Design Domination
177 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsDesign Domination helps freelance designers gain confidence, clarity and a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.
Adjust your mindset, become more business savvy and sharpen your creative skills, so you get more respect and command higher rates.
If you're a logo designer, print designer or web designer looking to make a successful living freelancing, you will benefit from Colleen's real-world expertise in branding, publication design and layout, website design and design business. You'll also hear from other design dominators in the industry.
Design Domination is hosted by award-winning designer Colleen Gratzer, principal of Gratzer Graphics LLC and creator of Creative Boost. Colleen provides her insights based on almost 25 years of graphic design expertise and almost 20 years of having a successful creative business.
Website: https://creative-boost.com
Music: https://www.bensound.com
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Episodes
The State of Web Accessibility in 2024
April 17, 2024 11:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB#175 The WebAIM Million provides insightful data on the top 1 million web pages. Find out what you need to know as a web designer or developer about the state of website accessibility in 2024.
Canva Acquires Affinity: What It Means for Designers
April 03, 2024 13:30 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MB#174 The news of Canva buying Affinity and its parent company Serif has shocked and outraged designers worldwide. Find out more about the Affinity acquisition and what it means for designers.
Key Findings From the WebAIM 2024 Screen Reader User Survey
March 20, 2024 11:00 - 10 minutes - 9.76 MB#173 The WebAIM 2024 Screen Reader User Survey provides insights we can use to perform better web accessibility testing and to understand more about screen reader users’ behavior and preferences.
Business Success From Personal Discovery—With Shannon Mattern
March 06, 2024 12:00 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MB#172 Shannon Mattern of Web Designer Academy talks about how personal discoveries and coaching helped her stop undercharging and overdelivering and actually create a more enjoyable, profitable web design business.
Where to Find Clients Needing Accessibility Services
February 21, 2024 12:00 - 6 minutes - 6.17 MB#171 There are so many places where you can find clients who need your accessibility services. Many of them are already knowledgeable about accessibility and understand they need it and are even easy to find.
Business Lessons From a Chiropractor?!
February 07, 2024 12:00 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MB#170 Find out how thinking like a doctor can help your creative business. Get business strategies for getting clients, the sales process and your work processes.
What to Do When You Screw Up a Client Project
January 24, 2024 12:00 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MB#169 A screw-up is bound to happen at some point in your creative career. The circumstances around the mistake and how you handle the situation affect your credibility, reputation and bottom line. Find out what to do when you screw up a client project.
Level Access Acquiring UserWay
January 10, 2024 12:00 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MB#168 Accessibility company Level Access has warned against website accessibility overlays in the past. So it shocked the accessibility industry when they announced plans to acquire UserWay, known for its overlay. Find out what this potentially means for the industry.
Adobe Acquiring Figma: The Full Scoop
December 27, 2023 12:00 - 8 minutes - 7.5 MB#167 Get the scoop about what happened with Adobe acquiring Figma and what it means for designers.
Client Gifting: The Complete Guide
December 20, 2023 05:00 - 7 minutes - 7.23 MB#166 Thinking about sending a client a gift? Find out what to consider before sending a gift to a client, when to send a gift, what to send clients as a gift and more.
How APCA Changes Accessible Contrast—With Andrew Somers
December 07, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 71 MB#165 APCA calculates contrast differently from WCAG and is expected to be part of WCAG 3. Find out from APCA creator Andrew Somers the problem with WCAG contrast ratios, why APCA is more accurate and how you can make your colors more accessible.
Mastering Accessible Headings
November 22, 2023 05:00 - 11 minutes - 17 MB#164 One way to make your documents and website content more accessible is to use an accessible heading structure. Find out some common mistakes when styling headings, easy, actionable tips for how to create accessible headings and tools to check them.
From Generalist to Specialist With Chris Hinds
November 01, 2023 04:00 - 41 minutes - 58.2 MB#163 Chris Hinds of Equalize Digital shares their story of going from generalist designers to web accessibility specialists, giving them clarity and a competitive edge, winning clients more easily, improving their processes and making marketing efforts easier.
What's New in WCAG 2.2
October 18, 2023 04:00 - 11 minutes - 16.8 MB#162 Get a plain-English summary of the 9 new success criteria in the WCAG 2.2 guidelines, so that you can make your websites more accessible.
How to Get What You Need From Clients
October 04, 2023 04:00 - 11 minutes - 16.7 MB#161 Do you spend a lot of time explaining what you need to clients? Tired of clients sending you the wrong files or not following your processes? Find out how to get what you need from clients to make for a smoother client relationship and more profitable projects.
Why Graphic Designers Need a Website
September 20, 2023 04:00 - 8 minutes - 13.2 MBIs having a website worth it? Where should you create your design website? Where should you post your portfolio online? If you’re serious about building a freelance design business, find out why you should have your own website.
