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Starting a Career as Graphic Designer

  • by Lois Nur Fathiarini
  • July 31, 2022
  • 4 minutes read
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When someone has decided to start a career as a graphic designer, one has realized and ready with all of the consequences, both working as a freelancer and a professional. A professional is when you work in an advertising agency or graphic design industry, where you get monthly salary. Meanwhile freelance work is when you work only in a specific range of timeline or by project. You are free to choose which way suits you better.

When you are confident enough with your graphic design works, there are some things to be considered to start your career in graphic design.

Especially for freelancers who need to have more technical abilities and extra communication skills to handle clients. These social skills are also needed to be a successful graphic designer. These are some tips shared by fellow graphic designers from all over the world. More things will be also learnes by experience during working as a graphic designer.

Effective Communication

source: Integra International

Keeping in touch with clients is very important to give results that meet clients’ needs. Sometimes our idealistic ego want to give something more, but clients often bring their own ideas during the design process; thus an effective communication is very important so there’s no misunderstanding in idea representation in the visual form.

Don’t hesitate to ask clients if they have a special request or details for their expected design. This is useful to cut extra revision time when in the end we just find out that actually the client expects a different result. Besides, a stable communication with clients will make them feel that you put a lot of effort into your work and that you put so much care about the design. If you can gain client’s trust, it can be the key for continuous work and/or projects.

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Appropriate Pricing

If you are a beginner in graphic design, make sure you learn about the market first before you offer something to your client. Of course it will be wise to open your price a little bit lower than experienced graphic designers. At this point, it’s a good time for you to show your ability. Show your best skills for client’s satisfaction, and your grade will increase little by little, as well as your price rate. Remember not to ask full payment upfront, because it will scare clients away; no one wants to pay everything before the work is done, even when they are dealing with a professional designer.

Listen to the Client

Make sure you know exactly what your client needs from you. Experienced graphic designers often also feel frustrated when they put their total effort and even overworked- hoping that the outcome will mindblowing their clients – but in fact the client wants something simple and minimalistic.

Ask your client to decide what kind of style they want and what level of freedom is given to the designer to finish the project. Ideally, a client shows references they like to give more perspective about how the final design will look. Make the best use of your time by working right on points rather than guessing and assuming what your client needs.

Passionate about the Job

Being passionate with your job is one successful key in business. Of course you can compare about how bad it feels to work with pressure and how the work will feel more fun if you’re happy to do it. A passionate feeling will lead you to inspirations and creativity will flow easier. You will not get bored sitting for hours in front of the computer with a pile of works when you’re passionate with what you’re doing. When boredom hits often and cause prolonged distress, then a career as graphic designer might not suits you.

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Conclusion

Everything needs process. Don’t be afraid to try, because it comes with new experiences. Stop feeling frustrated from mistakes, turn mistakes into lessons to find better point of views. Be passionate with your job because it will be fruitful in the future. Stay creative!

By:

Hello! My name is Lois, I live in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. I am a tattoo artist and I also love sewing and making needleworks. I also do watercolor painting and illustrations.

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