What You Really Need To Know To Be A Professional Freelance Designer
1. Brand yourself. Practically any firm or organization falls apart without an established style. Without an impressive personalized brand you will simply fade into the background where literally 1000's of freelance designers wander.
2. Make an effective web portfolio. It is virtually impossible to be successful in graphic or web design without having an impressive internet presence. Any potential clients or bosses will wish to see your work and most of them will want to type in a URL and click on what they want to see.
3. Create an equally effective print portfolio, business cards, resume, and so forth. This is somewhat a combination of the previous 2 steps. Be sure you create a formidable solid portfolio that you can give to those who want to see your work "in person". Also utilize your branding and identity to create business cards, stationery, et cetera. Any time you could slap your very own personal brand on something, do it.
4. Be brave, bold, and professional. Don't be afraid to call people, offer services, email corporations and more. Recently, I was printing a job for a customer and at the printing shop, a person complimented me on the design of the piece. After engaging in friendly exchange, he asked me for various tips on the piece he was printing for his own business. Although I was short on time, I was happy to assist him and when I got ready to leave, I offered my future services then gave him a card. Have faith that people will admire your skills.
5. Go the extra mile for your customers. Word of mouth is the most important tool you have. Nothing can help you or harm you more than rumors and compliments shared by other people for whom you have done work before. About 90% of the freelance work I complete comes from word-of-mouth marketing.
6. Take the small jobs first. Doing well at a smaller job for someone may also help open doors for your customer to do bigger, better things. I entered a logo contest for a specific group and out of the four logos I entered, two tied for first place pick. They were so impressed, I offered to create their website too. Related offers can be made for an organization's stationery, business cards, etc. Find an area of interest and then take courage and offer much more.
7. Don't underestimate yourself. This goes along with Number 4. Be sure you believe in yourself. No one will ever employ a designer that thinks he might not do as good a job as the next guy. Make sure you reflect your self-confidence in your pricing. If your work is good, charge good money for it.
8. Network. Graphic and web design are rapidly changing. Each day new techniques and styles are created and the designer found sleeping on the job is left in the dust. Join social networks like twitter, linkedin, fb, digg, and more. Set up a blog and frequently add meaningful feedback on others' blogs. Making a reputation for yourself in the design world takes a while but may be done using social networking resources.
9. Practice, practice, practice. Nothing will provide help to increase in confidence and talent more than practice. If work is a little bit slow, nail down some of those private tasks you've been meaning to finish. Join a group at school or in the community where you may freshen your talents. Engage in design forums, contests, and workshops. Nothing can take the place of real life application and experience.
10. Pay attention. I like to bring a little notebook around with me. Whenever I see an advertisement, photo, building, person, etc. that influences my creative thinking.
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