Читать книгу Start & Run a Graphic Design Business - Michael Huggins - Страница 94

The very first question to ask is, “Where will you be doing your work?” It all starts with a comfortable work environment. The nice thing about the design business is that you don’t need a lot of space to do it. Almost any reasonable space or room will do. I recommend having a room that you use exclusively for your office and only your office. It doesn’t need to be large, just big enough so that you can outfit it with a few necessities. You’ll obviously need a desk where you’ll keep your computer workstation. You’ll also need a place to file your work projects, job dockets, reference books, and other resource material so you’ll probably want to have a filing cabinet and a set of bookshelves.

Depending on your design approach, the only other thing you may want in your office space is an area separate from your computer station for concept planning, sketching, or creating mock-ups (i.e., 3D-style design prototypes). You can probably get by with a room no bigger than 120 square feet, depending, of course, on what’s available and what you’re comfortable with.

Since this is a service-based business you will be meeting with clients frequently. Eventually having a reception area or various office rooms, such as a boardroom for client meetings, would be nice, but it’s not a must in the beginning. If you are starting out from a modest office or out of your home, try and schedule all your client meetings at your client’s office. That way the type of office and the size it is will be a nonissue and you can focus on doing the work instead of being self-conscious about your work space. Now the question is, what kind of space is best for you?

The following sections cover the pros and cons of working from home or renting an office. This is something you should carefully consider before you start your business, because there are definite upsides and downsides to each.