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09 Mar 2008 03:49:55 | Alec Ellis
As a graphic designer myself, I know the benefit of regular
studio work, the sort of work that keeps the studio alive, not
the most exciting, usually referred to, in designer's terms, as
‘bread and butter' work. In the Graphics world bread and
butter work takes the form of regular, heads down, non-award
winning briefs: a daily stats sheet, the club newsletter, the
monthly report, stationery updates, shopping mall news papers
and prices catalogues, with all the weekly bargains. These are
just a few examples of what keeps us in business; we also love
to pass this work on to the junior or the ‘newby'; regular
work that brings in probably 80% of the years income, for an
average design studio. These jobs are quickly finished, mindless
at best, and are able to be billed and paid within 30 days. The
bread and butter job doesn't just exist in the ‘offline'
world, as many of my fellow designers have found with the
introduction of the Internet. Though websites are becoming
smarter many graphic designers are becoming aware how to control
and create them. As with the introduction of the computer to the
design world, everyone became an instant designer, "give me a
computer and I will design my own leaflets", said businessmen.
That lasted about a year, when graphic designers started to take
back the banner and the businessman became a client again. You
can only take so many identical leaflets. The graphic designer
has now become the new ‘web designer'. Web graphic
programs have evolved from web editors, they are easier to use,
with web support software and technical help plentiful. This
leaves the creative spirit as the only inconstant, ‘once
again'. Graphic designers are producing master pieces, all they
had to do was learn about the ‘medium', in this case, the
Internet, Web, software, programming, and more. Once the
technical side had been mastered (these days you don't have to
be a main-framer), the creativity took over, as a new artist
introduced to oil paints, watercolour, wood, metal, coke cans,
urinals, and six inch nails, for the very first time.
Masterpieces have come and gone, and now the Graphics and Web
design worlds are looking very similar. You still very much get
the chance to shine, that 20% of studio work may still win you
awards, and the 80% will still pay for the electricity, rent,
pub lunches, the Friday beers, the accountant and the cleaner.
Growth! Your studio has blue chip Graphic designers working on
the 20%; trainee Graphic Designers and juniors working on the
80% bread and butter; you now have an extension built on to the
studio for the second design team. Your blue chip Web designers
working on the 20% web designs; and the web designer trainees
and juniors updating data, adjusting editorial, correcting web
pages, fixing broken links and uploading new graphics. With the
right web hosting partner, offering your studio the correct
amount of bandwidth and webspace, with a fast access, you will
be able to knock out web ‘bread and butter' work at a pace
and at a price that will allow you to retain your happy,
regular, web clients. With one account, password access to
different domains, and 24/7 access, you can have your studio
complete and all work kept in-house. Your trainee or junior can
download a web page, correct a mistake, update prices or
figures, change a graphic, then upload again, ready for viewing,
in minutes. Imagine your 60 bread and butter offline clients,
matched in the studio by 60 online bread and butter clients.
That's a lot of bread and butter. If you wish to know more about
how a Multiple web hosting account, such as those offered by web
hosting regulars M6.net: www.m6.net , can help you, contact
sales@m6.net for more information, or simply speak to one of our
friendly informative support or sales staff on +61 2 6162 1500.
About Author :
Alec Ellis BA Hons Graphics (LCP, London, UK) Director, M6.net,
Web Hosting
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