What to do if you don’t have any live site examples for clients
This question came from @theconstruct (Herman Valencia) his question asked about what to do if you can’t show sites because they are not live yet or you are under an NDA with the client. I am going to answer this in a broader way. He poses a valid question & I would like to share my thoughts.
Show Screen Caps
I think that showing JPG’s or screen caps of the live site are totally acceptable. I have seen many a design portfolio that has this to “showcase” their designs. I also have seen them link to the site when it is live. The ability to do your job and communicating that you can do it to the client are two totally different things.
Show the client your Resume
By showing your client your resume you are solidifying the fact that you can do what you say you can do. For Example you list your skills and assets in your resume and it clearly states you can code in HTML or PHP and give the client another reason for them to feel OK that you can in-fact design.
Get References from Previous Gigs
If they are having doubts that you can do the job contact and get references from your previous web design clients and have these on hand for a situation like this. It could be hard for the client to grasp that you can do the work or they could have been burned before & just needed a little bit of comfort.
Do Pro-Bono Work
In Herman’s case he can’t show any of the others because he is under NDA’s and needed a way to show his abilities. A great idea the community came up with was to do some Pro-Bono work. You get to give away your wonderful design & dev talent and a needy client/friend/charity gets something in return. Make sure if you do do some pro-bono work that you send a receipt (with a $0 balance) but for them to see the value of what you did. So if you spent 12 hours and usually charge $55 an hour make sure you detail that out. Its important that they value your pro-bono efforts so they appreciate creative services in the future.
Stick to Your Guns
If you know you can design sites and you have shown them screen caps, a live site and provided your resume/references then maybe you should let them choose another designer. There are many clients out there and a load of heartache is not worth it before the design & dev process even begins. You don’t have to be ugly or hateful about the conversation. Be professional and make sure that they understand that things are just not working and no hard feelings on either side.
Your Response!
Now it’s your turn. What do you think? Do you have any other ideas for him or did I cover them all? Voice your opinion in the comments.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
What about self-initiated projects? These are a great way to experiment with design, code with latest technologies, and inject your creativity in. If you don’t have any clients, make up one. The objective is to show that you are capable of developing a website. Not only will you grow, but it will show the client or potential employer that you take initiative and can manage a project from start to finish without any supervision.
Amen, Noel. I feel like I definitely grow the most and learn far more on self-initiated projects.
@Noel
That’s an awesome idea. That is really a great way to set your mind free and let it flow. You are the client.
Hey guys, thanks for the support on this subject. I must say I’m not very good at coding, but I’m learning. Truth is, I will never be a kickass front end dev. I’d rather focus on the design aspect. That being said, I need to find a dev I can partner up with to get what I want designed to work properly. Luckily I do get around my community locally to know enough successful businesses with horrible sites (flash sites) that could use a renovation. We’ll see how proposals for pro-bono webdesign work out this January. I already have an in with most owners, now I gotta come to them with my skills. Any suggestions on presentations or stories about your own emergence would be awesome. Thanks again for the support DCTH has shown me in lighting my way through.