How to start off as a freelance designer?

7 replies
Hey guys.

For quite a while I've been participating in graphic design contests, and winning some money every now and then. Recently I decided to give it a try to go "out there" to look for clients, and I find it very difficult to get any offers from people... I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. My designs are quite decent, and for a reasonable price. I even spent 20$ to advertise myself on this forums, but most of the people that contacted me suddenly broke contact. :confused: Even the two people that I did free review copies for, didn't even leave a review after delivering.

Here is my topic if you want to take a look:
http://www.warriorforum.com/warriors...-you-name.html

So I was wondering, do you have any advice for me what is the best way to start off? All of the sites like freelancer or oDesk aren't all that great, because you have to invest some money first, and there are already tons of people who have reputation on their profiles, positive reviews and such, so it's obvious people looking to hire, will rather hire them instead. I also tried fiverr but I got no real offers on it. I may try to put in more gigs, but I'm sceptic...

What do you think would be the best thing to do? :confused: Starting a facebook page? Or a website? The latter wouldn't be all that easy because website design is something I can't do as of yet, but something I plan on learning how to do in future.

I appreciate any advice you may give.

Thanks.
#designer #freelance #start
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I would say do Warriors For Hire, and definitely start your own site - so that you dont have to engage in a price war with those on Odesk and freelancer. Your site doesn't have to be incredibly elaborate... learn the art of web design, pitch your services, and state your prices. Then market it in all of the outlets on the internet.
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  • I'm a freelance writer, which is similar in how you need to market yourself. I have no trouble getting clients who pay a fair price. Here are some tips.

    1) Don't worry about offering your services at a 'reasonable price.' This is a mistake I made for over a year with my writing. Set your prices based on an honest assessment of what you are worth and stick with it. I've found with writing that the people who want to pay low prices ($.01-.02 per word) are almost always the worst to work for. They are overly demanding, and because they don't truly understand the value of high-quality content, they won't use it properly anyway so their site will soon go under. I'm assuming the same can be said of designers.

    2) Go to freelance sites. I've found eLance to be the best to me, but there are many others. You should NOT have to pay anything to get clients so don't buy into that. When 'bidding' on jobs, don't shy away from the fact that you are new to the site. When you submit a proposal, say something like, "I've been a freelance designer for over three years, though I am new to this site. I'm looking to turn this into a full time job, which is why I'm expanding into this site. I'd love to work on your design project. I guarantee I'll work harder than anyone else here because I'm not only looking for the money, but also to establish myself on this site as a source for high quality designs..."

    Obviously word it differently based on web design 'lingo,' but you get the idea.

    3) Post on these forums (and others) where people who will need your services hang out. Add what you're offering to your signature. Try to be as helpful as possible, and people will contact you. I've gotten quite a few clients from these and other forums simply by posting and having clients contact me directly.

    4)Start a website. Even if it is something simple with a wordpress setup, it will be a great place to post samples of your work for people to see. Don't worry about SEO or anything, just use it as a gallery of your work and link to it in your signature as well as direct potential clients from freelance sites to view it.

    I hope that helps. Freelancing can be difficult, but it is well worth the effort in the end.

    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author ZtheWolf
    Thank you for the advices, I really appreciate it. I took a peek at eLance but the sites where I need to put 100% of my private information just creep me out a little. Can't help it.
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    • Originally Posted by ZtheWolf View Post

      Thank you for the advices, I really appreciate it. I took a peek at eLance but the sites where I need to put 100% of my private information just creep me out a little. Can't help it.
      You'll have trouble freelancing then. You need to think of your services as a legit business (because that's what they are). When I walk into a normal business I know the company I'm dealing with and where they can be found.

      eLance and other sites don't share any information about you which people can't find with a quick Google search anyway. Thousands of people use that (and other) site without any problems.

      Good luck!

      Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author ZtheWolf
    Well, it's a little more complicated in my case. Taxes. Whole tax system is quite terrible in Poland. To do things completly legally I'd need to register a bussiness and pay around 250$ monthly for something called ZUS, alone (insurance stuff, and retirement money). I can't register a bussiness unless I start to make enough money to know I'll be able to pay off ZUS and still have money for myself. Right now I make close to nothing. I'd get in debt. That's why I rather keep all the personal info to myself for now, and just receive payments via paypal.
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    • Originally Posted by ZtheWolf View Post

      Well, it's a little more complicated in my case. Taxes. Whole tax system is quite terrible in Poland. To do things completly legally I'd need to register a bussiness and pay around 250$ monthly for something called ZUS, alone (insurance stuff, and retirement money). I can't register a bussiness unless I start to make enough money to know I'll be able to pay off ZUS and still have money for myself. Right now I make close to nothing. I'd get in debt. That's why I rather keep all the personal info to myself for now, and just receive payments via paypal.
      Ahhh. That makes sense. Stupid taxes make it so much more difficult for the average person to try to start a small business.

      I have no more recommendations for you then. Sorry!

      Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author ZtheWolf
    Still, thanks for all the tips. I'll soon start a facebook profile, and after a while I'll get to making my own website.
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