|
In today’s extremely visual civilized
world we are bombarded
by multimedia and the visual medium. There’s great news!
You can be a part of this graphics oriented society as a producer
of visual arts and design as someone who contributes and earns
income as a freelancer.
Get paid to do what you love to do, control your own schedule
and work where you want to work!
Today there are so many corporations and startup businesses
that seek to release their products and services to the world
or specifically to their target market. They may be looking to
outsource for many reasons such as a temporary project but
this all works to your advantage!
Desktop publishers, web and graphic designers come in handy for
these corporations because they will pay you to produce their
image, products, packaging and marketing message across
multiple mediums.
You don’t even have to be hired at one place of employment or
agency anymore if you don’t want. You can be a freelancer or
telecommuter and work on projects half way around the world.
That’s great flexibility!
The U.S. Department of Labor says “Demand for professionals
with Graphic Design skills is predicted to increase as much as 22%
through 2012”.
This is good news for you. And as a freelancer you can work
from anywhere in the world where you can be online. You can work
in your underwear if you want to as long as you get the work done to
a high standard of quality.
If you are good at what you do in your work AND know how to market
yourself and your services you can even make a livable income from
freelancing. I recommend to have something else going on for your
fulltime income while you start getting things going though.
Every client that you take on...that’s more work that you can add to
your portfolio and more work experience under your belt.
It may take some time to develop a quality work experience
history and reputation but it will be worth it. With freelancing
you can work on different exciting projects from all over the world.
Remember, you must have the ability to market yourself and get the
word out about your abilities. Fortunately with the internet and
some
of the resources I will give you, it is now quite easy to do so.
Many of the website resources online can help you find projects or
mini ‘jobs’. Keep in mind that often they will charge a fee (usually
a membership fee) and it really varies site by site.
These resources are great because they bring you to browse where
different prospective contractors have placed project offerings of
proposals.
You can browse through and see which projects you might be
interested
in taking on. You’ll also want to check back often because new and
other
contractors looking to outsource will place new postings every few
days.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of competitors for project or job
postings so you’re going to have to prepare yourself because often
times a particular project might just be saturated by other
freelancers
competing with you.
So one of the best things you can do is be really build up a great
work
experience and portfolio; though you may have to accept lower fees
to
get started.
The more hot clients you can add to your roster as well as
completing
great projects without hassle, the easier it will be to become more
in
demand and get other projects easier.
Project postings will either be the amount they want to pay for the
project itself or the hourly rate which they would pay you. Make
sure
that these details are settled before you sign the contract with the
other party (your ‘client’ if you want to view it from your point of
view).
One of the best things you can do is to just get things started
in your free time. Set up a website that you can professionally
call your own that will showcase your work experience and
portfolio.
I go into further detail on the aspect of setting up your own
website
in the article “Increasing your Marketability”.
Once you do start getting contracts or projects, then make sure
that you stay in touch with that person or at least keep their
contact information.
An awesome key for you to start being more successful freelancing,
is to go ahead and get referrals from past clients of yours. Of
course this becomes easier with the more and more clients and
projects that you complete.
Past clients are a great source of referrals and you know the
saying ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”...there can
be a lot of truth in that. People will take advice from people
that they know and trust because they value their opinion.
So if one of your past clients says, “Hey, I recommend this person
because they did a great job on our product design (etc.)” to THEIR
industry associates that’s a great power move for you because
much of the work is already done.
One technique you can do to maximize this is send several
business cards (which you should make if you don’t have them
yet!) to your past clients with a thank you letter.
In the thank you letter (after they’ve paid you on your invoice..
maybe a week later) you can mention that they could spread the
word about your service to others that might be interested with
the business cards.
Make sure you contact past clients every 6 months or so and just
see how they are doing and if they might have another project for
you or if they know someone who does. You could even offer them
a 5%+ gross commission of your income from the next project (hey,
it’s up to you) just for the referral.
If they’re not competing with someone they would refer they might
not
mind referring someone for a little extra cash from a project you
wouldn’t have had otherwise.
That’s just a standard business/networking technique that you could
apply to marketing yourself.
Make sure that your own website looks professional. Photoshop CS/
CS2 has web photo galleries that you can use to display your
portfolio.
You can also buy professional templates.
There are a lot of places online where you can upload your
portfolio....
