How to Start Freelancing And Making Money As A Designer

There are many ways to start making money. You can start by doing some desk job life and transform it into freelancing work. The fieldwork is getting vast with the advancement of technology. Some jobs, such as graphic designer, come with more potential and possibilities, which is why this article will talk about the matter. 

Freelancing as a graphic designer might come with plus and minus, but all of the journeys are an adventure. You can start freelancing and making money with some patience. As you got the sense as a designer that is working freely, you will eventually get the chance to generate more income. It also fits with the sense of design that is free and without boundaries. 

Getting into Freelance 

One of the reasons why people start freelancing jobs is to get away from the desk job routine. The Monday through Friday routine tends to make one feel suffocated; thus, they want to start making money with different patterns. In this case, freelancing comes as one of the best options to take. It can be especially true for the adventurous graphic designer. 

However, freelancing is not an easy thing to do. It needs a bigger commitment to run and own up the business. To start into the freelancing business, one needs a lot more research and preparation. However, a designer that already has skills can start making it immediately. This is why many graphic workers start freelancing after finishing a desk job. 

It is considerably better if you are a person that enjoys working with your skills and making a lot of portfolios. The chance that you have encountered numerous clients (even if it is just your friend and family), which might request random works and payments. This condition can help you start getting used to working with many people as a freelancing graphic designer. 

If you enjoy working on graphic projects, you will feel at least a little bit at ease for the freelancing job. Enjoyment and flexibility are some of the reasons that strive the graphic designer to follow their freelancing career. You will eventually find people and work with them that pay for the work you do. It is a good reason to start freelancing and making money. 

But again, you need to consider that starting freelancing means you will lose the routine money income, the job desk job. It means throwing away the other method to get into the new one. Make sure you are prepared physically, mentally, and economically to jump into the freelancing graphic designer job. If you do, here are some other things to do.  

Research 

Since you will start making money with more leeway, make sure to do all of the necessary research. It is one of the vital points, which forces the freelancing newbie to find a lot of details about the job. Yes, a graphic designer is highly demanded in the market. But are you sure you can compete? This is why you need to research for more preparation. 

At this point, you don't need to search a crazy number of details. Make sure you find some sources that explain how you get money from freelancing. It is also worth learning about other designers or other freelancer experiences. With that information, you might get inspiration about the graphic designer job, start freelancing, and making the decision. So, here goes some point that you should research:

1. Getting Started As Freelancing 

Some articles or sources tell how people start freelancing jobs and making cash. You can look for specific graphic jobs or any kind of freelance designer article. The sense of learning other experiences comes a way to inspire you and show you the struggle. This money-making process is not easy in the least, and you will find that every person gains from it. 

The idea of this step is to choose those articles that capture your attention. It does not have to be a site that gives tons of information. A simple personal article that tells the journey to start freelancing and making money is enough. It is even better if you can find your favorite designer experience who is freelancing, generating money, and doing graphic projects.

2. Pricing One Self 

One reason you need to start looking at graphic designers freelancing articles comes from the deciding values. Again, you don't need to read a complicated making money article. Choose those that help you set the right price for your valuable work. You can also learn that freelancing needs a good sense of value and pricing since you are working by yourself. 

Again, it sounds very scary and demanding. However, you can start freelancing with the idea that everything can be a little expensive in people's eyes. Underline the fact that you are now making money by yourself. As a designer, you should not be afraid about making the price. If you know your worth and work values, then hold on to it.   

It is also worth learning how people handle the transaction. Making money by yourself is not an easy matter. In the case of freelancing, you might need to start sending the bill by yourself, making the price, and receiving. You have to do it professionally to ensure people know you mean business. It can get more vital since you are working as a self-employed graphic designer. 

3. Independent Insurance 

If you have some time, it is worth learning about independent insurance. It is a pressing matter for you, who is a family man that needs to handle the entire household. Since you start freelancing and making money by yourself, it means you need to take care of it by yourself. It can be one of the considerations and ideas of circulating your money. 

Making the insurance itself is not an easy matter. You might have to find a company that deals with freelancers. The good news is, some insurance companies provide the service. The average cost of a self-employed graphic designer or other freelancer health insurance in the US can range from $500 – $6,000 annually. Or it can get lower about $200/month. 

It is one of the challenges of being a free designer. Remember and making sure that your graphic projects are worthy enough to cover family needs. At the same time, you are making money that is great enough as a family man. However, it is also not something that every graphic designer needs to worry about. Many great resources tell you all possible start for freelancing. 

4. Inspirations 

Start making your freelancing decision with some inspiration. It is a great fuel to make sure you can make enough money for the job. It is also the best way to provide a great project for your graphic design business. A great graphic designer needs to know the current trend, ideas, and possible innovative works. Thus, they can compete with the ever-growing market. 

Taking a look at some other freelancer experiences can also help you get inspired. The idea is that freelancing is full of surprises. You can start making money easily, but you can also lose it in a matter of seconds. Try to look for designers that help you understand the challenges, the graphic projects, and how they handle the pressing matter or problems.  

