[Terri Roberts]
I think developing your own style is really important. We hire people all the time based on their particular style. It helps them stand out, and shows they have a unique point of view. Sure, maybe you won’t be right for every job but that’s OK. Some people are killer at one thing and clients seek them out for their particular skill set. That said, the gig is to create for other people and other brands. So you have to be versatile and adaptable. You have to get inside the head of the brand you are working on and speak in that voice, or design in that look and feel.

[Aaron Draplin]
I always try to hone in on this: What’s appropriate for the job? My goofy, little style? Or something completely crafted for the problem, that might be out of my wheelhouse? It all comes down to the problem at hand, and how to solve it the best way graphically. I’d wage that being “versatile” is the best policy. And if that gets a little drab, then hell, make the stuff you love on your own time! Where you can be whatever you want. And make whatever you want to make. Go!

[Jud Haynes]
I feel that fresh out of school you shouldn’t worry about having a style - create as much work as possible and over time that style will present itself. Try your hand at everything and see what you enjoy most. I started working at an ad agency, then went to an IT company, then realized I like working for musicians so I left to corporate stuff behind and went out on my own. But I was as diverse as possible for the first 6-8 years out of school before starting to see where my skills fit best, and what types of projects got me excited to go to work. I have adopted a couple styles over the years and think that people hire me for those specifics. I don't get asked to create work that doesn't fit my niche very often anymore, folks seem to know what I'm best at, and thankfully keep allowing me to push further in those directions.

[Terri Roberts]
Research the hell out of that client. Get to know their business and their industry as much as possible. Will you know everything at that first meeting? Absolutely not. But you’ll demonstrate a genuine interest, and that goes a long way. Don’t show up and talk about your mad skills. They already know you have talent. Focus on them – what challenges are they facing, where is their industry headed, what’s the thing that keeps them up at night. Most importantly, be yourself. Unless yourself is always 25 minutes late. In which case, be an on-time version of yourself.

[Aaron Draplin]
Impress? Hell, just be yourself. Have stuff to show. Be efficient. Take notes. Be nice. Say “thanks.” All the basics. Show them you are willing to work and set a positive tone. Make them excited to be working with you!

[Jud Haynes]
Research their company and products or services online so you know what they’re talking about. Have a look at their competitors to see what they’re doing and you’ll be able to make educated recommendations right away. Then, be on time and don’t talk about what a crazy day you’re having or how late you were out partying with your friends the night before.

[Terri Roberts]
If you are interested in a creative ad agency, then chances are, awards are important. Awards bring recognition. Recognition brings more opportunity.

Is it hilarious that we pat ourselves on the back for making ads? Yes. Is the awards racket full of naval-gazers? Yes. But does it inspire creative departments to dig deeper, and reassure clients that creative risks are worth taking? Totally.

Take the ICE Awards for example. The whole purpose of that show is to raise the creative bar in Atlantic Canada, and help the local industry grow. That translates into bigger and better shops at home, which translates into more opportunities for young writers and designers to do the work they love without moving to Toronto. I think that’s worth the entry fee, and the occasional bout of self-scorn.

In terms of what shows to enter, the options are endless and they can cost a fortune, so be choosy. I’d start close to home. Check out the winners at ICE, review the craft and design categories, and consider your work throughout the year. Have a piece you’re really proud of? Submit it. See what happens. It’s a great way to grow your rep, especially when you’re just starting out. Besides, everyone could use an ice bucket.

[Aaron Draplin]
I don’t chase awards. Paper weights, more or less. I’d rather spend my time making stuff. Never won an award. Or, tried for one. Got better stuff to do with my time!

[Jud Haynes]
Awards definitely play a role. I almost never apply for industry awards, but mainly just because it costs money to apply and I'm cheap. I do feel like clients like to see all the awards you’ve won, but since I’ve never been a client I’m not 100% on that… maybe they don’t care. An illustrator said something smart to me a few years ago however... his opinion was that the only people bought 'Illustration Annuals' from the big design magazines were other illustrators, not the people who hire illustrators. He figured you were wasting your money getting your art in an illustration annual since it was only going to be seen by other illustrators, who were potentially just going to steal all your best ideas or styles... he tried to get featured in advertising and design annuals, which would be read by creative and art directors, people who might actually hire him some day. He could be totally out to lunch, but I heard those words and haven't sent any of my work in to be considered for an 'illustration annual' since.

[Terri Roberts]
When I’m trying to come up with ideas, I have to get off my Mac and go old school – no. 2 pencil and ruled paper. I like Decomposition Books (so many illustrations), Moleskines (so much history), and of course, Field Notes (slick design). I have a thing for notebooks. I probably have half a dozen on the go at any one time. I sketch little ideas, write a pile of headlines, or jot down titles for books I’ll never write. They also come in handy for grocery lists.

[Aaron Draplin]
Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign! The “big three”!

[Jud Haynes]
I start with pencil and paper on 90% of jobs - thanks to Aaron Draplin I now have quite the collection of fresh 'Field Notes' books to draw in. Occasionally that leads to ink and a scanner, but more often then not I just take a photo of my pencil sketch and then move to Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. InDesign for print layouts and Dreamweaver for website coding… other than that I don’t need any of the other programs on my computer.

[Terri Roberts]
For us [Ray Agency], resource management and planning is crucial to not pissing off clients, or staff. Of course we want to do the best work possible, as fast as possible, but you can’t overpromise on delivery. So we need to be honest about what we can do and how long that will take. Same goes for the freelancers we work with. Clients need to understand that it’s a process, and the process takes time. That’s not to say that we don’t go out of our way to fulfill last minute requests, because we do. But those type of requests should be the exception, not the rule. Best thing you can do is be reasonable when you are scoping out a job upfront to avoid any tears –theirs or yours.

