SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Designing for Local Communities

A guide to freelancing and empowering groups in your neighborhood

Meaghan Barry

$110

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Bloomsbury Visual Arts
26 June 2025
Want to begin taking on freelance design projects, but you’re unsure of how to start? Maybe you’ve looked at a few resources on building a design business, but their advice seems too big, overwhelming, or out-of-reach for what you’re hoping to achieve right now? If you’re looking for freelancing basics, truly for beginners, to give you the confidence to take on your first few independent projects, Designing For Local Communities is for you.

Designing For Local Communities encourages the reader to find their first clients in their local community. By working with small businesses, the designer can build a freelancing portfolio, while simultaneously investing in their neighborhood. Lessons are tailored for working with these small-scale clients, with examples, interviews, and exercises that will build a strong foundation for an independent design practice.

Dispelling the myth that you must live in a big city or work for huge brand clients to be considered successful in the design industry, Meaghan Barry celebrates the benefits of working directly with small businesses and non-profits, building value for designers and the businesses on their doorstep.
By:  
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 166mm,  Spine: 16mm
Weight:   520g
ISBN:   9781350400955
ISBN 10:   1350400955
Pages:   176
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Meaghan Barry serves as both an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Oakland University, USA and a Partner at Unsold Studio, a Detroit-based branding firm that specializes in working with small businesses. Through her work, she was chosen as a ""2020 Notable Woman in Design"" by Crain’s Detroit Business, has represented the USA as a UNESCO City of Design Delegate, and been recognized by Graphis Design Annual, Indigo Design Awards, Creative Communication Awards and Detroit Commerce Design Awards. Her writing has appeared in AIGA Eye on Design and Design & Culture.

Reviews for Designing for Local Communities: A guide to freelancing and empowering groups in your neighborhood

An essential guide for aspiring freelancers in the creative industry, this book blends practical advice with inspiring case studies, offering invaluable insights to navigate the freelance journey. A must-read for creatives seeking to turn their passion into a successful freelance career. * Dan Lewis, Staffordshire University, UK * Meaghan Barry’s Designing for Local Communities, A guide to freelancing and empowering groups in your neighborhood is an inspiring and insightful read into how to better serve your client and community. This book gives meaningful examples of how to write a proposal for a job, work with the client, bill the client and successful maintain a work relationship with a client, especially community-based clients. I would highly recommend that students and freelancers alike keep this book on their desks. * Stephanie Nace, University of South Carolina, USA *


See Also