Setting up as a freelance web designer?

Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
842
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Im pretty much just looking for as much advice as possible for starting up as a freelance Web Designer?

Anyone got important info/tips?

Thanks
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2004
Messages
12,455
Reaction score
604
Points
113
Location
PA
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook
First thing I would do is get together a solid portfolio. Make sure it includes your finished works as well as your conceptual work that you made during the process... sketches, mock pages, other design work, etc.

Make sure that you get some sort of contract templates ready, as you will need them when you take on a job.

If you haven't so already, study up on design theories and work on learning why some designs work and others don't. Don't just make something because you think it looks "cool". Pay attention to what the client wants and meet with them and/or keep in touch with them as often as possible. What the client ends up wanting may not be "cool" by your personal standards, but they are the ones paying you so you do what they want, not what you want. Before you actually get out there, post some work and designs on a public exposure site like deviantART and the like so you can get some unbiased, real constructive criticism on your work.

Don't expect to make much money at first and you might want to even offer your services for free in some cases. What is important is that you get your work out there and people see it. Once people can see it and if they like it, they will spread the word to their friends/peers/colleagues and you will get more work.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Messages
2,406
Reaction score
210
Points
63
Location
Fayetteville, AR
Your Mac's Specs
15" Powerbook G4 • 24" iMac • iPhone 3Gs
D3v1L80Y said:
What the client ends up wanting may not be "cool" by your personal standards, but they are the ones paying you so you do what they want, not what you want.

Excellent advice from the newly appointed Moderator.

The quote above is definitely the biggest thing, though. When I came on a as a graphic designer for a high-end bath (Jacuzzi) company, I was having to cater to 40-50 year old women with the ads I was designing. A lot of the stuff I was asked to do was horrible in a design sense, but that's what they wanted, so I had to do it.

Swallow your pride, follow directions to the T, and do what they ask.
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2004
Messages
389
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Location
Gaithersburg, MD
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro 2.6ghz Quad Xeon, 23" Cinema
Expect to be lowballed and outbid by cheap people in India. :D

Seriously the market is extremely saturated. It's a pain finding working freelancing unless you're really, really good. I am glad I work for a company doing web dev now so they do the legwork finding the business and I only code and do CSS. Design isn't my strongpoint so none of the design falls on my lap.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2004
Messages
1,713
Reaction score
71
Points
48
Location
Tejas
Your Mac's Specs
2GHz Mac Mini 2GB RAM 160GB 10.6.2 | MDD DP 1.25GHz G4 1.5GB RAM 10.4.11 | 233MHz iMac G3 10.3.9
D3v1L80Y said:
Make sure that you get some sort of contract templates ready, as you will need them when you take on a job.

For professional rates check the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook. We have the 11th edition and it lists all the current rates :)
 
OP
I
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
842
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Cheers for the advice guys! Any recommended reading? Books or Sites maybe?

Sample work?
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2004
Messages
389
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Location
Gaithersburg, MD
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro 2.6ghz Quad Xeon, 23" Cinema
A List Apart.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2006
Messages
103
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
New York, NY
Your Mac's Specs
15" PBook G4 1.67/1.5GB
Your business manners and communication skills must be top notch, it's always a good practice to make your clients feel secure in your skills and business practices.

I believe that it's poor practice, not to mention bad for our industry to offer freelance or contracted work at pro-bono. It devalues our work that some businesses or orgs believe they can get stellar designs for free (that's what internships are for right?). While it's difficult when designers are starting out, and need to make money, they NEED to make a living to support themselves as well as place confidence in their work by making their products worth something.

It's good to be able to cater to your clients' needs without sacrificing the integrity of your work. Part of the business means building a business portfolio. You don't want poor work you've done in the past to bite you in the ***. Work with your clients to cater to their needs, but also be willing to push your training and experience by constructively helping your clients to understand what makes effective design.

Lastly, study up; as a freelancer you'll likely be designing AND producing your work. Know your software and scripting (Javacript, CSS, DHTML, XML). Keep up with industry trends. If possible, and if you can afford it, join AIGA or a local design association and get your work out there. One of the best things about the business is marketing your clients because you're also marketing yourself.
 
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
11
Reaction score
1
Points
3
I was just talking about this today. True, the market is saturated which is why it helps to be distinctive in your web design. This isn't just with the design itself, but also as a business owner. Try focusing on word of mouth. Find people who need help (aka have bad web sites or need one) and talk to them. If you do a good job, word gets around!
 
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
423
Reaction score
15
Points
18
Location
New Eng
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook white, 2.0 Intel Core 2 Duo Pro, 2 GB RAM, 13" screen
Good advice everyone. Stuff I need to keep in mind. I appreciate it. :)
 
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
663
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
Bournville, UK
Tips for being a freelance ANYTHING:

Build a portfolio, such as tear sheets, sites, images, etc.
Go to conventions and such like, not only directly related to your industry, but for industries that might use your services.
Be professional.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU WILL NEED TO SET ASIDE FOR TAX!
 
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
377
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Location
Coatesville, PA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 15", 2.33 GHz, 2Gb
Always listen to your client, and make suggestions based on what they want ('Hey, you know, blinking red text really isn't a good thing'), not what you want. I worked with one developer who argued with a client about a design choice because it made his job easier if they went with his suggestion.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
467
Reaction score
7
Points
18
As a beginner in the freelance world you may not have many clients but once current clients gain your trust, word of mouth spreads like a wild fire. You also don't work regular hours and you are there for your client(s) 24/7 pretty much.
 
OP
I
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
842
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Interesting guys, thanks for all the adive.

You also don't work regular hours and you are there for your client(s) 24/7 pretty much.

I guess that can be both good and bad.
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
1,814
Reaction score
137
Points
63
Location
NY USA
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 5.1 | iMac 7.1 | iMac 12.1 | iMac 19.1 | iPhone 11 Pro | Watch s5
Also, don't listen to so-called "rules".
Like, "it's not possible to blur an image with javascript", or "you cannot SEO an AJAX application", or "you can't reliably use javascript to create a cross platform multitrack audio engine".

Just because someone else alerted the world in their blog that they couldn't figure something out, doesn't mean you cannot!
 
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I'm a PHP/MySQL Developer, but I work for a small company. How much can you expect to make doing this on your own? I assume you have some sort of hourly rate? Anyone willing to share this information?
 
Joined
Dec 1, 2006
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
FYI, I have experience with PHP, MySQL, Javascript, CSS, XML, DOM, and some Flash/Photoshop (although I have no design ability at all!). Not looking for work, just curious!
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top