Freelancing Online

While I was in school I didn’t think I was going to do much freelance design. There was an emphasis from my professors to get in with a design firm, build your skills, and maybe one day strike out on your own. One of my professors retired to freelance design so it felt to me like something that was out of my reach as a new designer. What I’m finding now that I’m out of school is very different. Sure I’m working on getting a job as an in-house designer somewhere but until I do I’ve been freelancing online.

I’ve been checking out sites like 99Designs, Fiverr, and Upwork almost daily in the last few weeks. All of them run a little differently but I’ve found that it keeps me sharp.

 

99Designs has become my go to if I want to see what people are looking for, what other designers are making or if I just want to whip up a quick logo or stationary set to keep my skills at their best. You can organize the available contests by the type of design, the industry the company/organization is part of, the level of pay, whether other designers can see your entries, and even how many days are left in a contest. The only downside is it’s a very popular site, you’re likely to be competing with lots of other designers, and unless your design is selected you are going to get paid. Check out my 99Designs page.

Fiverr is a little different in that as a designer you can make a “I will design…” using the built in site platform to try and get people to personally hire you to do something specific like design wedding invitations. Where 99Designs was for businesses looking for designers, Fiverr is for the average person. There are so many designers with different styles on the site it can be a little confusing to look through as a client and as a designer it’s just as confusing. There are lots of categories and sub categories to look through and a limit of 5 tags you can put on a job posting. Getting a posting up can be difficult if you don’t have google chrome but their algorithm makes it super simple put up different price levels for the same gig. You can adjust how many revisions you’ll make, how long the design will take you, and every little detail about the design process. Once you get a design posting selected by a client the process is super easy. If you’re not sure you can alway check out my Fiverr.

Upwork feels the most like it was made for the designer. When you sign up for Upwork you fill out what you are looking for in freelance jobs, what your availability per week is, and how much you want to charge per hour (Upwork takes a 20% cut of whatever you charge the client). After you’ve filled out your profile with your experiences and expectations Upwork’s algorithm can match you with jobs it think’s you’d be interested in. Client jobs will tell you the skill level they are looking for, the price range, their location, and how many proposals have been submitted. If you like a job and you meet the criteria you can submit a proposal; your price, how long you’ll take, and a cover letter with work examples. It’s more like applying for a traditional gig than the other sites and less confusing. You don’t design for the client unless you’re selected so you’re not wasting your time if you’re not getting paid. It the place for more serious design work and less portfolio building work like 99Designs. If you’re confident in your design skills I definitely recommend checking it out. Or if you’re not sure you can just look at my Upwork profile.

 

There are plenty of other freelancing sites but these are the ones that I use. I get a little bit of everything, I practice selling myself as a designer, I build my portfolio with some designs I’m proud of, and I earn a little extra cash.