Real talk with a freelance Product Designer
From 2012 until recently I was a freelance product designer in New York.
I thought I could share some lessons I learned during my time as a free agent. I asked Twitter what I should talk about.
For context — I helped startups, large companies and agencies innovate by applying user-centered design to launch new products. Some great design teams I worked with along the way: Adobe, Spotify, Condé Nast, Warby Parker, and more.
Here are my answers to your questions:
How you made contacts / got into agencies. Negotiating your day rate?
— Kate Proulx
New contacts — I used Twitter and events to meet up with other designers. I would reach out and just ask them to grab coffee. Most of these people ended up becoming acquaintances (sometimes friends) and they all worked for New York based startups or agencies. If a contract position opened up they would reach out because we had already established a level of trust.
Negotiating — I was very transparent with my rate from the get-go. When a recruiter or founder asked me what was my daily rate, I calculated my hourly rate times 8 hours. It took me a while to find a number I felt comfortable with but after asking other freelancers I adjusted it. Just ask other designers what they charge and then explain what value you bring for that price. Clients will usually try to get a better deal so you need to be aware that there will be a back and forth and make sure you know your buffer in advance.
How you line up work consecutively. What that pipeline looks like. how many “maybes” turn into actual projects? — Sarah Adams
Lining up work consecutively — it depends on your reputation as a freelancer. Do good work, be professional with clients and they will spread the word for you. Following up with new clients that would reach out was key to finding the next contract for me.
“Maybes” —but you still have to hustle to find new work. On average I would meet 10 new people a month for coffee while I was already in a contract. One of these coffee meetings would end up becoming my next client. I would create a sense of urgency by letting them know that I had other offers, turning “maybes” into contracts.
Long term vs short term contract comparison. — Gavin Wassung
Long term —Any contract that’s more than 3 months. It’s a great way to focus on a specific problem for a while and not worry about lining up other projects. Sometimes you end up really liking the project / team and you want to stay on if possible.
Short term — Agencies tend to want shorter term deals because they’re on a tight deadline. The benefit I found with shorter term contracts is that they’re a great way to test out a team and organization to see if you might want to do some more projects with them. You learn so much from a company the first month working there.
What was the most surprising thing that you encountered? — Adelyn Tam
People— I started contracting to gain more experience as a product designer. I thought that along the way I might meet a mentor that would push me to be better. But surprisingly, the people I learned the most from were my peers — the other young designers and engineers that I worked along side.
I could add more to each subject so feel free to hit me up on Twitter with any comments.
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Published in Startups, Wanderlust, and Life Hacking
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