Management advisor to creative service firms
About
Shel Perkins is a graphic designer, management consultant, and educator with more than twenty years of experience in managing the operations of leading design firms in the US and the UK. He provides management-consulting services to a range of creative firms in both traditional and new media.
He has written the Professional Practice column for STEP magazine and the Design Firm Management column for Graphics.com. He is co-author of the AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services, a model contract used by many designers.
The revised and expanded third edition of Shel's best-selling book, Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers, is available in e-book format from Peachpit.com and Amazon. He teaches graduate-level courses in professional practices, and he has served on the national boards of AIGA and the Association of Professional Design Firms.
Shel has been honored as an AIGA Fellow "in recognition of significant personal and professional contributions to raising the standards of excellence within the design community."
Services
The Big Picture
° Business plan issues
° Marketing strategy
° Ownership transition
Operations
° Project planning & budgets
° Proposals documents
° Terms & conditions
° Project tracking systems
° Client management
Other Ongoing Issues
° Ethics
° Financial management
° Human resources
° Teams
° Growth & change
Testimonials
It is rare to find one individual with such a wide range of knowledge in the design-related fields. And, because of his experience as a designer, he brings a sensitivity and understanding to administrative issues while still respecting the artistic side of our industry.
Frank Maddocks
President, Maddocks & Company
Shel Perkins is a senior media professional with a range of skills which is both broad and deep. He has expert knowledge of business management and is every bit as strong in practice as he is in theory, with abilities that embrace the needs of both a start-up and an ongoing operation.
John Holland
Former Managing Director, Pittard Sullivan Ltd.
Shel provides a wealth of useful information. I believe his unique background and extensive experience give him a real advantage in getting right to the heart of whatever issues a creative firm is experiencing.
Janet DeDonato
Co-Founder, Methodologie
Shel understands the business challenge that the combination of creative processes and effective management can present.
Lisa Nugent
Co-Founder, ReVerb
About the Book
This is the best left-brain business book I've ever read for right-brain designers. And, having two right brains, I know what I'm talking about. I'm recommending Shel's book to every student of mine and buying a copy for each designer on my staff.
Brian Collins
Chief Creative Officer, Brand Integration Group,
Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
Our favorite design consultant and your future best friend, Shel Perkins, literally wrote the book on this subject. Because he's a designer himself, he can give advice in a way that doesn't make creative types want to hurt themselves.
Alissa Walker
UnBeige