5 Pieces of Advice for New Independent Designers

1. Have a portfolio ready This is probably the most important part. A well put together portfolio with high-quality images of your work will definitely increase your chances of landing a client. There are many platforms out there that you can easily build a portfolio on without the hassle of knowing how to code. Squarespace is my personal favorite due to its design flexibility and features that allow you to beautifully present your work.

2. Don’t lowball yourself One of the problems many designers run into in the beginning of their independent journey is choosing the right rate. A lot of designers I know tend to set their pricing lower than what they should really charge. I highly recommend taking the time to do some research on the industry salary of the position in your area and also speaking with designers you know that have been freelancing for a while to get insight on how they’ve established their rate. From there, you can calculate how many clients you would like to land per month to maintain your income.

3. Reach out to your immediate network This is one step that helped me tremendously in jump-starting my independent career. My first clients were all people I knew within my own network. In the beginning, I reached out to a few of my friends who were also independent workers in the entertainment/creative industry and asked if they needed an online portfolio. That helped me land a few initial gigs but in return, they were able to promote my work. I highly suggest marketing your service on all social platforms you’re on; it’s beneficial when you’re just starting out your journey as it will be a more comfortable process when your first few clients are people you know. That way, you can also get used to your freelance workflow and make any improvements as you progress.

4. Pick a Niche Every established designer I know almost always has a niche they focus on. Think about your core values and ask yourself if your clients share those as well.

5. Make sure to create contracts, invoices, and keep track of time. One of the most important things as an independent worker is to make sure you’re protecting yourself. This is where contracts come into play. When you land a new client, it is important that you list out all deliverables to set clear expectations and boundaries. This is to make sure that both you and the client have a transparent communication process and agree on all terms of a project. If you’re working on a project at an hourly rate, it is important that you use a time tracking tool such as Harvest to keep track of the hours you’ve spent. That way, you can also negotiate terms if you’re seeing that a project is taking up more time than you’ve initially planned.