The Graphic Design Hat

November 2nd, 2008

Those of you who have followed my blog for some time are aware that Red Sweater Software is, more or less, a company of one. I am the lead developer, marketer, strategist, bookkeeper, PR rep, and, as luck would so terribly have it, designer.

Bob Walsh brilliantly summarizes the conundrum of small indie business people like myself, in the title of his blog: 47 Hats. If I may say so myself, I’ve adapted pretty well to wearing all these different hats. But inevitably, some of them don’t fit as well as others.

I’m not completely inept when it comes to graphic design, but I’m far from professionally capable. The beautiful aspects of my applications are mostly thanks to the brilliant work of designers such as Bryan Bell, who I will continue working with. But I also need somebody at the ready for a sustained period of design brainstorming and production. It’s time for me to take off this hat and hand it to somebody else.

Will you be my visual genius? Will you wear this hat?

About The Hat

As a part-time contractor to Red Sweater, you will facilitate the expansion of the company’s graphic identity in all areas including desktop UI, iPhone UI, web presence, advertising, and more. The position is hourly, with a guaranteed minimum per week or month to be arranged.

The position is primarily “visual design” but your skills in interaction or usability design would also be put to good use.

You’ll have a major impact on the look of Red Sweater’s products and presence. You’ll get paid. And when we get huge one day, you’ll be able to say you were there “way back when.”

The Qualifications

Sound like a position you’d excel in? This hat fits a designer who:

  • Pushes pixels and pulls vectors with confidence and skill.
  • Is passionate about typography, layout, and visual balance.
  • Respects the tradeoff between usability and aesthetic beauty.
  • Embraces platform design trends with moderation and taste.

On a personal level, the type of designer I will get along with:

  • Work iteratively and collaboratively.
  • Accepts criticism but stands up for strongly-held beliefs.
  • Designs with integrity and would never steal the work of others.

To Apply

This is an open invitation to talented designers of all ages and circumstances. The only hard requirements are professionalism, skill, and availability for part-time work. Let’s make it happen!

Please send an email to “jobs” at red-sweater.com. Include in your message at least the following information:

  • Your name and professional status.
  • A portfolio of your best graphic design work.
  • Your minimum and maximum hourly availability per month.
  • Name up to three designers who you admire. What do you respect most most about their work or how they conduct it?

Feel free to include other information such as your expectations for pay rate, questions about Red Sweater or my work style, etc.

I look forward to hearing from you. And to taking off this hat!

6 Responses to “The Graphic Design Hat”

  1. Jacob Gorban Says:

    Way to go, Daniel!

    As I wrote you once, I hired a graphic/UI designer to work on version 3 of ImageFramer, and it’s been productive 4 months.

    Having someone with professional graphics skills is a real plus to a microISV and I’m sure you’ll benefit a lot, provided you find a suitable person for the job.

    Best luck,
    Jacob.

  2. Andy Lee Says:

    Great job posting. If only I were qualified!

  3. Aristarkhos Says:

    Ditto. :) All the best with the search and to Red Sweater.

  4. Joe Says:

    Let me preface this- because otherwise I know I’ll trigger your prejudice and you’ll assume I’m a McCain supporter. I’m not. I’m not going to vote for McCain. I’m not a republican.

    Ok, since you’ve been so blatantly public about your infatuation with Obama on twitter, and twitter is a one way street, I’m forced to respond to you here.

    [EDITED BY Daniel Jalkut: This was a long, political rant in response to my expressed opinions on Twitter. I disagree that the author, who goes by “Joe” and includes a fake email address involving plumbing, was “forced” to response here. It may please him or her to know that I read the rant and have processed it before deleting it from the page.

    If anybody else has responses to my political views which they find uncontainable, I’m sure you can figure out how to email me directly, or find another way to express yourself. Just locating a fresh post on my company blog and defacing it with a long, anonymous rant is not the appropriate way to respond.]

  5. charles Says:

    I don’t see how this job description is supposed to fit Obama, I think he is just looking for a graphic designer?

  6. Luciano Says:

    Hi Daniel!
    My name is Luciano. I arrived to your blog by chance (I was installing a RSS reader). I’m not a UI designer (I’m a content designer) but 2 years ago I founded a web studio with a partner here in Buenos Aires (Argentina). As an almost indivudual enterpreneur I understood exactly what you mean by wearing a different hat almost every moment.

    After reading your post, I tought that telling you about our studio would be a good idea. Our studio (Grupa) is small, but very specific. My partner, Bernarda has more than 8 years of webdesign experience focalized in usability and web standards (CSS). Nowadays we’re trying to make the most of our skills and looking for oportunities must be an openminded job.

    Maybe it’s not exactly what you were looking for (If you were looking for a single person) but regarding the skills and talking about a personal level I donĀ“t have doubts that we are very close.

    In our website, you’ll see some of our works but we have many more examples and details about our methodologies if you need them.

    Please be free to make us any concerns or inquiries.
    Be well.
    Luciano

Comments are Closed.

Follow the Conversation

Stay up-to-date by subscribing to the Comments RSS Feed for this entry.