5 Must-have Acrobat Accessibility Preflight Fixups
September 06, 2023 04:00 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MB#159 Do you design or remediate accessible documents and find some of the PDF work to be tedious and time consuming? Find out five Acrobat preflight fixups that will speed up your accessible PDF workflow when it comes to artifacting, hyperlinks and more.
Top 10 Logo Design Podcast Episodes
August 23, 2023 04:00 - 10 minutes - 14.7 MB#158 Find out the top 10 logo design podcast episodes from Design Domination and other podcasts that talk about understanding more about logo design, how to design a logo, how to price a logo, how to get clients and which file formats to create for a logo.
Freelancer vs Employee
August 09, 2023 04:00 - 14 minutes - 20.4 MB#157 Thinking of going out on your own as a freelance graphic designer or web designer? Find out the pros and cons of being a full-time freelancer versus employee and some points to consider before working for yourself full time.
AudioEye vs Adrian Roselli: The SLAPP Heard Around the World
July 26, 2023 04:00 - 9 minutes - 13.9 MB#156 The web accessibility community is in an uproar about the AudioEye lawsuit against 30-year accessibility champion Adrian Roselli for his criticism of their overlay product.
10 Time-saving InDesign Tips
July 12, 2023 04:00 - 14 minutes - 20.7 MB#155 Learn how to work more efficiently in Adobe InDesign with these time-saving 10 tips about features that most graphic designers don’t use. The more you know InDesign, the easier it is to incorporate accessibility into the layout process too.
Stop People Pleasing, Save Your Business
June 28, 2023 04:00 - 14 minutes - 20.9 MB#154 Providing good customer service doesn’t mean you have to be at the whim of every client request or that the client is always right. In fact, if you do that, your business will suffer. Find out why people pleasing is bad for your creative business.
9 Tips for Creating Accessible Hyperlinks
June 14, 2023 04:00 - 11 minutes - 16.4 MB#153 Ensuring that hyperlinks are accessible for all website visitors increases the accessibility and usability of a website. There are functional, cognitive and visual factors to consider. Find out 9 tips for creating accessible hyperlinks on websites.
How to Write a Creative Brief
May 31, 2023 04:00 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MB#152 A design brief, or creative brief, helps you get more respect and be seen as an expert as a designer. Find out how to write a creative brief and how it helps not only you but the designer-client relationship and the design process.
How to Write a Good About Page—Todd Jones
May 17, 2023 12:00 - 46 minutes - 64.3 MB#151 Learn how to leverage the About page on your website so that you stand out and increase your chances of getting new clients. Find out tips for what to include and how to write a good About page even if you find it hard to talk about yourself.
The Risks of Having One Big Client (Gorilla Client)
April 26, 2023 04:00 - 15 minutes - 22.8 MB#150 Having a client who makes up a large portion of your income is a blessing and a curse. They keep you busy, but you lose focus on your freelance business. Find out if you have any gorilla clients, or high client concentration, and what to do about it.
The Business Case for Accessibility
April 12, 2023 04:00 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MB#149 Are you looking to have the accessibility conversation with clients or coworkers but not sure where to start? Have you tried but gotten resistance? Find out 10 common objections to accessibility and how to overcome them to get others on board.
When a Client Wants More Than One of Your Designs
March 29, 2023 04:00 - 9 minutes - 13.4 MBAs a graphic designer, you may run into a situation where the client wants more than one of your designs. Should you provide the design free? Should you charge for the additional design? Find out what to think about and how to figure out how to price it.
Setting Boundaries With Clients
March 15, 2023 15:15 - 19 minutes - 27.6 MB#147 Many freelance designers struggle with creating and enforcing boundaries with clients, taking on and putting up with bad clients. But setting boundaries means you're in charge, work with good clients and have a more profitable creative business.
How to Make More Money in Graphic Design (and Work Less) With Adrienne Johnston
March 01, 2023 05:00 - 40 minutes - 56.6 MBGraphic designer Adrienne Johnston shares how she went from being stressed out and overworked in a $60k-a-year creative business to working less and without stress making more than $200k a year by focusing on presentation design in PowerPoint.
Adding Skip Navigation Links for Better Web Accessibility
February 15, 2023 05:00 - 10 minutes - 15.2 MBImprove the accessibility and usability of the websites you design by adding a skip navigation link for keyboard users. Find out why skip links are important, who they help, how to check for a skip link and how to add one to an existing website.
How to Raise Your Prices
February 01, 2023 05:00 - 20 minutes - 28.5 MB#144 Raising your prices as a freelance graphic designer is vital for a viable, profitable creative business. Find out when you should raise your rates, how to raise them, how much to raise them and what to do if clients react negatively when you do.
How to Get Google Reviews With John Falke
January 18, 2023 05:00 - 38 minutes - 53.7 MB#143 Google reviews are a free tool designers can leverage to make the marketing and sales process easier. They help you get new clients. Hear how Google reviews have helped John Falke's design business and how to get Google reviews from clients.
