If you are a freelancer working on projects for another firm, or a design/web development firm hiring a freelancer you may be concerned as to whether this work is classed as a ‘freelance engagement’ or if it has cross the line over to what is classed an employee by UK law?

What many may not know is that one does not become an employee simply because the employer states that the worker is an employee, or because they have an employment contract. According to UK law, an employee is such simply by virtue of the way in which they work, and this is the case even if they have no employment contract and have not been formally labeled an employee by the ‘employer’.

You may unwittingly have an employee on staff at the moment and be unaware of your legal obligations regarding them (such as your need to pay national insurance contributions for them), or you may think you are just doing freelance work for a certain firm, but have more rights than you realise - you may in fact be a employee, and all the legal rights that come with that.
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Now here is some refreshing branding … sorry I could not resist the pun at all.

I really like their packaging, it’s so innovative and interesting! What great gift packaging it makes.
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This month… I’ve mainly been… on hols

Well not really, only for a week actually, but it seems longer. I’m listening to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face right now as I type this. I think Lady Gaga is very interesting/inspirational.

So basically that’s the reason why I haven’t written many blogs, I’ve been away on hols and been working like a demon since I got back, especially this last two days, it’s gotten fairly hectic over the last couple of days.
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As a designer I’ve never extolled the benefits of hiring a local designer, or indeed made any attempt to acquire clients on a local basis for the duration of my trading (around 7 years now) time.

The reason for this is that I’ve always felt that the world is my oyster and therefore proximity between myself and my customers is of no consequence to myself or them.
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A few years ago I saw the portrait work of Julian Opie, and it was the first time I’d heard of this artist … I think that this type of work is probably what he is most famous for … portraits and people.

Recently I reminded of his art when I saw the design work of a local design agency Zulu Creative for Birmingham Midshires. The Birmingham Midshires project in their portfolio displays simple and colourful characters in lifestyle setting, which seem very Julien Opie-like to me. Which is why he popped to mind.
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