With the positive response to the previous article about money I thought I would make a little extra effort to cover off a few more requests as part of the feature. So the second article for the collection is going to be on the not-so-mind-blowing-but-useful topic of invoicing. To start, it’s good to note that there seems to be a lot of confusion about making such a document but the basic invoice involves just a few key bits of information. If you have these basics covered off then there is a good chance you’ll be paid without too much difficulty.

First things first. Get your document titled correctly. It’s an invoice, so it should say so nice and clearly at the top of the page. This is handy for those poor Account Directors swimming through the enormity of paper accumulating on their desk. Next up is the persons address as although we live in a digital age it is still a requirement (and good practice) to associate the invoice to an address.

Then we get to your personal information. These things are your address, the date, your bank details and the amount. Once you start operating on a level dealing with advertising agencies then it may slowly start to expand. The first slightly foreign thing to add is a ‘PO’ number. This is a ‘Purchase Order’ which means you are in their system and they have allotted your job with some money and a reference number. It’s always useful getting this at the beginning of the job so when you have to sit twiddling your thumbs for 60 days (some advertising agencies payment terms & legal obligation) it’s good to be able to date your invoice from the supplied PO number. If you are wondering about VAT then I was always told the basic rule of thumb is that if you aren’t considering buying a second car they you need not worry about it. Below this information you just need to list your bank information. For international payments you may need to stop in to your local branch to get your IBAN/BIC or Swift number. This is basically your account number with some extra numbers and letters so that any money from over seas has required information to find it’s way to your bank account.

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The man I never thought would get his website online has finally launched today. There are many a designer who try and learn the craft of minimal graphic illustration but none I would consider even close to this man. Those who know him have seen the monolithic amount of work he has produced which isn’t available to see on the internet. Rob Bailey is certainly someone to be celebrated as some what of a master of this art.

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For the first section on this new article I thought it best not to dwell on all involved in hunting for a location but instead go back a little earlier to organising your cash. I’ve spoken to a few friends who over the last year or so who had decided to go freelance and a very small amount of them had any clue how to account their earnings. I’m not anywhere close to being an accountant but here are a few things I’ve learnt which I wish someone had told me. The first is that you don’t have to get too serious from the off. You are allowed a personal income allowance of £6,475 for 2011 and £7,475 for 2012 which isn’t the smallest amount in the world, being as us designers aren’t the richest of people. (I’m sorry this ia bit UK-centric but I’m sure similar laws apply elsewhere, or at least someone disgruntled will be happy to comment).

Although, this is legal I am a firm believer in doing it right from the beginning. So this is getting an accountant, setting yourself up with a proper trading name, re-conciling your accounts etc. etc. For me this was a terrifying prospect and for the most part, still is. Quite early on a friend told me about a company called ‘Crunch’. Now I wouldn’t really think to post that on FFF although from personal experience it is the best thing I decided to do over the last year. I paid a flat fee of around £100 and was setup as a Limited Company (Being a limited company is recommended for lots of reasons). This means you get a little certificate to say you are now a company Director. If like lots of designers nowadays you dabble in lots of projects it is worthwhile setting up as “Your Name Ltd.” which quite a few companies do even though they trade under a snazzy psueodonym. Their monthly fee is £70. This means you get to process all your invoices online and keep a record of Tax. It may sound a little daunting for the newly independant but it is certainly very handy getting a personal accountant assigned to you to ask any question you may have. As an example, I constantly e-mail mine trying figure out what I can claim for. The last thing you do is ring HMRC and say the magic words “I am a company Director” and they update your information and prepare you for self assessment.

After this. Congratulations, you are now a business.

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Who doesn’t love a good time waster game from time to time? I was perusing the App store looking for something to replace an old Angry Birds addiction when I gave BombSquad a go. Hand made clay levels, Bomberman level of addiction from a Pixar member of staff. Released in October 2011 I reckon this little game just might take off. Available on the App store for 0.69p. By Froemling.

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I have a new found respect for those able to produce great work without so much of a sniff of a computer.  Rose is no exception producing a great standard of work  no matter whether it is paint/ink/pen. http://www.rose-blake.co.uk/

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He’s back. A month later then the website promised, the bearded, Yeehar USA Miller is finally back online.  A new website full of oodles of doodles, and some of that old & gold we still like.  I for one am very pleased at the lack of  wobbly abstract lines and triangles with the replacement of content and narrative.  (worth mentioning that some of the wall is by Andrew Neyer)

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After months of drawings and stacks of paper the Tattoo Man by Chris Martin is finally complete. See the full frontal by clicking onto his website — www.mrchrismartin.co.uk

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Tourist is an insight into the world of the young and gifted, used as an ever evolving platform for art, music, some kind of fashion, literature, etc. With contributor blogs updated daily.

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Big fan of this man.  Nice to see some vector work with real character / charm instead of it being the lazy option. Bob on!

Visit it – http://www.demo-design.com

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Some pretty wild paper mache constructions by Andy Ainger

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