Good Luck.

Try Hard.

My advice for freelance designers.

A student once asked me how I get freelance work, as if there was a big secret and I had the answers. More surprising was the fact that this student wanted to go immediately from undergraduate studies into a freelance career. The idea that freelance just appears as soon as a degree is obtained is a bit naïve. I slowly gained freelance clients while working for various studios in the city. It just takes time to build up enough to support yourself. I will say that there is an abundance of people looking for good design and are willing to utilize your services.

This is my advice to you, future or current freelance designer, hoping that you will avoid at least one day of hardship as you learn and grow.

Reaching Out

How are freelancers finding work? Who do you know that isn’t a graphic designer? Anyone who isn’t a graphic designer is probably working for someone who has needed or needs a designer. Make it known that you’re available for work through social media or friendly conversation. I’ve never advertised and word-of-mouth has gotten me nearly everything I’ve done. You’d be surprised how a client ultimately connects with you – a friend of a friend of a friend of a past client. Make sure people are able to see your work and contact you. You can also submit RFPs and RFQs if there’s an open call.

Networking Doesn’t Have to be Slimy

My idea of networking is schmoozing with the intention of getting something out of someone. I find this to be slimy. Try reaching out to new people through existing channels. It’s not a bad thing to email someone through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. These sites are there for communication, so take advantage. Talk to people wherever you are about what you do, but don’t constantly sell yourself. Search through companies you want to work with for the right person. The director of marketing might be a better point of contact than the CEO.

In Saint Louis, we have a unique group in Team Treehouse, which holds monthly events for the sole purpose of meeting new people and networking. It’s painless, fun, and leads to some unique connections.

Quality vs. Quantity

I have a character flaw in that I’m unable to say no to most things. At first, I would take on any and every project, regardless if I had the time or was interested. This lead to me working nights and weekends doing things that I would never show in a portfolio for pay that was quite low. The quantity of work lead to me paying off my student loans, but the quality was equal to a visual gag reflex.

Quality work can mean many different things. It’s a project that forces you to learn something of interest, be it front-end development or hand lettering. It’s a client offering a service or product you would be proud to support. It’s something to be used as a stepping-stone to bigger and better work. Do this work. You’ll be much happier if the benefit is more than a paycheck.

Client Deep Dive

Act like you’re a member of the company and you want it to succeed. Your conversations should be bigger than them needing a new logo or some print collateral. What’s the bigger goal? Ask a lot of questions. I’ve come to realize that when I put myself in a position where my suggestions are helping that company grow, then they are more willing to take a risk with my ideas.

Speaking to Excite and Overcome Fear

Learn to speak about your work in a way that excites whomever is listening. Realize that, just like you, the client may have an expectation of how things should be and if your idea differs you will need to convince them why your idea is the best direction. It’s also possible that they fear your idea as it out of the ordinary. Convincing them that doing something different is very difficult and will take practice. Something to consider is that just because it’s your idea does not mean that is the best idea. Be open to change yourself.

Take An Extra Day & Make Changes

When you work alone you have no one to challenge you to do better and even worse, no one to point out flaws in your work. I’ve found that many mistakes I made were the result of sending things out as soon as I finished them. Wait an extra day to give yourself a fresh set of eyes on a design and that final moment to make adjustments.

Time Management

You’ve heard the saying “feast or famine,” correct? It’s accurate. Be prepared for famine, or you’ll end up back in the quantity vs. quality issue. I’ve noticed that September through January is always light and May through August is busiest. If you’re waiting until the last minute on everything, then you are not giving yourself the opportunity to refine work before sending it out. Create a schedule; assign projects to specific days, whatever allows you to control your time.

Make Designer Friends

A friend to share ideas, critique, or share overflow work can be very beneficial. A support system can work two ways, as those friends may need your help as well. Don’t view another design as the enemy, but competition can be productive.

Sweat Equity

Clients often lack the budget for good design. If you see potential in their product or service, approach them with a reduced rate or a small amount of pro-bono work. If I attract the client with the offer for a free logo, then I’m now in control of their brand and am able to implement things as I see fit. Five years ago, I took on a client at ½ my normal hourly rate in order for them to free up funds for business development. Now they are my biggest client accounting for half of my monthly billable hours.

Sacrifice

If you gave up part of your fee to get higher quality printing, would it be worth it? A client may be on a fixed budget and if you can push an idea even further with some additional funds, do it. What if you can do some of the work yourself to get it done the way you want? Do it. I’ve spent 6 hours screen-printing record jackets, offered up a small amount of my fee to get the paper stock I wanted, or paid a developer to make sure an interactive piece is done correctly. The result? A better portfolio piece and a positive talking point. Sacrifice, for me, equates to dedication to an idea.

What happens when you get too much work?

After years of freelance, I finally reached the point where my clients were too big for just me and started a studio with some talented friends. That was my decision and yours might be to pass your overflow onto someone else as they begin their freelance career.

Good luck.

Try hard.

James Louis Walker is the founder of the creative collaborative studio, Husbandmen, with the aim to make good things. He recieved his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and currently lectures at the Sam Fox School of Design at Washington University in Saint Louis.