Freelancer Spotlight with Julia Sit

I am a Graphic Designer for DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) eCommerce brands. I started freelancing full-time just last year but I’ve been graphic designing for over 5 years now. My day-to-day tasks include: static ad design, landing page design, and print & digital design.

Clients I’ve been working with so far are small businesses in the health and wellness, active apparel, and inner wear industries. They’ve remained as on-going clients so it gives me the opportunity to really get to know their business and customers.

I first learned how to use Adobe Illustrator in my Design and Layout class in university. I used Illustrator primarily until I learned how to use Photoshop and InDesign. Afterwards, it was practice, practice, practice.

I honed my skills through joining student groups as their graphic designer when I was in university, passion projects, and working with ongoing clients.

My freelancing has not changed significantly over the past year; I’m still using Contra, where I directly and indirectly got 99% of my past and current clients. However, one of my main goals this year is to learn how to charge appropriately and not undervalue my skills and services due to imposter syndrome and the fear of losing a client. My turning point was when I had a client tell me that I should increase my rate immediately because he told me that I was undercharging for the solutions I could provide.

Security and community. Due to Contra’s vetting of clients before they get to post an opportunity, I can trust that clients are safe to work with and not suspicious. Contra’s feature on having clients deposit money in the system before beginning a project also makes me feel secure to work with clients I bring from outside of Contra.

Contra has a great community of freelancers and staff who are there for support and questions on navigating the platform and freelancing in general. It’s so friendly and welcoming, even for an introvert like me.

Oh, and also that 0% commission-fee is chef’s kiss.

With mass layoffs and unpredictable stability at corporate jobs, I predict that flexible work will become more prevalent. I also predict that flexible work will continue to be fought for, as many people in the workforce have seen the benefits of remote work that in-office positions do not offer.

Whether it is remote freelance work or remote corporate work, I predict that more and more companies will start to switch from 100% in-person work to some sort of hybrid or fully remote work style.

Besides using Contra, I’d suggest filling your portfolio with projects that will attract your ideal client(s). For example, if your ideal clients are skincare brands, your portfolio should have projects related to skincare brands. This can include brand identity design for skincare brands. You don’t need to have officially worked for a skincare brand before either. Your portfolio is to solely show clients your skills and creativity. The best thing about graphic design is that you can create your own passion projects to show that you have the skills to do the job. So, make sure your portfolio looks like what your dream client(s)’ style will look like.