Apologies if I’m stating the obvious here, but business cards should be one of the top priorities for anyone looking to go freelance.

It’s surprising how many freelancers and recent design graduates don’t have their own.

I’ll admit, I was late to get mine, and now I wish I’d had them sooner.

Aside from being a great way to quickly and easily give potential clients your contact details, they offer a few extra benefits.

They add professionalism

Nothing says ‘amateur’ like handing over a scrappy piece of paper with your contact details on.

Just as bad is spelling out your domain name or phone number whilst you wait awkwardly for the other person to key it into their phone.

Having your own card on hand to give to them speaks volumes for your professionalism and shows that you’re prepared.

They show off your design skill

Your cards are likely to be the first chance you get to show someone you know about design.

Handing over a crisp, well designed (and well printed) business card to someone who’s looking to hire a designer is guaranteed to work in your favour.

Just be sure to pay attention to the typography!

They’re easily passed around

Giving a card to a client, even if they’re a regular client, is a good idea.

You never know when they’ll pass your details onto a contact.

Whilst they could just give them your name, email address, phone number, etc, chances are they’ll likely be busy, and instead will opt to just pass your card on.

It might be a good idea to give your clients a few extra cards and ask them to pass them on to their contacts.

If they’re happy with your work, they’ll probably be happy to.

Why you need cards NOW

As a freelancer, you never know when a potential job or client may pop up.

Recently I was discussing a print job with a local printer who asked for my contact details.

After handing over my card, she immediately expressed an interest in outsourcing work to me.

Boom!

Without her even seeing my portfolio, I’d instantly bagged a new client on the strength of my card alone.

So don’t put it off. If you haven’t got your own set of business cards, get some now!

Here’s Erik talking us through the standard procedure for photographing a cow (yes, apparently there is one)…

The whole talk was hilarious, but one project that really impressed me was the advertising campaign he helped create for the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam.

The hotel is cheap, but notoriously grotty and basic.

How do you encourage anyone to stay somewhere like that?

Well, as the old proverb goes, “you can’t polish a turd”.

So they didn’t.

Instead they took the bad reputation of the hotel, turned it into a joke and made it into the reason TO stay there.

It’s a brilliant example of completely turning a brief on it’s head.

Cue the campaigns…

Reasons to stay at the Hanz Brinker Budget Hotel

Images copyright KesselKramer.

Many people may tell you that it’s not a good idea to start freelancing as a graphic designer without a good deal of experience behind you.

This is good advice.

But it’s also quite misleading.

It’s entirely possible to be successful as a student freelancer, so long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

The secrets to success

1. Start small

Obviously, if you’re lacking in experience, you simply aren’t equipped to take on the sort of projects that large agencies tackle.

Don’t go after big jobs straight away.

Start with smaller projects to build experience (and your portfolio).

Flyers for local businesses or wedding invitations may not win you any D&AD pencils, but they pay the bills.

2. Don’t be afraid to say no

If a client comes to you with a job you know you won’t be able to do, don’t take it on.

It’s better to turn a client away because you’re busy or lack experience than to let them down half way through a project.

This won’t do your reputation any good, and you’ll probably never hear from them (or any of their contacts) again.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

If you need help or advice, ask for it.

Ask your friends. Ask your family. Ask your classmates and your tutors. Join a graphic design forum and ask on there.

Just ASK!

It’s surprising how many people are willing to give you advice.

4. Don’t work for free

You may be a student, but you probably know a hell of a lot more about design than you think.

Clients will be looking for a designer because they require that knowledge. Therefore they should be prepared to pay for that knowledge.

Beware of clients who are just looking for a free ride.

Claims of “future work”, “exposure” or “it will look great in your portfolio” should all be ignored.

5. Avoid design contests

Design contest sites may seem like a good way to make money.

You submit designs based on a loose brief, and if the client likes the design more than the other submissions, you ‘win’ the prize money.

But this is speculative (spec) work. It doesn’t guarantee you payment for your time and is a major problem for the creative industry.

The ‘client’ can simply claim they didn’t like any of the designs and cancel the contest to avoid paying anyone. Yet they still have the designs and ideas to take to someone else to draw up cheaply.

Stay away from them.

6. Be professional

If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, you have to act like a professional.

Get work done on time and reply to emails and phone calls in a professional manner.

Social networks such as Twitter or Facebook are valuable marketing tools. But remember, unless you’ve changed your privacy settings, everything you write is public.

Never complain about a client over social networks. Try to keep swearing to a minimum. And consider how voicing your opinions publicly could put potential clients off working with you.

7. Above all, have confidence

This is probably the most important key to success, and also the hardest to maintain.

Saying “yes” to a new challenge or opportunity is terrifying!

But this is how you will grow as a designer and learn new skills, and it gets easier with time (though only slightly).

Remember to know your limitations. Don’t take on a web design project if you have no experience designing and developing a fully functioning website.

