Freelance graphic designers need a number of skills if they are to have successful careers working from home.
It goes without saying that they already know how to design and are familiar with software programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop.
But there is a lot more to having a successful freelance career than this.
Here are some tips for making a success of freelance design work.
How to Get Clients
First of all it is important to attract clients with a successful online presence.
There are two ways to do this and graphic designers should use both.
A stunning website can be a great showcase for freelance design work. Include a resume or links to your work as well as a way for clients to contact you.
Use Freelance Job Boards
Along with this, freelance designers should create profiles on some of the major freelance job boards.
FreelanceSwitch, Smashing Jobs, Krop, Design Mag and Sitepoint often have jobs for designers, but there are also plenty of design jobs on sites such as Elance and Guru.
Again, profiles on these sites should showcase your best work and give clients an easy way to get in touch if they want to hire you.
Market Yourself
Marketing is another essential skill for freelancers. This is more active than putting up a profile and may include writing press releases, advertising, blogging, interacting with peers on forums, business networking sites and social media.
Don’t worry, freelance graphic designers do not have to be everywhere but it is useful to pick somewhere where you might meet some potential clients.
Bidding for Work
You also need to be able to bid for work successfully. This goes hand in hand with marketing as it is about getting to the point where you are talking to the potential client. If the client has an outline brief then make sure that your bid covers all the key points.
You may also try doing design critiques on websites and contacting the owners with an outline of how you could improve on their current design.
Time management skills will also help successful freelance graphic designers to stand out from the competition. If you are able to deliver designs in a timely fashion and communicate regularly with clients, then you will soon have more freelance jobs than you can handle.
