Freelance design business: Things you need to know!

Author: Tasnuva Elahi | George Mason University student | Art & Visual Technology, B.A. 

Hello guys! Welcome back. I hope you are enjoying my series of design blogs. So by now you should know what graphic design is, what graphic designers do, all the main components of it and making portfolios should be a piece a cake right now. There's one more thing that you need to know about and that is freelancing. Freelance is what most of the graduates prefer right after school. It gives them experience working with different types of clients. So, what is freelance? Freelance is working for different companies/clients at different times rather than being permanently employed by one company. You are your own boss when you start a freelance business. You don't go to clients, the clients come to you. You make the schedule and you decide how you should run the business. However, no matter how cool it sounds, you have to work just as hard as you would if you were employed by a company. So, brace yourself now, you have a lot to take in today, because I will list some of the key things that will help you start a freelance business and be successful at it.

NECESSARY TOOLS and WORK SPACE

Make sure you have all the necessary tools for your beautiful designs. Without any computer or graphic software you will not get far. I have listed all the necessary tools in one of my earlier blogs; click here.  So that being said, you do not need a brand new Mac Pro to get started. Every designers prefer to work with a Mac computers, specially Mac desktop over a laptop because of the large monitor, but you can use a PC if you already have one. When time comes and you feel like you have saved enough to get a Mac desktop, please do so. But as long as you don't have any problems sending the final files in the right format to your publisher, you are fine. BUT make sure you have a computer with fast processors and fast ram and lots of it. Large hard drive allows you to work with bigger files with big scratch drive space for plenty of re-dos. You will also need a good monitor. A lot of the design programs have multiple tool tabs. It is nice to have a monitor that is big enough to display all of the tabs with out eating into your design area. Other than that, have a good digital camera, a scanner and a printer.

About the work space, you will need a fairly big room where you can organize your files/designs neatly on shelves and have a separate table for your clients and your meetings. Or you can use that table when you draw out your designs and have the meeting elsewhere, like at a coffee shop or a library. Make sure to bring your portfolio to your meetings. DO NOT FORGET.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

Did you know that when you start your freelance business, your very first client is going to be YOU. Yes. You need to design a business card as your first project. A professional business card with your name, email address, website, phone number, list of services that you provide and office hours. Bring them with you anywhere you go. You never know where you can meet your clients. Ask local markets for permission if you can put flyers outside to advertise your services. It is always hard with any self-owned business to get recognized at first. But lose no hope.

HAVE A STRONG PORTFOLIO READY

Last week I blogged about portfolios and if you haven't read it yet, you can do so by clicking here. Some clients may be hesitant to hire a designer who is new to the design world and the only way you can change their mind and convince them is through your portfolio and a great professional presentation. Tell them what your strong medium is but also don't forget to mention that you can be versatile. But be honest, believe in yourself and your design. Also, during the meeting with your client, especially if its a newly engaged couple hiring you for their wedding invitations, they might want to have their input in it also; which is great but do not let them do the whole thing, if you think it will not work, speak out. Don't work on something you know will not turn out nice.

FIX A RIGHT SCHEDULE

So that brings me to my next point; office hours. Get a notebook or a calender and plan when you can be devoted to your work the most. Don't rush with this. Clients do not like a designer who is always in a rush or in a hurry and worse, can not finish a project on time. So, sit down with a cup of coffee, and plan your schedule; meeting hours, work hours and off-days.

HOW TO PRICE YOUR DESIGNS?

This is the thing that you absolutely need time to think about; how to price your designs. Its up to you if you want to negotiate or a have a fixed price for different types of projects or by the hour. Clients prefer to pay the fee per project rather than per hour. If you are fortunate enough to be recognized by one of the big design companies then consider the following:

• How long does the client want to license the artwork for? One month? One year? Two years? Five years? In perpetuity?
• In what context is the artwork going to be used? Do they have the rights to use it on anything? In print only? Web only? Broadcast? Tattooed on their faces?
• If the job is reprinted, will there be an additional fee for a reprint?
• Do they want an unlimited license or do they need to own the rights?
• Are these rights transferable if the company is sold?

For more information, please go to Fast Code Design. This blog has elaborated more on this matter. 

STOCK PHOTOS OR OWN PHOTOGRAPHY?

If you are just starting out and are on a strict budget, I would suggest taking photographs on your own and using them in your designs (if any photos are required). While experienced designers are recommended to use stock photos which you have to purchase through their websites, you also have the option to take your own photographs and not worry about the pay and copyrights. Stock photography can go as high as $50-60 per photos. Prices vary depending on the size, placement of the photo and also on the distribution, meaning how many times you will be using it. One good thing about stock photography is its always there, you can get them whenever you need and can save you a lot of times. But if you are good with a camera, loves taking photos and editing them, then you are more than welcome to show your photography skills to your clients.