Here is one for free:
http://www.photoshopdesign.net/photoforum/index.php
But if you really want to get your past works in front of people
that
would actually hire you, then you’ll want to use a number of good
websites that can keep you on your toes.
Here is a list of some good websites which brings you to people that
are looking for people like you to get the job done! These are some
good resources of ‘project getting’ leverage for you.
Email Links List to Freelancing or Portfolio based sites.
http://www.aquent.com
http://www.creativepro.com
http://www.creativecentral.com
http://www.contractedwork.com
http://www.allfreelancework.com
http://www.digitaldirectory.com
http://www.elance.com
http://www.guru.com
http://www.ework.com
http://www.gettybest.com
http://www.imagesite.com
http://www.selectadesigner.com
http://www.smarterwork.com
http://www.freelancejobsearch.com
http://www.freelancers.com
http://www.freelancedirect.net
All of these sites are great, once again because it’s bringing
people
who are willing to hire someone to get their project done TO YOU..
and if you qualify, you can have a paying gig before you know it.
Portfolio sites allow prospective clients of yours to browse your
work and see if they would be interested in hiring you specifically
for your project (after they contact you through that site or your
website to run the proposal by you).
http://www.portfolios.com
http://www.qfolio.com
You can set an hourly rate for your services based on your previous
work experience. But if someone is contacting you through a
portfolio site or your website, business card, in person, etc. then
you’ll have to negotiate your fees and their expectations on the
project and balance your experience into the factor.
Take a look at what other designers or freelancers are charging
based on their experience..I can’t say exactly what you should
charge because a lot of it depends how talented or effective you
are RIGHT now with Photoshop.
Usually they’ll have a set budget in mind if it’s a project task
instead
of paying by the hour. This way it helps keep things under control
for their cost a little more.
They’ll have an amount that they don’t want to go above if they
don’t
have to...but if you’re good and they really want YOU, then you can
negotiate for a higher per project fee. If you’re just starting out
though, even if you are GOOD you will have to be a little more
lenient.
And make sure to deliver on the quality of results or they may never
hire you again or expect project improvements or any other kind of
dispute including not paying you if you really suck or are
ineffective.
The more work experience, greater the portfolio and number of
clients you have had, the more leverage you will have in
negotiating.
It helps to be REALLY good, just keep in mind though that it’s
two parties agreeing so you may not always get paid what you
think you’re worth.
So it’s an advantage to put the leverage in your favor and also make
sure that you can handle the projects you take on as well as
keeping several of them lined up shortly after you finish one and
move on to another one (but only if you can handle them).
This may take a deal of marketing yourself in order to keep the
projects rolling in.
Remember to keep improving your technical and aesthetic
skills. Often when working on new projects you will stretch,
grow and learn in the process. As far as with Photoshop,
there’s always new ways in which you can learn to apply.
If you don’t have any previous work experience, then work on
building a portfolio of your work to show what you can do.
Do you have to be “talented” creatively? Well, I think that since
you’re
obviously a visual person...if you just learn ‘how to use Photoshop’
and then learn some of the insider design secrets of the pro’s that
it isn’t too hard to replicate and then create your own original
works...
the more prolific you become, the more ‘talented’ you are. I can
help
you with that with some of my other Photoshop training solutions.
Anyways..It’s good to get paid. But remember that freelancing
should be started when you have another income stream coming
in that can support you.
Even if you try freelancing fulltime (I don’t recommend it) then
you’re almost dependent on bringing in jobs all the time and that
could be too stressful.
If you’re working at a multimedia company etc. where you are
using your Photoshop skills daily, you might want to start some
freelancing of your own (or even your own graphic design agency).
Also see if there is a multimedia solution agency in your area that
can help get you local work on a more consistent basis and hook
up with them. They could be looking for someone like you to forward
their projects to.
Understand that they’ll be the middle person and take a good % fee
of the project but you can get work more often most likely because
they’ll actively be seeking projects and will likely have a larger
group
of referrals and a pre-built reputation.
If you’re already at a place of part or full-time employ, starting
your
own freelancing projects can help bring in additional income as you
prepare for the future of relying on your skills instead of the
job...just
keep in mind that you should make sure that it’s ok with your
workplace
(if they have confidentiality or non-disclosure clauses of the work
you do
with them).
But it couldn’t hurt to start your own separate thing on the side
with the skills that you are using and learning daily. Get your
own website going and start taking on additional projects if you
can handle them.
