Advice for Freelance Graphic Designers 2015

Advice for Freelance Graphic Designers 2015
Becoming a freelance graphic designer is not for everyone. Graphic Design is a very competitive career and for freelancers it is even more so. When you become a freelance graphic designer, you’re not just an artist you are a marketer and a sales person, or you’re broke.

It’s that straightforward. You don’t get to just be a graphic designer anymore. You have to figure exactly how you’re going to get paid as a freelancer and you have to be very practical about how you spend you time and energy.

Resources for Freelance Graphic Designers

Get a portfolio website: http://robertoblake.com/bluehost
Get organized everyday: http://robertoblake.com/evernote
Track Time and Invoices: http://robertoblake.com/freshbooks
50+ Graphic Design Books: https://www.facebook.com/Robertoblake2/posts/10152758164456781
Checkout More Graphic Design Videos: http://goo.gl/1yqkNK

Being a freelance graphic designer is about discipline. You have to be willing to do work that will pay off in the long run and sometimes it means doing work for free in order to build up to a bigger opportunity. You can’t go into freelancing without an investment mentality. You also can be a freelancer purely from a position of passion if you want to be successful. Freelance Graphic Designers need to balance their passion for graphic design with the practicality of business.

That is something difficult for graphic designers who think of themselves as artist first. If you’re going to be a full time freelancer then you can’t do it from a place of more passion than practicality most of the time 80/20 rule.

If you want to become a freelance graphic designer and be successful at it, then you have to understand that what you want may have to take a back seat to what is in the best interest of the business and your freelance clients.

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Should You Become a Freelance Graphic Designer?

Should You Become a Freelance Graphic Designer?
If you want to become a graphic designer you have to decide whether becoming a freelance graphic designer or an in-house graphic designer is the right career choice for you.

Being a freelance graphic designer means that you will have a lot freedom but also increased responsibility you may not have if you are a graphic designer working for a company.

As a freelance graphic designer you will also have to interact directly with clients and take ownership and responsibility for all aspects of your work. If you’re a more introverted or shy person this can be uncomfortable or stressful for you.

In that situation you may be better off working as a graphic designer for a company or agency rather than being a freelance graphic designer, so there is a buffer between you and clients.

There is no right or wrong answer as to being a freelancer or working as an in-house graphic designer, but you have to be self aware when deciding what graphic design career pathway is best for you in your journey.

Start Your Graphic Design Portfolio with a Website
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Start Planning Your Graphic Design Career [Video]

Planning Your Graphic Design Career

Often graphic designers overlook the importance of planning their graphic design career and setting clear goals and accomplishments for themselves. Most designers just get a job and think that is the end of it. Or they are working as freelancers and think that the end all be all is hunting clients.

You need a bigger goal and plan than that to make it as designer and be truly satisfied. Haven’t you ever wanted to do the work you love and can be most proud of? If you don’t make a true plan for your career, the odds are, that this will never happen for you, because you are working all day instead of taking the steps to build an actual career as a designer.

So what do I mean by an “actual career as a designer”?

Well your career is the accomplishments or feats you’ve achieved as a designer. Which is what you will find on the best resumes from the most in demand creatives. They don’t have their job roles and daily duties. They have a list of feats they achieved in their time. Figure out what your “12 Labors of Hercules” would look like. What do you aspire to accomplish?

  • Figure out what you are passionate about
  • Make a list of things you want to achieve in the next 2 years
  • Identify what job roles and titles align with your goals
  • Determine any resources you need that you don’t currently have
  • Develop network contacts that can help you achieve your goals

Recommended Graphic Design and Career Books:

How to Become a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

Creative Inc: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Creative Freelance Business

Crush It: Why Now is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

Know Your Onions: How to Think like a Creative, Act Like a Businessman and Design Like a God

Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things People Never Told You About Being a Creative

Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff They Don’t Teach You In Design School, But Should

Show Your Work: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered

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Starting a Graphic Design Business

Starting a Graphic Design Business is very different than being a Freelance Graphic Designer. Freelancers have to think about the Business side of Graphic Design, but they don’t necessarily have to run every aspect of the business or incorporate, deal with payroll or outsourcing.

Building a Graphic Design Business means thinking about how to sustain the business even if you don’t have Graphic Design Clients, which means diversifying revenue, having recurring income and knowing what all of your yearly expenses are.

