HXC Gaming

CHALLENGE

To Design a creative & clean website that is easily navigatable & looks good to their core audience.

RESULTS

A clean and well designed brand identity that was versatile and could be branded on apparel as well as other products.

SERVICES

Website Design
Online Store Design
Digital Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Consulting

HXC GAMING

Brand Values:

The Top video game company in Oklahoma & surrounding areas.
Creative
Innovative
Standing Out
Leaders of the Pack

OUR MISSION: CLEAN & CREATIVE WEBSITE DESIGN

This project was extremely fun for me to work on. I’ve known the owners of HXC gaming since 2014, and we’ve worked together in the past we sponsered their event. This time they wanted to recreate an entirely knew website to go along with their new movement & new growth in the gaming industry!

VIEW THE WEBSITE HERE: WWW.HXCGAMING.COM

Union Bros Meat Market

CHALLENGE

To Design a creative & clean branding that could be implemented in their storefront & website.

RESULTS

A clean and well designed brand identity that was versatile and could be branded on apparel as well as other products.

SERVICES

Branding
Print Design
Logo Design
Color Curation
Alt Logo Design
Alt #2 Logo Design
Illustration

UNION BROS MEAT MARKET

Brand Values:

Professional
Clean
Award Winning
Down Home
Standing Out
Leaders of the Pack

OUR MISSION: CLEAN & CREATIVE DESIGN

This project was from a returning client, he and his business partner reached out because they were starting a new meat market company in Georgia and needed some new branding for it. I Love working with them because of how easily they share ideas & are always positive about their vision for the project!

MODERN LOGO DESIGN PROCESS | STREETWEAR LOGO DESIGN FROM START TO FINISH

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MODERN LOGO DESIGN PROCESS | STREETWEAR LOGO DESIGN FROM START TO FINISH

MODERN LOGO DESIGN PROCESS | STREETWEAR LOGO DESIGN FROM START TO FINISH!

Hey guys!

Thanks for checking out the blog again! With this blog i’m embedding my youtube video about me creating a streetwear brand from scratch! I actually recorded me doing the entire project, the video is around a 40 – 45 minute video. So please take a break, relax and enjoy! Also don’t forget to subscribe!

Thanks for watching!!

MERCH:https://86vzns.com/shop

Thank you guys for watching! In this video, I designed an entire high-class clothing brand from scratch.

Project Details:

Logo Design
Business Card
Package Design
Color Infusion

Follow me on all social media! THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!!

Like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video!

Follow me on all social media!

–CONTENTS OF THE VIDEO–

0:00 – Intro
0:35 – Branding Research
2:05 – Logo Design
17:47 – Choosing & Applying Colors
20:08 – Business Card Design
34:55 – Package Design
37:16 – Outro

Author: Durrell Burris

PROS & CONS OF QUITITNG YOUR JOB TO FREELANCE FULL TIME

Freelance Tips, Graphic Design Tips

PROS & CONS OF QUITITNG YOUR JOB TO FREELANCE FULL TIME

Pros & Cons of quitting your job to freelance full time

What’s up guys, Today we’re going to talk about the 3 unexpected Pros & Cons of going full-time as a freelance graphic designer!

Here are the Pro’s of quitting your job to freelance full time!

Here are the pros that I’ve experienced, I honestly have experienced these wayyyy more than the Cons.

Freedom!

Pro #1, FREEDOM!!! Breh, waking up every day WHEN I WANT TO. Doing what I want to do has been life-changing, I honestly always dreamed of living this way, I used to sit at jobs daydreaming about being my own boss & being a digital nomad. I was watching you tubers traveling to different places and it always inspired me. I just actually went on a 3 city road trip with my GF last week for my birthday. We went to St Louis, Nashville & Memphis. It was an amazing experience, and it really made me thankful. It was always what I had dreamed about when I was at those jobs, just packing a bag with clothes, taking my laptop with me, and just hitting the road. Doing what I want to do & making a living off of my creativity. I’m so thankful that I get to do this, it makes all the hard times, frustration & disappointments over the years worth it. I truly feel like I’m living my purpose every day & that in itself is fulfilling. The feeling that you get when you’re doing what you love to do, & not what you HAVE to do to pay the bills is a different feeling. I wish this for everybody that views my videos. If I can help you get here or inspire you to get to this place in your life, I for damn sure will try!

