It's a tale as old as design itself: Most designers can find their way around the latest version of Photoshop with no problems, but when it comes to running a business, they're lost. Shel Perkins’ book Talent is not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers takes designers beyond kerning and color chips, giving an extensive overview of design business practices. Whether you're a student, an independent contractor or someone who already runs a design firm, this book will arm you with the tools you need to launch your company and the advice to keep it afloat.

What you didn't learn in school
If you've completed a design program you know the sad truth: there is a serious lack of practical business instruction in educational institutions. Perkins wrote this book based on such comments from grads. “Lots of design degree programs don’t teach you how to manage the business side of your career," he says. "It’s been traditional for design entrepreneurs to learn about pricing, taxes, contracts and other legal issues the hard way--by making mistakes.� Perkins says not only will these mistakes significantly hurt your business; by not being up to speed you'll also undermine the practice of the designer next door. The whole industry suffers.

Four sections divide content into the stages of the typical designer's career: Career Options, Small Business, Legal Issues, and Larger Firms. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of its content and, when necessary, contains a list of useful resources. The book is accessible and direct yet still engaging. By maintaing a narrative tone, Shel Perkins has created a tool that can sit on your nightstand or your desk: it can be read cover to cover, or used as reference text to be consulted when a specific need arises.

Determining your worth
Chapters 8 and 9, Pricing Models and Setting Rates for a Firm, will be particularly useful for most designers. Knowing the endless anguish designers face over how much to charge their clients, Perkins clearly defines the best way to go about setting a personal pricing standard, and includes visual pricing models that can help designers decide exactly what they or their firm is worth. These chapters clearly define what elements should be taken into account and how to balance and justify costs and expenses to both employees and clients.

In a fast-changing design industry where an increasing number of design professional are choosing to be independent contractors, this book will probably be most valuable for those who choose to go it alone. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that three out of ten designers in the U.S. are self-employed, compared to one out of ten people in the overall workforce," says Perkins. "An independent contractor must have solid creative abilities, an extensive peer network, great collaboration skills, and a high comfort level with new technologies.� He also says it's important for design entrepreneurs to realize that the needs of the business will not be identical to their needs as individuals--especially when it comes to staffing. "Often, the health of the company will depend upon bringing in people with skill sets that are different from those of the founder."

Continuing education
Along with this book, Shel Perkins has several other projects that serve as great resources for designers. On the website www.talentisnotenough.com, he publishes “Bonus Chapters� available as a free downloadable PDFs. The current chapter is entitled "Cash Flow," and future chapters will discuss such topics as "Managing Large Projects" and "The Interesting Business Challenge Posed by the Rapid Evolution of our Profession." Perkins is also involved with the Center for Practice Management (CPM), an initiative developed by AIGA. The intent is to establish resources to assist AIGA members with issues dealing with design management, addressing the needs of the independent designer, design managers and larger firms. Current ideas for CPM include a website, podcasts, webinars, and informational PDFs that cover such topics as new business development, legal issues, project and financial management, and human resources.

If you’ve already realized that it takes more than expert mouse skills to be a successful designer, then this book will be a useful tool throughout your design career. Regardless of your professional level there is something you can learn from Perkins' expertise. Talent is Not Enough, Business Secrets for Designers is simply a must-have for anyone working in the design profession.

Deanna Moore is a freelance designer who works with both print and web media for design studios and individual clients.