Freelancers have more freedom where this is concerned and it is also the reason the lifestyle is more feast or famine. Running a Design Business means positioning for long term stability.

Graphic Design businesses can take many forms and may not all be service oriented.

Books That Build My Business
http://robertoblake.com/blog/2015/11/100-books-that-built-my-business/

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Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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When Is It Okay to Use Design Templates?

When Is It Okay To Use Graphic Design Templates?
Beginning Graphic Designers often wonder if it is okay to use templates. I hear a lot of Graphic Designers with experience give some of the worst advice about this, overplaying the “value of originality” with no accounting for the context of the situation.

As a graphic designer, you should NEVER depend on templates. But using them, making your own and understanding when to use them is part of the Business of Graphic Design.

Romanticizing certain ideas instead of a focus on practicality dooms many designers in their career.

Here are some helpful templates for different graphic design needs you might have:

Mutli-Purpose HTML Theme http://bit.ly/startuprrHTML
Avad WordPress Responsive Theme: http://goo.gl/kllctn
Bootstrap Landing Page Template: http://goo.gl/rf14h4
Stationary and Branding Mockup: http://goo.gl/JUFU1L
After Effects Logo Reveal: http://goo.gl/OLruQ7
Broadcast Motion Graphics Package: http://goo.gl/CEk2pt
Digital Magazine Template: http://goo.gl/bxwjWS
Trifold Brochure Template: http://goo.gl/0337Z6

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Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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5 Tips for Graphic Designers To Stay Organized

5 Tips for Graphic Designers to Stay Organized
How to get organized as a graphic designer? This is a question you have asked me to do a graphic design video about for a while now. To be honest it is something I myself sometimes struggle with. But I do know what helps me keep my design files organized when I actually bother to be consistent about it.

Being organized is so important and can help your design workflow a lot if you take the time to do some basic housekeeping. Then you will be able to execute on your design work more effectively because your workspace and headspace will be organized and efficient.

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Zoom H1 Recorder: http://amzn.to/1Qumh32
TakStar Shotgun Mic http://amzn.to/1waIDjp
Zeikos Tripods 2X http://amzn.to/1IXJGEJ
SP Lighting Kit http://amzn.to/1GftjSU
Lexar HR2 Workflow Hub http://amzn.to/1ED3Xln
Lexar SR2 SD Card Reader 4X http://amzn.to/1Gvj0hi
Lexar Memory Cards 32GB 5X http://amzn.to/1ED4x2o
Transcend Memory Cards 32GB 8X http://amzn.to/1Gvj8NQ
Seagate Desktop Backup http://amzn.to/1desv86
Editing Software Adobe Premiere Pro CC

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Blue Host http://goo.gl/or3zpx
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Mailchimp Email Marketing http://eepurl.com/bugUyT

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Checkout My Instagram http://instagram.com/robertoblake

Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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Adaptive Web Design Explained

Adaptive Web Design Explained
Responsive and Adaptive Web Design are two different approaches to Website Design that try to accomplish similar goals: Mobile websites with a Great User Experience.

Adaptive Web Design is another term for progressive enhancement of a web site.

Adaptive Web Design also encompasses a range of other strategies which can be combined with responsive web design.
The term was first coined by Aaron Gustafson in his book “Adaptive Web Design: Crafting Rich Experiences with Progressive Enhancement” in May 2011.

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Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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Responsive Web Design Explained in 3 Minutes

Responsive Web Design Explained
Web Designers are obsessed with Responsive Web Design and it’s ability to optimize website for multiple devices instantly.
Checkout More Graphic Design Videos: http://goo.gl/1yqkNK

Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to web design aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling—across a wide range of devices (from desktop computer monitors to mobile phones)

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My YouTube Setup
Nikon D3300 http://amzn.to/1vUnnca
Audio Technica ATR2100 http://amzn.to/1ECRn18
Neewer Lapel Mic http://amzn.to/1waIfBu
Zoom H1 Recorder: http://amzn.to/1Qumh32
TakStar Shotgun Mic http://amzn.to/1waIDjp
Zeikos Tripods 2X http://amzn.to/1IXJGEJ
SP Lighting Kit http://amzn.to/1GftjSU
Lexar HR2 Workflow Hub http://amzn.to/1ED3Xln
Lexar SR2 SD Card Reader 4X http://amzn.to/1Gvj0hi
Lexar Memory Cards 32GB 5X http://amzn.to/1ED4x2o
Transcend Memory Cards 32GB 8X http://amzn.to/1Gvj8NQ
Seagate Desktop Backup http://amzn.to/1desv86
Editing Software Adobe Premiere Pro CC

