Whether you’re a professional graphic designer or still learning about graphic design, you have certainly heard of the rise in popularity of freelance services these last few years. Working as a freelancer comes with lots of pros and cons. But it’s the best way to gain independence and grow your business. The most challenging part is getting started, as you probably do not know the industry. Don’t worry we’re here to help. Once you’ve gone through this article, you’ll know precisely how to start as a freelance graphic designer and achieve success.
What is a freelance graphic designer?
A freelance graphic designer is a graphic design professional who works independently as a self-employed individual for different companies on projects they need help with. These projects are usually short to medium-term projects that a freelancer can complete. While most are one-time projects, some are recurring, and high-level freelancers tend to create bonds with businesses they enjoy working with to work with them again in the future.
There are all kinds of services a graphic designer can offer. Designing logos, brand consulting, web design, social media graphics, advertising, packaging, and others.
What are the pros of being a freelance graphic designer?
Freelance graphic designers enjoy many advantages compared to their peers working full-time jobs.
Flexibility
Working as a freelancer offers a lot of flexibility. You can choose from where you work and when you work. Since you’ll be working remotely, you can work from different countries as you travel and in cafés if that’s where you feel more productive.
Freedom and variety
Working for a single company can be great when you feel challenged and enjoy the creative freedom to experiment and work as you want. As a freelancer, you can choose which projects you want to work on and which you don’t want to spend time on. You’re free to express yourself and use your style because that’s your job.
It can become tiresome to always work for the same company. You may feel like you’re not learning new things, being challenged, and growing. Freelancers work on various projects, so they are continuously challenged. You can also find industries you enjoy and want to work in more.
Earn more money
This is one of the main pros of working as a freelancer. You choose your rates. The more experience and skills you have, the higher you can price your services because they increase in value. In addition to that, you’re no longer working for one employer. You can choose your workload and the number of projects you work on. The more work you take on, the more you will earn. With a few clients, you can earn much more than you would as a full-time employee.
Regain your independence
Freelancers are their own bosses. They decide how they want to handle their business, and while there are certain obligations when you want to be successful, you can make all the decisions.
Your business success depends on you. That’s also one of the biggest pros. It can be hard to make an impact in a company that has 400 employees. But as a freelancer, you’re the architect of your success.
What are the cons of being a freelance graphic designer?
Income insecurity
Freelancers rely on their skills to make money. A freelancer with fewer skills will have more difficulty finding work. There may be some dry spells. It will be more difficult at the beginning when you’re just getting started. But in the long term, if you succeed and follow the best practices, you can find a way to guarantee you’ll find work.
No benefits and costs
One of the biggest cons to freelance work is the lack of benefits. No health insurance, retirement, or paid time off are considerable cons. Working for yourself means you’ll have to shoulder those costs by yourself.
In addition, you’ll also have to handle your taxes and business expenses. Handling your taxes can be time-consuming and stressful if you’re not good with paperwork. It shouldn’t be a problem as you get the hang of it.
Client management and acquisition
Freelancers have the complicated task of managing their clients and the expectations they have on their own. That can be overwhelming for people with less experience. It’s something that you learn how to handle and improve at doing overtime.
Not only do you have to manage clients, but you also have to find new ones. Prospection is essential to your freelance success. Find new ways to reach the right people and keep testing new strategies. Prospect even when you have work to ensure you can find additional work in the future.
How to start as a freelance graphic designer?
Starting can feel overwhelming when there’s so much to do, and you don’t even know where to start. But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be.
Develop your skills and portfolio
Your success as a freelancer will depend on your skills and portfolio. The more talented you are, the more you can command high prices and get orders. You must develop skills in demand and create an attractive portfolio highlighting your work. That’s what will convince clients you’re worth the investment.
Do some market research and set up your business model
Research the market carefully and find what services are in demand. What skills are the most sought-after? Imagine how you can place yourself to find many clients and get lots of orders.
Choose how you will work with clients. Will you work with them directly, go through a freelance marketplace, or use another method? We recommend using a freelance marketplace platform. Especially at the beginning as you learn the ins and outs of the business. We’ll go into further detail later on why you should use a freelance platform and why we think you should choose CoemUp.
Create your services and pricing
After conducting ample market research, you should be ready to create your first services. Take the time you need to write a clear description of what you’re offering. To solve what problems and what exactly your service entails. The deliverables, revisions, and other details should be clear. Think of all the questions potential clients may have and answer them.
Choose the price you want to charge for your services. They shouldn’t be too low and appear low-cost, but they shouldn’t be too expensive if you don’t have the skills to command such rates. Be mindful of your skills and how much they cost. And more importantly, never lower your rates to get clients. It may seem like a good strategy, but it’s not a solid plan in the long term, as you’re devaluing your worth and the worth of your peers.
