3 Ways to Commit Freelance Suicide

 

If you’re a freelance designer, then you’re a one-man business, responsible for attaining clients and servicing them to the best of your ability. Because you’re a business, there are certain actions, however, if undertaken that could jeopardize your source of income, and destroy your freelancing career. It’s vital that you keep away from these factors.

1. Do not charge too much 
Freelance designers sometimes develop this idea in their head that if they charge ridiculous prices for their work, they can just service a few clients every month, and still earn the same amount. Let me tell you, without the proper connections and image, there’s no chance you’ll be able to charge sky-high prices for your services. The only scenario in which this works is if you’re an extremely established freelancer, with years of experience and an outstanding brand image.

2. Develop adequate skill
Your skill as a designer is your most important asset, so don’t let it dwindle. If you can barely render an acceptable logo or design template you shouldn’t be freelancing until you feel you’re good enough to design to the masses. This means having average work (in comparison to your peers). However, if you want a fruitful freelancing career, it’s best to develop your skills further, until you can render really beautiful work. Not only will you see a much more dramatic influx in clients, but they’ll be much happier and in turn you will be too. Not only that, but the better your work, the more you can charge for it, so good outcomes all round.

3. Don’t take on too many clients
Too many times freelancers make the mistake of biting off more than they can chew. Freelancing is more about the individual client and catering for his/her needs rather than mass producing work for the masses, so take the less amount of work for the larger reward per project. You are not a design firm, keep this in mind, so you can’t accept 100% of the work that comes your way, as this can lead to becoming swamped which isn’t a good thing if you can’t deal with it. It’s extremely difficult to deal with having too much work on your plate, so take it easy, and only accept a few projects at a time (unless you’re superhuman and have elite efficiency and productivity).

Conclusion
Be wary of the points mentioned in this article, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful and prosperous freelancer. Remember that freelancers get work mostly on referrals and recommendations, so aim to make each and every one of your clients as happy as they possibly can be with the work you produce for them.

Posted on 03. Oct, 2009 by Taiyab in Tips and Tricks

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Are you self-employed? Freelancing? Consulting? Perhaps you’re looking for a designer and want to know how they set their rates?

How much to charge a client is one of the most talked about topics in self-employment, and here I offer points to consider for designers setting their graphic design pricing.
First things first, remember you have a skill

You’re offering clients a service. You have a talent that they don’t, and they’re willing to pay good money for it. You’re not in competition with the client’s neighbour’s son, who has a copy of Adobe Photoshop, and if you ever think you are, please read carefully. Far too many designers are undervaluing the wealth of knowledge and experience they’ve amassed because they’re trying to compete with amateurs. Don’t devalue your profession. People expect to pay top dollar for a quality service.

Remember, “You get what you pay for.”
Your range of graphic design services

Let’s take a look at what services a typical self-employed graphic designer will offer. There are two main categories:

* Online
* Offline

Online projects range from full blown corporate websites and strategies to image preparation and blog headers. Traditionally, this would be the realm of the web designer / developer, but more and more we’re seeing an overlap where the majority of print-based designers are broadening their horizons and learning web code. There’s still a huge print industry, and many designers specialise successfully, but there is a shift.

Offline projects include corporate identity (logos, business cards, letterheads) and all printed promotions (annual reports, magazines, billboards). Here’s where your knowledge of the printing industry comes into play. Not for the faint-hearted, commercial printing is a fast-paced environment where just one typo can cost you thousands of pounds in an instant. Here are 12 money-saving questions to ask on commercial printing (and some excellent comments added by readers). Offline projects are also usually formatted for online use, because a corporate logo is seen across the board, and annual reports / newsletters / leaflets can be made available for download from the company website.

It’s not unusual for a client to expect all of the above from just one graphic designer. Now that’s a lot of expertise, and you deserve to be compensated for it. Traditionally, the role of the graphic designer was incredibly specialized, but today, a designer must wear many hats.

Let’s take a look at a few individual projects:
Logo design

Forget those DIY logo design websites, where you can collect your pre-made generic identity for $100. There’s a lot of work that goes into a logo design, and it’s your job to let your client know just how much. If you don’t, they’ll think you just jump in front of a computer, type their company name and add a little swirl or squiggle, for ‘visual interest’.

Competition, differentiation, market-positioning, audience profiles… these are just a few of the topics that must be researched in order to design an effective logo.
Website design

The planning that goes into a website is very often under-estimated by a client. With websites, as opposed to logos, the client is more aware of exactly what they’re spending their money on. A cowboy designer could produce a logo design on the fly, without asking any questions. It’s much harder for them to do the same with the development of a website.

You might’ve noticed that not once have I mentioned any monetary value. There’s a good reason for this too. Very few days go by when I don’t receive a quote request similar to this:

“We need a website for our restaurant, and a logo design too. We’re behind schedule so would appreciate a quote ASAP. Please let us know how much this costs and how long it will take to complete.”

That’s when I direct people to my design questionnaire, letting them know that it’s impossible to give an accurate design quote without more information about the project. Graphic design briefs are useful too.

posted by: David Airey

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