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How to Make it as a Freelance Graphic Designer

By Kate Robb
Learning & Life Columnist

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the job market for graphic designers to continue to boom in the next 7-10 years. They also find that a significant number of people in these jobs are self-employed. Being your own boss is appealing, but how do you manage the real-life details?

Know the Pool before You Dive In

Cameron Moll is currently the Principal Interaction Designer for the LDS Church, but according to his website, he has successfully completed an 18-month stint as a freelance new media designer. Here are just a few of his suggestions:

• Be ready to be in business. Moll suggests that most "creative types tend to leave the entrepreneurship part out of running a freelancing biz" but that you should be prepared to run a business, as well as fulfill contracts.
• Supplement your freelance income at first. If yours is the only paycheck coming in, be sure you've got enough clients to pay your rent before you start freelancing full-time. Many designers start by doing part-time work on the side.
• Don't be a bank. Remind your clients that you need to be paid in a timely manner.
• Act on your good ideas quickly. The world of graphic design is moving at lightning speed. If you have a good idea, act on it, before someone else does.
• Get an office. Although it might not happen immediately, having an office will give you a way to establish clear (and necessary) boundaries between your work world and your home life.

Graphic Design Training

There are plenty of ways to get your graphic design degree, no matter what your current circumstances are. Traditional art schools are starting to see some serious competition as online university programs continue to gain ground in the world of education. All over the country, students are completing online art and design degrees that will help them launch exciting careers in areas such as entertainment, art, graphic design, fashion design, marketing and advertising.

If there's a campus near you, you might also want to get out of the house a few hours a day and study in a classroom. Either way, graphic design training has never been easier to come by. Your freelance career is closer than you think.

Sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Graphic Designers
• Cameron Moll

About the Author
Kate Robb is a freelance writer and a university professor.

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