5 Freelancing tips
Getting started as a freelance graphic designer takes time and as with everything there are a few hurdles to overcome.
Listed below are a few tips to help get you started.
Settting your price
Everyone has trouble with this to start, working out your price can be difficult, and talking about it even worse. Everyone deserves a fair price for there work, the higher quality of your work is, the higher your rate is.
Obviously the amount of time required to complete a design is a factor, but try not to get trapped by quoting by the hour. There’s nothing worse then rushing a job to complete it within X amount of hours, or worst yet, turning in an in-complete job after forcing yourself to stop at the finish mark.
Personally I prefer establishing the clients budget and expectations, and quoting for a completed job rather then hour by hour. One might fear quoting this way in case a client ends up wanting endless revisions on a project blowing out the time frame completely, though using a contract (explained more later) to clearly define the scope of the project and addition costs for changing the project brief significantly should prevent this.
To start you’re likely to be nervous when talking money with potential clients, but a few successful jobs and you’ll have the confidence you need.
Learn to say ‘no’
Fear of disappointing or losing a potential client can make us do stupid things, and we end up working under conditions that are far from ideal, or promising something that is going to be hard to deliver.
Sooner or later everyone will have a client who thinks once they approve a design the file is emailed off to the printer, who is sitting there twiddling his thumbs waiting for their job, which he then just whips through the printer and ships the next day.
In reality this is obviously not the case. Promising something you can’t deliver can only end badly, you either complete the project late with little chance of repeat business, or worse yet end up not getting paid for a undelivered project.
Over commitment
This often comes back to saying ‘no’. Having a demanding client monopolize all your time can be terrible for your business, rejecting potential work in favor of completing an existing project might seem reasonable in the short term, but after you’ve worked a few solid weeks on a single project then what?
You’re left looking for the jobs you just rejected. Ideally you should have several overlapping project so as one ends, you move straight into the next one.
On the flip side, taking on too much work can be equally bad. There’s no point having 10 big jobs on and falling behind on all of them, you can only pull so many all-nighter’s before your brain stops working.
Follow up!
Existing clients can be your best source of work, both though repeat business and referrals. Their testimonials can be a good selling tool and when they’re asked about their great new business card your name is sure to come up.
Send an email or make a phone call shortly after the project is complete to assure their satisfaction and sooner or later you’re sure to have someone say ” oh, while I’ve got you on the phone, we could really use another … “.
Working with a contract
Working with a contract is essential now a days, for both you and your client and helps outline exactly whats expected from each other. It should detail exactly what you are to provide them, information regarding project revisions, additional costs for adding extra requirements or significantly altering the original brief and probably most importantly for you when you’ll be paid.
The standard payment structure for most freelance designers is 30% – 50% upfront with the final balance to be paid upon final artwork approval, prior to delivery of any digital / printed media. The finer details of this are up to you.
A contract also sends an important message, that you are offering professional services for which you expect to be paid. Many potential clients may think that spec work is the norm. “If I like it I’ll pay for it” and so on, while others are simply expecting a freebie.
If a potential client won’t even sign a contract agreeing to pay you, what chance have you got of them actually paying you? The deposit itself also serves a purpose, as well as protecting you it also ensures both the client and designer have a vested interest in completing the project.
I hope this has helped.
As for writing the contract itself, this is where it can get a little confusing. I’m hardly a legal mastermind, so I wont hasten to give you the details for your own contract but there are plenty of great articles to check out for more information. Try these…
- About.com – How to write a contract form a graphic design business
- All Graphic Design – Web / graphic designers contracts
- Outlaw Design Blog – Graphic designer contracts, forms and agreements
I really appreciated this posting. I’ve probably been on your blog for a few hours now whilst at work. I really enjoy reading these posts. They’re very informative, helpful and fun! Thanks.
No problem Janelle,
Glad to be of some help.