Cover Illustration: Designed by Freepik

How to Launch a Freelance Design Business

Launching a freelance design business is not for the faint of heart. But nonetheless, it can be fulfilling and rewarding in terms of the work you produce and the money you make.

So where do you see yourself in 5 years, asked the interviewer? And I said, well I want to be the design head of a large multinational corporation creating products that can change the world.

Illustration: Designed by Freepik

I have done this many times and I guess you have too. But have you ever questioned yourself if it’s the 9 to 5 that you like or is it the freedom to work on your own terms? I have asked this question many times and I have realised that both have their pros and cons.

1. What is a Freelance Design Business?

If you are a freelance designer, are there times that you forget to associate the ‘business’ to your profession? If you do, don’t worry, most of us do it too (but we need to stop doing it ASAP).

When we venture into the world of freelancing, most of us don’t have the tools to get the business aspect of it right. For example, we are not taught about managing finances or sending out 100s of proposals a month. We are only taught about the success stories and how in doing a few easy things, we can become a freelancer.

But being a freelancer is a full-time business whether people call it that or not. And if you are thinking of becoming one, there are some questions you need to ask yourself honestly before diving into it.

2. Which is Better for You? Freelancing or 9 to 5?

Illustration: Designed by Freepik

If you are reading this post, chances are you have already made up your mind about launching a freelance design business. But if you are still considering your options, ask yourself these questions.

2.1 Are You Comfortable Not Knowing Where Your Next Cheque Would Come From?

Working a 9 to 5 job means that at the end of every month, you will receive your salary in your bank account.

Freelancing is different, and many factors affect your income on a monthly basis. It is affected by the number of projects, the cost of each project, and the kind of client.

2.2 Can You Manage Everything That Comes With Running a Business From Finances to Clients?

As a freelancer, you need to take care of paying rent, buying equipment, software and tutorials, finding new clients, working on case studies for your portfolio, and countless other tasks.

In a 9 to 5 job, many people work together to achieve these things which can make it easier for participating individuals.

2.3 Can You Say NO When Need be?

It is very important to know your limits as a businessperson. People will ask for free work, more time, extra pieces of art, an unimaginable number of redos and you would need to say NO to them when it happens.

With a 9 to 5, you may have the support of a team to do that.

2.4 Can You Handle Failure, Spats, and Other Negative Aspects of Running a Business?

There will be times when you don’t get the project you were hoping to work on, or a deal will fall through or you and your client could have a miscommunication leading to some angry words.

In this aspect, freelancing very similar to a 9 to 5 job but what’s different is that you have colleagues to talk to during these times. When you start out as an individual freelancer, these same problems can be very different experiences.

2.5 Are You Okay With Not Having Listed Holidays as Part of Your Business?

When you begin any business, listed holidays or weekend offs would probably be a difficult thing to achieve and it can take a toll on productivity and mental health. Similar to point 2.4, people working 9 to 5s experience it too but unlike (many) 9 to 5s, your extra time on the project might not receive the acknowledgment you desire.

These questions are not meant to discourage you from launching a freelance business because none of them is an everyday occurrence. Some might happen once or twice a year and others might need a learning curve. You can ask yourself these questions and see if you would be able to handle them on a bad business day before you launch a freelance design business.

3. How to Launch a Freelance Graphic Design Business?

Now that you are 100% sure that freelancing is your cup of tea, you would want to know where to begin. Nothing is scarier than a blank slate. I get it. Starting a new project is the scariest part of the timeline, not the deadline.

This beginning can be made less arduous by knowing that it will not last forever. Here is a checklist you can follow before you sign your first deal so you don’t have a blank slate before you begin.

3.1 Have an Online Portfolio

Gone are the days of handheld portfolios. You probably made it for a college project but they have little real-world implications for a freelance graphic designer. Print portfolios are great to show off your bookbinding skills and paper selections, but platforms like Behance, Dribbble, or Coroflot are better because they’re more flexible. Online portfolio platforms let you add hundreds of projects and showcase versatile media (e.g., audio-visual) projects to your profile.

3.2 Create a Price List for All Your Services

Needless to say, you know what you’re good at and you know what services you want to provide to your customers.