But also don’t turn down a design job because you’ve never designed ‘XYZ’ before.

The beauty of graphic design is that your basic design skills are transferable.

Designing a book jacket for example, has different challenges and considerations that designing a poster.

But the fundamentals of good design, which you already know, are still the main foundations of the design. Build on them!

Not a big deal, designers do it all the time.

Except I was (and still am) a student.

More experienced designer would probably say I was crazy to even consider it.

But what I lacked in experience, I more than made up for in determination.

So I did it, and so far it’s working out just fine.

My reasons for going freelance

Part-time jobs conflicted with my studies

When I started my degree course, I was working part-time in retail (for a well-known chain of toy store if you’re interested).

However, my evening and weekend shifts weren’t very forgiving when it came to my course workload. There just didn’t seem to be enough time to get everything done.

Being able to work from home, in my spare time, doing the work I love, was very appealing.

My hard work wasn’t benefitting me

One day, whilst working a long shift at my retail job, I had an epiphany.

I was working hard to make money for someone else.

I worked long hours six or seven days a week, and did the dirty jobs that nobody else would.

Yet no matter how long or hard I worked, it didn’t benefit me.

I was still earning minimum wage, and my career wasn’t progressing in anyway.

It seemed logical to put that effort into finding clients and growing my own business instead.

I wanted freelance experience before graduating

With tough competition for industry jobs from other graduates, I was keen to build up some freelance experience and a client list before I graduated.

Since it’s unlikely I’d go straight from university into a studio, there’s likely to be a period of time where I’m ‘between jobs’.

And I didn’t want to be just another student sitting around watching daytime TV under the pretence of ‘being freelance’.

Having hands-on experience of design as well as two years practical business experience is, hopefully, going to be hugely beneficial when it comes to beating other interviewees.

And who knows, in a year’s time my business might have grown so much that I may not even need to look for a job!

I found a regular client

Ok, technically they found me.

For a number of weeks (or possibly months before), I’d been debating going self-employed. Then one day, I hit the jackpot.

I was approached by a local business owner with a need for a local designer, on an ongoing basis.

It seemed too good to be true.

Thankfully, it wasn’t, and I’m still receiving work from them regularly.

It was the reassurance of some-what regular work that pushed me into registering as self-employed.

If I hadn’t received that email, I’d probably still be sat here now trying to make a decision.

Should students freelance?

Obviously I think students should freelance.

If you’re studying for a degree because you want to work in the creative industry, it makes sense to try and get as much experience in your field as possible.

But what do you think? Should students wait until they have professional experience before going it alone?

Telling Stories is a creative design studio based in Manchester.

Run by husband and wife team David and Faye Thompson, between them they have over 25 years of design experience with some of the biggest branding agencies in the Northwest.

David and Faye were kind enough to take the time to compile some valuable pieces of advice for graphic design students based on their own experiences within the design industry.

Respect your peers

Be nice to people and don’t criticise others’ work unnecessarily. The industry is small, and others will hear about your attitude in no time at all.

Be selfless, be helpful, be there when you’re needed

Being a designer isn’t a 9 – 5 job. Get in early and stay late if you’re asked to. Be an indispensable member of the team and you’ll go far.

You will never be asked to do something your colleagues haven’t done themselves

As an intern, you’ll get some less than glamorous jobs to do. But everyone working in that studio will have done those jobs themselves. Don’t see having to make 10 cups of tea as a crappy job, see it as a chance to meet 10 new people.

Get out there, meet people, be seen

Go to talks, networking events and conferences. Try and meet designers you recognise, or compliment speakers on their talks. You never know when you’ll bump into these people again.

Nobody cares about your degree

After 3 years and all that money, nobody cares what grade you got! All they care about is the quality of your portfolio, your experience and your personality. Obviously put the effort in, but don’t fret about the odd low mark.

Always do work based on the client’s brief (not for yourself)

Everything you design or create for a brief, should serve the brief. If you’re doing something because you want to impress your peers, stop, and go back to the brief. This is what agencies will be looking for.

Embrace the bad times and learn from them

Shit happens. It’s how you deal with it that matters. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, just be sure to learn how to avoid them in future.

You only learn to drive once you’re driving

You’ll only learn a tiny amount about being a designer when your a student. You learn everything else by actually doing it! Don’t act like you know it all because you don’t, and never be afraid to ask for help or advice.

Find something interesting in very brief

Even the boring-looking briefs have something interesting about them. Finding something fun in a brief is the best way to solve a problem and produce something unique.

People will try to stop you – keep going!

It’s a long battle to become a successful designer. Sometimes it seems that friends, family or colleagues are getting in the way of this success. Stay focussed and stick with it.

If you’re good, you will succeed

You’ll always be up against stiff competition for jobs. Sometimes you won’t be the best person for a job. Other times agencies just don’t have a place available. Keep trying, stay in touch with people, make new contacts and eventually you’ll get in.