record

take it!! The recession has hit us all very hard and freelancers have to be

very competitive. The perosn who wins from this is the customer, they end up

getting a better, cheaper deal, with the same quality level, simply because

the freelancer just wants to have a constant stream of work. They are not

looking to make a mint from just 1 job, it doesn’t work like that.
Anyway, if you think im talking sense, check out my portfolio above, speak

to people and get the best deal you can afford. 
Good luck
Simon
--------------

PROFILE

I'm an award winning, highly creative, technically skilled, commercially

aware and deadline orientated Senior Freelance Multimedia Flash/Web Designer

with 7 year’s experience working at London’s best creative advertising

agencies such as M & C Saatchi, Dare, Wundermans & AKQA. 
I have designed everything from flash banner adverts to large HTML sites for

many companies ranging from small start- ups to huge Blue Chip corporates

such as:
Cartoon Network, BBC, BT (HomeHub Campaign), GM Motors (Corsa C’Mons, Astra

TT), Ford, Peugeot, Microsoft, Axa, Vodaphone, Budweiser, , T-Mobile, HSBC,

RAF, Abbey, Gillette/FIFA World Cup, Toshiba, Canon, Philips, National

Geographic Channel, Expedia, Royal Opera House, Transport for London, F1 -

Vodafone Maclaren Mercedes, Royal Mail, YOO, Betfair, Waitrose, John Lewis,

Wine Rack & Woolworths. 
-----Original Message-----

From: [address removed] [mailto:[address removed]] On

Behalf Of Geoffrey McCaleb

Sent: 03 April 2009 11:14

To: [address removed]

Subject: SPAM-LOW: Re: [entrepreneur-1056] Branding service
Hi Jon,

Haven't used 99 designs, but I did use the precursor to this, Sitepoint

Marketplace (http://marketplac...) - same company/model I

believe. 
I used it for logo and business card design. Its a great model that allows

you to see what you get before you pay, but the levels of quality vary. If

you decide to use them, check out what the going rate is for the type of

work you want, that way you ensure you get the right people bidding. 
Geoffrey
On Fri, 3 Apr 2009 06:06:06 -0400, Jon Topper <[address removed]> wrote:

> On this general subject, does anyone have any views on using

> http://99designs.... for a design?

>

>

>

> Jon

>

> On Fri, 2009-04-03 at 05:40 -0400, Geoffrey McCaleb wrote:

>> Templates are a great way to get started if you don't have the time

>> or the experience to manage the design process for your business.

>> Lets face it, unique designs are a great way to establish your brand,

>> but if you are

on

>> a

>> limited budget/time, or have never worked with a designer in this

fashion

>> before, it looks as if inkd (or similar services) would be a great

>> way

to

>> go. At the end of the day, every £ spent on stuff like this, is a £

>> less spent on doing what you do best.

>>

>> Me personally, there are more than enough freelance boards on the net

>> where you can get a competent designer, for a fraction what you would

>> expect

to

>> pay from a traditional shop. Sure, if I had a big budget/high

>> expectations behind me, I'd definitely blow a wad of money with a

>> mutado type of studio, but until then, just focus on your core

>> business.

>>

>> http://www.freela... - is just one service I have used and

have

>> been more than impressed with the results.

>>

>> Geoffrey

>>

>> On Fri, 3 Apr 2009 05:28:00 -0400, Robin Chapman

<[address removed]>

>> wrote:

>> > Personally, if I had a unique product or service, I would prefer to

>> > sell

>> it

>> > with a unique brand identity. This sort of thing is all too

>> > prevalent on the net and obviously appealing to those with

>> > miniscule budgets, but a pre-designed template can never replace a

>> > bespoke design that represents you and you alone.

>> >

>> > Regards, Robin

>> >

>> >

>> > On 3/4/09 10:14, "Steve Kennedy" <[address removed]> wrote:

>> >

>> >> On Fri, Apr 03, 2009 at 04:02:47AM -0500, Robin Chapman wrote:

>> >>

>> >>>    Hello all,

>> >>>    I would like to offer a branding and graphic design service to

the

>> >>>    group - ranging from name generation and logo design to sales and

>> >>>    marketing materials and business stationery.

>> >>

>> >> In that case you (and the rest of the group) should have a look at

>> >> http://www.inkd.c... a new start-up in Seattle.

>> >>

>> >> They have a lot of predesigned templates that new businesses can

>> >> buy and customise to generate their own stationery.

>> >>

>> >> It also allows designers to upload their own work and they are

>> >> paid when someone downloads it.

>> >>

>> >>

>> >> Steve

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > C&C Design Ltd

>> > The Basement

>> > 26 Old Church Street

>> > London SW3 5BY

>> >

>> > T +44 (0)20 7351 4157

>> > F +44 (0)20 7351 3363

>> > M +44 (0)77 540 77999

>> >

>> > E robin@candc­design.com

>> > http://www.candc-...

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > --

>> > Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to

>> > everyone on this mailing list ([address removed])

>> > http://www.meetup... This message was sent by Robin

>> > Chapman ([address removed]) from

>> London

>> > OpenCoffee Meetup.

>> > To learn more about Robin Chapman, visit his/her member profile:

>> > http://www.meetup...

>> > To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here:

>> > http://www.meetup...

>> > Meetup Support: [address removed]

>> > 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA

>>

>

>

>

>

> --

> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone

> on this mailing list ([address removed])

> http://www.meetup... This message was sent by Jon Topper

> ([address removed]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.

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--

geoffrey mccaleb: bedl.am studios ltd.

email: [address removed] | phone: +44-7900-911823

jabber/msn: [address removed] | yahoo: bedlam_ltd | skype: bedl.am
--

Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on

this mailing list ([address removed])

http://www.meetup... This message was sent by Geoffrey McCaleb

([address removed]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.

To learn more about Geoffrey McCaleb, visit his/her member profile:

http://www.meetup...

To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here:

http://www.meetup...

Meetup Support: [address removed]

632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA