It Could Be Wise

HOW TO SURVIVE LIFE AS A FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER

BY KYLE MACKAY

SECTION ONE: THE LIFESTYLE

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SECTION TWO: THE CLIENTS

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SECTION TWO: THE GRIND

First thing’s first; I’m in no way a writer and these aren’t my memoirs but as I sit here thinking about situations I’ve found myself in as a freelance graphic designer, I do at times feel like I’m living in the spine-tingling scenes straight out of a Stephen King novel. But let’s not dwell on the negatives. Once you’ve got a firm grip of things, the reward will be worth the dedication and you’ll be in a privileged position where you can enjoy the work you do while being your own boss.

It’s probably worth mentioning where the idea of sharing these tips came from. I was chatting away to a fellow freelancer who was ready to throw in the towel and being able to relate to things not always going to plan, I sort of joked saying that “I could write a book based on the amount of shit I’ve had to put up with”, and being a creative type, of course I’m going to take that idea and run with it. Like most, it’s snowballed a bit and I made promises to people that I’d see it through so anyone pursuing a career as a freelance graphic designer can get a running start.

The advice I’m offering has been compiled from the lessons I’ve learned over the years so before you book your long-term stay at the Overlook (also known as your freelance career), you can rest easier knowing that with these tips, you’ll be prepared for whatever it throws your way. Enjoy.

SECTION ONE

THE LIFESTYLE

SECTION ONE: THE LIFESTYLE

BE YOUR OWN BRAND

A key aspect of being your own brand comes down to how you put yourself across when dealing with clients; known as the “tone of voice”. When working as an individual rather than as part of a company, most clients look for specific qualities to come across in the kind of service you provide - a personal and more direct business relationship.

How you choose to communicate with different clients is all part of your overall brand as a freelance graphic designer. So if you’re sending casual WhatsApp messages to one client or pitching to a panel of corporate professionals, it’s worth making a few behavioural changes appropriate who you’re talking to, but always keep hold of the more universal character traits which every client expects; integrity and trust.

SET YOUR OWN GOALS AND PACE

By setting your own goals and not comparing your pace of achievements to others, you’re instantly taking pressure off yourself and strengthening your originality. Most careers in graphic design, especially freelance, very much requires patience so don’t expect to leave education and instantly take on the workload of a senior designer. You’ve got to build up a client base and reputation, during which time you’ll be expanding your portfolio, strengthening your skills and generally learning the ropes.

If you’re at the early stages of your career, don’t worry about where other designers were one year into theirs or how much they’ve achieved because chances are, they were once where you are now. This also applies to the quality of your work and understanding that as you expand your portfolio and work with clients from various industries, you also become more adaptable in your level of creativity.

Set targets - not expectations.

BENEFIT FROM YOUR OWN PROGRESS

It’s no secret that all graphic design working environments have their highs and lows but as a freelancer, you’ll experience it all first hand.

On one hand, there’s the lows. Risks will be taken along the way and they won’t always work out but for every bad experience, there’s a good lesson and with that knowledge, you can swerve it the next time it comes along. On the other hand, there’s the highs. You’ll find that rewards comes in many forms; from bringing in new clients to seeing your work out there in the real world.

Be it high or low, it’s all valuable first hand experience and there to be soaked up.

FIND YOUR OWN DESIGN STYLE

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Graphic design is a competitive industry and there’s always going to be someone willing to work for less so you need to establish a design style which makes you stand out. By all means, do your research and keep an eye on what direction the current trends are heading in but if you’re offering a bespoke design service, stay well clear of using templates.

It’s also important that you’re able to adapt to suit client requirements. Personally, I often think “less is more” works best not every client would agree and if you focus too much on one design style, you’re instantly narrowing the range of clients who would choose to use your services. When clients reach out to you based on a recommendation, you’re on safer grounds with your preferred style, but when you’re the one looking to bring on new clients, this is where you’ll be more likely have to put your adaptive creativity into action, which isn’t a bad thing.

GET TO KNOW OTHER CREATIVES

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Believe it or not, there might come a day when a client asks you to do something beyond your capabilities and as much as we hate to admit it, we can’t do everything. For example, let’s say they’re asking for a bespoke brochure design - yes, you’re all over the visual style but what happens when they expect written content, photography or illustrations? In a perfect world, we’d be able to provide all those services ourselves but that’s rarely the case so it’s good to have other creatives to hand who you can rely on when you need those additional skills.

Just bear in mind that whenever you recommend their services to your client, their performance reflects on you, especially when it’s a collaborative project. It’s worth doing a bit of research on who you’re recommending before hand to see examples of their work and find out about the kind of clients they’ve worked with previously.

KEEP YOUR CREATIVITY ON THE BOIL

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Now and again, especially in your first year as a freelancer, there’s a high chance that you’ll come across a few obstacles which will disrupt rhythm and impact your creativity, such as working on projects which don’t peak your interest or maybe you’ve hit a dry patch and find spare time between clients. This is the time where you need to be proactive and create your own project briefs to expand your portfolio.

Being your own client, you can work at your own pace and never have to face rejection on your submitted work. And you can go full creative mode to work on a project tailored to your interests; pick an industry, come up with a fictional business name and away you go.

The desired results is to end up with a project to add to your portfolio and more importantly, a surge in your creativity.

DON’T FORGET TO EAT AND SLEEP •

You’d think the ability to sustain the fundamentals of living isn’t worthy of praise but it’s amazing how many meals you miss and how many hours of sleep are lost when you’re up to your eyes in client requests and deadlines. The key is to prioritise and listen to your mind and body when it starts to crash.

Let’s say you skip dinner and put in a night shift to meet a deadline. Great, you’ve completed one project and pleased one client but be prepared to face the consequences the next day when you’re unable to get out of third gear, ultimately effecting your other projects. It’s easier said than done but the best way to maintain peak performance is with some sort of routine and breaks throughout the day for those life essentials.

KNOW WHEN TO TAKE TIME OFF

You’re probably familiar with the term “hitting the wall”, also known as “creative block” and if you’re not, just you wait - it’s brutal. This can come out of nowhere and it’s one of the creative world’s many mysteries but what we do know is that it’s your mind’s way of telling you to take a day off. Obviously, its not always convenient for your clients when you take time off and in most cases, when we’re not working, we’re not getting paid, so aim to take breaks between projects rather than during them.

Let’s say you soldier on and decide to chip away at the wall - yes, you might slowly get some more work done but wouldn’t you rather take the week off then come back recharged and working at double the pace. You’ll make up the lost time and be in a better place mentally which will show in the quality of the work you produce.

Experiencing creative block doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong. In a career where rhythm can fluctuate, it’s so easy to push yourself a bit too hard but over time, you’ll spot the warning signs sooner allowing you to make a few necessary adjustments.

KEEPING THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE

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As a bit of a work addict myself, I can only say so much about having a work/life balance but everyone’s balance is different and the key is to find what works for you.

Being a freelancer, it can be expected to feel chained to your work - after all, when you’re not working, you’re not getting paid - but finding the right balance will make the work more enjoyable. Clients will always come and go and as for your existing long-term clients, you’d have to hope that they understand when you need to take some time for yourself and will be happy to continue the work when you get back.

Holidays aren’t usually a weekly thing so its worth adding more regular activities to your routine. For me, it’s a few games of squash throughout the week; de-screen (tick), change of environment (tick), exercise (tick) and social advantages (tick).

THE BENEFITS OF DE-SCREENING

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A busy freelancer is a happy freelancer but if a hefty chunk of what you’re earning gets spent on headache tablets, you’re doing something wrong. Most of the time when we’re working, we’re staring at a screen so its important to take regular breaks to avoid eye strain, headaches and generally going into full zombie mode.

And that doesn’t just mean de-screening from your desktop/laptop - go right back to the stone age and put down your phone and turn the TV off. If you really want to make the best of your de-screen time, get on your walking shoes and brave the outside world. Don’t worry, you should be fine.

If you’re coming to the end of a night shift, try to de-screen at least one hour before going to bed. Your mind takes time to switch off and the “blue light” emitted by your screen tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime so even though you’re starting to feel tired, your brain is trying to work as if it’s lunchtime. If you’re working right up to the minute before you go to bed, don’t be surprised if you’re still thinking ideas over even once your eyes are closed - that’s natural for us creative types.

EMBRACE THE HOME OFFICE

Being a freelancer, it’s likely that you do majority of your work from home. This comes with pros and cons but with the right home office environment and equipment, you can use it to your advantage.

First, there’s the environment. I suppose its circumstantial but if possible, you want a tidy room with few distractions and allows for the most natural light to come in throughout the day. It’s tempting sometimes to put in a quick shift from the comfort of your bed but psychologically, you need to distance your work routine from where you sleep and unwind.

Then there’s the office setup. Before you kit up with a solid desk and comfortable chair, you should de-clutter the room to make as much space as possible. Subconsciously, a tidy office just makes everything seem more under control which is essential when you’re juggling several projects. You’ll probably need to get your hands on a printer as well but other than that, your desktop/laptop should tick all the other boxes (eg. digital filing, calendar, entertainment).

THE MAGIC OF BACKGROUND NOISE

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This probably doesn’t apply to everyone but working in complete silence doesn’t necessarily always help with concentration. The trick is to find the right source of background noise for you depending on what you’re working on at that particular time. The right background noise at the right time of day (or night) can keep those creative juices flowing while keeping your mind in work-mode and helps to avoid detractions.

During the day when things are running at a faster pace, radio and podcasts are a good go-to. The consistent chat works as a sort of pacemaker as you power through the day’s to-do list. Also, when working alone, it’s nice to have a voice in the room but in this case, it’s a voice which you’re able to mute (which isn’t always socially acceptable in an office based team environment).

As for those later hours when you’re winding down, music works a treat but make sure you go for one of the more easy-listening genres. If you want to really Zen out, just light a WoodWick® candle and listen it crackle.

THE (SIDE)EFFECTS OF GOING SOLO

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When setting up as a freelancer, I had a meeting with a business advisor and they raised the point of what it’s like to work alone and how it can often leave people feeling isolated from the rest of the world. As an ambitious twenty-something year old fresh out of university, I brushed off the warning and went straight for the positives but it wasn’t long before their point became apparent.

Working alone isn’t for everyone and it can be quite a strange transition going straight from life in education surrounded by people on the same path as you to suddenly being in a position where there’s nobody sat directly next to you who you’re able to share ideas with. On the other hand, while you may not have fifteen other people around you, what you do have is the availability of working with clients from various backgrounds and locations, albeit less direct. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities throughout your career for face-to-face interactions such as client visits and networking events.

If all else fails, buy a Tamagotchi.

NAIVETY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE

So as freelancers, we enjoy our work and get on with who we work with (aren’t we just the luckiest) but let’s not get carried away - we definitely still get a fair share of shit thrown our way. While optimism does help in many ways, it can also give us false hope and unrealistic expectations. You’ll be making your own decisions and taking your own risks so by all means, be optimistic but if something doesn’t quite go to plan, the important thing is that you learn from it.

The biggest danger of carrying naivety with you probably comes down to the level of trust you put into clients, specifically those who you haven’t worked with before. Being a bit naive isn’t as much of a threat when dealing with clients you’ve known and trusted for years but when dealing with new clients, just make sure all agreements made prior to starting the work is clear and reliable.

FINANCIAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

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This has to be addressed because it can make or break a career as a freelancer. To put it bluntly, working in freelance isn’t like having a salary where you know what you’re getting at the end of the month. What you get paid depends on the amount of work you do and the prices you charge but with the risk come potential of a greater reward; a salary-matching income but with more aspects of freedom and flexibility.

If you’re fresh out of education and starting from scratch, you’ll probably have no clients therefore no income, so before you get ahead of yourself, look at your financial circumstances and come up with a plan. Luckily, there isn’t much of a setup cost when it comes to starting up (you do all your own marketing) so it’s more a case of asking yourself; am I in a position where I can afford little to no income while I start to build my clientele? This comes with a bit of pressure but it only gets easier as you progress.

SECTION

TWO

THE CLIENTS

SECTION TWO: THE CLIENTS

CHOOSE YOUR OWN CLIENTS

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Ideally, you want the clients to come to you but you’ll often find your productive self seeking out new directions in which to take your clientele. How you decide who you want to work with comes in two forms; clients with long-term business potential and clients who work in an industry which you’re more interested in. And yes, a lot of opportunities will tick both boxes.

You can look for clients everywhere and anywhere, jumping between industries or you can select a duration of time where you look for clients in one specific industry. Whoever you aspire to work with, as long as you enjoy the work and you can agree fair terms with them, you’re onto a winner.

Personally, I love when a client comes along who’s starting a new business venture. It’s always good to see a business grow from the ground up and they tend to benefit from more design services.

WORKING WITH ON-GOING CLIENTS

Ah, music to my ears. On-going work has so many benefits which make a huge difference when it comes to the business relationship you have with the client.

Firstly, there’s the familiarity. During your time working with any specific company, you’ll get to know them on a more personal level by talking on a more regular basis. Their branding and marketing strategies will also become more familiar making the overall design process more streamlined. As much as we enjoy challenging our creativity, by having experienced working with that brand over an extended period of time, the creativity will flow more naturally.

Then there’s the trust element and financial expectations. When working with any on-going client, eventually you’ll be able to factor that into your estimated monthly workload and income. And more importantly, you can just get on with the work without having to worry about any complications regarding payment.

APPRECIATE THE REPEAT BUSINESS

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There are a few different ways to let your regular clients know that you appreciate their business and whilst it’s not essential, a little bit of kindness does go a long way. Don’t come across as overly grateful because at the end of the day, you’re the one providing them with a service but as a freelancer, the more personable approach to working with clients comes quite naturally.

For smaller scale clients, consider offering a small discount on their next job request. It generally doesn’t cost you much (if anything). For larger scale clients, you can push the boat out a bit and treat them to a gift on special occasions; something their whole team can benefit from.

As I said; you’re not expected to shower your clients with discounts and gifts. Simply sending a quick email just to say thanks also gets the message across.

WORK WITH CLIENTS, NOT FOR THEM

Whilst your clients are paying for your services, it’s not the conventional employer and employee relationship.

As a graphic designer, or any of the other professions in marketing, it’s our job to help other businesses reach their success potential and to achieve this, the designer and client need to work together. By showing mutual respect and working on the same level, the process is much more collaborative allowing the designer to make suggestions which the clients are happy to consider.

KNOW YOUR CLIENTS’ INDUSTRIES

It’s time to give your creativity a break and spend some time getting stuck into good old-fashioned industry research. It might not be as fun but it is without a doubt equally as important. By extending your knowledge of the industries in which your clients work, this will send your creative thought process down a more direct path towards their specific needs while also providing you with an insight to what design styles and marketing strategies are most effective.

Industry leaders should also be researched to find out what exactly it is that they’re doing from a marketing point of view which has got them to where they are. This applies to both their marketing strategies and brand style. What are they doing to make them stand out above their competitors and how would you adapt and improve that to suit your client’s needs?

Your findings from doing that research will be beneficial when pitching to and working with any clients from that same industry - not just the client which you’re working with at that specific time.

SHOW INITIATIVE AND BE PROACTIVE

To generate a consistent work flow, you’ll need to push your creativity beyond the work itself. While working on a project requested by a client, always have one eye on the bigger picture and don’t hold back on suggesting other marketing strategies which you think they could benefit from. Depending on how much time you have available, pair your suggestions with a rough design mock-up so the client can get a clear idea of what it is that you’re suggesting.

These traits also show that you fully understand and have a genuine interest in the business you work with as well as showing that you’re able to work through the project without having to be guided every step of the way by the client.

CONSIDER OFFERING A “TEST DRIVE”

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When starting a business relationship with a new client, it’s understandable that they ask to see examples of your work. Occasionally, you’ll have examples to hand which they can relate to but when you offer a bespoke design service, work you’ve done for other clients will only get you so far. In some cases, it might be worth offering clients a “test drive” on your services to give them some reassurance.

I suppose when you strip that back, it sounds like unpaid work and yes, it‘s risky but look at the work potential and use that freelancers’ instinct. I’m not saying do the whole project - if they’re asking about a logo, send a rough watermarked design, or if they’re asking for a brochure, just send a couple of pages. Basically, just send them enough to give them an idea. It also shows that you’re proactive and keen to work with them which is always a good place to start.

VISIT CLIENTS WHERE POSSIBLE

Working remotely comes with plenty of perks but it’s worth visit your clients where possible, whether it‘s for an initial face to face meeting or just a drop in to say hi. Also, by dipping your toe in your clients’ work environment, this gives you a chance to take in the interior styling which may be useful contributing design factor which could be applied to any work you produce for them.

When producing physical work for clients (eg. brochures, flyers, etc.), dropping by their office is a chance you for you to see the end result. You should also ask to take a few copies away with you so you can use them as examples to present (or post) to other potential clients.

REMOTE MEETINGS AND VIDEO CALLS

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Most freelance graphic designers tend to work remotely but this comes with so many advantages thanks to today’s technology. You could be in full chill-out mode one minute then receive an email from client five hundred miles away calling for an impromptu meeting and the only commute concern you need to worry about is stubbing your toe on your way.

Emails and phone calls are perfectly fine most of the time but for those more formal or group discussions, organising a remote meeting provides those office formalities without the physical office environment.

Then there’s the video call. This one took a global pandemic to talk me round but I have to admit; I do see the advantages. They help when it comes to basic communication and they also offer a more personal designer to client relationship by being able to put faces to one another’s names. Just make sure you follow the Zoom background trend and sit down in front of your finest book collection - apparently everyone’s a success when they have a bookshelf behind them.

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LET THE WORK FIND YOU •

Actively seeking new clients takes a lot of preparation and time so what you’re aiming for is to be in a position where you’ve got work coming to you at a pace which you can manage while simultaneously working on current projects. Getting to this stage doesn’t happen over night and it often comes down to relying on word of mouth and recommendations; “the snowball effect”.

If you’re at an early stage in your freelance career, you may not be in a position where you can rely on your clients to send a consistent flow of work your way by recommending your services so extra action will be required on your part to get things going.

GOING GLOBAL •

Working remotely opens up so many doors when it comes to where you choose to offer your services. In this case, let’s look at taking things to a global scale. This flags up a few potential complications but nothing which can’t be managed.

When it comes to agreeing design costs with a client, make sure you both fully understand which currency you’re dealing in. The value of design services can also vary depending on which country your client is from so it’s also worth bearing this in mind when negotiating.

If you’re at the point where you’re working with a client, chances are they speak English but don’t assume it’s that simple. They may ask that you produce designs in a foreign language but if they provide the copy clearly, you shouldn’t have any problems. Being a Scot, I’m already used to having this problem with some of my UK based clients.

While we may be able to function well into the witching hour, we should consider what time it is in the country where our clients are before we go calling.

SENDING AND TRACKING INVOICES

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As well as managing your workload, you’ll also need to take care of the admin duties such as sending invoices and keeping on top of incoming payments. This side of running a graphic design business as a freelancer can be a bit of a nightmare at times but using the right system to organise payments should keep you on the right track.

There are a few methods available when it comes to sending invoices. Firstly, there’s the hands-on approach which involves manually creating invoices and emailing them to the clients but you’d need to specify how you’d like to receive payment and manually record when the invoice has been paid. A more streamlined method would be to use online invoicing software such as “QuickBooks” which logs all the invoices online and has a fully automatically recorded system with all payments made online, however full use of these features often require a paid subscription.

In most cases, invoices should be sent once the work has been completed however some clients may be happy to pay a deposit the full balance up-front. If a month goes by and an invoice is still awaiting payment, it’s worth sending a friendly reminder.

WHEN A CLIENT DOESN’T PAY •

I feel like this should be higher up in the list but this sort of thing needs to be eased into. Here are a couple of reasons why a client may decide not to pay...

First example; the quality of work doesn’t meet their expectations. This doesn’t come up often but we’ve got to start somewhere. The only way to avoid this is by just knuckling down and try and get to a final design they’re happy with. If you’re changing a fixed price, ask yourself if what you expect to get paid is worth all this extra time.

Second example; the client is unwilling or unable to pay due to their financial or business circumstances. When a client asks you to work with them, you have to assume they can afford the prices they’re agreeing to. You should be able to trust that you receive payment regardless of their circumstances, however there are some exceptions when you may have to be more understanding.

Unfortunately, some jobs will go unpaid but the key is to learn from them, take note and do your best to not let it happen again.

