10 Steps to Start a Successful Freelance Design Career

If you’re looking to start working as a freelancer, you may feel overwhelmed with making the switch to self-employment. There are over 57 million Americans working as freelancers, and that number is expected to increase in the coming years. With this growth in popularity, now is the time to make the switch to a freelance career. If you’ve never worked independently, it can be difficult to know exactly where to start on your new career path. 

Below you can read through ten helpful steps for starting a freelance career, regardless of your professional industry. While these tips may be especially helpful for those in a creative design career, any freelancer can benefit from following these best practices.

Create a Business Plan

One of the first and most important steps to take when making the switch to self-employment is writing a freelance business plan. Mapping out your business goals and objectives is an excellent way to maximize your time and income. It can also help you define your target audience and reach a broader range of potential clients. Once your initial revenue target is clearly defined, you can start working towards these milestones.

Build a Solid Portfolio

When a potential client starts researching freelancers to help with their design project, your portfolio is often the first thing they will see and use to form an impression of your work style. It’s important that you keep your portfolio updated and filled with a collection of work that highlights your unique range of skills. One of the most popular platforms for portfolio hosting is Adobe Portfolio, which offers custom themes and unlimited pages. 

Start Networking

If you are just starting your career as a freelancer, it’s likely you are still working to build a solid clientele base. Connecting with others in the field is an excellent way to gain referrals and learn new techniques. It’s great to engage with other creatives with whom you can collaborate, as this can help designers to build a solid reputation. Creative professionals utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Dribbble, and Behance to collaborate with others in the field and meet new clients.

Create a Website

While creating a portfolio with a tool like Adobe Portfolio is helpful, many freelancers decide to showcase their design skills by building their own website. Having a website dedicated to your freelance services is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd and help you build a professional reputation. Even if you have no experience with coding or web development, platforms like WordPress have templates available to help you customize your website.

Consider Legal Advice

While your employer often handles important things like health insurance, taxes, and client contracts, freelancers must handle these issues independently. It’s also common for freelancers to seek legal advice when dealing with client disputes such as work deadlines or payments. You can reach out to a local lawyer or Accountant for help with any issues or utilize an online service like LegalZoom.

Build Your Brand Identity

If you are just starting your freelance career, you may be unfamiliar with the importance of building a brand identity. This is very important for anyone that is self-employed, as this is essentially your reputation and image within your professional subject area. You should aim to keep a consistent voice, image, and brand elements across your platforms so that you are easily recognizable.

Sign up for Freelance Job Boards

While many freelancers choose to network and find clients on their own, there are many different job boards designed for those looking for freelance work. These job boards can help you to streamline your search for work and discover new opportunities in your professional field. Many freelancers use popular websites like Upwork to secure work, while others utilize more traditional platforms like Indeed.

Find a Mentor

If you find yourself struggling to navigate the world of freelance work, try finding a mentor to help get you through your first client interactions. It can be helpful to gain advice from someone who is familiar with the industry and has faced similar professional struggles. Depending on your industry, there are many online communities where freelancers can network and meet with potential mentors. AIGA is a popular organization creative designers can use to help find a mentor.

Learn How to Pitch Yourself

One area freelancers are known to struggle with is learning to pitch themselves and their services to potential clients. It’s crucial that freelancers research their target audience when crafting their pitch and ensure they remain confident when showcasing their unique skill set. As you grow professionally and learn new skills, your pitch can be edited or adapted to meet any specific requirements.

Stay Positive and Patient

One of the most challenging steps to starting a successful freelance career is to remain positive and patient throughout the inevitable challenges. The workload for those who are self-employed tends to ebb and flow, meaning each week can look different for tasks or deadlines. If you are new to working independently, this can feel stressful and as though you are doing something wrong. This is normal for freelancers, though keeping a positive mindset and patience for the situation can make things easier to navigate.

If you are looking to start a career as a design freelancer, signing up for graphic design classes is an excellent way to jump-start a new path. These immersive classes can help designers to boost their skill set and stay current with trends in the industry. There are also live online graphic design bootcamps for those who want to learn fundamental design skills from the comfort of their own homes. These courses provide the same training as in-person classes but eliminate the need to commute through traffic or rearrange your schedule. Bootcamp courses provide an opportunity for designers to create a portfolio of work that can be used to help secure work in the future. If you are ready to start your journey to a freelance career, try searching for graphic design bootcamps in your area to get started.