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Blue Host http://goo.gl/or3zpx
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Learn Graphic Design on My Blog: http://robertoblake.com/blog
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Checkout My Instagram http://instagram.com/robertoblake

Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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WYSIWYG Web Design Explained in 5 Minutes

WYSIWYG Web Design Explained in 5 Minutes
What is WYSIWYG Web Design? It means “what you see is what you get”. It’s visual way of designing websites vs doing it purely with coding like HTML and CSS.

In this video I explain WYSIWYG. Many traditional coders are against taking advantage of WYSIWYG at all, but when working with others particularly clients, this not only has advantages, but is practical from a business standpoint.

This is not to suggest you shouldn’t also learn HTML and CSS but that you might benefit from understanding visual tools as well. Particularly when time is of the essence.

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Checkout More Graphic Design Videos: http://goo.gl/1yqkNK
More Tech Videos & Reviews: https://goo.gl/cDfoZY
More About DSLR Video & Photography https://goo.gl/zTlg6M
More Photoshop CC Tutorials: https://goo.gl/VhQeFN
More Videos About YouTube https://goo.gl/F8a0uf
More Small Biz and Marketing Videos: https://goo.gl/Fz1hyd
More Vlogs and Q&A Videos https://goo.gl/6J5BJd

My YouTube Setup
Nikon D3300 http://amzn.to/1vUnnca
Audio Technica ATR2100 http://amzn.to/1ECRn18
Neewer Lapel Mic http://amzn.to/1waIfBu
Zoom H1 Recorder: http://amzn.to/1Qumh32
TakStar Shotgun Mic http://amzn.to/1waIDjp
Zeikos Tripods 2X http://amzn.to/1IXJGEJ
SP Lighting Kit http://amzn.to/1GftjSU
Lexar HR2 Workflow Hub http://amzn.to/1ED3Xln
Lexar SR2 SD Card Reader 4X http://amzn.to/1Gvj0hi
Lexar Memory Cards 32GB 5X http://amzn.to/1ED4x2o
Transcend Memory Cards 32GB 8X http://amzn.to/1Gvj8NQ
Seagate Desktop Backup http://amzn.to/1desv86
Editing Software Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Recommended Web Hosting
Blue Host http://goo.gl/or3zpx
1and1 http://goo.gl/el9jPo

Mailchimp Email Marketing http://eepurl.com/bugUyT

Follow Me Online!
My Graphic Design Portfolio http://robertoblake.com
Learn Graphic Design on My Blog: http://robertoblake.com/blog
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Checkout My Instagram http://instagram.com/robertoblake

Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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How to Become a Better Web Designer

How To Become a Better Web Designer
Becoming a Web Designer is about more than Learning HTML Code or WYSIWYG Tools. It’s not about your favorite app or editor.
Checkout More Graphic Design Videos: http://goo.gl/1yqkNK

At it’s core Web Design is about building a Website that has to perform a task. That might me the Website has to sell a product or service or market and idea. Your clients can’t afford for you to be romantic and caught up in your own idea of what Web Design is.

To become a good or great Web Designer, you have to understand actual Design and on some level Marketing. You have to understand what a good website looks like and how to build one. Which means learning to copy and reproduce the best websites out there in order to learn the process.

Many artist will tell you that they learned by drawing what they saw, not using their imagination. Some even learned by tracing to the muscle memory down to be able to draw in that style or make those types of shapes naturally. That is part of the process of the work.

Studying good web design, mimic good web design, deconstruct and analyze good web design, then when you understand, you can execute on good web design from scratch yourself.

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Follow Me Online!
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Learn Graphic Design on My Blog: http://robertoblake.com/blog
Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertoblake
Like Me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/robertoblake2
Checkout My Instagram http://instagram.com/robertoblake

Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. Affiliates are: Amazon, BHPhotoVideo, MyFonts, 1and1, Bluehost and Lumoid.

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