- Your work and process is your product.
Your brand represents these.
If your client were a bakery,
you would show the cakes on the website.
Talking about them in text won't do the job.
The same is true as a designer.
In the end, if I go to your website,
I want to see your work.
Documenting the work and uploading it
is as important as any other aspect
of running a design business, whether
you're a freelancer or run a firm.
For several years, I wrote a magazine column
featuring a different designer each month.
I enjoyed the chance to promote good design
and perhaps give some inspiration to a reader.
At a conference, someone said to me,
"You only cover famous designers.
Why don't you find new, unknown ones?"
The reality was that, each month, I would
desperately try to work with a designer,
typically not covered.
He or she would typically be incredibly
excited about the idea.
I'd begin writing and ask for images for the article.
Nothing would show up.
As the deadline grew closer, I'd beg.
The designer usually said, "I'm shooting the work now.
I'll have it to you in a couple of days."
Then, nothing.
Finally, with a deadline to meet,
I'd call someone I knew was ready,
typically a well-known designer.
They had their images ready to go
and I'd receive a zip file in half an hour.
It became clear that the famous designers
were the ones who had their stuff together.
That's why they were published so often.
The same was true for attracting clients.
The designer who documented recent projects
and posted it on his or her website
quickly and clearly had an advantage
over the competitor's website that only had old projects.
I have a sign in my office that reads,
"Documentation is job one."
At the end of every project, the final step
is to make sure the job is documented correctly,
archived, and uploaded to the website.
I found that waiting until I had several projects
every few months, became an overwhelming task.
I'd love to say, "It's as easy as shooting
something with an iPhone or doing a screen grab,"
but it's not.
This is the primary asset you have.
It needs to be photographed or represented beautifully.
If it's a three-dimensional project,
you may need to hire a photographer.
Printed matter can be recreated in Photoshop
or using a program such as LiveSurface.
The great designer, Lou Danziger,
had his own copy stand and shot his own projects.
Simply using a tripod, good camera,
and even lighting will work.
Finally, create multiple options.
If the typography is special, shoot a detail.
If a book has great end papers and binding,
let the viewer see it.
The goal is to create a large image asset library
that contains documentation of all your projects,
shown to their best advantage.
Remember, documentation is job one.