The Importance of Learning From Your Peers

I try to learn something new everyday. With the internet and a seemingly endless supply of tutorials out there to teach anything about Photoshop, Illustrator and CSS that you’d every want to know, it’s not hard to fill every corner of your mind with new information. The internet is undoubtedly a great resource for learning new things about graphic and web design, but for me, learning from others in the field is much more powerful than any tutorial I’ve ever completed.

It wasn’t easy for me to head back to the cube, but when I made the decision to do so, I promised myself I would make the most of it and try to learn as much as possible from the team of designers I’d be working with. Luckily, my fellow designers and developers I work with feel the same. We’ve started holding “classes” dealing with HTML/CSS (taught by our developer) and Photoshop (taught by me and two other graphic designers).  So far our adventure has been fruitful and I feel like we’re all building a better foundation of knowledge regarding our topics of interest. Our first class was taught by our developer, dealing with IDs, classes and the general set up of an HTML and CSS document, in turn we taught him about the lovely Photoshop pen tool. The pen tool can be a bear to master for a newbie, so we felt this was a good place to start since it’s one of the harder PS tools to grasp. Another topic we tackled was freelancing and dealing with difficult clients. We’ve all done some level of freelance work, whether it be designing for friends and family or big clients, and we would all like to continue learning from each others experiences and using each other as a resource in this endeavor.

Conclusion

Never stop learning. Never. The day you’ve decided you’ve done it all, quit, leave your graphic design career in the dust. and move on to something else. Deeming yourself an expert in this industry is the day the industry will pass you by. Graphic and web design is always changing and keeping your skills and knowledge in tip top shape is incredibly important, so learn where you can. The internet offers an infinite (and overwhelming) number of resources for designers and developers to learn, but always take the opportunity to learn from your peers and superiors. In my experience, those working and thriving in the design field offer the most valuable knowledge and expertise.

Seasonal Holiday Graphic Design Marketing: Make Your Own Holiday Cards

Tis the season to get creative with your freelance business marketing tactics. You’re probably planning on sending out holiday cards to friends and family anyway, why not send some out to your valued clients. Chances are your small business clients are sending cards out taking the opportunity to remind their valued customers about their business, so take the opportunity to do so yourself. A package of 14 holiday cards are, at most, ten dollars. Throw a few business cards in with your cards and you have a seasonal marketing tool that your clients are sure to appreciate. Better yet, design your own holiday cards or postcards to really make an impact on your clients. Creating a custom marketing piece to send to clients can jump-start the process of starting a new project and help remind your clients of that graphic design project they’ve had on the back-burner for the last few months.

Conclusion

If you have the time and money, create your own custom holiday cards to send to your valued clients. If your tight on time and money, purchase a cheap (but pretty) package of prefab holiday cards, throw a few business cards in with them and send them on their way. Remember to keep your greeting cards fairly holiday unspecific. Most of your clients may celebrate Christmas, but you can never be sure. In the freelance business, you can never assume anything, so keep your holiday card as generic as possible to avoid offending a valued client.

Graphic Design in the Real World

Often times, we graphic designers will be handed a project to design with the knowledge that once that design is complete we may never lay eyes on the finished product. This especially applies for freelance graphic designers, if you aren’t handling the printing process for a client, chances are you won’t see the final piece unless it’s for a publication you can get your hands on or for a big campaign. I work with small to medium sized businesses so once I’ve designed their business card, brochure or letterhead, I send it to the company for them to print as they see fit without my involvement. I often ask for them to send a finished copy of what I’ve done with either their payment or out of the kindness or their own hearts, and most clients usually oblige me, but not always. What am I getting at here? Sometimes you don’t have to ask clients for a copy of the finished product because it will pop-up when you least expect it.