More time to be Creative!

Pro #2, since I quit my job to freelance full time I’ve gotten more time to be creative! Having more time gives me more opportunities to be creative. I don’t feel a sense of urgency to cram everything in one day, I can flush my ideas out & just let them flow. I always set aside a time of day to just create. Whether it’s drawing, idea planning or just getting into adobe illustrator and creating something that no one will see. There’s no pressure, just freedom & creativity. One thing that has helped me a lot is getting out of the house and going for “Mental Health Walks” There’s something about just going for a walk in the middle of the day that makes me happy lol

The Validation

Pro #3, The Validation!! This is something I have been working at for years, even failed a bunch of times. I had to grow into this, and I still feel like I’m not quite where I want to be, even though I had been freelancing for years. A part of me still had imposter syndrome. I just didn’t feel validated, or like I deserved to even call myself a Graphic Designer. It was big insecurity for me, for whatever reason. It wasn’t until I got my first job in 2013 that I felt like I was truly a designer, quitting my job in 2021 gave me extreme validation. I let me know that 1, I was on the right path & 2, I can accomplish anything with patience & focus. Working for myself

Here are the Cons’s of quitting your job to freelance full time!

So let’s get the bad news out the way lol We gone talk about all the cons I’ve run into since going full-time as a freelance graphic designer is.

Pandemic After Effects

Con #1, Pandemic After Effects! Obviously quitting your job at the tail end of a pandemic sounds just absolutely stupid right? It might have been lmaooo but I did it anyway, I had nice savings & while I had that job, I was still getting consistent clients. I had also been hitting all of my sales goals for the past year leading up to my quitting, so what happened when I quit?? IT ALL DRIED UP LOL seriously, things dried up so fast. I was panicking like hell, and just feeling pressure since quitting my job. But I realized that it just gave me more time to find more ways to make money. So to supplement the income I started driving Door Dash. I felt like I was being tested, was I going to fold or keep going. The last time I quit my job, I folded, I had a wife & 2 dogs to worry about. This time, I’m divorced and live alone. It’s my time to go against the world, believe in myself, and fight for my dreams. Once I made the decision that I was going to go all out, things got better!

Inconsistent Money

Con #2, INCONSISTENT MONEY! Like I just spoke about things drying up, I went a few months without a new client. I had a couple of discovery calls with potential clients, but for the most part, things just weren’t just not coming through like I thought they would. I had a plan & tried to follow it to a T, during the doubt I was living off my savings & door dashing. It got scary real quick lol partly because during the adjustment I was still living like I had a paycheck. Which was completely wrong, DON’T DO THAT lol change your habits while you have a job so you can transition smoother. That’s one thing I’ve always known but still made the mistake. I had to forgive myself for making it again, but staying positive & staying creative has helped me a lot. Use the inconsistent income as motivation to create other streams of revenue. Whether it be apparel or downloadable products. The best thing for any creative is to create digital products so you can keep earning money while you sleep! I created these iPhone wallpapers that people have really enjoyed!

Clients Ghosting

Con #3, People Ghosting & Being Inconsiderate with your time! No matter what level you reach in business, bad clients are unavoidable. You can test them & look for red flags all you want, but some of them will through the cracks. Since I’ve quit my job to freelance full time, I’ve noticed that I’ve run into more tire kickers than ever! Lol, I get referred to people a lot more, but a lot of them are people who are looking for “Cheap” graphic designers that basically work for free. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s “Them Not Me” I can’t control how someone views our field of choice, all I can do is present myself as a professional & not let it affect me. I would early on get annoyed when I had discovery call’s set up with clients or had someone coming in HOT that would just ghost me. It used to really get to me, but I started to think that maybe it just wasn’t the best fit. I know that I’m going to attract who I need to attract and it’s better that way than forcing something that wasn’t meant to be. I create my best work when it just “Flows”!!

Thanks for reading our blog! you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7qLLXmOPu8

Yall have a great day, PEACE!!

Author: Durrell Burris

5 SIGNS ITS TIME TO QUIT YOUR JOB & FREELANCE FULL TIME

Freelance Tips, Graphic Design Tips

5 SIGNS ITS TIME TO QUIT YOUR JOB & FREELANCE FULL TIME

5 signs that it’s time to quit your job & freelance full time

Hey whatsup guys! Welcome back to the blog, today we’re going to talk about 5 signs that it’s time to quit your job and freelance full time!

