I first learned about Dan Mall when he had just begun working with Big Spaceship in 2009. I remember being impressed with the content and quality of his website, which has remained roughly the same since then (with updated content, responsiveness, etc.) Kudos to him for keeping up with it so well.
In 2012, I met Dan in-person at an early Greenville Grok, when it was much smaller and more intimate of an event. I was in a session with him that evolved quickly with rapid white-boarding and heated group discussion (in a good way) about the nature of client work, project management, etc. Again super impressed with his knowledge and approach to work.
Our paths have crossed since then and I’ve even chatted with him a few times for teaching and speaking advice.
I write all of this as a precursor to the fact that Dan is a very intelligent and kind person. It shows with every interaction and I know that it bleeds into his client work, specifically the way he handles the topic of selling design.
If there’s one area that all designers and developers could get better at, it’s pricing. The psychology, the different approaches, why you shouldn’t shy away from money discussions, and much more.
I just finished reading his (brief) book from A Book Apart, Pricing Design, and whole-heartedly recommend you pick up a copy ASAP. It will only set you back a whopping $6, but if you implement the techniques he discusses, you’ll easily see a 1000x gain. I’m not exaggerating.
This isn’t an affiliate link or anything, I just like Dan and his book that much. Get it here from A Book Apart.