Hello,
Im kinda curious how many of you actually are private web/digital art designers that just do that as your job and not a hobby. Do you get alot of customers ? Is the $ per year pretty decent or could be better? Whats the best way to advertise yourself as being a designer (locally and internationally)?
I know its alot of questions but I really am curious if I could actually make it doing webdesign fulltime instead of just a hobby.
thanks in advance
I do web design / development as a full time career, though I’m permanently employed by a company rather than working freelance. 
I haven’t sold any web pages and it’s not my job but as far as I can tell you, to advertise yourself I can think at least of two things
-start by doing cheap (or free) sites for your local facilities, if they’re good they will gather attention, and so on
-make sure you use the right keywords in your webpage (ie containing the name of the place you live - for proximity, and the local webpages you did) and make sure your webpage is eye catching and already contains a portofolio (this is why you should do free sites, jut so they quickly end up in you portofolio)
The best way to advertize yourself is to have a 1337 site with a hefty portfolio, which makes it very hard for beginners
I freelance myself but not really much lately at all, I havent taken many jobs on since im studying, but like mlk said start by working at quick Promotional sites for cheap or even for free to build up a portfolio and create a website that reflect you as a designer/web designer.
To get these sort of jobs start going into shops with the idea that you would like to do there website. walk in there like "hi my name is … and was just wondering if you would be interested in having a website for your business, if they ask how much then you say well …(something cheap) … if they say no then say what do you say to free? as long as you pay from webspace and a domain name. if they say no straight away then mention free straight away. lol
Many times i have gone into shops not even wanting jobs or expecting job offers, but you will be suprised how many jobs i have received by just chating to the shop owner and when they ask “what do you do” and i say graphic designer/webdesigner their eyes open up and say ."…well i was thinking about getting this done or updating that."
And from those jobs they tell friends or other shop owners and you can score alot more work.
It most definitely can be made into a full time job, after you build a website and some jobs on your side, get a ad in your local paper(newspaper, magazine) and sell your services.
best of luck if you do go in that direction
My personal success has come from helping others. When I freelanced, all my jobs came from people I’ve helped or people who knew me from people I’ve helped. I didn’t advertise myself at all; I didn’t even have a web site. I just offered my own free help and then offers came back to me for paying work.
… of course this is more development than design. There isn’t as much you can do in terms of helping with design so I guess your website is really the place to start. And before you even get any jobs, you should consider working on mock web sites or multiple designs for your own web site to demonstrate your skill and diversity (rather than letting people think you might have just been lucky in making your one cool web site).
But like with what soulty was saying, and in part of what I was saying, networking (socially) and getting to know and meet people - having connections - really helps. If you know people who know people who might need to get somthing done, than that something can come your way. People trust other people in offering help or finding it over some random web site on the web.
im afraid that across design disciplines, working freelance requires a lot of contacts. as has been said, getting contacts requires you to often do work for free at the start of your career.
i do flash work part time and it helps to think around how you can use it, not just web design…for instance i am making a business card cd for a company who want something to give their clients so that they can view their past work (in flash format)… exhibititons often need showreels and flash is a great tool for this too…
if you are a front end designer like me, think of businesses like a hairdresser or a landscpae gardener, who need a visual experience based website. and as soulty says, never be ashamed of pitching around for work…
To answer your question - yes, web desginers do make it. Freelance is a very difficult market - breaking into it and then sustaining it, however the rewards can be much as you want it to be. Freelancing can then lead to forming your own agency, if the customer base justifies it.
I have to say that when I did freelance work I never did anything for free. Rightly or wrongly people perceive value and credibility from what something costs. Also, if a project is not costing money, then clients tend not to give it a high priority. My strong advice is try and get them to pay something - even get paid in goods/services (like if you do work for a museum for example, ask to get paid by 5 family memberships - then use these as giveaways as part of your marketing… ). That way you have to deliver then they have to deliver. Deal with them professionally then they’ll speak well of you. Encourage your clients to network themselves on your behalf - offer a referral scheme, ie if the museum client, referred to earlier, mentions you to gallery, and that gallery pays you for work, then offer 10% of that fee to the museum.
And make sure you’re sure of your USP - unique selling point. Why should the museum or gallery , or whatever, use you? If the answer is because you’re cheap then don’t bother. You’ll never get a growing business - unless you have huge capital behind you to get it started (in the case of low-cost airlines). Specialisation in exhibition presentations - now that could help
There’s a lot to the freelance world - good luck, I wish you well
Ive worked for a software dev company for about 6 years, I am a designer / media guy.(I also do some freelance on the side).
I do loads of things including web design, button design, page layout, flash, 3d, video, streaming media, application design/development, print.
The problem is so many people do web design now that the market is saturated. same with developers.
If you work freelance you probley will never get any big jobs in unless you got some v good contacts. (a big company won’t do business with a one man out fit and they tend to use people they have used before) or you are very very good…but then couldn’t you just get employed by a company full time.
also everyone wants a web site these days…but they dont wanna shell out the dosh.
