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Unlocking the creative flow: Setting the stage for uninterrupted inspiration

Creativity is intrinsic to a designer’s career, yet as we all know, sometimes inspiration runs dry and we can find ourselves in a serious creative rut. For freelance designers, maintaining creative flow can be tricky for a myriad of reasons; for instance, the isolation of working remotely, juggling multiple clients at once or slogging through a project that you just don’t love....

Designing with purpose: The impact of socially conscious graphic design

In a digital world where great visual content and brands have the ability to influence how people think, graphic designers have the unique opportunity to help make positive change. From social issues to environmental ones, designers can use their skills to have a lasting impact on the people and communities they care about....

Designing your worth: How to price your graphic design services

When designers transition from employment to freelancing there are a few hurdles to overcome; a massive one is money. We all know that money is still a bit of a taboo topic in New Zealand society, and people aren’t always very forthright with what they earn and how they manage their finances. Unfortunately, that means new solopreneurs can find themselves in the dark regarding how to run the financial side of their business. ...

Embracing Upskilling: a freelancer's journey to success

Freelance life comes with some serious perks; being your own boss, prioritising clients and work you’re passionate about, and freedom of course. Yet that doesn’t mean it's easy, without the safety net of steady employment, you have to truly learn to stand on your own two feet....

Finding success, the 2nd time freelancing

“There are so many people that are afraid or just wait for things to come to them in life. If that's the way you are, it would pay to think seriously about whether the freelancer life is really what you want, it can be super tough out there!” reflects Bron Alexander, freelance Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Art Director. Her words are harsh but pertinent, and perhaps what we need to hear....

Navigating business as a designer - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

Are you struggling with setting the right price for your services? Or perhaps you're unsure about the most effective onboarding process for new clients? Abby, Nicole, and Serena, are three seasoned entrepreneurs and Graphic Designers. In this Q&A, they share their take on a few elements that are helpful for both budding and established business owners....

Managing your mindset as a designer - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

This Q&A session explores the often-overlooked aspect of entrepreneurship: mindset. Nicole, Serena, and Abby, three designers, open up about the mental and emotional facets of running a business. From battling imposter syndrome to setting boundaries with clients, from networking strategies for introverts to aligning personal values with business goals—this conversation is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the relationship between mindset and entrepreneurship....

Starting out and working in a design business - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

From building a client base to understanding the importance of networking and keeping up with technology, to the value of 'passion projects' and the intricacies of agency work—this interview is a goldmine of insights.Whether you're a student, a freelancer looking to scale, or someone considering diving into business as a self-employed designer, you’ll enjoy this Q&A session with Abby, Serena and Nicole....

Crafting emotionally engaging websites

Humans are meaning-makers. We are constantly seeking for a reason, a connection or a relation to the world around us. User Experience (UX) Design understands this principle intimately, it’s job is to marry design principles, brand and the course of the user journey to create a particular feeling when a customer uses a website....

6 quick ways to edit the copy you get from your client

For many web designers and developers, getting copy is the biggest hold-up in their project timeline.Often, clients haven't thought about their website content. They just want a website.So when you ask them to provide SEO conversion copy that's customer-focused and written with H1, H2, and H3 headings, including keywords and alt text, that has a logical and compelling information flow … funnily enough, they freak out.What reactions do you get when you ask your web design clients for content fo...

Hey designer - are you wondering how much web design could add to your business?

From designing logos to print material, a business’s overall branding concept, marketing content, packaging, advertisements and so much more - there’s plenty of cool, creative stuff that rests on the desk of a graphic designer. But have you often wondered about the world of web design, and whether it’s something you should consider adding to your suite of services?  You might immediately think, point blank, no. Or you could be curious, but apprehensive. However, what we do know is tha...

Natalie’s story: Breaking the stigma of the ‘9 to 5’ as a graphic designer

Dolly Parton was certainly onto something about the whole ‘working 9 to 5’ business, and how you’re often barely getting by because it’s all taking and no giving. Which is why many of us turn to the freelancer life, right? To get more flexibility in our day, and take real ownership of the work we do.  There’s also a number of other reasons the traditional ‘9 to 5’ doesn’t work for graphic designers, which is what our very own Olivia had a chat about recently with freela...

Resilience and reinvention: a designer's journey of freelancing and motherhood

Re-entering the workforce after taking time off can be terrifying, there’s no doubt about it. This is the reality for countless women with professional careers, who face the daunting prospect of coming back to work after maternity leave....

