CJ: I've been listening to The Reflex Blue Show since it was the Be A Design Cast and have always enjoyed it. I am starting a research paper for class where we interview a designer, and I know Nate and yourself always have cool anecdotes. Would you mind answering four or five short questions for my paper?

DB: Of course. Although cool anecdotes at eight in the morning will be limited.

DB: Everyone takes time off of work eventually. I find the best thing to do is just inform the clients that you know will be contacting you during that time and let them know you'll be out of the office (clients take vacations too, they understand). Turn down work you know you won't be able to get done. While I was answering these questions I actually had a client call for a rush project (due Monday), but since I will be gone this weekend, I had to say no. Almost all places you travel to now have Internet connections to check email with if needed, which is great for emergency projects, and bad for not giving you a true vacation.

CJ: Do you think it is important to have a design philosophy? Do you have one?

DB: I wish I had some great philosophy I could just drop on you right now, but I don't. If I think about it, I just try to do work that is understood and easy to follow for the intended audience. I think it's more important to have a dedication to design than to have a philosophy about it.

CJ: Why did you decided become an author and podcaster on design?

DB: Because someone asked me. It's really that simple. I started writing for Be A Design Group when I got an email from Bennett and Adrian looking to add authors to their site, and I thought I'd give it a try. I enjoyed it enough to continue. Nate Voss had already decided to start a podcast with Tom Nemitz when they were looking to get another guest or two to appear on the first episode with them. It sounded like fun, and would only take a couple of hours of my time, so though I'd give it a try. Ends up, I actually enjoyed it, and co-hosted the show for the next two years. I try to make it a policy to always ask a few questions before saying no to a new project or idea, and continue doing things I find entertaining. I started teaching college classes in website development and design for the same reason, because someone asked if I would.

CJ: If time was not an issue, how do you know when your done with a project?

DB: There are a lot of projects where time is not an issue I have worked on: my own company website and stationery, the 36 Point website, launching a new podcast, and design manifestos. I always know it's done when I'm happier with it than I am with whatever it will replace. With websites, they're never done anyway, so you just launch and build on what is there. With client work, you're done when you come up with a solution you would be happy to use yourself. I find that time helps not as a determination of when to end a project, but more of a motivation on when to start. When you know you have limited time, you actually start that project you have been holding off on.

CJ: Any thoughts on which presidential nominee has the best logos or designs?

DB: Obama. On strictly design criteria, are the runner-ups even close? Armin Vit gives a better explanation on why it works better than I ever could here.

If anyone out there disagrees, or wants to give additional input to CJ for his paper, please leave comments below.

The main difference to me is that you're either doing overflow work for a creative shop and/or ad agency, or working directly with a client on random jobs that the majority of are too small to outsource to an agency, and would be considered ideal for an in-house designer if they had one (or if it was a high enough priority). As before, these things I learned are listed in no particular order:

2. You Are Temporary
It's called overflow work for a reason. Eventually it will either go away, or become enough that they hire someone full-time to do the job. I've been in a few spots where I was offered a job this way (always flattering even when you have to decline), and it means you either take the job or you lose the work completely. This is something you have to be ready for, and it's a business, so don't be upset when this happens. If they get busy again, you will be on the list to call. I have found that working as a 'temporary employee' is a great way to learn different philosophies on dealing with clients, how to pitch work, and how to build files. These are invaluable things if you ever go out on your own.

3. You Don't Have to Work in Their Office
It's been a few years since I looked into the details, but in order to not be considered an employee of a company by the IRS, and to be a true contractor, a few things need to be followed that include not requiring you have set hours, not requiring a specific location you need to work at, and not requiring that they specify the exact way you complete the work (i.e. what software to use). It may be of your benefit to work on-site regardless, as it keeps you in their mind for those little jobs when they are trying to figure out who to hand it off to.

4. Don't Be Offended
This work isn't for everyone. You have to understand that even though you don't work there, the work represents the agency it's done for, and they have the right to show (or not show) what they feel is best. Depending on your availability, and the availability of their own staff, you may just be making minor type revisions on work that is already complete. You may also end up coming up with a whole new campaign for an initial pitch, and someone else may make all of the changes. If you're the type to be upset when someone else alters your work or finishes the project without your input, straight freelance may be the better option. The advantage is the opportunity for a single freelancer to work on larger projects and learn what it's like to work with a team.

5. Take Less Money
Contract work will sometimes pay less than freelance work either because there is now a middleman in there taking a cut from the client (it is their client), or it's direct overflow work from an in-house department and probably not work deemed worthy of full agency rates. There are things that can be offered in these cases that make it worthwhile to take a smaller hourly rate on your end: the fact that there is much less time selling to new clients on each project (consider it like paying a salesperson a commission), a guaranteed amount of hours, and a written contract guaranteeing such hours (these usually come with a 30 day cancellation option for either party).