Freelance Design Tips
When it comes to Freelance Design, we've been there, done that, now serving 290 tips in 16 categories ranging from Art & Creative Directors to Working with Freelancers.
Know Your Users
Artisan Talent Tip: When you work on Web design jobs, you are working to please not only your client, but the users of your client's site. It's helpful to know as much as you can about that audience as you begin designing a site for them. For example, who is the target market and what kind of demographic information is available about them? (For instance, a site appealing to men in their 50s will have a different look from one appealing to women in their 20s.)
Freelance Markets For Artists
If you are an illustrator who is still in school, it can be a challenge to know where to look for clients. Unless you sign on with a talent agency or have established connections in the industry—where do you look for jobs? You can't just walk into a company and get hired for one of the high-paying freelance animation jobs—you'll need some experience.
Here are a few simple things that you may want to consider that can help get you started—especially if you don't have a lot of items in your portfolio:
- Artwork for CD covers. If you are hoping to do a creative project for your portfolio, why not consider designing a CD cover? Although this won't rank high on the pay scale, it can give you a client to add to your roster and another sample of your work as a freelancer.
- Illustration for a kid's book. Try reaching out to authors who write books for children and see if any of them are looking for an illustrator to work with for their next project.
- Create imagery for websites. If you are an illustrator that is computer-savvy, why not team up with a web designer to help create imagery for customers.
Finding Web Design Jobs
Artisan Talent Tip: If you're serious about a freelance Web design career, you want clients who are serious about their Web sites. Many of the prospective clients out there are people who want the cheapest possible product, and don't have a good understanding of how much a quality designer can help their sites.
Graphic Designers: The Difficult Client
If you are going to be a freelance graphic artist, eventually you will encounter a difficult client. Having a plan in place to deal with this type of person can really help minimize aggravation and conflict. Here are some great tips for keeping things cool:
- Recognize the warning signs. If you are getting multiple voicemails with last-minute details or unreasonable time-frame requests in the beginning, pay attention to this and try and head things off at the pass before the situation worsens.
- Realize that the situation is temporary. Even if a client is being impossible, eventually the project will come to an end. Keep that in mind.
- Prepare yourself for interaction. Make sure that before you talk to the client, you have the project specs in front of you so that you can refer to them if needed.
- Build in a set amount of revisions for your projects. A client that can endlessly revise your work can be a real problem. Set a certain amount of revisions and then charge for those that go over.
- Avoid losing your temper. This can be hard to do, but even if the client is totally off-base in his requests, losing your temper is unprofessional. Take deep breaths. Work out before your meeting. Do what you need to do to keep your cool.
Mockups and Prototypes
Artisan Talent Tip: At the mockup stage, it's easy to add features, switch elements, and even redo the whole look of the product. These changes get a lot more difficult when you're working with the real product. A team of Chicago designers might use a standard contract that includes at least one round of alterations at the mockup stage, to emphasize to the client that now is the time to change one's mind.
Freelancing as a Career Choice
If you think you would like join the ranks of freelance creative directors rather than work for a corporation, consider the advantages of this type of lifestyle. As a freelance professional, you'll have a more flexible career, and you'll be able to call your own shots. This is appealing to many people, and it's one of the main reasons that people pursue the freelance lifestyle. In addition, the variety of work can be stimulating.
Making the leap to freelance work can make some people nervous, but if you do it properly, there's no reason for alarm. Take the time to get a good resume together and then sign on with a talent agency that will help you locate good freelance positions. This can be a big help, as you won't have to conduct your search alone. Talent agencies have relationships with many companies that use freelancers on a regular basis, so they can reach out on your behalf.
Getting Paid for Graphic Design Work
Artisan Talent Tip: To protect themselves and get proper compensation for their work and skills, many designers recommend a series of milestones and payments. For instance, a partnership of New York designers might bill 30% of the final fee on completion of the prototype, 30% on completion of the first draft, and 40% after two rounds of changes. Only after the invoices are paid are the final files provided to the client.
Art Director: Creative Or Practical?
People think of art directors as the creatives who bring concepts to life through imagery. While this is true, they must also be able to do things that are not as "right-brain" oriented. For art directors, jobs change depending on the task at hand. They often have to manage people such as layout artists, designers and copywriters, which requires attention to detail. It also means that art directors must have good communication skills. Generally speaking, the higher the art director's position, the more people she will be in charge of managing.
Many art directors will also handle meeting with clients and creating presentations for them to review as a project moves toward completion. Again, this requires organizational and people skills. A good art director can easily switch between being creative and practical, depending on what is required at any given time. Although this position isn't for everyone, those who thrive on a fast-paced environment with new challenges will do well.
Elements of a Freelance Design Contract
Artisan Talent Tip: A good contract protects the freelance graphic artist by setting out the work to be done, the schedule of work to be delivered, and the schedule of payments to be made. A graphic designer should have a standard contract available for clients to sign, and should not do any work without a signed contract. You should also include a clause reserving the right to display a copy of the completed work as part of your portfolio.
Corporate Identity
Artisan Talent Tip: Larger organizations seek graphic designers to develop visual styles that will permeate every aspect of the company's work. Freelance graphic designers seeking New York design jobs, or jobs in other sophisticated markets, may be asked to demonstrate proficiency with corporate identity work.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Kristle Jones |