Hockey isn’t too popular around where I’m from, even-though the weather here tends to drop below freezing more times than I’d like to think about during the personally uninspiring graphic design season of winter. Ice hockey just isn’t a sport many Hoosiers gravitate towards. I, however, love the sport (maybe it’s all the fighting and angst) so when a beloved client of mine asked me to design a dasher board for his companies that would be displayed around the Indiana Ice hockey rink during home games, I jumped at the opportunity. He owns two companies in the Indianapolis area so he needed two designs. I created them, got the design approved and that was that. Until last night when I actually went to an Ice game, and saw the dasher boards I had designed in the real world! To be honest, I’d forgotten about this project and didn’t realize I might see them until I actually ran into my client at the game. Needless to say I was quite please with the results and very excited that my work, albeit very simple, was being seen by a large crowd of people (The photo you see here was taken with my trusty iPhone 4, but isn’t the greatest quality due to our position in the stands). The other dasher board I designed was located on the opposite side of the rink on the side we were sitting on.

Conclusion

Always attempt to get a copy of your work for your portfolio and be on the lookout for your designs in the real world. Be proud of your work and always remember it’s not just you admiring your design, hundreds and thousands of people might be admiring it too!

Selling Out on Freelancing?

I’ve been working an on-site freelance gig and it turns out that the company I’ve been working for wants me to stay on, full-time, and I’ve accepted the job (hence why I haven’t blogged for over a month). I keep going back to a quote in Michelle Goodman’s fantastic book, My So Called Freelance Life:

“Know this: Taking a temporary trip back to the cube doesn’t mean you’re a freelancing failure. Instead, it can mean you’re taking care of yourself…”

Right now, these are words to live by for me. Honestly, I’ve been feeling like a huge sell out lately. I’m back to doing something I vowed wasn’t possible anymore, working in a office for someone else. But like the quote says, I have to take care of myself, and for me that’s financially and mentally. When I started freelancing, I didn’t have the obligatory six months worth of money saved for bills and groceries. In reality, who ever does? I took the plunge and made a living, I got by. I took a big step and was able to buy a house with my partner. Living in a two income household really helped my freelancing success but hosues are expensive and the debt started to mount. That is my main reason for taking this job and jumping back into the cube, money. I need to pay off some debt and since freelancing doesn’t yeild a steady paycheck (usually) so I thought it was in my best interest, and the interest of my mental health that I bite the bullet and do what I have to do. Taking care of your family and not having debt collectors calling round the clock is important, and sometimes putting a dream on hold to get your debt and bank account squared away is justified.

Conclusion

I plan to continue freelancing while I’m working full-time, and I’m looking forward to adding more quality work to my portfolio. I really like my coworkers and I feel like I’m going to make some great friends and contacts while working with this company. Many or my coworkers freelance on the side too and I know I can learn a lot from them. I’m starting to look at my situation in a more positive light. If you find yourself in my situation, do what you need to do to pay your bills and take care of your responsibilities and yourself. There’s no shame in going back to the cubicle if life demands it.

Pros and Cons of Working an On-Site Freelance Gig

If you’ve every worked with a creative temp agency (or creative talent agency) like Artisan or Aquent, chances are you’ve probably been offered an on-site freelance gig a time or two. For those of you who haven’t, an on-site freelance gig is exactly what it sounds like. Companies will come across a project or need to outsource some design or development work that the staff at their place of business can’t handle. Either their too busy, or don’t have the resources. That’s when a creative temp agency, much like a temp agency placing people in general office jobs, will come in and match a graphic designer in their database to the position, and set up an interview with the company in need of a creative talent. Usually it’s a short term assignment spanning over a few months, but sometimes it’s a temp-to-hire assignment. This means that your short-term temp job might evolve into a full blown full-time job, which is not something a lot of successful freelancers are interested in. Know the risks in taking on a position like this if you aren’t planning on sticking around once the job turns into a full-time gig. Don’t be wishy washy. Telling your temp agency representative that you’re gung-ho about the job and then backing out once the full-time aspect is a reality is a slippery slope. It reflects poorly on the temp agency rep and you. If that company ever has anymore gigs they need to outsource, chances are they’ll pass you over for someone more committed to the position.

