Design Business Questions

[L[Design]]

I was just reading the thread Design Pricing Wormhole and a lot of questions popped into my head. I have been freelancing since I graduated from College in 1998, I've only done it word of mouth. Currently I teach and have been putting a lot of thought into changing jobs, I truly love Graphic Design and would love to pursue that as a career. My questions are many, so I will list them for you all:

Pricing? I like the bit about us being a professional service and we need to treat things that way. Any advice on pricing.

Advertising and marketing tactics? How can I go about gaining a strong client base. I have some now and several of them are returning clients. Zumo, I believed, mentioned before about what market do I want to hit. That was great advice so I have put some thought into who I would like my market to be.

Is it worth searching for work online? If so, what sites are best for finding quality clients that are willing to pay.

What kind of forms or procedures must I go through in order to be a registered or legitimate designer?

There are many other questions, I'm at a loss right now, my mind is racing. Thank you for all your input.

[Toon]

Originally Posted by L[Design]

Is it worth searching for work online? If so, what sites are best for finding quality clients that are willing to pay.

You won't find quality clients on the net only cheap ones. On the net quality clients should be finding you.

[zumojuice]

Well, there are 3 ways to get work online: Clients you can find, Clients who find you, freelance jobs on contract....

Effectively, as toon says, most the clients who post of 'freelancer' websites are possible looking for cheap or free work - this is not always the case with everyone though so it can be worth keeping a vague eye out. The thread here has had a good flow of possibly legit, good paid jobs so we'll see...

The next one is clients to find you. That's all you website, brand, seo, networking thing. Think about local, rather than national. There is a hell of a lot more people wanting 'web design uk' than say 'web design york' or whatever.... Don't forget though that your name can also get out there on non-web activities and is often stronger as a result. People are still naturally wary of the web (the ease and increase in scams etc) so if you look legit by existing in the real world, this can only do you justice. This a great website, which can house your portfolio and something about you. If people wanted an agency, they'd use one, so if they are considering you, what's your USP (to the audience), either you offer something new, you offer it cheaper or you've improved on something else - try not to cater for all 3....basically because 9 times out of 10 - you'll fail because you'll lose the message...

The other option is freelance agencies - proper ones with agents. Many recruitment agencies offer freelance jobs. Often they want someone with loads of experience though so that person can just land and go off the ground. These projects are often short term intensive...

I don't think you need to register if you're a sole trader, other than with the tax man, if you're earning... If you're already freelance - I imagine you already are... otherwise the taxman might want to *** **** you into the next tax year....

[blueocto]

Originally Posted by zumojuice

I don't think you need to register if you're a sole trader, other than with the tax man, if you're earning... If you're already freelance - I imagine you already are... otherwise the taxman might want to *** **** you into the next tax year....

Sole Trader, Freelancer, Contractor - it doesn't matter what you call it, your still self-employed and MUST register with HMRC for Tax and National Insurance. You must register within 3 months of being available for work (not when you feel like doing it, or when you first get paid or whatever.)
So i suggest you phone them or download the form PSE1 (name might have changed) and register...

[L[Design]]

HRMC is that in the US or the UK?

[petra]

well I'd have though HRM Her Royal Magesty so I'd guess UK

[zumojuice]

Caroline - I did say that about the tax thing. I meant not registering for anything at like companies house...

[Cwilk]

"Pricing? Any advice on pricing." Overprice projects for clients you feel will be a pain in the *&^. Be competitive (middle pricing) for clients you really want or think you might want to work with. I don't recommend pricing a project low or even too low. If you do this, you'll get the client and they'll suck everything out of you.... including your time. Been there, done that.

"Advertising and marketing tactics?" Utilize the projects you've worked on in order to market yourself. If you've done ads in real estate, you can say that you specialize in ad design for real estate. But do your homework first. Look at other ads and see what is wrong with them. Pay attention to what catches your eye first. Once you've done this with lots of ads, mailers, brochures, coupons, etc., then go out and find a book about marketing and advertising. You'll be surprised how much you already figured out on your own by paying attention and making notes for yourself. This type of research is what helps you design for a client and figure out where they might want to advertise successfully.

"Is it worth searching for work online? If so, what sites are best for finding quality clients that are willing to pay." It's always worth searching online. We used Elance for a while and found many loyal, good-paying clients from it. It's actually very expensive, so you'll have to be able to afford the cost of being a member at first. We've been on iFreelance and only landed one client. The client we landed is pretty much a flake .... as far as keeping on top of things, but they did pay on time.

"What kind of forms or procedures must I go through in order to be a registered or legitimate designer?" It really depends on where you live. Here in the county I live in in California, there is no such thing as a business license (the county doesn't even offer a license). Instead we are required to have a DBA or Doing Business As that we had to pay for and run in the local newspaper. The DBA is so that we can open a business account in our company name. This makes us look more credible than just using a persons name. Other than that, make sure you pay your taxes.

Keep in mind that if you feel you are a good, but not a great designer, that doesn't mean you won't do well. I feel I am a decent designer with a great business sense. That's what makes my company better than a great designer with no business sense. I know how to collect the money, how to do an invoice, what to invoice for and what not to invoice for. These are all things you need to know to be a successful graphic designer.

[zumojuice]

Also . pick up a copy of:
Amazon.co.uk: How to Be a Graphic Designer: Without Losing Your Soul: Adrian Shaughnessy: Books

A great little book which all sorts of useful snippets or all aspects and sides of the process and industry from getting a job to hiring people...

[christoper]

Hi Buddy,
You can easily find your part time job through freelancing.Simply go to freelance Website And Sign up for free and start handling the projects and join your easy part time webdesigner job.There are many good freelancing website like : Freelance Website Design.