[Aaron Draplin]
Depends on my workload. If I’m slammed, it might be a couple days until I get going on it. Or, I’ll start sketching in my Field Notes, just to capture initial thoughts, sketches or notes. That stuff is crucial. Learn how to capture it, and then when it’s time, you have references to use to get going.

Sometimes, I’ll start right away. Just to get going, and get myself excited! Sometimes, that’s where you hit the coolest stuff.

[Jud Haynes]
Most of the time I’ll need a couple weeks or more before I can dive in. Mainly because I’ve got other projects already booked and am chasing those deadlines. Most jobs go in to a queue and I try to do them in order. I saw an episode of “Holmes on Homes” years ago where he said that if you call a plumber or any other service provider and they’re available to start work right away, then you probably don’t want them. It was a good point that I think clients understand… 'if you’re busy it's a good thing, probably means you’re good at your job'.

[Terri Roberts]
If we put it into context of the last American administration, Obama is the Creative Director and Joe Biden is the Associate Creative Director. I’m Joe Biden. We all work as a team, but when it comes down to it, the CD is responsible for the overall creative product of an agency. It’s different from shop to shop but as ACD at Ray, I share that responsibility with the CD. I also work on my own projects and clients, and work with other teams to help them produce the best possible creative solutions. It’s a bit of a shift from being a writer who was only concerned with whatever job I was on. Now I’m concerned with it all. But I still answer to Obama.

[Terri Roberts]
It’s always the concept first. I search for that big idea that has enough legs to carry a campaign. For everything other than radio (which could be sparked by a piece of dialogue or a neat insight), it mostly comes as a visual idea. Then you try on a bunch of headlines or a piece of copy. As the idea develops, the copy gets better, which makes the overall concept better. At least that’s the goal. Whether your craft is writing or design, you need to have an understanding of both. Because as part of a creative team, you’ll be contributing to both. Designers tell me all the time to write a better headline. And I’m always asking them to mess with the layout. Collectively our job is to make the work great. So you have to be able to look at every element of that, regardless of what comes first, or what your specialty is.

[Aaron Draplin]
I don’t take on any new jobs, just due to the intensity of the obligations on the road. But, there’s always something that needs tending to. Be it an invoice, set of emails or fire to be put out for an existing client gig. And all that stuff, I just buckle down and do it in the hotel early in the morning before we split, or late at night once the gig is wrapped. This morning, I worked on a logo for a friend in Denver. Even though we did it a couple months ago, he was finally ready for the final files. There’s always something!

[Aaron Draplin]
My posters are screen printed posters! The real deal. Lovingly printed, signed and numbered. And, a pain-in-the-butt to transport and store.

My logo poster, “Pretty Much Everything Up Until…” is my only offset commercial print.

[Aaron Draplin]
I just make a list and knock it out over the course of a day. When I start getting tired, I’ll head home. I’m in the shop around 10am, and out around 10pm. Good, long days. But, if I’m pacing or spinning my wheels, I’ll take a break or come back to it the next morning. And, if something hits me at midnight, I’ll jump up and hammer on it a little bit. I try to capitalize on bursts of creativity, and those can come at weird times. Which is kind of cool and weird, and fun!

[Jud Haynes]
I never use to work 9-5, my old ways were that I just worked all the time. All day, all night, all weekend, all year. I recently got a dog though and I find that he has forced me to keep a bit more of a schedule. He gets up way earlier than I’d like and needs things… then I have to step away from work and take him for walks or just get down on the floor and play with him… keeping a regular schedule has been weird but I’m slowly adjusting. To answer your question, I don’t stick to 9-5, I just work as much as I can, but also take the time away from work whenever I need it. Freelancers only get paid when you’re working, so I find if you want to keep the pay cheques flowing you need to learn to live at your computer.

[Aaron Draplin]
Just to be careful with my taxes, or, to not be afraid to spend loot on the very best equipment, instead of compromising and getting only what I could afford. I always took the frugal route, when frankly, getting the best gear might’ve got me out of the job a bit quicker, shaving time off things. Desks! Buy yourself a good desk. And a good Aeron chair. Those things last longer than laptops and software and shit.

[Jud Haynes]
For me all the scariest aspects of freelancing trace back to money planning. You need to make sure you’re putting away money for your taxes and your future. All everyone ever talks about is how to design and get paid, but never talk about how to manage that money when it starts coming in. Pay your taxes on time, it’ll catch up with you if you don’t. And put away money for a rainy day - living month to month is fine when you’re 20, but as the years go on you’re going to need to make more money than just what you need to get by. If you're not socking some away you could find yourself in a bind one day. Real happy answer eh? How about this one instead - Freelancing is great because no one can lay you off or fire you. A previous employer laid me off two or three times, then rehired me, before I realized that was no way to work... never again.

[Jud Haynes]
I think its possible to make a career in any aspect of design if you are super good at it. If you want to specialize as an illustrator, motion designer, game designer, branding expert, etc.... just go for it. You have to show people that you can do the job. Show them that you're better than everyone else. Trying to be as good as your peers is a waste of time, be better. It takes work but you can do it. Then when they see what you're doing they'll get better, and you'll do the same. We'll all keep getting better and better and our clients will reap the rewards of our competitive need to keep being better.