Remember that you can work on projects from another country
just as easily as those in the U.S. now (if you’re U.S. based)!
You could go on web forums where people will post job or project
offerings where they need designers but keep in mind that posting
your email there may get you a lot of spam.
Remember, there are plenty of websites that are nice and
professional that help bring the contractor and bidder together.
Many of them have payment protection so that you get paid and
that the contractor makes sure to pay you. Some may also
mediate with dispute resolution.
Once you get a winning bid on a project you should have already
know the general details, but then you can work with that person
to get further details on the project and their vision and standards
of how they want it done.
Try to keep in mind that you want to help them realize ‘their’
vision
when you are working with someone. Just think of this as a test
of your effectiveness as a graphic designer.
Of course you can put your personal flair into it but try to be as
effective as possible in getting their idea across.
Negotiate with your client via email and work out the details and
then
send them ‘comps’ via email or even uploading them to a secret page
on your website where you give them the link...nowadays you don’t
even have to meet your business partner in person.
On any project I start, I like to refresh myself on the latest
visual
standards going on in that specific niche of design, just so I get
a fresh idea of what’s going on and a internal reminder of the
different
design techniques and principles that are involved so I can start
constructing something off of that along with what the client wants.
On areas where there is just a loose project description you will
have to negotiate with that person for your services.
You also may want to consider doing some pro bono work for
businesses in your community, cover art for a local band’s new
release, etc. at a discount to start getting some work history.
Freelancing can bring in extra income for you as you continue to
build your portfolio and reputation. You can gain more credibility
and recognition by getting your work “out there” in the real world.
You can add who you’ve ‘worked for’ to your resume. There is a
lot of competition out there so make sure you are ready to fulfill
a client’s desire’s as an effective designer-capable to take on a
certain level of project.
As a graphic or web designer, etc. you should be versatile in your
skills so you can appeal to a wider range of clients. But you might
not be able to focus your fulltime into doing that (like I was able
to do).
Instead it might be a strategy for you just to focus on a few
specific areas that you really like or are naturally good at or
interested in.
Once you become really proficient at those you can get work
more easily in them and can also move on to applying other
areas of interest.
Because there is a lot of competition out there, you’ll have to
prepare and market yourself. Also don’t be blind to the business
side of things either. It’s important to have this area handled
consistently.
At the end of this chapter are some links to sample invoices and
contracts which can help get you a start on that aspect.
Make sure that you have good communication and customer
service with all of your clients especially during the project
period.
Get their direction off the bat to get going. It’s important to know
their feedback after you start sending them ‘product’ comps.
Comps are different versions of where you’re at with the project or
even just up to date states of the project as you go along
(comparisons). You could also consider them as ‘compositions’.
Make sure you have something substantial down before you send
them the first comps or ‘state of the project’ (usually as a .pdf,
.jpeg
or .gif). More advanced contractors or working with someone
in-house,
they might want to see the .psd and can leave annotations or audio
notes.
If you’re working on a project that others are working on also you
can
now use Adobe Version Cue (CS/CS2 to handle the file versions and
sharing.
Be ready for criticism after the first product comp you send them,
but this can help you get going more in the right direction of their
focus if you are off. Further feedback from them will (should) make
it easier to finish the task.
Usually you’ll get a project near initial completion, send them a
comp to get feedback and then be prepared to make changes or
adjustments.
With every relationship/contract you set up you’re going to have to
send them an invoice (or bill) for your work. You’ll have to include
the hourly rate and how many hours you worked if that was part
of the agreement. Otherwise just the total agreed upon cost, once
you have sent them the final product in the format they desire.
For design jobs, almost always they’ll be the ones to handle the
printing so you’ll just send them the final format via email or send
them a secret link on your own website where they can download it.
This is of course after they’ve given it a final approval.
If you want to get things going fulltime remember that most
businesses
take 3-5 years to get things really profitable but this of course
depends
on your level of commitment, dedication and the time you can put
towards it.
On the business note, make sure that you have this side of things
squared away. That’s what this is all about really...a balance and
optimal running of your creative Photoshop abilities and your
ability
to market yourself and handle things professionally like a business.
Make sure you’re always working to provide great service to your
clients, communicate with them and negotiate effectively when
necessary. Have your paperwork, and promotional skills in order
at all times to keep things running smooth.
You could even establish yourself as a full service design agency
and hire other specialists in different fields who you can
sub-contract
work out to. You could even start your own multimedia production
agency. But that is another area of study but a possibility for you!
