And for those that may not be familiar Leslie’s story, he skipped his senior year of high school and graduated a junior. Went straight to Harvard in the fall of 1994 at 15 years old, graduated at the age of 19 with a degree in Government and Economics. So its safe to say dude’s a prodigy.

Get familiar!

For my iPhone users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ix5dicdL7c

More on Leslie, Grinding at the age of 15, in 94′ (youtube)

These are always good to see. Shows just how creative ad agencies and designers can be. Incredible stuff that I probably would not have thought of [YET]. Imagine what they charge for something like that!!!!!!

I’ll be there in a minute.

Share your thoughts!

Here are a few of my favorites from the post: (After the jump)

Check out the post

So here’s my dedication to the useful iPhone Web Apps that I still use regularly. (after the jump)
I’m sure there’s a ton of them out there that I may not even know about, or just forgotten, but feel free to suggest.

Google Reader/IGoogle - http://www.google.com/ig/i
Great RSS Reader.
There are a number of native RSS Readers available that are pretty good. SmartRSS being one of them. But having to wait while the feeds are updating can become a chore. But with Google Reader, since its web based, it refreshes content as you open it. Along with the good looking UI and speed, its definitely one of the best RSS readers on your iPhone. And since you have to sign in, your subscriptions are stored and you don’t have to import or add your feeds manually.

NewsGator Mobile - http://m.newsgator.com
Another great RSS Reader. Especially good if you already have a NewsGator account and/or use a NewsGator desktop app. NewsGator Mobile syncs your feeds and keeps everything up to date. And the Icon fits right in with the your home screen.

Digg - http://digg.com/iphone
No brainer!
If you’re a Digger, I’m sure you already use this. Great UI, and lets you browse different topics and categories, read comments, and digg articles.

Myspace - http://mobile.myspace.com/
Ok, the Mobile MySpace site sucks…bad!!! But its still functional if you just going to check messages, see comments, even accept or decline friends. So I does do what I guess you need it to do, but its just ugly doing it.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com
Facebook, on the other hand, does what it needs to, its fast, and looks very good doing it. The only thing I wish it did was allow you to comment on photos.

iRovr -http://www.irovr.com/
Another cool community to kill time with. You can post and comment on blogs, photos, bookmarks, or just whatever’s gone at the time. And since its VERY active, it makes for great dialog. Best iPhone Social Networking site, hands down.

JiWire WiFi Finder - http://iphone.jiwire.com/
Say you just want to find a nice lil cafe or coffee shop to relax and go broke on lattes while surfing Mobile Safari on a wifi network. Well launch JiWire and get it the searchin!

AOL TV Listing/TV Forecast - http://iphone.television.aol.com
I’m a big TV/DVR head. But sometimes I need to be reminded when some of my favorite shows come on. TV Forecast is good for that and it give you a a brief summary of the next episode. The only drawback is that you have to enter each show manually. And since there’s no account to create or log in, it saves with your Cache. So if you empty you cache files….your lineup is gone!
AOL’s TV Listing is good - pretty straight forward and does its job.

Fandango - http://iphone.fandango.com/
There’s plenty of sites that let you search movie show times and theaters. Fandango also lets you buy tickets from your phone. So I didn’t have to worry about Speed Racer selling out because I already had my ticket. Had no reason to fear though. The site also lets you read the synopsis and Critic Reviews.

Fumbleview - http://fumbleview.com/
For update NFL Scores and Live Game Play by Plays! Great App! And runs very well! You can also comment on games, plays, etc. using a Twitter account.

SportsTap - http://sportstap.mobi/
For quick and real time sport scores, schedules, etc. and a number of sports and leagues.

Zagat - http://www.zagat.mobi/
Need to find some local entertainment spots to Eat, Drink, Stay, Play? Great for when on the road or in an unfamiliar area.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com
Just like the website. You can log into you account, browse the different categories, read comment and reviews and even check order details etc.

Paypal - https://mobile.paypal.com
Stripped down, but still can be useful. You can only view accounts and send money. It would be cooler if you could also withdraw funds and send invoices.

Ebay - http://m.ebay.com
The Ebay we know and love. Complete with My Ebay, item description, photo, etc. And when paying, it directs you to the mobile Paypal site. They can’t seem to get enough of each other.

Local Wireless - http://www.localwireless.com
Get you local news. You would punch in you town and it would usually connect to the local ABC affiliate news site. I get ABC 7 NYC, and ABC 6 Philly.

Bank Sites - Need to know how much money you have in your account before you upgrade to that iPhone 3G? Simple log into you bank’s site and get your shop on! I use Wachovia, but there are quite a few Banks with mobile sites that are very useful.

Again, I’m sure there’s a few that I failed to list. Feel free to suggestion and introduce me to what iphone web apps you use. Next I’ll probably list some of my favorite iphone friendly websites.