You’re feeling complacent (at your job or in life)

You feel stuck, Like you’re not truly living your purpose, I’ve been there, way too many times. I remember being at jobs and just waking up going to work every morning HATING myself for it. I hated where I was at, but that hate pushed me to work those long days & sacrifice everything. To put partying & spending money on useless things to the side. I sold my shoe collection just so I could get to where I wanted to go faster. I truly couldn’t see myself 10 – 15 years from now working those dead-end jobs, feeling defeated. I hated that feeling more than anything. I needed to feel free.

Your side hustle is making more than your main hustle

Once you’ve built your brand up to where it’s earning you more than your main job is, then it might be time to go. For me, it was important to be able to cover my bills & lifestyle once I quit my job. I wanted to be able to make sure I’m taken care of in case anything happens. The first time I quit my job in 2016, I was not ready. Everything went to shit quickly afterward 7 I ended up having to find a job that paid me way less than the job I had before that. One day I will tell you guys about how bad it was back then, I have stories for days lol Bottom line, I wasn’t ready, and my business wasn’t either & I paid for it but I have no regrets because I needed that experience!

If you already have a steady flow of income & clients

When people are recognizing your work & seeking you out. It’s a pretty clear sign that you’re onto something, it means that your talent has worth & people value it. One of the main ingredients to becoming a successful freelance artist is to make sure you have a steady flow of income & clients. Clients that each month like clockwork are sending you a direct deposit or paying your invoice. This is important because, on months when things are dry, you know you can

You’ve learned how to manage your money

This here is the most important, managing your money is the main ingredient to surviving as a freelancer or business owner in general. It makes no sense to be spending your money as fast as it comes in. ZERO, your habits have to change when you quit your job because freelancing is at times inconsistent. Add that we’re in a pandemic and it can get ugly quickly! Lol, one thing that helped me stop blowing money fast was segmenting my bank accounts. I have 1 account for bills, another account for business bills, another one for business income, a personal savings account & a daily spend account. Just doing that made me change the way I viewed my income, you should try it! Also, leave a comment if you want me to make an in-depth video on the 5 banking account method!

You feel emotionally ready

My first time quitting my job and working for myself was crazy. Within the first 2 months, I had already lost money from bad clients, got in a wreck, and lost my truck after I had planned on selling it to invest in my business & also I went broke because I was still spending my money like I had a job & regular income lol I spent a few months fighting myself on selling my screen printing equipment & selling the business. Eventually, I ended up doing just that, I realized I was not ready in any way to handle working for myself, emotionally, I dealt with depression & self-hate because of it. I gained 15 lbs of fat during that time because I had failed & I couldn’t admit it. That period in life was truly eye-opening, it prepared me for this past March when I quit my job & went full time again! This time I was prepared, I had a plan, a nest egg, a savings account, clients that pay me every month & a vision. I’m not going to lie, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, things have been TOUGH! Lol no lie, it’s been tough, but the transition is a lot smoother this time than it was the last!

That’s the end of the blog guys, I hope you got something from this. If you did, please watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXH8Cm6SW4c&t=124s & share it with other freelance artists!

Have a good week! Peace!!!

Author: Durrell Burris

4 TYPES OF CLIENTS TO AVOID | CLIENT RED FLAGS!

Freelance Tips, Graphic Design Tips

4 TYPES OF CLIENTS TO AVOID | CLIENT RED FLAGS!

4 TYPES OF CLIENTS TO AVOID! | CLIENT RED FLAGS

What’s good guys, welcome back to the 86VZNS Design Co-blog, today we’re going to talk about 4 types of clients you should avoid! (RedFlags)!

Indecisive Clients

The indecisive clients, They don’t know what they want, and they don’t have an end date or end goal. YOU SHOULD RUNNNNN AWAYYY as fast as you can, these clients will have you making changes to projects that could’ve been finished months ago. They don’t usually mean to be rude, but they don’t see how time-consuming it is to make THE SAME changes to a project constantly! These clients usually can be reasonable when you explain what’s happening, but I typically try to avoid them at all costs.

