How do I become a freelancer full-time?
I get asked this question regularly. Working as a UX designer, I’ve undertaken a lot of freelance design projects alongside my main job. Yet how does one shift their focus and channel their time and energy to becoming a freelance designer full-time? It’s often a thought laden with fear; giving up a full-time job that offers attractive perks, a bit of security and paid vacation days. But what freelancing offers us designers, is the flexibility and freedom that we so often and desperately crave. Working with freelance designers over many years, has given me a lot of useful insight and advice on this topic.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~Confucius
Taking the first step
First and foremost, and an idea undertaken by many, is to start freelancing in your spare time. View it as a sideline to your main job. This allows you to take on as much or as little as your free time allows. This way, you are edging yourself in slowly, not taking on too much work to handle, yet gaining practical experience at the same time. Over time it’s easy to gradually get the sense of how much you can comfortably take on. If you are currently working in a design environment, perhaps an agency or in-house studio, you’re probably surrounded by other creatives. A network of creative people can prove to be a valuable source of inspiration.
Get an online portfolio
Get a website. If you don’t already have one that is, and if not, why not?! As a designer we invariably need a platform to showcase our work to potential clients. And any designer without an online presence is losing out to all the designers who do, and there are a lot! An online portfolio is a necessity. I view my website as a promotional marketing tool, I use it to showcase my best portfolio examples, keeping the work updated on a regular basis.
Keep ahead of the game
Keeping ourselves up to date with the latest design technology, trends and techniques is essential for personal progression. And it is so easy these days. The wealth of design blogs, webinars and e-tutorials on the web is staggering! Not all of them are amazing or useful, not all will post content that interests us. Take some time to research and find a few that publish articles relevant to your working style. Some of my top go-to sites at the moment are UXPin, Usabilia, Smashing Magazine and Invision.
Websites such as Freelance Advisor also offer an endless foundation of help and advice for freelancers.
Networking
The world of social networking is at its peak, and there is no better time to promote ourselves via these channels. Creating an online presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks is a cheap and easy way to get our work seen. Creative networking communities such as Behance, Dribble and The Creative Finder are another ideal place to display our creative talent and seek feedback from other designers.
Blogging
Write about design. If you can’t talk about your ideas, how will you ever sell yourself? I’m keen to write about my projects and invite opinions of others. This can be via my own website, or by writing guest posts on other blogs. I find it a valuable networking technique. I recommend finding blogs that you like and where you feel your writing fits the style and audience, talk about your own work, or choose an area of design you are passionate about.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Chinese Proverb
When I was first starting out as a designer I was desperate to build a varied portfolio of freelance work. The help and advice I received from more experienced designers was overwhelming, yet invaluable to me in taking the step to building a successful freelancing career. It is impossible to pinpoint exactly what each designer needs to do to become successful, the ideas here are just a drop in the ocean. Nevertheless, often I find all you need is enthusiasm, drive and the courage to take the plunge and put yourself out there.
Becoming a freelancer is a challenging step to make, it requires determination and hard work, but the outcome is extremely rewarding. Making the daunting yet exciting move from having a successful and secure job, to giving up security and working for yourself is a goal many designers strive to achieve. There is never really a right or wrong time to do it, just plan your objectives and decide how you are going to reach them.
This is by no means the ultimate guide to freelancing, I’m just dipping my toe into a small part of the freelancer world to pass on the invaluable advice I’ve picked up over the years. I’d love to hear your thoughts too, have you come across any more good tips? Feel free to leave a comment.
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Davina lives on the Mediterranean island of Malta where she works as a UX designer. Originally from the UK she has also lived in Barcelona. See some of her work here: www.davinaspriggs.com
Keep in touch
Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, or check out some of my UX work on Dribbble.
More posts from Davina
How to design awesome log-in forms on mobile
Discovering the surrealist world of Spanish artist Salvador Dali
