Freelance web design is in high demand. As more and more companies enter into the online community, the need to design sites and create logos increases. Freelance designers have seen their business opportunities increase tenfold in the last five years alone.
Freelance web design is a very lucrative business, and one that can be easily established. Designers of all experience levels and design types can quickly find work on the Internet. However, many of these designers fail at their business because of these 10 common mistakes.
- Failure To Communicate With Clients. When you are working as a freelance graphic designer, you need to be available to your client at all times. If they email you, reply, if they call, answer. Yes, many of these people are very annoying and can drive you mad. However, you are creating something for them that is the representation of their life’s work or their dream. It is very important to them, and it must be very important to you.
- K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid – is a theme you must take with you throughout your career. Using too many fonts is not only tasteless, many web browsers will not be able to load the fonts if not embedded correctly and the page will look horrible. In addition, designs that are too complicated look and “feel” cluttered. This distracts the potential viewer and reduces the effectiveness of the site.
- Copying Design Styles. You cannot “borrow” design styles without encountering very expensive legal problems. You must create a unique design that is yours and yours alone. While many designers believe that the Internet is simply too large to get caught “borrowing” a design style, you will be amazed how quickly you will be receiving legal documents if you decide to incorporate someone else’s style into your own.
- Forgetting To Request Half Down. Many graphic designers believe that all of their clients are honest. The truth is, they are not. Since it is virtually impossible to distinguish which clients are going to fulfil their obligations and pay, it is crucial to require half down on the job before you begin. While your customer may protest, this is standard in the industry and you should not waiver. Receiving half will allow you to survive until the remaining half arrives.
- Not Requiring A Contract. You must always enter into a contract with the client. If you fail to do so, many things that can occur that are not to your advantage. Clients may refuse to pay, require additional free work, or back out of the deal after your work has been completed. A contract will help you avoid many of these mishaps and legally keep your non-refundable deposit.
- Ignoring Trends. Just because a certain style or widget was popular last month does not mean that it is popular today. You must stay current on design trends if you wish to be competitive. The Internet is continually changing and so must your designs.
- Setting Deadlines and Revision Requests. You must set a deadline for the project to be completed for two reasons: First, if you take too long to complete a project you are missing out on other opportunities and hurting your income. Second, you cannot allow your client to drag on the project with continued changes or missed deadlines. This too will affect your income. Set a deadline and the number of allowable revisions in your contract.
- Over Investing In Graphics. Many designers believe that more is better. They spend all of their available resources on new or add-on programs, filling their computers with programs they only half use. Master your design program so that you can use it to its fullest capabilities. You should only purchase new software if the latest trends demand.
- Lax Billing Practices. Many graphic designers wake up and find their cheque books empty and a stack of invoices that should have been sent a month ago. When you complete a project and the client accepts, send the invoice. Never consider a project complete until the invoice has been sent. It is also important to keep up on reminders for past-due accounts. Failure to invoice leaves the bank account empty.
v Clashing Colours. Do not go overboard or use colours that contrast too much. Even though pink, orange, and green may be a delightful combination, it is probably not appealing to the masses. You want to make sure that your colour schemes are what your client desires. This will also help you save time by not having to re-do your project to meet their desired scheme.