SHARING EDITABLE FILES

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In some instances, a client may ask you to send the editable design files once you’ve completed a job, in which case, you’re well within reason to charge the client an additional cost to follow out that request. Clients shouldn’t expect to receive editable files as standard procedure in the same way we don’t expect a chef to give us a recipe after we’re enjoyed a meal which they’ve prepared.

By sending editable files, you’re allowing others to access your work and basically do the work which you were originally asked to do. For this reason, if you do decide to send the editable files, just make sure you’ve received payment first. As cynical as that sounds, it probably applies more to clients you’re less familiar with but all you’re doing is providing yourself with reassurance.

Clients should also be told that to edit certain file types, they’d need the suitable software (eg. Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) which is rarely the case. Same rule applies when the original files contain premium/downloaded typefaces.

THE CLIENT IS ALWAYS RIGHT

The “client is always right” mentality doesn’t come naturally to us graphic designers but if we’re going to get a project over the finish line, sometimes we need to be flexible and give the client the final word, even if those words are completely bonkers requests such as “make the logo bigger” or “change the font to Comic Sans”.

Whenever you disagree with a client’s design suggestion, don’t hesitate to share your opinion and offer an alternative but put your point across in a way which is only suggestive rather than outright disregarding what you’ve been asked to do. Most of the time, the client will appreciate that you may see things differently as a graphic designer and take your advice on board but always remember that they’re paying for the service and therefore have the final say.

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THREE

THE GRIND

SECTION THREE: THE GRIND

SET YOUR OWN HOURS

• This predicament comes up quite a lot and being the night-owls we are, we can often get the job done in time but this is where project management comes into play. Okay, it’s not always a case of “can it be done for tomorrow morning?” but there’s always a tight deadline somewhere and chances are, you’ve got a bunch of projects on the go with various clients. The key here is not to say yes to every client request. I know it’s not easy to turn work away but if you find yourself working into the witching hour just to meet tight deadlines, it runs the risk of creative burnout and before you know it, you’ve been up all night and all you end up with is a pounding headache.

So choose those projects wisely and if you’re too busy to take new requests on, clients will understand that you’re in demand and all the more reason to come back at a time when you’re available.

ADAPT TO WORKING ALONE •

We’ve covered the effects of working alone from a physiological point of view but practicality and convenience should also be looked at. When working alone, it’s up to you as an individual to oil the machine and keep the cogs turning in a way which gets the work done on time and keeps your clients happy.

In an ideal world, there would be multiple versions of ourself which could carry the weight while the other is away but this isn’t the case so we need to prioritise and master our responsibilities. And that doesn’t just refer to taking holidays - it even applies when your full attention is required by one client. If the workload does become too much for you to handle on your own, consider outsourcing or even employment options.

Over time, you’ll naturally find a rhythm which works for you and your clients, easing you of excessive pressure and stress.

SET YOUR OWN PRICING STRATEGY

When it comes to what you charge for your work, there isn’t really an industry standard due to the many variables which come into play such as quality of work, time taken and general project requirements. Your pricing strategy should be adaptable to appeal to different levels of clients which you’re working with and what they’re expecting to get for their money.

If you’re spreading your income across various clients, you’ll be spending less time on them individually so you could get away with working at what you consider to be an average rate (you may have to do some research if you’re unfamiliar with what’s considered average). However, if you’re working with a client who requires a more of your time, you should increase your costs to match the exclusive service.

Some clients will be on tighter budgets than others but it’s important that you keep your prices consistent and fair across the board.

FIXED PRICES VS. DESIGN REVISIONS

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In an ideal world, we’d be able to please every client with the first design we offer them but unfortunately this isn’t the case. Everyone has different standards and expectations so you need to find a way of completing a full design process and ending up getting paid a relative amount regardless of how long it takes.

By agreeing on “fixed price” terms with the client, they know exactly what they’re getting and how much it’s going to cost them. This is a simplified method and generally appeals to most clients but when the project starts to snowball, it’s the designer who carries the additional weight. In these situations, a “cost per revision” approach would be beneficial to you as the designer but with that comes the risk of leaving clients with a feeling like they’ve been overcharged.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one or the other. You’ll know which pricing term to use based on the kind of work required. For example, logo design is very much driven by the clients’ personal preference so they would be likely to ask for various options, therefore being more suited to working on “cost per revision” terms.

