It is understandable way designers don’t enjoy tracking their time. Time works against them and several ways. Designers often take pride in the speed they can get things done. They are constantly championed to do design work.
It is vital in the ever-advancing WordPress community that web designers maintain a similar evolution of professional skill to that of WordPress itself. There is a major transformation that occurs in the journey from DIY freelancer to an agency designer. The ability to clearly understand the value effective design brings to business: how to properly track time, write estimates, and remain profitable is crucial.
When a designer gives me an estimate, I traditionally have to triple it. The one third estimate is caused by several factors, the main one being designers have been trained to only value the last step of their own process.
Let’s face it, we’ve all been asked to do logos and brochures for free. And when it’s not free we are challenged (or guilted) to be fast, we are thus rewarded not for doing the “right” design, but for doing a fast (cheap) design.
Designers need to rethink the true function of a designer.
- Discover or define the problem;
- Solve the problem;
- Produce the solution, the design.
It is step number three designers often consider the only valuable or billable work.
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