??RED FLAGS FOR FREELANCERS!??

Are you a freelancer who HATES it when prospective clients jerk you around?? Graphic Designer & Branding Strategist DANIEL J MOORE raises five red flags to watch out for! ??

We’re also chatting ‘On The Couch’ with Magician RICHARD PARSONS, who has a more than one trick up his sleeve! ?

And we shine the CR38IVES spotlight on Adaptive Fashion Designer KAT PAYLOR-BENT, who’s been nominated for the Northern Power Women Awards 2025!?

AAARGH!? Do you have clients who make you want to tear your hair out???

Any freelancer who deals directly with clients has at least one nightmare story to tell.? So, how do you recognise the kind of clients who’ll drive you to drink – so that you can avoid them???

Graphic Designer and Branding Strategist Daniel J. Moore says you need to PAY ATTENTION if a potential client starts waving a red flag!

Here are some red flags Daniel has encountered as a freelance graphic designer:

?? VAGUE REQUIREMENTS OR AN UNCLEAR BRIEF ??

If the client provides a vague brief, and doesn’t seem to care about the details, this is the perfect breeding ground for scope creep.? Don’t let them do it.?Help them get clear on what they need BEFORE agreeing to start the project. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.?

?? COMPLAINING ABOUT COSTS/HAGGLING ABOUT PRICE ??

If a potential client complains about your costs from the outset, they probably don’t value what you do.? And if they don’t value what you do, you can bet that after you’ve been beaten down, they’ll pile on even more work beyond the scope of the brief.?Keep in mind that if a potential client can’t afford your services - they aren’t for you.

?? UNWILLINGNESS TO SIGN A CONTRACT ??

Asking for contracts can feel awkward, but they’re there to protect ALL parties.? If a new client won’t sign, it’s probably because they’re thinking of how to get out of it.?Don’t start work without a contract or a deposit (but preferably BOTH).??

?? CLIENTS WHO MICROMANAGE ??

Trusting someone to do things right can be tough for some people. But if your clients are confident that you’re a professional, they shouldn’t need to check in every ten seconds.?Clients who micromanage probably see you as a traditional employee - and that often means they think they have the right to make unreasonable demands on your time.

?? YOU DON'T ENJOY WORKING WITH THE CLIENT ??

It’s surprising how often this gets missed. If you don’t enjoy working with a client, that’s a BIG red flag that they aren’t the right fit.?Getting used to saying ‘no’ is an important step - for your business and your sanity.

So, keep these red flags in mind when talking to a potential or new client.? No-one wants to land up being expected to deliver high production value, in the shortest possible time, with an unrealistically low budget – all without a contract in place, and with constant interference!

DANIEL J MOORE is a Graphic Designer and Brand Strategist who works with clients through his company IRON DRAGON DESIGN.? You can contact him on his website HERE.

Next week CR38IVES Founders Melanie Anne Perry FRSA, FInstAM, FAPA and Julie Hyde Mew will be chatting ‘On The Couch’ with Magician RICHARD PARSONS on Wednesday the 16th of October @11am BST.

You can listen to the livestream on the CR38IVES YouTube channel on this link HERE

Based in Gloucestershire, Richard Parsons is a professional full-time Magician who has entertained audiences with his close-up and stage magic for over 16 years – performing across the UK and internationally. ?He’s been a member of the prestigious Magic Circle since successfully passing the audition process in 2012.

Richard appears at private events such as parties and weddings, as well as at corporate events and trade shows. ?He can be booked through?his website HERE.

The chat with Richard will also be livestreamed on the CR38IVES Facebook page.? Click on this link to be reminded! https://www.facebook.com/events/399197336565371?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D

If you missed our previous chat with Children’s Poet JOSHUA SEIGAL, you can catch up on the CR38IVES YouTube channel HERE

Joshua is a highly acclaimed, award-winning professional poet and performer who uses poetry to develop literacy skills and inspire confidence and creativity in communication.

He has performed at festivals and in schools and libraries around the world, has had poetry books published by major publishers, and has written and performed for BBC television. His poems have been described as imaginative, brilliant, magical and witty.

If you want Joshua to run poetry workshops or performances at?your school or library, either online or on site, you can contact him on his website HERE.

SURREAL STOCKING FILLERS!

If you love British humour, and you’re one of those annoyingly organised people who is already shopping for Christmas (and we salute you!), then add a lot of laughs to the season?by slipping Author DARREN WALKER’s fantasy comedy books into your family’s stockings. ?

Darren’s strange and surreal sense of humour runs riot in his version of Hell and Heaven, where demons and angels are at each other’s throats – quite often in the literal sense!

‘Closing Shop’, ‘The Sword Of Uncreation’ and ‘Dead Gods’ are all available at selected book stores (and some dodgy ones, as well!), and online HERE.

SEWING TO?SUCCESS!

When Adaptive Fashion Designer Kat Paylor-Bent was paralysed and confined to a wheelchair after a botched back operation, she had to decide what she would do for the rest of her life.?

Kat could still sit and sew, and because she found it annoying being limited to wearing boring T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms, she started adapting her old clothes and designing new ones.

“Disabled people are still people,” Kat always says.? “There’s no reason why they shouldn’t also be comfortably and fabulously dressed!"

She soon realised that there were many people just like her in the disabled community who wanted comfortable, practical and fashionable clothes! Faced with still having to earn a living, Kat launched her own fashion design studio called Seated Sewing .

Kat’s business has blossomed in a growing market, and she’s now been nominated for a Northern Power Women Award!?

The awards are dedicated to promoting gender equality and to empowering change-makers across the North of England and Wales.? The 2025 winners will?be announced at the Manchester Central Convention Complex on the 6th of March next year.

If you are a wheelchair user and you're looking for fashionable clothes designed or altered to fit your needs, you can contact Kat on her website HERE.

What kind of people are members of our wonderful CR38IVES community? People like Salma Zaman , that's who! ?

Click on the video HERE to find out more about her Bollywood credentials and children’s books...

Make new connections and meet new friends by booking your place at the next CR38IVES networking zoom event HERE!

Click HERE to find out more about joining the CR38IVES community!

We all need help and someone to talk to sometimes.? So don't be shy!

Connect with us, and meet some great people who enjoy helping and encouraging each other! Click HERE to find out more about CR38IVES.

Here's to your continued success!