Work for Money, Design for Love: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business (Voices That Matter)

I spent years in an advertising agency only to realize that it wasn't what I initially wanted to do. I was a graphic designer. I created art that was applicable to promoting a message for the companies that hired my agency. But, working under the iron fist of the art director, creative director and the client, I felt that my creativity was getting lost in their backwards thinking. Airey's book gave me the know how and courage to close that chapter of my life and begin anew. I'm now a competent freelance designer that knows how to say "NO!" to a client that just won't help me further my business and allow for my creativity and ideas to run wild. This book has provided me with many great starting points for my business and I'm positive that any creative person out there will benefit from a read through, or two.

I have followed David's blog for a couple of years now and also read his first book Logo Design Love so this was a no brainer for me. If you are familiar with David's writing, then you won't be surprised to hear that this book is an easy read. David always keeps things simple and easy to understand. I'd say about half of the book is his experience and the other half are contributions from fellow designers who started their own design businesses. There are some really valuable insights in the book and some of the best ones are more about what not to do.Starting a business of any kind is a huge undertaking. If you are starting a design business, this covers pretty much everything you need to get started. Chances are you will make mistakes along the way so read this book and hopefully you'll make less of them.

This book is EXTREMELY HELPFUL for new freelance designers. However it is a bummer that the book is such poor quality! Keep having to tape pages back in because they fall out :/

Really great book for any designer or freelancer. I would recommend it for anyone thinking about taking that leap to working for themselves. Even for those that have been at it for a while, there are stories and points that Airey makes that may surprise you. I'm very happy that i came across this book. Funny enough I was going to make some of the same mistakes Airey has stated he made in his career, but after reading his experiences it's help put me in the right direction. Full of great tips and lessons by Airey and other well respected creative professionals.

Teaches you the basics of needs to know and explains that ultimately experience and decisions you make will shape your business. But this gives you a guide on how to maneuver several situations.

I loved this book! I highly recommend it to all types of designers. David has an amazing talent, not only in design, but in educating at a level everyone can understand. Although this book is geared towards designers with their own business or looking to start up their own business, I found it to be most informative in all realms of design. As an in-house graphic designer for 14 years, it was easy to take each section of the book and apply it to my world of corporate design, with my clients being co-workers and senior executives. I learned a lot from this book and was truly inspired!

This rating is based solely off the quality of the book! I didn’t even get to page 10 and two pages had already fallen out without me even pulling on the pages. Very disappointed in the quality. I thought the $30+ I was spending would mean I’d get a good quality book I could keep for years without it falling apart. I just want to keep reading but every time I flip a page it starts to get loose and fall out.

The advice in this book is invaluable! Airey covers a lot of freelance territory, but in a way that is easily readable and understood. The author is doing a huge service to design freelancers -- and really, any budding entrepreneur -- by providing guidance, sharing personal experience, and ENCOURAGEMENT. I will refer to this book again and again.

Invaluable reference for aspiring freelance designers. I read this book while building up my profile as a freelancer and when my first proper client came along I was able to customise the T&C's suggested in the book at the start of the project and I charged a 50% deposit for my work without any hitches. The project went very well. I am sure I will be referring back to this book in the future as my career as an independent designer develops.

Was really looking forward to reading this book but once I opened it I was so disappointed with the print quality! The pages are nice quality but every the ink on every 10 pages throughout the book have severely bled & while it’s still legible I’m not paying £20.99 to keep a book like this. I have reordered another copy while I’m returning this one that’s just arrived. Hopefully it’ll come decently printed. I’ll update with the outcome.I want to also say that the contents written within the book look like it’s going to be a great read!

I've been following David Aiery for a few years and decided to purchase this. I'm not too far through it yet but it seems to hold some great tips and advice. I've been a professional designer myself for many years so wondered if this would offer anything new. I believe it will so feel it was a good purchase. I'd also recommend his other book Logo Design Love which offers great advice on logo design.

This is a fantastic book, I can’t recommend it enough. As a graphic designer in my final few weeks of my BA degree, this book has helped me plan my future in freelance design. It covers everything from how to pick clients to how to price and manage your own work. It’s full of wisdom and knowledge from an experienced practitioner, and honestly I wish the book never ended! The advice was incredibly valuable

I have just taken quite a big risk moving to Norway to set up as a freelancer again after 2 years teaching design and working on the side for myself. Just before I left in January I ordered a copy of the book. Based on the hours I've spent reading through the blog I assumed the book would be just as inspiring, insightful and reassuring and I was not let down. This book has given me the confidence and the extra knowledge needed to fill various gaps in my working experience over the last 8 years. It couldn't have come at a better time. I've been freelance before and wished for a book like this, now as the moon and the stars and the mountains have aligned it's arrived! By far the best book for anyone about to or currently on an independent design path!