So my office hours will consist of NO WIFE (my wife’s understanding), NO TV, NO PS3, NO BLU-RAY and NO FACEBOOK. Just a cup of coffee, my laptop and a locked door. I’ll call this my black out time.

So here’s some good pointers about staying motivated and productive from a write at the Freelance Folder, after the jump.

What do you think motivates a person to quit his day job and go web working full time? Well, there are many reasons and each individual has his own story. But overall, I think one of the primary reason behind this decision is that we think we’ll have more time for ourselves and our family, and we’ll be our own boss.

It’s true that there is nothing like gaining total control of those 24 hours, however it’s equally true that being conscious of such a control makes web workers lazy and they tend to slack and procrastinate, which further results in loss of productivity.

So it’s necessary that, as a web worker, you do not lose that mindset you had when you were working 8 hours at a day job and followed a schedule everyday. Here are some tips which could help bring that discipline back into your life and make you a better web worker.

1. Decide Work Hours
2. Organize Your Work Space
3. Make A Schedule And Stick To It
4. Take Time Off - Seriously!

Read the full article where he explains each one.

Every week, I get emails from potential clients who all want to know one thing: How much for a design?

Nine times out of ten, my answer causes them to run for the hills. Scary thing is, based on industry buzz, my prices could actually be considered totally reasonable by comparison. Don’t believe me? Well, today you get the whole scoop - my prices, their prices, and my always-priceless editorial commentary on the subject

My Prices
For the sake of argument, I’m going to constrain today’s post to blog design only.

When people email me and ask for a quote, I always follow the same process. I visit their current site and determine the following:

The current CMS platform (WordPress, MovableType, Drupal, etc.)
The scope of the site - how many unique styling elements will be required for specialty pages?
The perceived complexity of the re-design. Does this person want a graphical masterpiece with all kinds of bells and whistles?
Generally speaking, there’s not a whole lot of variance in these areas from blog to blog, so after checking out the site in question, I usually have a good idea of how much to charge. Now, to answer the question you all want to hear…How much is all this gonna run ya?

At this time, blog designs start at $1500. This price is for a blog that has minimal graphical complexity, no customized icons, and no logo production. What you do get at this price is rock-solid, hand-crafted, browser-tested CSS, XHTML, and simple (but striking) graphic design.

In most cases, bells and whistles like plugin support, unique page designs, and extra graphics push the price up into the $1800-$2000 range. From there, the price is largely dictated by page-specific CSS/XHTML production and custom graphic design. It’s totally conceivable that a pimped out blog could run as much as $3000. Rest assured, though, that it would be totally badass, and the recipient of the design would receive mad props for having such a killer online abode.

Full Article

But we can all remember when Yahoo was just a directory of words on a page. We’ll they’ve come along way. Through the advancements of web browsers, companies and designers are able use different web technologies and languages that obviously didn’t exist and weren’t supported years ago.

It is interesting to see how web design has developed over the years. 10 years ago web design was a basic form of delivering information in an organised way with tables and the odd animated gif to catch the users eyes. Now it has become an art.

In this article I will look at how 3 of the biggest websites (Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple) have developed over the past 10 years.

Read Full Article here

I stumbled across a great article that I thought I’d share. Here are a few items that I found most interesting. The full list can be found after the jump, or by visiting youthedesigner.com.

Below is a common list of issues designers have to deal with while working with clients on projects and how to avoid or solve those issues in a professional manner.

1. Wanting Great Designs for Cheap Prices
3. Slow Payments
4. Not Planning out the Project Upfront
5. Not Giving you all the Copy and Images Needed up Front
7. Forcing you to use Poorly Designed Logos and Other Elements
9. Asking for Way too Many Revisions
10. Asking for Additional Work on top of the Original Agreement
14. Canceling Projects
15. Returning Many Months Later for Login Information
16. Asking for Files Years Later
20. I Know Everything

1. Wanting Great Designs for Cheap Prices
Because everyone seems to have Photoshop and know a designer nowadays, many clients tend to have a bad idea of what design is worth. While it can be ok to have low prices when you are starting out, when you are confident enough and your work is good enough you should come up with prices that make it worth your time.

Many clients also try to outsource their projects to India and other places where designers work for rock bottom prices, but you need to stick behind your work and hold out for those clients who know what you are worth. Let them know why you are the best choice!

2. Asking you to Design on Spec
This is when clients want to see a finished design before they pay. You should avoid doing this as much as possible, but in times of desperation it could be he only option. Be confident though and let clients choose you based on your portfolio and not on spec. Be especially careful of designing on spec for people on classifieds and forums because it’s a common scam in places like those where they really are not clients, but designers themselves looking to steal your work and use it for their own projects.

3. Slow Payments
Some clients are notorious for paying slowly or not at all. The way I combat this is to ALWAYS require a down payment before I begin work. For smaller project I usually ask for all the money upfront and I never send the final files until I receive the last payments.

