I wanted to start freelancing.

[dayv]

I got many experience in designing things, like making logo and doing lettering. But my problem here is I'm living in a country which is not appreciate art and design. So what I think about is to build my portfolio and start doing freelance graphic design. I've tried freelancing before but with a very small payment from local clients. I know it will take some time to get some clients with big payment, but i can wait for it cause I'm still in high school. So i wish i could build my portfolio and start doing design.

About the clients, i need you guys to share your experience as a freelancer. How much you charge for a logo or any kind of design, the process (how's the deadline), how you make yourself discoverable to clients, and maybe some tips for growing my design business.

Thank You.

 

[Pawix]

Key is to find someone for long term work. After you deliver good quality job, your clients will be returning to you. After some time you won't need to look for offers

 

[dayv]

Key is to find someone for long term work. After you deliver good quality job, your clients will be returning to you. After some time you won't need to look for offers

Have you tried that? and how you get your first client, like from what media they find you?

 

[moneymakinguy]

Have you tried that? and how you get your first client, like from what media they find you?

BHW is a nice place to get long term clients

 

[Pawix]

Have you tried that? and how you get your first client, like from what media they find you?

I use freelancer but as android developer, not graphic designer. It took 2-3 months

 

[dayv]

BHW is a nice place to get long term clients

Okay, maybe gonna try it soon when I got better.

 

[TheHixel]

Hello davy, let me give you some tips that really worked for me. I'm a graphic designer & illustrator with 7 years of experience in the field.
There's 1 important action I kept doing and 1 important step I did. I'm self-taught and I learnt both Illustrator and Photoshop by trying new stuff. Say someone wants a logo, you do the logo and then he asks for a business card. Even though you never did a business card, go for it, that's a good way to learn new things, that's the way I learnt; I cover a lot of creative fields and at this point and I'm very confident with both Photoshop and Illustrator.
The important step I did that got me from $??/$??? income to $???? income was to search for partnerships and learn how to refuse cheap projects. Partnerships are very important because they can bring a constant income to you and then filtering the good clients will take you out of the cheap designs group which changes a lot.

 

[dayv]

Hello davy, let me give you some tips that really worked for me. I'm a graphic designer & illustrator with 7 years of experience in the field.
There's 1 important action I kept doing and 1 important step I did. I'm self-taught and I learnt both Illustrator and Photoshop by trying new stuff. Say someone wants a logo, you do the logo and then he asks for a business card. Even though you never did a business card, go for it, that's a good way to learn new things, that's the way I learnt; I cover a lot of creative fields and at this point and I'm very confident with both Photoshop and Illustrator.
The important step I did that got me from $??/$??? income to $???? income was to search for partnerships and learn how to refuse cheap projects. Partnerships are very important because they can bring a constant income to you and then filtering the good clients will take you out of the cheap designs group which changes a lot.

Thank you bro, that's a lot of experience. Where you got your clients from, and did you have any personal website to show your works? I think a personal website will give you more kind of professionalism. What do you think?

 

[TheHixel]

Thank you bro, that's a lot of experience. Where you got your clients from, and did you have any personal website to show your works? I think a personal website will give you more kind of professionalism. What do you think?

I started on digitalpoint forum doing logo contest and then I pretty much tried everything I found: graphicriver, themeforest, brandcrowd, designcrowd, 99designs, upwork (this one is very good for searching partnerships) and so on. At this point I'm not using any particular website, I have my customers and I work with them.
I agree with you, a website is a big plus, I never actually had a website because I had a lot of customers from recommendations, people kept coming back and suggest to friends so there was always someone to work with. I started when I was very young so I was ok with small income when I started, maybe that's why I never felt like building a website, once I wanted bigger incomes I already had around 3 years of experience and it was easy finding customers based on a simple social media portfolio (or most of the times just sending some of my work through Skype or so). However, I still plan on building a cool website for me, have thousands of works that are not showcased anywhere, so take that into consideration; if you are able to, definitely build a website.

 

[DulalKisku]

r u on fiverr yet?

 

[dayv]

I started on digitalpoint forum doing logo contest and then I pretty much tried everything I found: graphicriver, themeforest, brandcrowd, designcrowd, 99designs, upwork (this one is very good for searching partnerships) and so on. At this point I'm not using any particular website, I have my customers and I work with them.
I agree with you, a website is a big plus, I never actually had a website because I had a lot of customers from recommendations, people kept coming back and suggest to friends so there was always someone to work with. I started when I was very young so I was ok with small income when I started, maybe that's why I never felt like building a website, once I wanted bigger incomes I already had around 3 years of experience and it was easy finding customers based on a simple social media portfolio (or most of the times just sending some of my work through Skype or so). However, I still plan on building a cool website for me, have thousands of works that are not showcased anywhere, so take that into consideration; if you are able to, definitely build a website.

I also started at very young age, about 13 or 14 years old. I started from 99designs. What I got is heartbreak because I spend my time doing logos and when I didnt win the contest, the logo got wasted. Anyway it gives me a lot of training. So now i want to moving on from logo contest, and doing things like you did.
Have you graduated yet? And if that so, will you be a freelance graphic designer as your main job?

 

[TheHixel]

I also started at very young age, about 13 or 14 years old. I started from 99designs. What I got is heartbreak because I spend my time doing logos and when I didnt win the contest, the logo got wasted. Anyway it gives me a lot of training. So now i want to moving on from logo contest, and doing things like you did.
Have you graduated yet? And if that so, will you be a freelance graphic designer as your main job?

I started when I was 13, didn't go to college, not yet at least. Design is my main job, I live off of it for 2-3 years already. My suggestion is that you try Upwork, that's a very good place to find partnership, I belive 50% of the people there seek for partnerships and not one-time projects.

 

[Arontus]

Goodluck mate!

 

[dayv]

Goodluck mate!

Thank You. Good luck for you too.

I started when I was 13, didn't go to college, not yet at least. Design is my main job, I live off of it for 2-3 years already. My suggestion is that you try Upwork, that's a very good place to find partnership, I belive 50% of the people there seek for partnerships and not one-time projects.

Okay, I'm gonna try Upwork for now. Gonna build my portfolio first. One more question, what payment method do you use, or the most popular among freelancers?

 

[TheHixel]

Thank You. Good luck for you too.

Okay, I'm gonna try Upwork for now. Gonna build my portfolio first. One more question, what payment method do you use, or the most popular among freelancers?

95% of my customers use Paypal, it's definitely the most popular method. Good luck, mate!

 

[AssadBabil]

I`ve started freelance year ago now I am hungry.

 

[dayv]

I`ve started freelance year ago now I am hungry.

what method you use? and how old are you?

 

[AssadBabil]

what method you use? and how old are you?

I was making websites for my local clients, but it was one way ticket. Then I found partners in Germany and now we are making some projects together. My rule is: always think global and find partners elsewhere. And I am 32

 

[ReginaldBraxt0n]

You need to do some cheap work first to get feedback

 

[johndla]

what method you use? and how old are you?

No matter what method freelance is unstable money ,
Why unstable,just think no business when starting you can really earn money unless you are a lucky one,
today hv project Tml don't hv those always hv suffer yourself,I don't recommend u full time doing it ,
u can consider as part time ,if not hungry be always ,fixed paid work plus part time this work ,
until u fully understood the game ,to be good player in business u need to more time to observe and think,
there are many methods here why somebody always made money ?why 1 method 10 peoples do but results different?
You need more time to understand the game of you want to start