Grow your online presence
Once you’ve created your first services and chosen prices, you can start marketing yourself. It’s important because it shows potential clients you’re a person with plans.
Make sure to establish strong branding and use attractive visuals. Since you’re a freelance designer, all your visuals and work will impact people’s hiring decisions.
Prospect and get your first sales
Many freelancers can recall their first sales. It’s the most difficult one to get. Be proactive and try different strategies to find your first client.
Leverage all the tools at your disposal to find a client. You can use word of mouth and talk to the people around you to see if they know anyone, you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn to contact people hiring, and you can reach out to companies via email. The most important is to have an attractive and convincing pitch.
You can’t just reach out to someone and say you want to work with them. Tell them what their problem is and how you can help them achieve better results.
Grow your business
Now that you’ve unlocked your first sale, it’s on to the next one. Keep prospecting and reach out to potential clients. If you did a great job with your client, ask them to refer you to other employers and spread the word about your work. This is the most significant form of marketing, as people trust the words of a close one more than those of a random stranger.
As you continue developing your freelance career, keep looking for new areas of opportunities and clients. You know you’re starting to achieve success when clients reach out to work directly with you.
Why is ComeUp the perfect place to start as a freelance graphic designer?
We mentioned freelance marketplaces and ComeUp earlier. They are the perfect place for freelancers to start and grow their careers. With millions of visitors, clients go directly to these platforms to find freelancers. Learn how to leverage these platforms to achieve success.
Why use a freelance platform?
There are many reasons why using a freelance platform can help you develop your freelance career.
Reach more potential clients
Freelance platforms have millions of visitors and have a greater domain authority than a website you create could have with years of SEO work. By using a freelance platform, you can leverage its SEO power to highlight your services and get orders.
Freelance platforms often use algorithms to rank their sellers. Leverage the algorithm by unlocking your first sales with prospection, and then you’ll rank higher and get organic orders.
A safe and secure payment system
This is one of the crucial advantages of freelance platforms. When you find clients online, you risk having issues with receiving your payments. There are so many horror stories of clients who run away with the freelancer’s money or ask to pay in a few months instead of right away.
When clients place an order on ComeUp, they have to pay for it right away. The money is placed in an escrow account. You’re paid as soon as you deliver the order and the client confirms it. This ensures you get paid as long as you do the work entailed in your service.
Gain trust and credibility
Being on a freelance marketplace instills more trust in clients as they know you have been verified by the platform and you are following its rules. The platform also showcases that you’ve worked with other clients in the past, as the number of orders you’ve received for each service is displayed.
Beyond showing your order number, the platform shows reviews from your clients. By doing a great job and delighting them, you can gain positive reviews that potential clients will see. ComeUp conducted a survey and found that more than 28% of clients believe reviews are the number one argument in choosing a freelancer. So, it’s essential to gather lots of positive reviews.
Grow your sales significantly
We’ve mentioned the formula for success earlier. To grow your sales on ComeUp, you need to leverage the algorithm. Prospect and look for clients you can bring to your service on the platform. Then, you deliver great work.
That way, you will have completed a few orders, which gives you a bump in the algorithm. So, your service should rank higher, and more people should see it. Plus, you will have a few reviews. These reviews will convince more clients to order from you.
By following this formula, you should achieve success as a freelance graphic designer on ComeUp.
Why ComeUp?
You may realize by now that freelance platforms are the best options for you to start out as a graphic design freelance professional. But you might also wonder why you should use ComeUp instead of other platforms.
A $1-only commission option
On ComeUp, you can take advantage of a $1-only commission option that will enable you to maximize your earnings. Where traditional platforms often charge between 10 and 25% commission to freelancers, you can use the ComeUp Plus plans to only pay $1. That’s the perfect way to grow your earnings, especially on large orders that cost hundreds of dollars.
A responsive customer service
ComeUp’s customer service is responsive and ready to help. You can easily reach a human representative at all times, and they will answer within an hour or two on average (during working hours).
ComeUp is rated 4.1 stars on Trustpilot (as of October 10th, 2024), and that’s in large part due to its helpful customer service team.
How to start as a freelance graphic designer on ComeUp?
Now you know how to start as a freelance graphic designer, use ComeUp to increase your sales. You can create your seller profile and your first service. As mentioned above, you need to leverage the algorithm and do lots of prospection to find your first clients. Then, the algorithm will highlight your service, and you’ll get more orders online without having to prospect for them all the time.
We have many resources available to help you succeed, including tutorial videos with many tips and pointers to help you create your seller profile, create your first service, and get lots of orders. You can also use our Discord channel to talk with other sellers and ask them for advice or feedback about your services.
Get your first sales and grow your freelance graphic designer career.
You have all the weapons to start your freelance graphic design career, you can start selling services on ComeUp and grow your sales. If you ever have a question, use our handy FAQs or contact our customer service team. Create your seller account and start selling services today on ComeUp.
