People seeking design work very often have no idea how much involved in getting GOOD, solid, and original results. I have experienced several new clients who were referred to me after being sorely disappointed by "factory" and cookie cutter logo design companies. Clients find these logo design companies online offering insanely cheap fees. It is inevitable that you get what you pay for. That's all there is to it.

A REAL, qualified, and talented designer should never attempt to quote like logo factories do. If you have a potential client that wants something for nothing, send them to one of those (many are off-shore, which just concerns me to no end). As creatives, we have the burden of educating our patrons on the value of our work. What we do is NOT a hobby. As hard as times are right now for everyone, doing visualization of a brand for someone for chump change is just no good for anyone in the long run, dangit. Only if you are in a position where you can actually afford to do favors for people who want to start a business on promises should you stoop to logo factory fee quoting.

1. "Mystery Listings"

If the job does not list any specific information on themselves as the company/employer, as in a website or even so much as a company name, don't even bite the hook. Why? Well, any number of reasons. First, whoever is behind the posting my have no intention of actually hiring anyone (see #3). If they're asking you to email or submit your work without telling you WHO you're submitting it to...well...that just seems a tad 'scammy' to me. Although there's nothing terribly wrong with posting a job just to see what kind of responses you'll get and what freelancers are charging, as a creative individual, responding to these types of job listings is little more than giving out free estimates that will lead to nothing. Submitting work to mysterious job listings is about the same as painting your credit card number and CV code on a billboard!

Although Craigslist is pretty good at flagging bogus postings, in the "Jobs' section, it's easy to get around having to be legitimate.

READ the job description. If it provides NOTHING unique or specific to any other job listing (as if they just copy-pasted a generic description from another company's listing), it may not be worth your time.

2. "Tall Orders"

If you check the job listings on a regular basis, you are probably already aware of how completely RIDICULOUS and out of line the listings can be. They frequently have a long list of required skills that are just flat out UNREALISTIC. They want a designer with a BFA design degree...AND, in addition to your usual design tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc., they expect you to be proficient in EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE SUN, as in:
CSS, mySQL, PERL, FinalCut, Premier, AfterEffects, Flash ActionScript, JAVA, StudioMax, MAYA, CGI, CIA, FBI, BOB, BYOB, BOOB, Rocket Science, Brain Surgery, Structural Engineering, and Calculus.

If you hire creatives, PLEASE, for the love of GOD, read it. If you are a creative, well, just read all the reviews on Amazon! I second all of them. If you're frustrated with the industry and job market these days, you'll find peace of mind in this. LOVE IT. *BUY IT!!!* How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul addresses the concerns of young designers who want to earn a living by doing expressive and meaningful work, and who want to avoid becoming hired drones working on soulless projects.

Although just about any Kurosawa film is important to absorb, my all-time favorite is "Dreams". If for no other reason, watch this concept film to see Martin Scorsese play Vincent Van Gogh. Many critics will say Dreams is their least favorite of all Kurosawa's films, and the average Joe will avoid it because it has subtitles. My response to this is, first, the 'photography' in this entire set of shorts is incredibly beautiful and symbolic. Stop the film on any frame and you have an image that is coffee-table-worthy. Second, the subtitles require little effort, and the actual dialogue in this series is minimal, so get over it.

If I had to chose from all the dreams the 'must see', you MUST make it to the last 'dream', "The Watermills". Runner up in my book is "The Tunnel". I get a shiver every time.

2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; Robert Wiene

A serious silent film of historical significance, a rare find with actual psychological depth and flat out horror. Any student of graphic design, design history, or just history in general will find something to appreciate in this freaky freaky film, The "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Check out the German Expressionism in the set design and keep in mind what was going on in the world at the time

During the short weeks that I struggled to make these 'jobs' work somehow, I looked for any and every type of professional guidance I could find...maybe the right words to use in a ballsy push for progress. I bookmarked and noted the things that I found to help me get a grip, and would like to pass on one article in particular. I found this article while searching for some perspective and inspiration:

Design's Glass Ceiling by Robert Jonathan Bennett. It's from the AIGA Archives, a place I always go to look for professional direction. 

This is, at the very least, a comforting read for any designer/creative who feels as though they're running amok in a hamster-wheel marketing department.