most freelance designers out there aren't ready for the freelancing world as a freelancer there
are so many hidden traps and problems that most people don't consider until it's too late
this video might change your mind about becoming a freelance graphic designer or it might just help
you with a journey you're about to go on because believe me if you are becoming a freelance graphic
designer you are going on a pretty big journey a quote by ibis world in 2020 states that freelance
graphic designers account for approximately 90 percent of the total industry participation the
problem is that most of these designers have only a vague idea of what the freelance experience
should consist of and how to do it properly knowing when to start your own freelance career or
if it's even for you in the first place can be the first problem i've been doing this for nearly
15 years now and i would say for the first two to three years i didn't really know what i was doing
i'm surprised i've got this far as a freelancer and that's because i was making a lot of mistakes
you're going to hear about right now for a start you have to get used to being jack of all trades
just think about it for a second a typical graphic design agency will have someone to
deal with communications someone else to do the admin work keep track of finances
and other people to work on marketing social media to track the business health and so on
as a freelancer you accept all of these roles and more all on your own back that's right it's
completely down to you of course it is possible with practice self-education and persistence but
not only is it tough it's essential to success there are a bunch of apps and resources that
you can use to help with these points so don't be shy with google searching for these things
the next thing a lot of designers don't think about is taxes most people out there are legally
required to pay taxes on their earnings and when you work at a design studio or agency
it's often calculated all for you and then processed without much worry for your end
as a freelancer it's a completely different story and oh boy let me tell you it's not only a big
headache to keep track of everything even with an accountant it's a very tough pill to swallow to
see you know a big percentage of your earnings fly out of the window every single year and of
course they go to mr taxman not only do you need to pay the taxes but you need to do it properly
now i know a person through my dad who got into some major issues with tax
about eight years ago he came to my dad and said that he was foolish for paying too much tax
apparently this man's accountant knew some loopholes and thus he was paying
lower taxes my dad chose to carry on with his own accountants that he's been using for several years
fast forward to about seven years later the tax man decided to turn up in this man's life
and he wanted more than 80 000 pounds of unpaid taxes long story short this man's business failed
his wife left him and now he's pretty much left with nothing it's a really sad situation but it
could have been avoided there are so many parts of the tax world that you need to seek advice on from
a financial advisor for example up until this year i was paying tax as a sole trader and i wish i had
launched a registered company as they typically pay less taxes than sole traders i didn't know
that before of course but suffice to say my last tax bill was 24 000 pounds which is roughly about
30 000 and that's for a single year so your taxes are a big thing when it comes to freelancing
another hard truth about being a freelancer is being victim to the skewed vision syndrome
the skewed mind syndrome is basically when a designer looks at their work and they
can't determine if it's good or bad on their own accord they cannot judge their designs
without the help of other people's advice or external advice from the internet if you're
someone who is used to asking everyone else in the design studio for opinions on the design
or getting direct input from other designers this can be a harsh reality check for those navigating
into the freelance world sure you can ask online or hop onto places like the satori graphics
discord server and ask for help there but it isn't the same as actively working in a design team
some people like myself prefer working alone but even the most introverted of lone wolves
can actually benefit from a team input on a design or project as a freelancer you need to learn the
skill of having a very objective view of your work this is to say you don't have any emotion about
it and can be harshly self-critical in a positive way you really have to trust your own judgment and
instincts some projects look great one day and the next you might have some reservations it pays to
listen to your clients see how they react and also respond accordingly the next hard truth you need
to understand about freelance graphic design is based around inspiration inspiration is something
we all need from time to time inspiration to become energetic or enthusiastic about a project
inspiration for a new design direction inspiration to simply keep going i found that now i work for
myself i do have more drive and more resilience to keep myself going than working for a business
or a company that's not owned by myself it feels a lot more rewarding to know that the
time and energy i'm putting into something is all for myself and not somebody else's company
however again some people find this quite daunting it depends on the person next it's security or the
lack of security many people fail to consider this when they step into the freelancing world
this might be the biggest deal breaker for most people when it comes to freelancing so listen
to this list very carefully because it will have some major implications for you your life and your
career down the line as a freelance designer you have no company pension no paid holidays no sick
leave no health insurance from a company and no bonuses essentially you're left to the open world
and the potential risks there it's very wise to save money every single month to go towards your
future as a kind of private pension furthermore just saving money for a rainy day is very clever
because it is gonna rain at some point you need to ask yourself if you're okay with this lack of
security can you afford to not get paid for x amount of days or weeks due to an illness
these are all real things that you need to consider freelancing has a lot of perks and
it does bring a lot of freedom and you can after all end up making more money than you would any
kind of company or agency if you play your cards right of course and i still suggest that most
if not all designers should start working as some part of team in an agency or in-house position
this is just to get an experience and feel for the industry you will no doubt learn valuable habits
and knowledge and insights when working for an actual company freelancing simply isn't something
that every designer will be mentally dispositioned towards it will not suit some mentality in some
habits that people have and that's something you need to ask yourself and really really consider
so there's the hard truth about freelance graphic design and i hope you learned something today and
maybe you are considering becoming a freelance designer let me know in the comments and also
drop a like on this video if you found it useful and until next time design your future today peace
you