SPREAD YOUR INCOME

The best way to eradicate finance risks is to spread your income across as many clients as possible because as great as long-term clients are, you shouldn’t rely on that as a singular source of income. Once you’ve completed everything they’ve asked for or if for whatever reason the just go quiet, you need to be prepared by having other sources of income to fall back on to keep you busy until you find another clients to fill up that now vacant spot.

The same can be said about spreading your income across various design services. Whether that’s branding, design for print or more digital design services such as social media marketing or web design, the more versatile you are with what services you offer, the more clients you’ll attract.

If you have one client providing one hundred percent of your income and they pull the plug, you’re left earning zero percent. But if you have ten clients all proving ten percent each of your income and one pulls the plug, you’re still earning ninety percent. It’s basic maths.

CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS

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Writing up contracts and agreements does remove a level of freedom from the client, however when agreeing terms on higher value jobs, this level of security should be understandable and expected. Contracts should contain a full description of the work involved and be agreed upon and signed by both sides prior to starting the work to ensure complete clarity from the start of the process.

What your contract includes depends on the work terms you’re agreeing to so it’s worth writing individual contract templates for the three key agreement types; single job, fixed term and on-going work. If you’re unsure about what to include in a contract, there are plenty of websites where you can download templates to get you started.

For every contract, there must be a plan of action before hand for the scenario where that contract is broken. Taking the matter to court consumes a lot of time and energy, not to mention the cost, but sometimes the decision to take legal action is based on principal and what’s right and wrong. However you choose to approach a broken contract, just make sure it doesn’t effect other projects which you’re working on.

DON’T QUOTE TOO GENEROUSLY

Whether or not you seal the deal with a client often comes down to the cost you quote for the work. As the one providing the service, you should be able to offer what you feel is a fair amount but if they say it’s above their budget, by all means open the discussion to negotiate but bear in mind that once you’ve lowered the bar, it’s fair for clients to expect that reduced cost for all work you do for them while expecting a full price quality of service.

As great as it to be in a job which you enjoy, don’t forget that it’s a career and not a hobby. There’s nothing wrong with offering the occasional discount or favour but if you make a habit of it, all that time spent doing reduced cost work is most likely during time where full paying clients are left waiting.

Choose your generosity wisely based on the amount of time it takes and your existing or potential relationship with the client.

AVOID “FREELANCER” PLATFORMS

I get it - you’re looking anywhere and everywhere for new clients but despite certain platforms offering what may seem like endless opportunities, you need to look at what those opportunities are worth and what your odds are of actually converting a job proposal into an actual client and more importantly, at what cost.

Freelancer platforms are known for their low potential, low odds and high competition. You can do a job search for “logo design” and get plenty of results but I’d suggest that you sit down and steady your breathing before you look at the budgets assigned with the requests. The people who use these platforms (*cough* Fiverr) are genuinely willing to work for next to nothing and how can you run a business trying to compete with those prices. At those rates, you’d need to work your fingers to the bone to end the month with a three figure amount.

Much better opportunities will come your way by more organically by doing industry research, posting regular content on social media and referrals from your existing clients.

INVEST IN THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

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Luckily for most freelance graphic designers, there aren’t many business outgoings (eg. premises and staff) so take advantage of that by investing in the best equipment which help you get the work done properly and efficiently.

Let’s start with the essentials; a reliable desktop/laptop and essential software. Desktops are ideal for an office setup but I’ve always used a laptop as it allows me to take my work with me when meeting with clients or taking my work on the road. Desktop or laptop, it’s worth investing in one capable of high performance and reliable enough where you don’t have to worry about losing work due to technical problems. That brings us onto which software you need. The Adobe software doesn’t come cheap but it’s an essential doing what we do. Other equipment worth buying includes a printer, an external hard drive and depending on what kind of designer you are, a graphics tablet.

If you’re curious, here’s a shopping list for the essentials (2023 average prices): Macbook Pro £1,300-£3,300 and Adobe Creative Cloud £600 per year.

ONLINE DESIGN RESOURCES

• There are plenty of options online where you can find resources to use for a variety of projects such as typeface and stock photography websites. Here are a few which I tend to find myself revisiting...

