inquiries/questions 021-37130092
Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm
Becoming a freelance graphic designer is not an easy task but it is definitely worth the effort you’re going to invest. Becoming a freelance designer can be liberating and you can choose to work on projects you care about; thereby becoming your own boss.
Of course, this is assuming that you already have a background in design. That being said, I wish we could teach you all about graphic design in one brief article, unfortunately we can’t.
The focal point of this article is on how you can become a freelancer in design.
However, if you’re not already a graphic designer, then becoming a freelance designer will take a bit more time as you would first need learn the trait itself, after which you can then proceed to learning how to start a graphic design business.
If you have not studied design or done any design work, you can sign up with us and take our course on graphic design or you can explore other traditional education options.
So, let’s begin!
1. FIND YOUR FIRST CLIENTS.
This is probably your most important task, especially if you would like to learn how to become a freelance graphic designer who stays in business.
Getting your first clients will give you momentum, traction and confidence through which you can more rapidly become freelancer.
So, how do you get your first clients? There are a number of ways but here are the two quickest and most effective ways that we think would help you:
Search for jobs on freelance job sites
There are hundreds of freelance job sites where you can easily find freelance design work. However, here are the ones I find best.
Sites such as Fiverr will offer some low paying but easily accessible jobs and used together with a marketplace like Upwork will add a bit of stability.
Alternatively, if you are working on becoming a freelance graphic designer while holding down a full time job, you could invest in something like SolidGigs as they will do the client-hunting for you.
Tap into your personal network
If you have been working a full time job or have been a student, you most likely have a decent network. This is something you can tap into in order to help you become a freelance designer.
Instead of blasting social media posts, it is better to strategically think through friends and relatives that you have who would know someone that has a need of a freelance designer.
2. Brand yourself and name your business
Once you have got client leads, you can start thinking about the other elements on becoming a freelance designer.
First, is think through how you would want to brand and name yourself. If your aim in becoming a freelance designer is to be a one person business, you can use your own name as the company name.
However, if you would like to grow your freelance business to more than just you, you would want to consider thinking up a name for your design business.
3. Build a minimum viable portfolio
Build a minimum viable freelance portfolio.
“Minimum viable”? Means you answer the question which states “what is the least I can do to prove my skill and satisfy my customer?”
If you really want to become a freelance graphic designer, you need develop a small (maybe even one-page) portfolio that will highlight your best work and encourage visitors to hire you.
4. Over-deliver for your first clients
The next important step to becoming a freelance designer is making your clients happy with exceptional service.
It does not matter if you found your first clients from within your personal network or through freelancing websites. Either way, each client being an opportunity for more work to present itself.
Here’s why. Freelance designers who will over-deliver with design clients have more chances to:
Get more repeat design work
If you have done good job the first time, your client is more likely to hire you a second time. You might even be able to them to a regular client, creating recurring revenue.
Get more design client referrals
Going above and beyond for one client does not just affect the amount of work you would receive from that one client but will also improve the likelihood of receiving referrals from that client in the future.
5. Master proposals, invoicing, and paperwork
As a freelancer, you will need to run your business. This means you would need to write invoices, send proposals to your clients, work with contracts and more. You can initially do the bare minimum and use applications like Google Docs (or similar tools), although I would recommend you find a freelancing invoicing software in order to make your life easier, GoodBooks is an example of a good software and is my top recommendation.
6. Collect payments on-time
The fact about being a freelance designer is that if you do not get paid, you would not last too long. So, for longevity, it is absolutely imperative that to collect your payments on time. Initially it might feel a bit awkward or embarrassing to ask your clients to pay however, it shouldn’t. Getting paid is just part of doing business.
As you progress and your business grows, you can consider offering small discounts for paying invoices early or penalties for client that pay late.
7. Get referrals every chance you have
It is important it make the most of word-of-mouth marketing as a lot of freelance designers receive a large amount of business through it. The benefits of this is that no expensive ad campaigns are required, no cold outreach and no pestering local businesses for a meet-and-greet.
However, it may be difficult to initially get automatic word-of-mouth when you first begin your journey as a freelance designer. This means you will have to start by asking for referrals from existing clients. Whenever you have a positive interaction with a client, you should ask them if they know anyone who would need to hire a freelance designer.
Whenever you deliver a project to a client on time, it creates the ideal situation to ask if they know anyone who might want to work with you. Until you get enough quality work done for enough people and referrals become more organic, it up to you to make it happen.
Congratulations, you are now on your way to becoming a freelance graphic designer!
