5 Lessons I Learned from Freelancing
I was completely undecided about my career path in my first year of college. I stumbled upon graphic design through an art class and found my passion. After graduation, I freelanced to build my portfolio and skills. Freelancing involves much more than design, including project management and business tasks. It became stressful, so I sought a full-time position. Though the transition had challenges, freelancing taught me valuable lessons for my career and life.
5 Lessons I Learned from Freelancing:
Set up the project parameters in the beginning — Establish the ground rules right away. Openly discuss budget, timeline, and constraints. Nothing should be a surprise. Thoroughly communicate all the project details. It doesn’t hurt to over-communicate so that both parties are on the same page.
It’s ok to turn down a project — In the early days, I would say yes to any project that came my way. I was so hungry for the work it didn’t matter if it was the right fit. Take the time to evaluate if a project is worth your energy. Realize that not every client is a dream client. If there are red flags early on it’s acceptable to decline the work.
Get paid your worth — Looking back I always quoted too low. I wanted the project so bad that I would undercut my time, energy, and talent. Set an hourly rate and stick to it. Freelancers have a very different payment schedule than a regularly salaried employee so there’s even more reason to be diligent about your set prices. Your time is precious and you’re worth every penny.
Provide a design rationale — Yes, you the designer understand why you chose a particular color but that does not mean the client comprehends. Furthermore, they just may have never liked the color you selected. Providing a design rationale gives context and reasoning for why a design choice was made. It establishes the intention behind the design work.
Always hit save — Lesson learned the hard way. Always save your work. It’s a bummer to spend hours on a project only to have to redo it all again because the document was never saved. Get in the habit of saving every 15 minutes (shortcut = command/ctrl+s) this will save (get it) you from a lot of stress and worry.