I left uni with a HND in graphic design, checked round for jobs joined a company worked for free whilst being trained, for 6 months.(that was the hard bit). then worked out at different companies as a contractor for a year then the bottom fell out the contractor market. I then got a permanent position with the company who trained me.
I think you have to hook up with a company get experience get trained, and just churn out good work. people will ask you for work if they see your work and like it.
lol. I disagree with pretty much everything you said there simon.
I’m laughing my arse off because of how easy it is to find work. First of all never call yourself a freelancer, it’s just unproffessional. Secondly, big companies will do work with one man op’s. It’s not about the size of your outfit but in the way that you present yourself. Thirdly, there’s no need to get in with another company to get trained. I can only speculate because I haven’t worked for a big company in the design field but what exactly is the training. Is it training to become complacent with you’re nine to five and not striving for more. :lol:
Have a dream, set a goal, follow through and no matter what the market is like you’ll do just fine.
^^^ Well put! :thumb:
Zero, another way to get yourself work is by developing a niche. If you offer services for a specific field, then this will reflect you as an expert of that field. Say you offer design strictly for restaurants. You would offer sites, logos, menus, and all other collateral that goes along with that industry. Or designing for the music industry. If you offer band sites, cd art, posters, t shirts, etc. this can get you noticed with record companies resulting in some nice contracts. Its just something to think about, but when starting out, like previously said, take what you can get, and just because its cheap work, do your best on it. It will pay off.
I’m a web developer who’s been trying to get himself across as a designer to. I work freelance just now but I am hoping for a permanent job soon
I was gonna add some advice but dru_nasty above has some good advice that I’d listen to :thumb:
I’d say that the permanebt thing works pretty well. It’s the way I’ve always done it and I’ve found it’s been good for the most part. You get a regular income, and you get to maintain and build on what you’ve already developed for a company. If you like that kind of thing.
The downside is that I don’t have as many URLs to my name as other designers, since I’ve only worked for four companies. But two out of those four are big companies, so I’ve worked my way up…
I always keep my foot in and out of perm work. But for the most part I am a contractor (as opposed to freelance). I do have a good amount of contact all from my travels and my old profession. So I have not really had trouble securing jobs or contracts. But to develop those contacts I would do what all has said. Network and word of mouth is your friend. I disagree with the big company not doing business with a one man operation. I am a one man operation and I secured a global company as a client. It is all in how you present yourself and your value to the company. All this and my site has been underconstruction for 2years…lol. But it will release soon…lol. Another thing people think contract work or freeklance is easy and you can kick back because you are the boss. But it is the exact opposite. You have to work even harder. well thats my .02. SOrry if it was redundant did not read all posts
haha 
leave it to Sen to focus on that part of my post…grrrrrr:bad:
I do it as a hobbie at the moment because I’m just starting out. I’d like to learn alot more web technologies (HTML, PHP, ActionScript, XML, Javascript) before I start calling myself a ‘professional web designer’. When I finish school I’d like to maybe do related studies in university and I would love to start/join a design studio. I’m doing a free or maybe just cheap site for my cousin as he’s my first real client but hopefully he’ll spread the word and I’ll get more customers. I don’t think I’d like working for a company like kit does despite the security. I would prefer to always be working on something different. But I think that anyone can make it in this industry if you have the determination and enthusiasm to keep going.
Kit: NoWingsNoHalo - No Footer as well… 
:lol: sen
Kitiara that’s exactly the view of so many people I know. Conicidentally those same people work 9-5. They really have no idea what I do and think that because my name isn’t all over the newspapers and radio that eventually I’m going to fold and get a ‘real job’. Just this weekend I got a call from an old friend telling me about a position opening up in a company he works for. I kind of laughed (a little too much I think) because he can’t for the life him understand why I wasn’t interested in the position. His reasoning was that by taking a 9-5er then I’d have some security and I could do freelance on the side but in reality there’s no such thing as security and I’m much more comfortable relying on myself for a paycheck instead of some corporate bozo that could pull the rug out at a moments notice.
Also, DDD I know, I know. Some of my family actually think I’m a slack arse because I don’t do 9-5. Little do they know my hours are often 7-9. They think I’ve got an easy job and I lucked out some how, however I believe it’s a lot more strenous (and rewarding) working with your head all day then it is digging a hole or swinging a hammer.
Majeye: Meh. I know.
I cleared out the whole FTP site and forgot my footer was in there. Can’t be bothered to put it back tbh. I’ll get round to it one day.
I’m such a consumate professional, you see. 
As far as the 9 - 5 thing goes… I think I prefer it this way. The first two companies I worked for, yes there was always that feeling that you could go belly up at any point, but that was half the fun. Then I got into a big company and it’s gone on from there. I enjoy working with the same people every day, learning stuff from them, and working on a huge great big site and watching it grow. I’m not just in and out of there.
I’ve never been made redundant from a permanent web design job. I get paid a tidy sum for my services and I’m confident in both my ability and the job market here. I could become a contractor, but I’m happy as I am now.
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