Now on to the pros and cons that I’ve experienced personally:

Pros

Steady Income – One of the biggest and most important luxurious 9-5 benefits we lose as freelancers, is the stability of a steady income. While the potential to earn as much money as you want as a freelancer sounds great, the reality is that many of us just starting out aren’t going to be bringing in the big money right off the bat. Losing that cushy paycheck every two weeks is a harsh reality to swallow. This is why making sure you have enough money saved (haha), a reliable client base or part-time job while freelancing is crucial. With these realities in mind, taking the occasional on-site freelance gig is a great way to fund your freelance business when times are tough or if you’re just looking for way to supplement your income in a productive way.

Set Schedule – Many freelancers that have kicked the cubicle did so to have more freedom over their careers and to not have to bother with the 9-5 grind. However, with pushy clients and the expectation to always be accessible and working, maintaining a healthy work-life balance becomes a challenge. I know there are times I miss being able to turn off my work/designing brain right at 5 PM.

Networking – Throwing yourself into a new company for a few months is a great way to network, and you never know, the clients you have at the agency or design firm you are working on-site for just might become your future clients of yours.

Benefits – Miss those benefits you once held so dear at your 9-5? Creative temp agencies usually provide benefits for their clients (ie. you) while you are working through them.

Cons

Less Freedom – Working through a creative temp agency generally means working on-site, meaning less time to run your business and less freedom. A set schedule is a blessing and a curse.

Less Money/Hourly Rate – Generally if you decide to freelance on-site for a company with the help of a creative temp agency, chances are what they are willing to pay you will be much less than your desired hourly rate that you charge your own clients. Factor in what the business is actually paying to use an Aquent or an Artisan and benefits you receive through them and your $40 hourly rate you usually charge can be sliced in half. If this is the case, take into consideration the lack of admin and general office work you would normally be doing for your own business which usually eat up your time and cut into your billable hours.

Commute – Lets face it, hitting that traffic in the wee hours of the morning sucks. Even worse is fighting the gridlock on your way home. No way around this one, commuting is a definite con unless you have a stack of audio books you’ve been stock piling to listen to while you’re bored.

Client Relations – This is a big one. Working an on-site freelance design gig will allow you less time to work on your personal freelance projects and tend to your baby, your business. Being able to devote less time to clients is risky. I know this all too well. I recently took and on-site freelance graphic design gig (hence why this post has taken me forever) to gain more experience, network and build up my portfolio with more quality projects. This gig was also the inspiration for this post! Like this blog, my clients have had to wait longer for my services than usual. At the time I took the gig, I was working with one high volume client that has had an issue with my choice to take this freelance gig. I make myself available in the evenings (and even weekends, a freelance no-no, I know) to work on projects as opposed to 8-5 like I was, but I assured this particular client I would complete their projects with the same 1 to 2 day turnaround time they were used to. This was a hard conversation to have, and it didn’t go over well. I began to feel more like this client was expecting me to behave more like his employee rather than and independent contractor. Not to start a rant here, but that’s not cool with me. I began my freelance business by this process. I was working full-time and freelancing on the side and never had an issue until now, so heed this warning, not all clients will be receptive to their prized freelancer taking on an obligation that makes them inaccessible during “normal working hours” by phone and e-mail, but most will be fine with it. In my experience, clients don’t care when you work as long as you get their project done and it wasn’t until recently that I started having to correspond with clients via phone. Most prefer e-mail, and unless you’re open to taking calls and answering e-mails during your lunch hour, make your clients aware of your situation. Don’t get me wrong, I love most of my clients and most clients will appreciate your honesty.

Conclusion

Freelancing can take many forms, and working on-site is one of them. Your pride will not be hurt if this opportunity presents itself and you jump on it. There’s no shame in taking the chance to network, have a steady income (for a little while) and collecting benefits. On-site freelance gigs are a great way to maintain your freelance business, just make sure to realize the limitations it will put on your business. Always be honest about your situation with your clients and usually taking a short-term or long-term freelance gig won’t be a big deal to them.