My friend has done it in Madison, WI and it is growing now. They
offer all kinds of services and will often sub-contract work out as
they pull in new clients because they can offer more services.
http://www.bluestonemg.com
Graphic design or web design are competitive fields so it would
behoove you to be proactive and get your own thing started.
Demand for web designers will still be strong and fortunately you
can do a LOT of web design in Photoshop CS/CS2 and then
prepare it for web in Image Ready (like I teach in my
TutorialKey
DVDs).
If you just view yourself as a creative professional or an ‘artiste’
but
don’t know how to market yourself and increase your ability to
pull in work, you could be a ‘starving’ artist.
Someone less talented than you could be getting more work because
of their promotional ability and willingness to market their
services so
make sure you are working this end as well as improving your
creative/
technical skills.
You will also be competing with up and coming designers as well
as newbies or students who will work at a lower rate (ie. $10/hour)
just to get some work experience.
Once you are good, REALLY good and versatile you can charge
upwards of $35-$95/hour. But you really have to be a professional
with your results and prove it in your portfolio and any new task
you
take on. Your ability to effectively create industry standard
results
with your work can set you apart.
I’ve created a super special ‘advertising design secrets’ video
tutorials
training program for those that want some pro level Photoshop CS
training.
Because I have realized that once you can isolate, understand, and
then
replicate the secret (unrevealed) techniques of what works across
multiple
genres of design it becomes much easier for you to create
professional
results. You can find out more at the link below.
http://www.tutorialstraining.com/solutions/advertisingdesign/tutorials.htm
If you can find training like that, go for it because it’s REALLY
going
to give you an edge against other designers and will fast forward
your effectiveness in Photoshop CS/CS2.
Remember, prospective clients will want to look at examples of your
work. If you’ve got them posted on high profile websites such as the
ones mentioned here, it is a good step towards reeling in projects
as
well as making yourself ‘known’. They may see your profile and keep
you in mind for a future project...who knows?!
Keep track of all correspondence with your contract employer (email)
whatever you do and you will be using contracts to clearly define
the
relationship, make it nice and legal. Most of the good freelance
sites
will have these resources available to you.
Its always a good idea just to have a contract with your client so
that
your directions and agreement is clear. Some of the ‘meet markets’
help provide you with a template.
Here is a great resource on how to do it:
http://advertising.about.com/cs/copywriting/ht/howtocontract.htm?terms=invoice+template
You must be able to keep track of payment records. When the project
is done you will have to invoice your client. Here is a sample form
that
you could use. It’s Canadian but if you’re from another country,
most of
the principles should apply.
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/management/a/invoice1.htm
If you have incorporated a business then you would count your
services
as business income; so I just recommend finding out more information
or talk to your CPA (or find a CPA).
If you haven’t incorporated, you will have to claim it as personal
income
on the records. That’s all I’m going to say on that because that’s
not
my specialty.
You might want to save this article for your future reference but if
you’re
freelancing or going to be freelancing then make sure that you are
doing
the right things that will help you favorably in getting more
projects,
meeting more prospective clients/contractors, increasing your own
skill
level ability as well as marketing your self and services.
And there ARE businesses and corporations that are looking for the
right graphics solution that you can offer them. Freelancing can be
very
rewarding because you get paid for doing what you love to do so it
can be
fulfilling both personally and professionally.
If you know that you still need to get the Photoshop side of things
taken
care of (kind of hard to get the job done if you don’t have the
skills), then
take a look at my TutorialKey video tutorials training for Photoshop
CS/2.
http://www.tutorialstraining.com/photoshop_training.html
In one place you can get all the foundational training you would
need
as well as additional ‘real world application’ skills training in
step by
step ‘from scratch’ tutorials that will help give you the
competitive edge.
Other than that, keep on learning and make sure you actively promote
yourself to keep getting more work! Get involved, stay proactive in
seeking work and getting referrals.
Grow and maintain a courteous reputation for win-win business
relationships. Also have a main income stream coming in while you
get going so it doesn’t become a dependency and have fun with it.
Seek out opportunity and soon it will find you! It doesn’t matter
what
country you’re from if you are professional and capable on both
sides
of the bat.
Orion Williams
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop CS
orion@photoshopdesigner.com
www.TutorialsTraining.com
p.s. be sure to check out the brand new
Photoshop Blogs
|
