Burn Your Portfolio

Michael Janda has been in most positions on the graphic design world org chart over his 16-year career. He has served as production artist, designer, freelancer, and creative director (including a few years as senior creative director over two of Fox’s Internet divisions). Since 2002, Janda has owned and operated his own agency, Riser, which boasts such high-profile clients as NBC, ABC, Fox, Google, National Geographic, Warner Bros., and Disney.

• SECTION 1: Human Engineering1) The Big Fat Secret2) The Extra Mile3) Soak Up Advice4) You Are Not Your Work5) Be Nice to Everyone6) Drama Is for Soap Operas7) No More Flying Solo8) Gripes Go Up9) The Stress Bucket10) Two Types of Grandpas11) Be a Wall Painter12) Every Position Can Be Electrifying13) Lead or Be Led14) Half the Victory15) The Value of Downtime16) I'm Not a Writer17) Toot Your Own Horn18) Don't Work in a Vacuum19) The Graphic Design Megazord20) Live as a Team, Die as a Team21) Everyone Does Something Better Than You22) You Are Responsible for Your Own TimeSECTION 2: Art Smarts23) OCD Is an Attribute24) Polishing Turds25) Hairy Moles26) This Is Not Verbatimville27) Shock and Awe28) Art Is Meant to Be Framed29) It Is Never Too Late for a Better Idea30) Filler Failures31) A River Runs Through It32) Comps or Comprehensive?33) Design Like the Wind34) Type Fast35) How to Eat an Elephant36) The Venus Initiative37) Process-a-Palooza38) Hiking Your Way to Successful Projects39) Solving End-of-Day Rush40) Why Projects Blow Up41) The Lo-Fi PDA42) Bring Out Your Dead43) Shake the Bushes or Get Bit44) Red Flags and Extinguishers45) Brainstorms Are 90 Percent Bad Ideas46) The Communal BrainSECTION 3: Two Ears, One Mouth47) The Ultimate Email Formula48) Beware the Red Dot49) Email Black Holes50) Even the Lone Ranger Had Tonto51) Canned Communication52) Tin Can Phones53) Vicious Vernacular54) An Army of Support55) Friendly Updates 56) Deadline Ballet 57) Big Brother 58) The Domino Effect 59) Avoid the W.W.W. 60) Be Afraid to Click 'Send' 61) The Tragedy of Time ZonesSECTION 4: Happy Head Honchos62) Designers Are from Mars, Clients Are from Venus63) Let Your Client Leave Their Mark64) 'Forgiveness' Points65) Let Your Client Be the 800-Pound Gorilla66) Do Your Genealogy67) Never Give Your Client Homework68) Assume That People Are Clueless69) Long-Term Relationship Value vs. Single Transaction Profit70) Oddities at the Start Mean Oddities at the End71) Don't Be the Desperate Girlfriend72) Stand in Manure, Smell Like Manure73) Never Fire a Client?74) 'We Decided to Go Another Direction' Means 'You Suck'75) There Are Such Things as Stupid Questions76) You Can't Get Mad at Math77) You Have 65 Seconds to Land a Job78) How to Ask for a Raise Without Asking for a Raise SECTION 5: Mind Your Business79) Do What You Love; the Money Will Follow80) A Business That Looks Orderly81) Making Cents of It All82) How to Calculate a Burn Rate83) The Fixed-Bid Pricing Dartboard84) Beware of Line-Item Pricing85) 'No Charge' Doesn't Mean 'Free'86) How to Flush Out a Budget87) Twenty-Piece Chicken McNuggets88) Nonprofits for Non-Profit89) The Code of Fair Practice90) Contractual Mumbo Jumbo91) 'Etcetera' Has No Business in Your Business92) You Don't Have to Sign Off on This93) B.A.M. Lists94) One Line That Changed Everything about Collections95) A Business Is an Organism That Wants to Die96) If I've Got a Dollar, You've Got a Dollar, but No Partners 97) If You Want to Win the Game, You Have to Know the Score98) There Is No Such Thing as a 'Meet and Greet'99) How to Make a Capabilities Presentation100) Floods Happen101) Flexibility, Not Freedom102) Never Do Undocumented Work103) Next Worry Date104) Nickels and Dimes Are for Lemonade Stands105) Only Terrorists Like Hostage Situations106) Oh Where, Oh Where Has My $100k Gone? Oh Where, Oh Where Can It Be?107) Don't Do Anything You Can Pay Someone $10 Per Hour to Do108) 'Skin in the Game' Usually Means 'Free'109) Three-Month 'Lifetime' Guarantee110) 'Being Your Own Boss' Whatever That Means111) How to Bite the Bullet

"The straightforward and funny advice in Janda's book is what most people learn only after toiling in the corporate trenches for years. (Um, how dare he share ALL our secrets?!) I hope he's charging at least a year's worth of school tuition for this book. Seriously, take copious notes on the practical suggestions offered here to help steer your own career, whether it's your first job or your 15th freelance gig. The drama-free work approach and leadership style outlined in Burn Your Portfolio is what makes working with him and all the folks at his company, Riser, FUN and worthy of the cupcakes we send to celebrate each of our successes together." -Michelle SullivanVP Digital, Kids & Family Publishing and Media, National Geographic (aka 800 pound Gorilla Client) "This book should be a mandatory course at art schools...no, at all schools! The message transcends occupation; it's about maneuvering through the unspoken rules and dynamics of various personalities in your workplace. Mike is a perfect person to deliver this message; his long-term relationships and success of his business are the true testimony of his skills on managing up, down, and sideways. Your talent alone will take you nowhere if your character doesn't support it. If you want longevity in your field, this book is a must-read."-Jane BhangConsulting Art Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment "I wish I could take every designer I've ever worked with and smack them over the head with this book...which would hurt, because it's big! After that, I'd tell them to read it cover to cover, because Michael Janda will show them how to stop making the business mistakes nearly everyone in design is making."-Dave CrenshawAuthor of The Myth of Multitasking and The Focused Business "Do you want to supercharge your design career? Drop that Wacom pen and immediately pick up Burn Your Portfolio, and read it cover to cover. Michael Janda clearly outlines practical, actionable advice that will make your design business better, your clients happier, and your teams more productive. Even if you're a freelancer just striking out on your own-no, especially if you are-the insights, truisms, and humor in this book will prove to be valuable tools in your design arsenal."-Marc SirySVP, Media Products, NBC Universal "I've worked with Michael and Riser for many years, and the thing that differentiates Michael and his team from other agencies is their ability to speak my language versus design speak! Michael and his company Riser are not only super-creative, they are total professionals. Communication is a big reason why Michael and his team are so successful at what they do. They are good at not only listening to a client who is not a designer and is trying to convey the details of a project, but also on working with the client to get the job done well, on time, and also on budget. I can't think of a better person to give advice to designers who need to work with clients in the real world."-Melissa Van MeterVP, Marketing & Advertising, TV Guide Network