Hey! Do you have any tips or advice for someone just starting out as a freelancer?
Hey everyone, I’m fresh out of uni and would love to start working on some freelance projects! I’d appreciate any advice on how to get started, finding your first clients, best practices etc
Anything will help me & anyone else looking to get into freelancing!
Thanks,
Abb :)
Replies22
- @Charlotte Simpson Hey! I’ll definitely check out Creative Hub when it launches, sounds very handy :)Thanks!
- Hey Abbie,So many great tips on this feed already.Adobe Portfolio can be a great way to display your work: https://portfolio.adobe.com/Behance can also be good for discovery.Also, check out https://app.creativehub.io/ - they're launching a new service in mid-September that connects freelancers to clients for free.
- Collaborate as much as you can.Reach out to every outlet you can think of and speak about your service and what you do etc.Blogs, Podcasts etcWork with as many people as possible!
- If your making the change from FT to Freelance just give your self some time to adjust to a different mindset in what your employer will need from you. These are two different roles.Tailor your CV according to the role your applying for and keep it fresh.Keep working on the interesting personal side projects as often this can demonstrate other skills you have, that perhaps are not in your current CV.Be responsive, clear communicator, collaborative, a problem solver and stretch yourself.Support the team lead and the PM as much as possible.Be prepared to keep learning new skills on the side, as once your freelance you may not have the FT investment of training, mentorship etcGreat thing about freelancing is your network does grow substantially.
- Hi Abbie,These guys are a good platform for freelancers https://underpinned.co/and for salary guidance: https://www.majorplayers.co.uk/salary-survey-2020/Hope this helps!
- @Alec Dudson Alec is very right.I'm always amazed about how many agencies/creatives will so often chase work in the same sectors.Whilst admittedly, this work will usually be higher profile and wonderfully rewarding. There are great suaves of the business community that are massively underserved by the creative sector.
- @Abbie Hopper no problem! We've got a course on pricing that goes into lots of detail too.
- @Alec Dudson Some really helpful advice, thank you so much!
- @Abbie Hopper Local is always a nice way to start as it gives you some common ground to begin with. Just bear in mind that no-one likes to be sold to. Frame yourself instead as a problem solver. Talk to people about their businesess, ask what challenges they're facing. Maybe graphic design isn't what they need right now, but if you can identify a way in which some design work would help to move them ahead of their competition, then they're more likely to be interested.If you can help them to make more money, paying you to help them make that money is a no-brainer. What you offer is a service, not a product. How can you serve them? How can you help them to meet their goals/achieve their dreams? That's what you're really selling, but clients, particularly if they don't have much reverence for design and its power, will need your help to understand and appreciate that opportunity.
- @Alec Dudson Hey Alec!Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely check out The Price is Right piece, sounds very helpful :)Thats such a good idea, I hadn’t really thought about that before. Would you suggest reaching out to brands / companies to offer graphic design work? Local businesses would also be a good idea to try to work with!
- Hey @Abbie Hopper, some great tips in here already. If you want a bit of an intro to pricing as a freelance graphic designer, I wrote a piece a while back with some start points: https://intern-mag.com/the-price-is-right/Another tip would be to look for work in the less obvious places. Every business needs a visual identity and social media strategy these days. 99% of the graphic designers in the world are trying to win work in a few popular sectors (culture, fashion, tech). Instead, look for businesses that are part of a sector where the branding and visual communication standards are a little more choppy. You can easily add major value there for clients and help them to become market leaders.Think about WHY a client would want graphic design work doing? Ultimately it'll be about making more money (directly or indirectly). If you spot an opportunity to make a business stand out from the crowd by tightening up their communications, then that could well be an easier job to win.
- I have just started freelancing and found work on people per hour( 4 jobs in 2 and a half months) and last month started cold emailing companies with a link to my portfolio website - I very brief introduction about myself (my title and where I am based that I offer graphic design and illustration and if they are interested please check out the link) . keep it 3 sentences long people don't have time to read a lot. I have emailed about 15 - 60 companies everyday - keep spreadsheets of responses and so you know who might be interested in the future. ( I have only had one client so far but it has only been a month and a half so time will tell.)* Have Job numbers and customer codes - run it like a small business.* I used google business suite because it allows me to save my clients work in a drive and have a .sites portfolio at a low cost.https://sites.google.com/icanthis.com/icanthis/homeHope this helps :)
- @Abbie Hopper Give me 24hrs and I'll write something up for you
- @Lawrence Everard Yeah that would be amazing, thanks so much!My email is abbihopper@gmail.com :)
- @Abbie Hopper I have a mountain of advice, if you'd like me to put something together for you
- @Lawrence Everard Thanks, sounds like some good tips :) would you have any advice on working out pricing?
- @Simeon Elson Thanks! Definitely, platforms like The Dots will be so helpful :)
- Your portfolio is always a work in progress, there is never a time when your portfolio is perfect, I’m constantly reworking updating and looking back at old prices of work and replacing/curing etc. Don’t always need to show everything you can do. Tailor your work when presenting to a certain client/industry
- Network like crazy, work like crazy, keep developing and thinking about the portfolio.Don't lose sight of what you enjoy the most, even if the less enjoyable work pays the bills.Oh, and keep going, as sometimes you need to be relentless.
- Create the work you would like to be commissioned to do, show your skillset, your creative method and approach. Work out how many amendments are included in your rate, then additional charges if they request more.
- Hi Abbie,For finding your first clients I would say start with the end in mind. So if your creating portfolio pieces, taylor them to the kind of clients you would like to attract.Use platforms like this, Behance, Insta to gain connections with people in the position to commission you for projects.
- Make sure you have a good accountant and save money for paying tax and national insurance!
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.