Inconsiderate Clients

Inconsiderate clients, don’t appreciate or respect your time. They definitely don’t respect your creativity, don’t settle for these clients. These clients usually sound too good to be true. They are willing to pay in full and start off amazing with communication. But then you get one of those late-night text emails or texts that turns the entire project around. They’ve started overthinking the project and now want to start from scratch. Meanwhile, you’ve already been working on this thing for weeks!

Inconsistent Clients

Mr & Mrs. Inconsistent, They pop in and out of projects ruining your workflow, don’t explain why or apologize. These are hard to work with because as an artist you have to get into a rhythm to create, with these guys it’s impossible because of the inconsistency and lack of awareness on their part. Also, These clients are the hardest to get paid from, they will take their sweet time paying you. Meanwhile, your bills are calling your name lol You can’t really avoid them, because you can’t see them until after they’ve paid and you’ve spent months on the project. Just make sure to limit the number of projects you work on with them.

Nitpicky Clients

THE NITPICKERS (THE WORST) You can usually weed these types of clients out in the very beginning during the discovery call or after you present the contract & invoice. They will start off asking for minor changes, or constantly questioning everything that you’ve presented to them. As soon as they present this side of themselves, you should politely let them know that you don’t think you two would be a good fit for this project and keep it moving. It’s not worth the headache!

Anyway, guys, that’s the end of the blog today! If you enjoyed it, you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLXgc5uufpY

. I truly appreciate it! See you next week, I’m out!

Author: Durrell Burris

How to get your first Graphic Design Job

Freelance Tips, Graphic Design Tips

How to get your first Graphic Design Job

5 Tips To Attract Graphic Design Clients!

What’s up people!

Welcome back to the 86VZNS Design Co. Blog, today I’m going to give you all the secrets! This is how you attract graphic design clients!

Tip #1: Showcase your work

If you design logos, focus on emphasizing on logo design. Not only should you showcase the design of the logo, get into the process, and also put your logo designs on a few mockups to help your potential clients visualize what you already see for them. Understand that they can’t read your mind, so you need to lay it out for them.

Tip #2: Create your own website

Don’t just rely on dribbble, behance and social media platforms to get you, clients. Create a place where you can send traffic, that way if those platforms change in some way or shut down. It won’t hurt your brand, you’ll still have your own place to showcase your work. As well as you can sell products on your site, to increase your brand value!

Tip #3: Get Social!

SN: I know someone in the comments will say “you just said don’t rely on them” but it’s GREAT to use them as a buffer for to flex your skills & artwork. Use Dribbble, Pinterest, Behance and other portfolio sites as a tool to build a following, not a crutch. Re-route your following to your own platform (your website)! Focus on the quality of your community & Engage with them. If you “only” have 30 followers, that’s fine. Treat those 30 people like they’re your best clients you’ve ever had. Look at it like this, if 30 people walked in your bedroom right now it would be PACKED. Now imagine passing each of them 3 business cards. What if they all then passed out your business cards to 3 different people? That’s 90 potential eyes on your business. That’s how you grow it organically, focusing on that type of growth will build your empire to the point to where nothing can destroy it.

Tip #4: Understand your worth

Understand your worth as a creative & get paid what you feel you deserve. Don’t just accept EVERY job that comes your way, vet the prospective client first. Ask questions like “do you have a deadline for this project?, who designed your last project? How did that go?” and other questions to learn more about them. Remember they’re paying you for a service, but you don’t always have to accept the project. Some clients are a bad fit and some are just bad clients to begin with! Understand that you’re a rare breed, stop acting like you’re not. Plenty of people want to hire you because they can’t do what you do. Don’t forget that!

Tip #5: Focus on being a specialist

Focus on being known as “a specialist” to your friends & family so that their word of mouth can get you clients. Believe it or not, this is how I get most of my clients. Through referrals, its way easier for a client to invest in you when they’ve heard how good you are or how professional you may be from someone they trust. If it’s between you & a stranger, they’re going to pick you based off of the relationship they have with who referred them!

I hope these tips have helped you become a better designer & earn more money! If you would like to watch this in video form on our youtube channel, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWHO6yGd9Xs

Thank you for reading our blog!

Have a good one,

Durrell

Author: Durrell Burris

HOW TO ATTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGN CLIENTS

Freelance Tips, Graphic Design Tips

HOW TO ATTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGN CLIENTS