19 tips for becoming a successful freelance designer
Tags: UX, Design, Freelancing, Freelancers, Designer

Many people in today’s society are self-employed freelancers. This can be an exciting career because it allows you to work when you want and where you want, but it can also come with the frustrations of finding work.

How do you make sure that your freelance design career is successful? Here are some tips for designers who struggle to find clients.

Tip №1:

Be visible on websites like Upwork, Freelancer.com, etc.

Tip №2:

Create cool projects that would be good for small business owners or even bigger companies looking to hire freelancers (like logos).

Tip №3:

Keep your rates reasonable and offer discounts if needed (especially for smaller jobs).

Tip №4:

Don’t make clients wait too long.

Tip №5:

Be patient, and don’t get upset if you can’t find work for a while (it’s not easy to find clients).

Tip №6:

When sending work to clients, be professional and friendly. Depending on the client, emails may be frowned upon. Send them a message on Skype or Google Hangouts instead of an email if you're not sure.

Tip №7:

Make sure that your portfolio and work sample pages are professional and look nice on screens/phones as well as full-size monitors. Keep your portfolio updated frequently so people can see your previous projects as well as what you’re working on now.

Tip №8:

Make sure that your portfolio is up to date and that you’re able to add new projects quickly. If you’re not able to add new work quickly, it’s best to remove older projects.

Tip №9:

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get jobs every day. If you’re working, it will go easier for you and your clients.

Tip №10:

Try not to get upset when people contact you and don’t reply (you should always respond, though). It’s normal if clients don’t read your email for a few days or even weeks after sending it.

Tip №11:

Don’t ignore clients who contact you via the internet (email, Skype, etc.) because they may get frustrated and never contact you again. If you have several clients using these platforms, it’s best to answer your emails, so you don’t forget.

Tip №12:

Be patient. You’ll probably have to wait a couple of weeks or months to receive payments from clients, but remember that you’re working for yourself and not for a company.

Tip №13:

Just because you haven’t gotten a job in a while doesn’t mean that there aren’t companies or people out there looking for your kind of work. Keep an eye out on sites like Behance, Dribble, and Inprnt, as well as other sites where designers can advertise their work (such as Upwork).

Tip №14:

Make sure that you have the following information so you can provide it to clients:

Professional References

Education History

Work Experience

What kind of job were you doing? Were you a freelancer or working for a company? When did this experience happen? Are there any awards or achievements that are relevant to your work history? If so, list them. You can list them on your resume or include a summary on your portfolio page. This is optional, but some people include personal hobbies on their portfolios. Don’t make it too long. Nobody wants to read about your personal life on professional pages! It’s best to include information like this on your About page. What are some of your skills? List the ones that are most relevant to your work, but don’t leave important skills out! Don’t forget to include any training or certifications that you have.

Tip №15:

If you’re looking for a new design job after your freelance career ends, don’t give up! Look for more projects on Behance or Dribble, etc. It’s important to keep promoting yourself (especially if you haven’t had any jobs in a while).

Tip №16:

After your freelance career ends, keep contact information updated with the client that hired you (even if it wasn’t your last client). You never know who may need help with something similar in future years.

Tip №17:

If you’re starting any freelance project, I cannot recommend enough securing a deposit. Just have something upfront, whether it’s 20%, 30%, 50%. Because what that does is it shows the client that you’re not only serious about business, which is the language that they will most likely be speaking, but it also is some security for you and a freelancer. More often than not, you can get someone who will approach you with some work. You’ll spend a whole bunch of time. You might even start on the project because that’s a huge no-no. Having a deposit lets you know that you’ve got something that you could commit to the project, commit the time in your schedule, and yeah, you’re not just wasting your time.

Tip №18:

This is something else that is really useful, but I shouldn’t be talking about it because I’m still practising myself; it is about structuring your time and managing it more effectively. If you’re a freelancer, you don’t necessarily have that, “Oh, I’ve got to be at work on this time.” So there’s no one there to kick your ass when you’re late. Have a calendar and stick to it. Just set reminders. So when you hit 12 o’clock, and it pops up and says, “take your lunch,” then just take your lunch. You have to force yourself and discipline yourself to stick to it.

Tip №19:

Definitely, definitely value the work you do. I know that’s really hard when you look at something like design. You’re not actually making a physical product. It’s quite challenging to actually value what you do and have the confidence to say no as well. So if you have a client or project that comes your way, it’s very tempting sometimes to think I need this work or I’m just going to take it. Have the confidence to say no, because if you’re saying yes to that project, instead of saying no, that could be a project that is far better paying more that you’re going to enjoy more right around the corner.

For me personally, this is definitely something that I had to practice. I mean, there are various channels on YouTube where people talk about confidence like it didn’t happen overnight for me. It took me over two years to really appreciate what I did and the value that I brought to the table, and you have to sometimes go through that, you know, and listen to people like me now telling you to value yourself, because what you do is most likely awesome.