Methods and Mindsets for Successful Web Design Projects with Agency Boss Ben Seigel
The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Release Date: 10/19/2016
The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
That went quickly! Listen in to our live event where we commemorate 100 episodes of The Busy Creator Podcast and remark on the journey. This event was a crossover with the New York City Podcast Meetup, recorded at Small City Co-working space in Brooklyn.
info_outline There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo PracticeThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Craig Ward (@MrCraigWard) is a designer, art director, typographic artist, and author currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A UK native, he came to New York in 2009 shortly after being selected as an ADC Young Gun.
info_outline Going Hollywood, How Brittany Cormack Thrives as a Costume Designer Amid the Madness of Show BizThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Brittany Cormack is a costume designer for film and television. Following her training in fashion and dance, Brittany arrived in Los Angeles without a clue how to work in the movie business, but has since found her groove. She works primarily on independent films, commercials, and music videos, but every day is an adventure.
info_outline Practical Typographic Advice and Building an Education Business Alongside a Design Firm with Michael StinsonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Michael Stinson (@MWStinson) is a veteran designer, educator, and business owner. In addition to his work as a professor of graphic design, he also runs Ramp Creative, a branding studio in Los Angeles, as well as Type Ed, a dedicated typographic education business which helps creative pros return to form in the fields of typesetting and layout.
info_outline Becoming a Multi-Faceted Creative, and The Movie-Making Process with Filmmaker & Podcaster David PowerThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
David Power is a multi-purpose creative pro based in Brooklyn, NY. Since moving to New York, he’s worked in music recording & production, written several business books, penned screenplays, and helped write and perform in comedy films. His latest project is a podcast documentary of how a feature film is made.
info_outline Business Lessons for Creative Entrepreneurs & How to Launch an Online Community with Designer, Writer, and Podcaster Kathleen ShannonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Kathleen Shannon (@AndKathleen) is a graphic designer, brand strategist, and co-founder of Being Boss, a podcast and community for creative entrepreneurs. Kathleen began as a staff art director, but learned entrepreneurial habits working on her side projects and blogging. She's now seeking to become a media mogul and serve the creative community.
info_outline B-SIDE: Planning A Modern WordPress Website, with guest Avery SwartzThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Avery Swartz (@AverySwartz) joins Prescott to discuss the possibilities for the next version of BusyCreator.com. Together, the two discuss the capabilities of WordPress, best practices which Prescott is adopting (and should start), and the shortcomings of WordPress themes and plugins.
info_outline Methods and Mindsets for Successful Web Design Projects with Agency Boss Ben SeigelThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Ben Seigel (@versastudiollc) is a web designer and developer, and head of Versa Studio. In addition to managing projects and writing the necessary code for client sites, Ben has examined and written about the underlaying value of design, how small businesses and design agencies can work together toward successful ends.
info_outline Exploring Business Issues Faced by Creative Pros with Author & Professor Douglas DavisThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Douglas Davis (@DouglasQDavis) is a graphic designer, professor, consultant, and author of the new book Creative Strategy and the Business of Design. The book, which follows his recent talks and workshops, explores business issues that face creative professionals, especially those which may not even seem apparent.
info_outline Balancing a Design Practice and Co-Working Space in New York City, with Jessi Arrington & Creighton MershonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Jessi Arrington (@JessiArrington) and Creighton Mershon (@Cr8tonMershon) are the founders of Workshop, a Brooklyn-based creative agency, as well as the proprietors of Small City, a new co-working space and home to dozens of independent creative pros.
info_outlineBen Seigel (@versastudiollc) is a web designer and developer, and head of Versa Studio. In addition to managing projects and writing the necessary code for client sites, Ben has examined and written about the underlaying value of design, how small businesses and design agencies can work together toward successful ends.
In this conversation, we dig into content management systems on websites, discuss managing remote teams, remark on transitioning from a pure developer to a business owner, and share some common ailments of working with small businesses on their brand and web design projects.
Website Planning for Small Business
Grab Ben’s eBook, Website Planning for Small Business, and catch up with him via the website for Versa Studio.
Get The Episode
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 94 (MP3, 54:50, 26.5 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 94 (OGG, 54:50, 26.2 MB)
Subscribe to Get New Episodes
Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart
Sponsor
Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.
Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com
Show Notes & Links
- Versa Studio is a distrubuted team, building websites & brands for small business and non-profits
- Ben previously ran a lawn service and worked internally in the insurance industry
- HAM Radio
- Commodore 64, Prescott’s first computer
- The Internet of Things
- Versa Studio works with ExpressionEngine and Craft, exclusively
- WordPress
- Nick Spriggs, previous guest on The Busy Creator Podcast
- Vector Media hosts the New York City Craft Meetup
- Register for a temporary live installation of Craft
- Ben manages projects, but also still writes code and works on the sites
- Ben runs the Madison Web Design/Development Meetup
- Big Data
- Periscope
- Ben’s eBook, Website Planning for Small Business
"If someone wants to spend $20k on a project, but won't take 2 hours to read a plan ... they're not going to be a good client."
—Ben Seigel
- Prescott’s eBook, Building Brands
"You need a 'minimum viable brand' before any website."
—Prescott Perez-Fox
- Prescott wants the “power of suggestion” as his business superpower. Ben prefers a version of ESP.
- Request for Proposals (RFP)
"(an RFP) is a really great way to waste a whole bunch of peoples' time."
—Ben Seigel
- Brennan Dunn, Roadmapping
- A “Warm RFP” has a higher chance to succeed
"You can read four proposals. You probably can't read 19."
—Prescott Perez-Fox
- Current (October 2016) Facebook image guidelines
- Full Employment Act
- Bespoke aka custom-built
- Tim Ferriss
"We're not built to sit all day. We're also not built to stand. We gotta move."
—Ben Seigel
- Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin
- Graceland by Paul Simon on Amazon
- Derek Sivers
- Versastudios.com/now — what Ben is doing now
- Versa Studio
- Versa Studio on Twitter
- Versa Studio on Facebook
- Ben Seigel on LinkedIn
Tools
Techniques
- If given the opportunity, build a new platform fresh without links to the past ten years of legacy code
- Connect with people in person rather than social
- Break a project into steps/phases, so you can learn about the client as you go
- Build a “Helvetica-Vanilla” version of your website while you test-and-iterate on brand, content, visual styles
- Counter an RFP with an honest, candid phone call or conversation
- Ask about the competition for proposals/pitches/tenders
- Review a project through a post-mortem
- Auto-answer common email questions
- Pomodoro Method
Habits
- Create a “framework” for your projects; share it with clients and industry
- Start projects with an “assembly line” for beginning a project
- Call Templates “Starting Documents”
- Be flexible on your standards and workflow
- Save code snippets and text macros as you work on projects; you’ll likely need to use them again.
- Always move during the day
- Work toward your daily practices
Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days
Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
Get 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business by Jane Applegate as a free audiobook
Join the Discussion
Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.