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Everything You Need To Know Before Becoming A Freelance Graphic Designer (2020)
Paul Munko • Feb 16, 2020
The 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Graphic Designer
So you want to become a graphic designer? Awesome! Here are a few things you should know before starting your new career (and a few things I wish I was told before starting graphic design myself)
- Freelance graphic design work is never guaranteed
- You’re not going to enjoy every design project
- Not everyone is meant for every project
- Graphic design isn’t always an artistic endeavor
- Dry spells should be embraced, not feared
1. Freelance Graphic Design Work is Never Guaranteed
The first and most important thing to think about when starting your career as a freelance graphic designer is that steady work is never guaranteed. As a matter of fact, when you are just starting to open yourself up to paying clients and customers, a steady flow of projects shouldn’t even be expected!
If you aren’t working for a professional marketing or design firm, any clients you get are going to be gained from either word of mouth or paid advertisement. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take things slowly at this stage! Sure, it may sound like a dream come true to quit your day job and pursue a life of nothing but art and design work, but realistically if you cut off your main source of income before building a steady clientele you will almost definitely be left broke and hungry!
Success comes at a snail's pace. In order to achieve the most out of your design career without burning yourself out too much, take it easy and make moves in a manner that is comfortable for you. There is no point in rushing what could become a lifelong career. Let the flower blossom, don’t rip it out at the roots!
2. You’re Not Going to Enjoy Every Design Project
Be honest with yourself here. At the end of the day when you are trying to become a full time graphic designer or artist, you are going to face the inevitable: a project that doesn’t really interest you but is necessary to take on for financial reasons. I know, it sucks sometimes, but it really is important to suck it up and complete these projects as they are handed to you especially in the early stages of your budding career.
I have had my fair share of “I guess so” projects and I embrace them as much as I possibly can. You are being hired to create your client’s vision. As a designer you are merely in charge of making that vision something tangible.
My advice for this particular scenario is to just go with the flow and take on these “I guess so” projects with a smile. For all you know, drawing a picture of someone’s pug could lead to that person referencing you to your DREAM job. You never would have had that chance if you didn’t take the time to draw Clipper in his “adorable” Halloween costume.
You can look forward to eventually picking and choosing what you do and do not work on, but trust me, when you are starting on the ground floor it’s basically a necessity to spread your work and earn some cash to keep you going.
3. Not Everyone is Meant for Every Project
I know, this sounds like a complete contradiction to what I just said right? Well here’s the thing: I believe you should take on every client you possibly can in the early stages of your career. HOWEVER it is also important to note that as an artist and designer you will have a skill set that is particular to you and your abilities. It is unrealistic to assume that you are capable of completing any project the universe throws at you.
You may be an amazing painter, or an amazing typographer, but if someone requests clean vector icons from you and you have no experience in that niche, you would be foolish to take on the project.
Without having the required skills to bring that person’s vision to life, it would be a disservice to both of you to accept the project and even worse to collect a payment on something you may not be able to fulfill. Always remember to work within your means. Yeah, you should take on boring projects but don’t bite off more than you can chew and leave someone feeling like they were scammed out of their money! This could tarnish your reputation at a time when it is more vulnerable than ever.
4. Graphic Design Isn’t Always an Artistic Endeavor
Another thing you will have to be okay with sacrificing sometimes is your artistic and creative freedom. Most times people are hiring you for a very specific thing and it is in your best interest to follow through with what they have hired you for. It can be incredibly tempting to “put your own spin on things” and believe me, there is a time and a place for that.
Just remember that you are the vessel in which another person's ideas will be brought to life. Some clients will come to you and happily ask you to do your thing, but others will be very set in their ways and want only what they have thought up and nothing more.
Any piece of design is a functional piece of art, just know when not to get too “artsy” with it!
5. Dry Spells Should be Embraced, Not Feared
Finally I would like to talk about another inescapable circumstance...No more jobs coming in!
As I said earlier when you are first starting out as a professional freelance artist or graphic designer you will most likely be getting your initial client base from either paid ads or simple word of mouth. While properly optimized ads will greatly increase your potential to bring in new clients and gain more exposure, they can become very expensive and yield little to no results if they are not done with a professional marketers mind.
This leaves us with the cheaper option (because what is cheaper than free?) which is word of mouth. I have personally gone through hundreds of ups and downs. Some months people would be recommending me left and right, while others I wouldn’t even pull in a single organic lead! This is the game in just about any freelance profession. It really is just a matter of learning to make the most of both the busy times, and the barren times!
While a period with no work may seem a bit scary to you, if you listened to my prior advice and kept your main source of income alive and well these “cursed” months could actually turn out to be an incredible blessing. Instead of worrying every single day about new projects, deadlines, and potential issues you can take a step back and focus on your own creative growth as an artist AND as an individual.
Work on some personal projects, take a few online courses, spend your downtime on things that AREN’T work. You will have a much longer, happier career if you take some time to breathe. Embrace your dry spells and use it as time to improve yourself in any way you see fit. Our free time on this earth is finite, so don’t forget to enjoy it every once in a while!
I hope this article was informative to all of you aspiring artists and designers out there! Please don’t let any of these points discourage you. Instead keep them in mind to ensure you have the most productive and positive career possible. This list was not meant to scare anyone away from the field and I truly hope knowing all of these potential pitfalls can help you prepare for your exciting new career that could last a lifetime!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me
here or on my
instagram which you can find here.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!
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Paul Munko
Paul is an internationally published artist and designer who goes by the alias "Colorful Filth". He is known mostly for his vibrant and monstrous artwork that can be seen
here on instagram or on his official website
colorfulfilth.com.
