Successful graphic designer and entrepreneur Larry Daniels exposes the weak spot that derails so many graphic designers' careers: the critical business side of making it as an independent designer. Running even a one-person design firm takes a lot more than raw talent and technical ability. The Graphic Designer's Business Survival Guide offers insider expertise on building a profitable, sustainable design business. Packed with sample agreements, letters, forms, and more, this practical guide helps designers look beyond aesthetic priorities and focus on basic business skills such as writing, record keeping, and relationship building. You'll learn how to create a website and portfolio that effectively highlight your design solutions, do prepitch research and deliver winning presentations, prepare inviting proposals that win lucrative contracts, establish a reliable system for tracking billable hours, and use sales strategies to quantify design decisions in ways businesses can relate to and respect. Get ready to break out of "freelancer" or "starving artist" mode and enter into the role of a highly compensated creative consultant—one who stands out to clients.