So I am really disppointed being a designer, I am hardly making $1K per month as a freelance graphic designer with more than 5 yeears of experience. Still I am unable to make a good income. What advice would you give ?
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The number one thing is to learn how to market yourself if you can market yourself you can increase your income.
Do something that can’t be replaced by AI
This isn’t really the problem here.
Reading some of OP’s replies, I agree - it’s not the problem here.
I think people will always be too lazy (or otherwise unwilling for various legitimate reasons that aren’t ue to laziness) to do things for themselves, and that includes asking AI to do it for them.
That being said… the industry is about to be disrupted in a big big way.
Honestly you can make more money as an entry level employee at Amazon
How is this possible? Can you explain how to go about it?
I work a Reduced Time (36 hours over 3 days) shift schedule instead of Full Time (40 hours over 4 days), and pick up an extra 10 hour shift for 46 hours, and still have 3 days off most weeks. I do go for 2 extra shifts where I can to provide more for my kids, and sometimes I just don’t get any extra shifts so there are lower pay weeks during those times. But overall I’m making good money working as an entry level employee. If you’re interested in working for Amazon even just long enough to better align yourself within your chosen field or get more education (Amazon pays for some college too), we can chat about it. Otherwise I don’t see a point in dumping all the details on Reddit.
First congrats on making 1k per month doing freelancing. Target people whom quality matters the most. I know many Indians and Pakistanis are charging more money than US people and yet they are getting lot of work because of their quality.
Are you taking advantage of Etsy?
Up you rates, network, be prepared to work as a freelancer (know your hours, how to time manage, communication with your clients). Work on your personal brand by growing your social channels - TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest
Are you on circle and the other platforms?
How are you promoting yourself?
switch industries its not as scary as it may seem. I can help dm me
I think you have to look at things for a more global aspect:
Who is going to pay you, and why should they?
What existing contacts can I mine for customers?
What can I do to make more money, should I get hired by a bigger company?
What can I do to be a better freelancer, get more customers for higher $?It’s hard dude. The freelance grind is very competitive and filled with lots of bullshit. Don’t beat yourself up. Developing the bullshit side of business (getting customers, charging $) is not fun for creative types (I’m in video) but it’s what actually pays the bills.
Show me your motivated and willing and i will create a job for you
As a freelancer you need to actively market yourself. Create social media accounts on all platforms like deviantart, facebook, instagram, x, reddit, etc. it is all free to do. Post your work and see what happens. Maybe offer some pro bono work on collaborations to get impressions. Also consider doing niche work, strange and odd stuff to get attention.
What kind of art do you make?
Maybe you need to learn to sell b2b style.
DM me some example work? I need a designer.
I quit being a graphic designer as main income years ago. These days it’s a market that’s hard to do well in. There are tonssss of people who are handy with graphic designs and handy with using a PC with softwares like Photoshop, especially because not much skills is needed nowadays. It’s an overcrowded market.
## Mark from leedr.io ##
You should be investing heavily into business development. AS a freelancer, your fist and most important job is to generate new work. Everything else fails without new work coming in.
To be successful you probably need to create more concepts, do spec-work, etc., so you have an amazing portfolio. Then you need to market yourself vs. banking on people coming to you.
For instance, if your specialty is rebranding, how are you demonstrating those skills to prospective clients? If your portfolio site doesn’t have a section of rebranding concepts you’ve created through existing work or concepts, then get to work. Choose brands you like and would one day love to work with, and think of what you do for their logo, website, etc., so you can attract clients who are looking for rebranding.
Then think of ways to get your name out there. If you’re not using social media (YouTube, Instagram, etc), to put meaningful content out there then your behind the hundreds and thousands of people in your market who are willing to do that. Using the rebranding example, show before and afters, explain when it’s time to rebrand, explain how rebranding is an “evolution” and not something that’s done overnight, etc. Create a blog, so you have a place on your website where you can explain all of that in written form. This way you’re answering commonly asked questions about rebranding, and people can discover you when they’re searching the internet.
Without knowing what you have done already to try to be successful, it’s tough to say “do this or that.” But having mentored lots of entrepreneurs, worked on startups and turn arounds, the thing most of them have in common is thinking they’re doing a lot and just not getting the reward of clients and income. When in reality, they aren’t doing much, so their income reflects that.
Take a moment to evaluate yourself, and do it objectively. Can you honestly say you want success as a graphic designer more than anything else and you’re doing everything you can to achieve it? Next reflect on how much time you spend with friends, going to social events, watching TV, playing video games, etc? Are your actions matching what your perceived effort is? Remember, you’re not giving up other areas of your life forever, but if you’re not eating sh*t for 3 years to grow your business, then you’re not trying. After 3 years, you have to ask yourself if you have a business or a hobby and whether the juice is worth the squeeze.
Also, my marketing agency designs and builds websites. Sure there are people on Fiverr, and overseas who can do it for a lot less, but those aren’t my clients. So remind yourself that there are people who are willing to pay a premium if your quality of work, and service match that level. We live in a world where some people drive AMG’s and others drive Elantra’s. So don’t let people take your dream away either.
I guess that’s my longwinded advice.