Let’s start with downloadable typeface files. Adobe Fonts have a library of professionally designed typefaces which are downloadable without paying the premium price; Adobe Fonts works as a subscription but is definitely worth the money if you do a lot of branding or editorial work. Free-to-download typefaces are available on websites such as “DaFont” and “1001Fonts” but be cautious with the files you download from these websites. Always aim to use official typefaces to lower the chance of copyright issues and technical problems. Clients may request use of the typeface, in which case an extended license may be required.

For stock photos, “Pexels” and “Unsplash” are worth a look. The photos available on these websites are free to download and use but there aren’t as many options to choose from as there are on premium websites like “Shutterstock”.

KEEP PROJECTS ORGANISED

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Working with various clients required a high level of multitasking - knowing what you’re working on, who it’s for and when they need it completed by. To keep everything running smoothly, you’ll need to put together a project management system and whether that means putting pen to paper or using a digital planer, you choose the method which works best for you.

I find that a simple spreadsheet does the trick by listing every project and including the important details such as client, contact name, contact phone/email, project description, deadline, design cost, date invoiced and date paid.

If you’re working on a project which requires collaboration with your clients, online project management systems such as “Monday” offers a shared synchronised planner which can be accessed by multiple users.

ARCHIVING AND CREATING BACKUPS

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No matter how reliable you think your desktop/laptop is, you should also be prepared for the potential of it just quitting on you without any notice - I send that warning having been in that situation myself. Get your hands on a hefty external hard drive and create regular backups of your work so you have something to fall back on if the worst were to happen.

Technical issues aside, work should still be archived because you never know where it might come in handy. Let’s say you’re working on a logo design for one client and you’ve offered them five different concepts; they’ll only one so there’s no reason why aspects of one of the four rejected concepts couldn’t come in handy when working with another client. But if you’re doing this, just make sure you use them as a starting point rather than just fobbing them onto other clients as someone’s sloppy seconds.

WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS

Ideally, you want to offer your clients the full design to consumer service minimising their required involvement, allowing them to focus on running their business. With this in mind, it’s worth finding a print supplier and website developer who you can rely on to complete their service to a standard which you’re happy to be associated with.

With this does come business opportunities for potential additional income but how you choose to approach this comes down to whether you stick to complete transparency and charge clients the suppliers cost or if you take a more business-minded approach and charge mark-up.

Personally, I don’t charge clients mark-up. I quote the price I’m given and if I’m then offered a trade discount, I’d take that as a bonus. Either way, the client pays the standard price.

DO YOUR OWN MARKETING

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For most people, promoting and advertising a business comes at a price but in your case, as a freelance graphic designer, you’ll save that outgoing cost by producing all of your own marketing, especially at the start-up stages.

Nobody knows more about your business than you do so use your knowledge and skills to come up with effective marketing strategies to get yourself out there and attract clients.

Online marketing takes time but generally shouldn’t come at any expense so make the best of those social media platforms.

If you’re targeting a specific location, you may decide to gown a print route such a leaving flyers or sending things out by post. Although you’re reaching out to potential clients, this is the more expensive and investment-minded method. Compare the production cost to the potential income.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

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The various social media platforms each offer different opportunities and by reaching out to their users, word will spread and the work will come in. To ensure that you keep traction, content you share should be engaging and posted on a regular basis. Users scroll through content at a fast pace so this is the time to put your design skills to good use when creating visual content which won’t go unnoticed.

Each platform has its own benefits and these should be taken into consideration when choosing who you’re hoping to reach. For example, users on Facebook and Instagram tend to be a younger demographic so if you’re looking to spread the word and showcase your work, these are probably your go-to. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more professional engagement, LinkedIn will get you a step closer to having that discussion with the right person.

From my own experience, I’d say at least a third of the business relationships I have with my clients have been initiated via LinkedIn, whether that’s me reaching out to them or them being recommended to use my services.

SO...

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

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Making that decision to take your graphic design career down the freelance route is setting yourself up for the challenge ahead but having soaked up all of these pointers, you can get off to a running start. You’ll see the potential trip hazards a mile off by learning from my mistakes.

You’re welcome.