5 Tips for
Graphic Design Freelancers
If you're just starting out with
freelance, there are a few things you should know.
Number 1:
Don't be afraid to cold email companies. A
lot of people just don't do this. I was kind of surprised. I had an agency job
for a couple of years, and only one guy reached out in that whole time. And
even though our styles didn't match the style of the agency and his work style.
I was super impressed that he was able to find out what our email addresses
were and email us. And he did this about every three months, and if he had been
in our wheelhouse, we probably would have hired him. I don't think there are a
lot of people doing this. So it's a good way to get your foot in the door.
Number 2:
This one seems totally obvious, I
understand. It's probably annoying, but it needs to be said. I was so
surprised, but, do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to
do it. So, as a freelancer, the company I worked for, it used a project
management software where we could see what the other freelancers were doing.
And it was so common that people wouldn't hand things in on time, or they would
do like half a project - whatever they'd gotten done by the deadline. And, that
is just so unprofessional - our project manager had to reach out to them and
say, 'Hey, where's this project? So if you can just do what you say you're
going to do when you say you're going to do it, you're so far ahead of the
game, it's amazing. If you do have to be late on a project, I mean, things
happen. And you're not going to hit every single deadline for the rest of your
life. If you know you're not going to hit a deadline, go ahead and email them
as soon as you know that. They will really be thankful that you gave them a
heads up about it. A lot of places are willing to work with you.
Number 3:
If you're doing the same type of work for a
client over and over again, go ahead and set up some templates for yourself. It
helps your client because you're faster, and it helps you because you don't
have to take the time to click the same things over and over again and...and
set up these documents. A good example of this is, let's say they want a
brochure, and they want it at 300 DPI with bleeds every time. You can set up a
print preset for that, or you can set up an action to always export the same
way every time. And it just saves you a few clicks, and it helps you, and it
helps the client. So do templates for sure.
Number 4:
If you can, work a full-time job and do
freelancing on the side. That really eases the pressure, and it helps you to
build a client list before you jump 100% into freelance. I've always held a
full-time job until recently, and the few months that I did not have a
full-time job and I was doing full-time freelance work was slightly stressful,
to put it lightly. So if you're the type of person where that kind of thing
doesn't bother you, feel free, but know you're going to have some slow months
and plan accordingly.
Read More: Top 5 Freelancing Websites
Number 5:
I really think if you're working with
individuals, you really should have a creative brief. All that really is, is a
sheet of paper that says, you know, what is this project? What colors do you like?
What fonts are you leaning towards? What look and feel is right for you? And
provide pictures or anything... just everything about the project, so you don't
have to go back and forth with the client all the time. And the client is
thinking, Why didn't they just ask us at the beginning? So, creative briefs are
really important if you're working with individuals, especially those who don't
know what they want, which is the case a lot of the time. If you're working
with companies, I don't find that you really need a creative brief. A lot of
times, they'll provide you with a creative brief of what they want, what
they're looking for, and their style guide, look and feel, and all of those
things.
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