Planning 

After you are stoked with some of the resources to start freelancing and making money, it is time to utilize the information. However, you will need a proper plan to jump into the graphic designer job. The idea is that as you are now making an income by yourself, it means you need to face personal responsibility. You should not get excited and not do anything. 

There are two things that you need to measure regarding personal responsibility, money and work. You need to make sure either you are making enough money or have spare money in the bank to cover any unforeseen trouble. At the same time, you need to be a proactive graphic designer as you start working by yourself. 

1. Spare Fund 

The first consideration and planning into the freelancing world is a spare fund. Underline that you will start making money by yourself and working freely. In those conditions, you can either face problems or no order. It will be the complete opposite of working behind the desk as a designer. In this case, you have to come up with your money planning before starting the job. 

While it is very free and you are bound to feel very comfortable, you should be aware of the money condition. If you start freelancing and making money successfully, it does help you gain more profit or save some funds. But how if you have a hard time securing the first graphic project client or get some profit? Surely, you have to prepare for this possibility. 

It is also worth noting that freelancing as a designer does not need a lot of capital money. However, you need to ensure you are ready to pay whatever might come out in the future, such as compensation, problematic graphic projects, graphic designer designers' tools, extra needs, and many more. That is why make sure you get the money condition before you start freelancing. 

But how much should you spare? The more money you are prepared for, the better it is. Freelancing will demand you to be smart in circulating the money. Even though a graphic designer career did not demand a lot of capital, but at least got 6 months of gross income before you start. Set up time around a year before if you want to. So, you are more ready to tackle the business.

2. Deciding The Service  

Another plan that you need to start freelancing and making money is the service. Graphic designers have a lot of fields to cover. You can work on the logo, poster, graphic, web design, and many more. With that in mind, make sure you got the service right. Since you will start freelancing, it Is better to work with your most comfortable and confident skill.

If you got years of experience in making excellent logo design skills, do so. Your long experience can help you set the price and make money. It is also the best thing that distinguishes you as a designer from others. But another consideration is the value. Do you think that the graphic logo project can generate money? 

If it does and the value can give you more, do it. But if it is not a good money-making strategy, try to add other graphic design projects. You can offer other services that are still under your expertise. You might offer graphic projects such as creating brand identity, packaging, poster, or advertisement. Spread your wings as a freelancing designer. 

Implementation 

After all the money and service planning, you can start freelancing and making money. The first step is to extend your job and show your existence. In this case, you can start with a business card or small brochure. It is a great way to talk about your graphic design business that does not have a website or anything. Start making it as a straightforward graphic designer. 

But then how can you service against the large designer studios? In this case, you need to make sure your business is known by people. Start by giving your browser, card, and tell everyone that ask your career. Tell them that you are a graphic designer that starts your own business and designed anything from logo to company branding. 

It will start to build up your confidence and open a lot of opportunities. The key of early freelance is mouth-to-mouth advertisement. Try to make your graphic or web designer business known before focusing on making money. If possible, you can drop by a small company or business to sell your service. It works with a decent suit and eye contact. 

At least it will make you feel that start freelancing is something possible. In many cases, you will realize that start freelancing and making money is hard but not impossible. Start letting people know what you are doing as a designer; you can also show your past graphic design projects, your fun random works, and many more. 

At this start, don't be afraid to use your private connection. Tell your friends, family, old college members, or people you know need the graphic design job. Send some letters or messages with your social media. It is also a great way to utilize your social media as a way to promote your designer job. Who knows that you can get some project from them? 

1. Defining the Client 

It is a great way to start freelancing while you are far from making a large connection. You might not be making money in the beginning, but it is a challenge. It also helps to define what your target graphic design client looks like. In this case, you can define the ideal freelancing client by asking some questions. 

Ask what type of business has a problem, and you can solve it with your service? Can they afford to hire you? And what kind of demographic are you looking for? Are you going to work with a company to design a graphic project for youngsters or kids? Are you going to offer your freelancing service to households and making money from them?  

2. Make a Portfolio  

After you get and start compiling clients, you also need some portfolios. As a graphic designer, you cannot start freelancing and making money without convincing evidence. Having a graphic portfolio also helps showcase your expertise as a designer. Try to highlight relevant experience, show who you are, and include some contact information. 

3. Improve Your Skills

As you start freelancing, you might get less work and making less money. Take this chance to work with a lot of random graphic projects to improve your proficiency as a designer. You might not get money from it, but it is worth it to add a better portfolio. In many cases, you can showcase it on the online sharing platform to gain more exposure. Thus, people can see your designer business.  

4. Start Freelancing Before Quitting  

If you are hesitating about making enough money, you can start freelancing before quitting your previous job. It will put you in a double graphic designer job, which can be tedious. However, it is worth it to build up some extra money to plan the business. At the same time, you can post the graphic project as a way to improve your skills. 

However, it can be a bit risky if you are working for a very upright company. But you got the chance to always research all about the graphic project. So, you can start freelancing and making money right after you quit. In this case, you need to research the market, the cost or try to widen up your designer network. 

Final Words

It is safe to say that start freelancing is worth trying. It allows the designer to own up to what you want to do in life and make money without getting bound behind the desk. However, you need to ensure you are ready to take personal responsibility. It was not a scary thing to commit as you will pursue your dream.