How to Make 6 Figures as a Freelancer
January 04, 2023 05:00 - 18 minutes - 26.3 MB#142 Want to make $100,000 a year as a full-time freelancer? Find out what I did and what you can do to make 6 figures as a self-employed freelance designer, even in your first year of freelancing full time. Also find out what to do before you do it.
Color and Contrast Accessibility
December 21, 2022 05:00 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MB#141 As a graphic designer, document designer or web designer, understanding the WCAG color and contrast accessibility guidelines will help make your designs more inclusive and accessible to sighted individuals with or without a visual disability.
Affordable Health Care for Freelancers
December 07, 2022 05:00 - 15 minutes - 21.7 MB#140 Medical insurance for self-employed freelance designers can be cost prohibitive. Find out some affordable health insurance alternatives that will save you money along with what to consider before going with one of these options.
Adobe Removing Pantone Colors: What Graphic Designers Need to Know
November 23, 2022 05:01 - 9 minutes - 14.2 MB#139 Pantone color books are being phased out of Adobe Creative Cloud, greatly impacting many graphic designers. Access to all Pantone libraries will require a paid Pantone Connect subscription. Find out what you need to know and what options you have.
12 Ways to Motivate Clients to Send Content
November 09, 2022 05:01 - 17 minutes - 24.3 MB#138 Getting content from clients is definitely high on the list of complaints from graphic designers. Find out 12 ways to motivate your clients to get you content, so that you get projects done on time and profitably.
The Difference Between Consultation and Discovery
October 26, 2022 04:01 - 11 minutes - 16 MB#137 Many graphic designers give away their advice, expertise and ideas in the sales process for free. Learn what to stop doing on consultation calls and how to get paid for discovery calls, so you get more respect and are more valued as an expert.
How to Get More Leads From Your Website With Josh Hall
October 12, 2022 04:01 - 58 minutes - 81 MB#136 Just because graphic designers put up a portfolio website doesn't mean potential clients will find it or contact you. Learn strategic steps to get people to your site, keep them on your site and taking action, so you build a profitable creative business.
Top 11 Creative Business Books
September 28, 2022 04:01 - 10 minutes - 15.7 MB#135 Find out what books are on my list of top creative business books for freelance graphic designers to help you with starting your own business, sales and marketing, getting clients, positioning, pricing and profit, confidence, mindset and more.
Day Rates for Graphic Designers With Sarah Masci
September 14, 2022 16:52 - 32 minutes - 45.6 MB#134 Sarah Masci of Day Rate Mastery joins me to talk about how graphic designers can increase their profitability by charging day rates instead of hourly rates or value-based pricing and how she went from charging $50 per hour to $10k months working less.
Why Graphic Designers Need Contracts
September 07, 2022 04:01 - 13 minutes - 25.3 MB#133 Find out important reasons why freelance graphic designers should use contracts for design work in their creative business, including some surprising things you may have thought of.
The Talent, Not the Tool, With Don Bolognese
August 25, 2022 01:09 - 1 hour - 115 MB#132 Renowned artist/illustrator Don Bolognese joins me to talk about how it's the designer’s talent—not the tool—that’s vital for a successful creative career. He shares interesting stories and insights from his 67-year career and how it evolved over time with changes in technology.
When Designers Should Turn Down Work
August 10, 2022 04:00 - 9 minutes - 13.6 MB#131 When you take on work that isn’t a good fit with your skills and expertise, it can result in a bad testimonial, no referrals and the work not being profitable. Find out when graphic designers should turn down work from a prospect or existing client.
Accessible WordPress Themes: What to Know
July 27, 2022 04:00 - 7 minutes - 11.2 MB#130 Many web designers and developers think using an accessibility-ready WordPress theme means a website will be accessible. But many themes have accessibility issues, and there is more to building an accessible website than using an accessible theme.
How to Get Into Textile Design
July 13, 2022 04:00 - 31 minutes - 59.4 MB#129 Hear how Kelly Irvine went from being an in-house graphic designer to a freelance textile designer, creating exclusive prints for the fashion industry, and how she makes passive income with her designs in online stores at Spoonflower and Society6.
11 Ridiculous Client Requests and How to Respond to Them
June 29, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes - 20.8 MB#128 Graphic designers often get ridiculous or demanding requests from clients. We can laugh at some, but others are cringe worthy. Find out 11 ridiculous client requests and how to respond to them, so that you leave your dignity and respect intact.
What Questions Should a Graphic Designer Ask a Client
June 15, 2022 04:01 - 11 minutes - 16.7 MB#127 By screening prospects and asking strategic questions, designers change the conversation from design to problem solving, get more respect and increase the perceived value of their work. Find out what questions a graphic designer should ask clients.
Website Maintenance Packages With Kyle Van Deusen
June 01, 2022 04:01 - 48 minutes - 66.8 MB#126: Find out how Kyle Van Deusen went from graphic designer to web designer and how he built the business of his dreams by leveraging website maintenance packages for recurring revenue in his web design business.