Before you launch a freelance design business, writing down all the services and what range of pricing they come in is a good idea as you can share it with your prospective clients on request.

This tells your clients that you are a professional and your pricing for the services is not something you just came up with but rather you share this document with all other clients. Right off the bat, you come off as a trustworthy individual.

Now just to be clear, it does not mean that you share one price for each service. It should be a range as it is affected by many factors like the size of the client organisation, the timeline, etc.

3.3 Make a Contract for Your Services

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a legal contract before you take on any project.

A legal contract will lay out all the terms and conditions that shall be met when doing business with you. It will outline the payment conditions, the non-confidentiality agreement, and all other conditions that may need to be met for any undertaken project.

It implies that in working with you, a client will have to honor these conditions or you will have the power to take them to court if they refuse to pay you for a service or they use your artworks without the copyright being transferred to them or anything else they may violate in the contract.

You can draft one yourself by using templates on the internet. If you know someone who is a lawyer, they can help you draft a detailed contract. You can also check out the guide I will be uploading this week on The Obsolete Dingbat on how to make a comprehensive contract for freelance design projects.

3.4 Create an Invoice and Creative Brief Layout

It’s always a good idea to create an invoice layout for advance and regular payments. Both will have different content and the terms and conditions would also be different. There are some great templates out there that you can download for free.

Another document that you should have ready is a creative brief so that when you speak to your client, both of you are on the same page in terms of expectations from the project. Learn all about creative briefs and how to write a great one here.

3.5 Start Promoting and Sharing Your Work

Once you are ready to take projects, start promoting your work and business on platforms of your choice. I would recommend using word of mouth as your primary source of reaching out to clients but building a platform on LinkedIn or Instagram will be beneficial when you have testimonials from clients to show as proof of your good work.

At this point, you can also become a part of the Fiverr or Upwork community to find more clients. I will upload another post on online freelancing platforms you can start using once you launch a freelance design business.

4. What are the Pitfalls That You Need to be Aware of?

During the first few months of working as a freelancer, you will come across many novel situations which you wouldn’t know how to address. Here are some that you can watch out for.

4.1 Do NOT Use All Social Media Platforms To Promote Your Work

Every social media platform is different and learning and excelling all of them together will take a lot of time and energy. Research about the best platforms and choose one or at the most, two of them. Learn how to use them to your advantage and use a social media calendar to post about your work at regular intervals.

4.2 Do NOT Work for Free

People may come to you with propositions like – we don’t have money to give you for your work but you will get a lot of exposure. Do not fall for that.

Working for free has many pitfalls. It demotivates you and so you produce sub-par work. It does not compensate you with a tangible result which can lead you to wonder if you even want to be a freelancer. It can lead to more people asking the same thing and you might not know how to say NO to them since you didn’t say no in the first place.

Be strong and always say no to free work. Even if it is for your dearest friends, ask for compensation. In the case of your friends, it can be as simple as a dinner treat.

4.3 Avoid Taking More Clients Than You Can Handle

Some months you’ll have more clients coming in. It can depend on the fiscal quarter or other things. But know your capacity and do not take on more projects than you can work on simultaneously. It makes for poor quality work and in worst cases leads to burnout.

4.4 Know Your Tax Liabilities

You may be exempt from taxes that 9 to 5 jobbed people have to pay but there are other taxes like TDS or GST that may be applicable to you. I will upload a post talking about taxes for freelancers soon.

4.5 Learn More About Attribution and How Licensing Works

You probably use Freepik or Unsplash or any other free sources platform but you need to know what kind of licensing they offer. In some cases, you can use the resource without attribution and in others, you may need to attribute the designer. Whichever the case, you need to be aware of it so that you do not mistakenly misuse any resource. Because eventually, we are all designers and we need to respect the artist as much as we respect the art. It helps them enormously and in many cases, doesn’t cost us anything.

5. Key Takeaways (TL;DR) on How to Launch a Freelance Graphic Design Business

In case you didn’t have the time to go through the whole post but still want the gist of it, here it goes.

If you are unsure whether a freelance career is better for you or a 9 to 5 job, you need to ask yourself these questions.