FRIENDLY TIPS/THINGS TO CONSIDER

If you are unsure of how this business would take off, please consider working as a part-time freelancer. Because that way, you can have another steady source of income from somewhere else. If you do decide to go full time, remember that business have its ups and downs. Some months you will have pile of projects to do = more income, and some months will not be enough to cover your expenses. Also, cut back on unnecessary expenses. Sometimes it is very easy to do so if you just sit down and think about it. Doing this will save you a lot of money because freelancing is not an easy job or something cheap. The software you will need will be close to $900. Plus all the hardware tool; cameras, printers, etc. Lastly, if you are new to freelancing, focus on gaining experiences rather than making money. I mean, of course we all have bills to pay and other expenses but sometimes people get carried away and wait for some big agency to come and hire them and end up ignoring all the other clients. So, be patient. Start small and you will reach the sky.


So, that is pretty much what you need to know to get started with your freelance business. You can always ask for help or partner with some other designer you know and just do more research on it if need be. I have found couple of great books on starting a business, How to Start a Home-based Graphic Design Business by Jim Smith and Start Your Own Graphic Design Business by George Sheldon. Give it a read and I am sure you will learn a lot. I hope you have enjoyed my blog series and I am really thankful for all the great comments that you guys have left me over the weeks. Thank you.

SOURCES

22 Great Graphic Design Agencies
Price your Designs
More on Freelance Business

How to build a well focused portfolio

Author: Tasnuva Elahi | George Mason University student | Art & Visual Technology, B.A.



Hey guys. Welcome back once again. This week, as I promised, I will write about how to build a strong, well-focused portfolio. Potential employers or clients may read it and what they see can help them to decide whether they want to hire you. That’s why a good presentation has to be properly built up. A portfolio is a flat case, folder, binder that holds all your artwork, designs, drawings that you have done over the years in college or past jobs. It doesn't have to be a plain old case or a folder, it can be an album, or a scrap book. The more creative you are with your portfolio, the more it will show your personality. However, you can always buy a professional looking portfolio at any office supplies store or a crafts store, if you want to save your creativity for the inside, which is the main thing that matters. So without further ado, lets begin.

FIRST PAGE: RESUME

The number one thing you absolutely have to make sure to put in your portfolio is your resume. A resume shows your studies, skills and abilities from an abstract point of view and a portfolio shows what you are able to do REALLY. No matter what type of portfolio you choose, the very first thing that needs to be in there is your resume. Either paste it on the back of the front cover (also include a separate copy) or put it inside a sheet cover. Your very next page should be a table of contents of what is included in the portfolio.

DO NOT INCLUDE ALL WORKS

Your employer or clients (if you are a freelancer) will only want to see your best work. Limit it to maximum 10-15 original work that you have done. Its important that your work showcases what your strong medium is but also be versatile. You have to show versatility, that you are able to manage projects which are different one from another. In brief the best thing to do is diversifying your samples selecting items that you built up for different media. Make screenshot from your digital products and photo from your billboards (If you have any). Don’t forget that the final image leaves a more lasting impression than the first.

NOT ENOUGH EXPERIENCE?

Don't worry if you don't have enough experience, there are many ways you can add artwork to your portfolio. You can participate in local competitions, which not only will give you a chance to add a project to your portfolio, but also give you experience. Also, you can try freelancing. Freelancing is a great way to learn about the design world as well as gives you an experience on how to manage different clients. Each client is different and what they want in a design will vary from client to client. This will give you that versatility practice that you need when you build a portfolio. For local competitions, you can check out this website. Click Here

HAVE A DIGITAL COPY

Not all employers would sit with you and go through the portfolio. So make sure you also bring a digital portfolio on a CD which you can drop off and hope for the best. A digital portfolio is basically a same thing as a hard portfolio, just on a PDF file or another professional software of your choice. Also, a digital copy is really important for your large artworks which are more hard to carry with you. If you have something that is really big and just impossible to carry around, simply take a picture of it (high resolution) and include it in the CD. You can also have a web version of your portfolio. The possibilities are endless.

EXAMPLES

Here are some examples of a hard copy portfolio which was turned into an online version.

So, now you know how to make a portfolio. Have fun with it. It doesn't need to be something stressful. Always remember these simple steps that are mentioned above and you will be good. Remember to make your portfolio available for online viewing or when handling harder copies, use different media to show it around.

NEXT BLOG:

Sources that were used are linked down below. Please go check them out for more examples. For my next blog I will be writing about everything you need to know about freelancing. So stay tuned. See ya next week.


Sources:

Local competitions listings
Examples | Design articles