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Design Domination

Design Domination helps graphic designers gain confidence, clarity and a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace. Colleen Gratzer, industry veteran, accessibility specialist and instructor, shares her insights about creative business, empowering you to be the design hero.

How to Write a Creative Brief

How to Write a Creative Brief

What Is a Creative Brief or Design Brief?
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
May 31
How to Write a Good About Page — Todd Jones

How to Write a Good About Page — Todd Jones

Learn how to leverage your About page on your website so that you stand out and increase your chances of getting new clients. Find out tips…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
May 17
The Risks of Having One Big Client (Gorilla Client)

The Risks of Having One Big Client (Gorilla Client)

Having a client (or two) who make up a large portion of your income is a blessing and a curse. They keep you busy, but you lose focus on…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Apr 26
The Business Case for Accessibility

The Business Case for Accessibility

In this episode of Design Domination, I’m going to help you make the business case for accessibility, so you can hopefully get your clients…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Apr 12
What to Do When a Client Wants More Than One of Your Designs

What to Do When a Client Wants More Than One of Your Designs

Hi and thanks for tuning in. I’m Colleen Gratzer, and in this episode of Design Domination, I’m talking about what to do when a client…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Mar 29
Setting Boundaries With Clients

Setting Boundaries With Clients

In this episode of Design Domination, I’m talking about something most designers don’t have — and that’s boundaries!
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Mar 15
How to Make More Money in Graphic Design (and Work Less) With Adrienne Johnston

How to Make More Money in Graphic Design (and Work Less) With Adrienne Johnston

Graphic designer Adrienne Johnston shares how she went from being stressed out and overworked in a $60k-a-year creative business to working…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Mar 1
Adding Skip Navigation Links for Better Web Accessibility

Adding Skip Navigation Links for Better Web Accessibility

Improve the accessibility and usability of the websites you design by adding a skip navigation link for keyboard users. Find out why skip…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Feb 15
How to Raise Your Prices and Keep Your Clients

How to Raise Your Prices and Keep Your Clients

In this episode of Design Domination, I’m getting into how to raise your rates and keep your clients while doing it.
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Feb 1
How to Get Google Reviews From Clients With John Falke

How to Get Google Reviews From Clients With John Falke

Google reviews are a free tool designers can leverage to make the marketing and sales process easier. They also increase your chances of…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Jan 18
How to Make 6 Figures as a Freelancer

How to Make 6 Figures as a Freelancer

Want to make $100,000 a year as a full-time freelancer? Find out what I did and what you can do to make 6 figures as a freelance designer…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Jan 4
Color and Contrast Accessibility

Color and Contrast Accessibility

As a graphic designer, document designer or web designer, understanding the WCAG color and contrast accessibility guidelines will help make…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Dec 22, 2022
Affordable Health Care for Freelancers

Affordable Health Care for Freelancers

In this episode of Design Domination, I am talking about health insurance for self-employed, freelance designers. Stick around to find out…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Dec 8, 2022
Adobe Removing Pantone Colors: What Graphic Designers Need to Know

Adobe Removing Pantone Colors: What Graphic Designers Need to Know

Pantone color books are being phased out of Adobe Creative Cloud, greatly impacting many graphic designers. Access to all Pantone libraries…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Nov 23, 2022
12 Ways to Motivate Clients to Send Content

12 Ways to Motivate Clients to Send Content

In this episode of Design Domination, I’m digging into getting content from clients — specifically wrangling the content from their hands…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Nov 9, 2022
The Difference Between Consultation and Discovery

The Difference Between Consultation and Discovery

Many graphic designers give away their advice, expertise and ideas in the sales process for free. Learn what to stop doing on consultation…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Oct 26, 2022
How to Get More Leads From Your Website With Josh Hall

How to Get More Leads From Your Website With Josh Hall

Just because you put up a website and have a nice portfolio doesn’t mean potential clients will find it or contact you. Learn strategic…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Oct 12, 2022
Top 11 Creative Business Books for Designers

Top 11 Creative Business Books for Designers

Find out what books are on my list of top creative business books for freelance graphic designers to help you with starting your own…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Sep 28, 2022
Day Rates for Graphic Designers With Sarah Masci

Day Rates for Graphic Designers With Sarah Masci

Sarah Masci of Day Rate Mastery joins me to talk about how graphic designers can increase their profitability by charging day rates instead…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Sep 14, 2022
Why Graphic Designers Need Contracts

Why Graphic Designers Need Contracts

Find out important reasons why freelance graphic designers should use contracts for design work in their creative business, including some…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Sep 7, 2022
The Talent, Not the Tool With Don Bolognese

The Talent, Not the Tool With Don Bolognese

Renowned artist/illustrator/painter Don Bolognese joins me to talk about how it’s the designer’s talent — not the tool — that’s vital for a…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Aug 25, 2022
When Designers Should Turn Down Work

When Designers Should Turn Down Work

When you take on work that isn’t a good fit with your skills and expertise, it can result in a bad testimonial, no referrals and the work…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Aug 10, 2022
Accessible WordPress Themes: What to Know

Accessible WordPress Themes: What to Know

Many web designers and developers think using an accessibility-ready WordPress theme means a website will be accessible. But many themes…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Jul 27, 2022
How to Get Into Textile Design With Kelly Irvine

How to Get Into Textile Design With Kelly Irvine

Hear how Kelly Irvine went from in-house graphic designer to freelance textile designer, creating exclusive prints for the fashion…
Go to the profile of Colleen Gratzer
Colleen Gratzer
Jul 13, 2022
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