1. Are you comfortable not knowing where your next cheque would come from?

2. Can you manage everything that comes with running a business from finances to clients?

3. Can you say NO when need be?

4. Can you handle failure, spats, and other negative aspects of running a business?

5. Are you okay with not having listed holidays as part of your business?

If your answer to most of them is yes then you clearly would be able to handle the ups and downs of freelancing.

Next, you should prepare yourself before getting your first client by doing the following things:

1. Have an Online Portfolio

2. Create a Price List for All Your Services

3. Make a Contract for Your Services

4. Create an Invoice Layout

5. Start Promoting and Sharing Your Work

Once you are ready with the above-mentioned things, you can start taking projects from clients. Once you launch your freelance design business, you need to be aware of certain things as you wade through the unknown waters of freelancing.

1. Do NOT use all social media platforms for Promotion of Your Work

2. Do NOT work for free

3. Avoid taking more clients than you can handle

4. Know your tax liabilities

5.Learn more about attribution and how licensing works

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, there can be many things holding you back from beginning your career as a freelance graphic designer. Some of those points may need a lot of thought and in others, you might just need to overcome your fear and do it.

If you are determined to make it as a freelance graphic designer, there is no reason why you can’t do it. It will take hard work and perseverance like any other path you will choose. But with all that and a little luck, the impossible will be within your grasp, and you will have a successful freelance career.

Let me know in the comments below if you found this post helpful. Check out more content on How to Become a Freelancer here.

Cheers!

The Obsolete Dingbat (:

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Cover Illustration: Designed by Freepik

How to Launch a Freelance Design Business

Launching a freelance design business is not for the faint of heart. But nonetheless, it can be fulfilling and rewarding in terms of the work you produce and the money you make.

So where do you see yourself in 5 years, asked the interviewer? And I said, well I want to be the design head of a large multinational corporation creating products that can change the world.

Illustration: Designed by Freepik

I have done this many times and I guess you have too. But have you ever questioned yourself if it’s the 9 to 5 that you like or is it the freedom to work on your own terms? I have asked this question many times and I have realised that both have their pros and cons.

In this post, you will cover:

1. What is a Freelance Design Business?

If you are a freelance designer, are there times that you forget to associate the ‘business’ to your profession? If you do, don’t worry, most of us do it too (but we need to stop doing it ASAP).

But being a freelancer is a full-time business whether people call it that or not. And if you are thinking of becoming one, there are some questions you need to ask yourself honestly before diving into it.

2. Which is Better for You? Freelancing or 9 to 5?

Illustration: Designed by Freepik

If you are reading this post, chances are you have already made up your mind about launching a freelance design business. But if you are still considering your options, ask yourself these questions.

2.1 Are You Comfortable Not Knowing Where Your Next Cheque Would Come From?

Working a 9 to 5 job means that at the end of every month, you will receive your salary in your bank account.

Freelancing is different, and many factors affect your income on a monthly basis. It is affected by the number of projects, the cost of each project, and the kind of client.

2.2 Can You Manage Everything That Comes With Running a Business From Finances to Clients?

As a freelancer, you need to take care of paying rent, buying equipment, software and tutorials, finding new clients, working on case studies for your portfolio, and countless other tasks.

In a 9 to 5 job, many people work together to achieve these things which can make it easier for participating individuals.

2.3 Can You Say NO When Need be?

It is very important to know your limits as a businessperson. People will ask for free work, more time, extra pieces of art, an unimaginable number of redos and you would need to say NO to them when it happens.

With a 9 to 5, you may have the support of a team to do that.

2.4 Can You Handle Failure, Spats, and Other Negative Aspects of Running a Business?

There will be times when you don’t get the project you were hoping to work on, or a deal will fall through or you and your client could have a miscommunication leading to some angry words.

In this aspect, freelancing very similar to a 9 to 5 job but what’s different is that you have colleagues to talk to during these times. When you start out as an individual freelancer, these same problems can be very different experiences.

2.5 Are You Okay With Not Having Listed Holidays as Part of Your Business?

3. How to Launch a Freelance Graphic Design Business?

Now that you are 100% sure that freelancing is your cup of tea, you would want to know where to begin. Nothing is scarier than a blank slate. I get it. Starting a new project is the scariest part of the timeline, not the deadline.

This beginning can be made less arduous by knowing that it will not last forever. Here is a checklist you can follow before you sign your first deal so you don’t have a blank slate before you begin.