The importance of having a good mindset as a small business

Starting a small business is an exciting transition to make. And for Claire and Beka, starting The Renew Room, there was plenty of motivation to do so. Both in a time of their life with young children, they wanted flexibility and control over their working environment and schedules, as well as the ability to pick up more clients when it suited. We caught up with Beka and Claire recently and they beautifully explained how they combined their skills and experience as a graphic designer and ma...

The graphic designers guide to making your life better with Chat-GPT

We’ve been a little slow out the gate with our first post about Chat-GPT and the AI (artificial intelligence) behind it. Why? We’ve been too busy playing with Chat-GPT and every day we’re finding new applications that blow us away. This article covers all of the ways AI is changing our lives as designers, writers and marketers here at Rocketspark....

Should I charge an urgent rate to clients?

An urgent rate is a higher hourly rate for work that requires an urgent turnaround. But why would you need this?Early in your freelancing journey, you might jump at the chance for any billable client work you can get. Before long though, you’ll face the challenge of competing client expectations and finite capacity.If a client has an urgent request, you have a choice: prioritise the urgent request and delay the other work you had scheduled or take on the stress of overworking to appease both c...

1st year of business vs 2nd year of business + getting into a routine as a small business owner

Minja van der Paard from Relatable Design Co doesn’t sugarcoat the first year of being a small business owner. “It was crazy and chaotic, juggling two jobs plus life. I don’t even have kids either! I just had to do things on the go and as I needed to. It was hard.” But things eventually settled down, and now it’s a ride she definitely doesn’t regret, having found her groove in her second year of being in business. We had a chat with Minja, and she shared her story about her...

Tracking the impact graphic designers can have on their client’s business goals

As someone who has been in the business of design for more than 20 years, Tonia Reid from Greenhouse Creative has certainly seen her fair share of clients. Originally working as a Mac operator and desktop publisher, Tonia then moved into more of the traditional graphic design work such as posters, flyers and advertisements. But it wasn’t until she discovered the world of branding that she knew she had found ‘home’.  “Brand and brand strategy is where my heart is, because I...

Managing mindset and mental health while running your own design business

Going ‘out on your own’ as a graphic designer comes with a myriad of emotions. And while there are plenty of positive ones to experience, the negative ones are likely to come knocking at some point too. Even those who have been running businesses for many years still go through a roller coaster of ups and downs, like Tonia Reid who has been working for herself for more than 20 years. We had a chat with her about all things mental health and she shared some of her thoughts on what she ha...

Minja’s journey - From agency to freelance graphic designer

For Minja van der Paard, going out on her own as a graphic designer hadn’t been part of her plan. Then at the start of 2020, she faced two options for the next stage of her career. “I had this decision to make, but the one to become a small business owner was just screaming at me. So it was like it was meant to be, without me even making it happen.”Now she works from her home in Tauranga, running her own business Relatable Design Co, where she offers a range of graphic design services...

How Natalie White is championing community over competition as a graphic designer

As a freelance graphic designer, it’s hard to not to feel ‘threatened’ by other people doing the same stuff as you. Maybe you see that a gig you had quoted for actually got snapped up by another designer, or that there is someone else niching in the same area as you. Whatever the reason, we tend to naturally see other graphic designers as ‘the competition’, when in fact, there’s actually many wonderful reasons we should see them as a part of our community. And it just so happens...

Stuck when it comes to self promo? Here’s our Marketing 101 for Creatives

We all choose to go out on our own for various reasons. And it’s exciting to be at the helm of your own business, even if you’re ‘just’ a one-person-band!  But one of the hardest parts of working for yourself is having to wear so many ‘hats’ - you’re the decision-maker and the doer, the account manager and the sales rep, the complaints department and the customer rep. And amongst all this, you’re supposed to keep up with all the current marketing trends.   Or do yo...

Upcoming web design trends 2023

We caught up with the product and design team at Rocketspark to see what they think the upcoming website design trends are for this year. We discussed eight upcoming web design trends for you to keep an eye out for heading into the year. ...

Content gathering - going from despair to delight (mostly)

Do you struggle with gathering content from your clients? It can be a huge hindrance for graphic designers who are trying to move forward with a project. Someone who knows this very well is Grant Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Rocketspark. Rocketspark used to manage their own design projects and are very familiar with trying to gather content from clients and having all content and feedback come flying in at once on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. Over time, Grant and their little t...

How to prepare for the summer lull

The nature of owning your own design business can be scary when preparing for the summer lull when designers and their clients tend to go on holiday.  In the southern hemisphere there is the double whammy of Christmas and New Year holidays when clients head to the beach and design work coming your way tends to dry up. I reached out to a bunch of switched on designers and design businesses to see what they do to prepare for the quiet times so they can hit the ground running in the following ...