4. Not Planning out the Project Upfront
I find it extremely important to plan out a project as much as possible before starting work. Even if they have a tight deadline make it clear the project must be fully planned out before you begin. After all meetings and discussions are done write up an estimate listing all of the details of the project and your prices and terms.

5. Not Giving you all the Copy and Images Needed up Front
This is probably one of the most common bad habits of clients. I try to stress several times that I require all copy and images before I begin and this usually gets them to give it to me on time. Although don’t be surprised if you end up having to design using dummy text and make annoying adjustments later to fit the actual copy.

6. Not Having High Resolution Images for Print Projects
This is usually due to the fact that clients do no understand the fine points of resolution or that they just do not have any high resolution images available. Try recommend using high resolution stock photography or illustrations instead, but if they really must use those images try to keep them as small as possible. If this happens make sure you write in your contract that the images provided were of low resolution and may not reproduce well when printed.

7. Forcing you to use Poorly Designed Logos and Other Elements
Many times clients will ask you to include pre-existing logos or other design elements within the project you are working on. You will have to judge when and when not to argue this if you feel it hurts the overall design. Learning how to negotiate and inform clients on what you believe is best can be considered an art form and takes practice!

8. Can you Make that Type Bigger?
This has always been on ongoing battle between designers and clients and has become a sort of inside joke for designers. Even Paula Scher commented on the issue by naming on of her books Make It Bigger.

9. Asking for Way too Many Revisions
This one can be pretty easily avoided by establishing a set amount of revision rounds and initial concepts before starting a project. Make sure you get this in writing or at least save your emails where they agree to your specifications. This is most commonly done in the logo and identity design area of graphic design.

10. Asking for Additional Work on top of the Original Agreement
This one can be good or bad. It’s bad when they spring additional work on you and don’t want to pay more, but it’s good if your agreement outlines the pricing for additional work.

11. Never Available to Questions or to Look at Samples
Often clients can be extremely busy and working on multiple projects at once. As designers it’s important for us to be able to contact our clients to show them samples, revisions and ask important questions. This one is really up to you guys. You can either try and deal with it and get the project done or you can let the client know about the issue and try and resolve it or drop them.

12. Pinning Printing Costs on You
Many designers handle printing for clients, but I try to stay away from this. I’ve seen way too many clients try and stick designers with outrageous printing bills because of an error in the final design. I basically say I can recommend printers to you and do an initial check of the files to make sure they are print ready, but it’s up to you and your printer to do a final prepress check and make sure the files are correct, because I will not be held responsible for any printing costs whatsoever.

13. Not willing to pay for Additional Costs
This usually turns out bad if you try to spring additional costs on clients at the end of the project. Once again this problem can easily be avoided if you specify upfront what the additional costs are or might be. This can include stock photography, stock illustrations, printing costs and rush fees.

14. Canceling Projects
Whether you or a client decided to end a project you should be covered in some way. Using a contract again is a simple way to protect yourself. Simply state that if a project is canceled, you will invoice for work completed up until that point. Some designers give no refunds at all and some are happy to refund clients if they are the ones who drop the client because of issues.

15. Returning Many Months Later for Login Information
I recently had a client from over two years ago contact me in desperation because he lost certain login information. Lucky for him I keep good records and I was easily able to look up his info. I’m not sure what would have happened if I didn’t have it, but having it in my records made it an easy problem to solve.

16. Asking for Files Years Later
Similar to log in information clients often misplace files you send them. I always keep files on my computer, even from projects years ago and I make sure to back up my files on multiple external hard drives.

17. Legal Action
No one likes this one, but it does happen so be prepared. Always save emails and paperwork in case you need to present them as evidence. Also make sure you find a lawyer that can help you if something comes up. Ask family and friends if they know any good lawyers who would be willing to represent you if a problem occurs.

18. Over Controlling
Some clients are very over controlling and don’t allow for much creative freedom. When dealing with an over controlling client it’s important to let them know you are the designer without sounding to harsh or rude. Just give them your honest opinion on issues and suggest things when you can without being to pushy.

19. Lack of Research & Planning
Sometimes clients want a website or some other project done, but they have absolutely no idea what’s going on. By this I mean they have done no research or planning before hand, but still want a complicated website that’s easy to update.

This makes things extremely difficult for designers because we have to explain every last detail several times for clients. While helping clients is our job there are some clients who really need to go back to the start and do more research on what they are getting themselves into.

20. I Know Everything
Similar to over controlling clients, some clients think they know everything there is to know about design and what your job entails. They tend to tell you exactly what to do with your designs and can be very pushy. Sometimes you have to just deal with this, but as mentioned before don’t be afraid to give your input. I mean they did hire you because you are a professional designer right?

http://youthedesigner.com/2007/11/30/20-horrible-habits-of-clients/