3.1 Have an Online Portfolio

3.2 Create a Price List for All Your Services

Needless to say, you know what you’re good at and you know what services you want to provide to your customers.

Before you launch a freelance design business, writing down all the services and what range of pricing they come in is a good idea as you can share it with your prospective clients on request.

This tells your clients that you are a professional and your pricing for the services is not something you just came up with but rather you share this document with all other clients. Right off the bat, you come off as a trustworthy individual.

Now just to be clear, it does not mean that you share one price for each service. It should be a range as it is affected by many factors like the size of the client organisation, the timeline, etc.

3.3 Make a Contract for Your Services

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a legal contract before you take on any project.

A legal contract will lay out all the terms and conditions that shall be met when doing business with you. It will outline the payment conditions, the non-confidentiality agreement, and all other conditions that may need to be met for any undertaken project.

It implies that in working with you, a client will have to honor these conditions or you will have the power to take them to court if they refuse to pay you for a service or they use your artworks without the copyright being transferred to them or anything else they may violate in the contract.

3.4 Create an Invoice and Creative Brief Layout

It’s always a good idea to create an invoice layout for advance and regular payments. Both will have different content and the terms and conditions would also be different. There are some great templates out there that you can download for free.

Another document that you should have ready is a creative brief so that when you speak to your client, both of you are on the same page in terms of expectations from the project. Learn all about creative briefs and how to write a great one here.

3.5 Start Promoting and Sharing Your Work

At this point, you can also become a part of the Fiverr or Upwork community to find more clients. I will upload another post on online freelancing platforms you can start using once you launch a freelance design business.

4. What are the Pitfalls That You Need to be Aware of?

During the first few months of working as a freelancer, you will come across many novel situations which you wouldn’t know how to address. Here are some that you can watch out for.

4.1 Do NOT Use All Social Media Platforms To Promote Your Work

4.2 Do NOT Work for Free

People may come to you with propositions like – we don’t have money to give you for your work but you will get a lot of exposure. Do not fall for that.

Be strong and always say no to free work. Even if it is for your dearest friends, ask for compensation. In the case of your friends, it can be as simple as a dinner treat.

4.3 Avoid Taking More Clients Than You Can Handle

Some months you’ll have more clients coming in. It can depend on the fiscal quarter or other things. But know your capacity and do not take on more projects than you can work on simultaneously. It makes for poor quality work and in worst cases leads to burnout.

4.4 Know Your Tax Liabilities

You may be exempt from taxes that 9 to 5 jobbed people have to pay but there are other taxes like TDS or GST that may be applicable to you. I will upload a post talking about taxes for freelancers soon.

4.5 Learn More About Attribution and How Licensing Works

5. Key Takeaways (TL;DR) on How to Launch a Freelance Graphic Design Business

In case you didn’t have the time to go through the whole post but still want the gist of it, here it goes.

If you are unsure whether a freelance career is better for you or a 9 to 5 job, you need to ask yourself these questions.

1. Are you comfortable not knowing where your next cheque would come from?

2. Can you manage everything that comes with running a business from finances to clients?

3. Can you say NO when need be?

4. Can you handle failure, spats, and other negative aspects of running a business?

5. Are you okay with not having listed holidays as part of your business?

If your answer to most of them is yes then you clearly would be able to handle the ups and downs of freelancing.

Next, you should prepare yourself before getting your first client by doing the following things:

1. Have an Online Portfolio

2. Create a Price List for All Your Services

3. Make a Contract for Your Services

4. Create an Invoice Layout

5. Start Promoting and Sharing Your Work

Once you are ready with the above-mentioned things, you can start taking projects from clients. Once you launch your freelance design business, you need to be aware of certain things as you wade through the unknown waters of freelancing.

1. Do NOT use all social media platforms for Promotion of Your Work

2. Do NOT work for free

3. Avoid taking more clients than you can handle

4. Know your tax liabilities

5.Learn more about attribution and how licensing works

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, there can be many things holding you back from beginning your career as a freelance graphic designer. Some of those points may need a lot of thought and in others, you might just need to overcome your fear and do it.

Let me know in the comments below if you found this post helpful. Check out more content on How to Become a Freelancer here.

Cheers!