Speaking from personal experience freelancing can be daunting and scary for most designers and artist. However once you’ve made up your mind and committed to it, you’ll find that it can be one of the most enriching experiences of your career and very exciting! In this article I’ve compiled some tips to help you make the most of this transition.

Be Prepared

Don’t take the old scouts motto  for granted, being prepared is more important than you realize. If I asked you for your CV/Resume, 5 references, and 15 samples of your best work right now? are you ready to go or are you going to panic scrambling to throw these things together?

Have your portfolio ready in both digital and print format, keep it constantly updated with new work whenever possible. Try to include pieces that demonstrate the type of work you would like to do for regularly. Also try to include as much commercial work done for previous clients as you can.

Also make sure than you are financially prepared to leave your job. When planning to transition to a freelance career, go ahead and start saving money, gathering your references, buying any tools or supplies you will think you will need and start the process of showcasing your work online as much as possible. I strongly recommend developing a 6-12 month plan for leaving your job to become a freelancer.

Become More Disciplined

Finding your balance and being consistent will be a constant challenge, but it is absolutely necessary! Set yourself task and do your best to stay on top of them. Some tools you can use are  good old fashion pen an paper, or sticky notes. If you want to take advantages of your gadgets you can always use your phone/PDA you can use Google Calander, Evernote or any number of tools and applications to stay on top of appointments, keep to a strict schedule, and complete your task.

Personally I use a combination of things to remind me. I tell friends and family about upcoming projects or deadlines so that I can have a human reminder. I use a sticky notes application on my desktop, I keep notes in my cell phone, and I have a board that I jot things down on so I can always see it.  I also make sure to set aside specific times for working on different things, personal projects and even time for meals and just surfing the web. You have to remember to commit to relaxing every once and a while to avoid burnout.

Self Promotion Is Key!

It can’t be stressed enough that self promotion is essential to your career and finding new opportunities. One of the first things you should do as a freelancer is try designing your own promotional materials. This involves creating several branding pieces, as well as some additional marketing collateral, I don’t think its always necessary to go as far as creating a media kit, but a double sided flyer showing off some of your best work couldn’t hurt. As much as our industry has shifted to the web, you never underestimate the value and the power of print.

Some additional ways you can promote yourself include self-publishing your own books through sites like Lulu.com and Blurb.com, you may be surprised at how impressive a product like this can be to potential clients and employers; you can also promote yourself through youtube by showing off your skills or sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Get Involved In Social Networking!

If you haven’t been living under a rock the last few years, you know what Social Networking is about, what you may not know is that it is become more and more essential in the design career field. Social Networking is a valuable resource that I benefit from daily. In the case of designers some of the most important places to connect are: Deviantart, Behance, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Flickr, and Myspace. I would actually venture to say that is also the order of importance.

Social Networking provides you great opportunities for exposure, allow you to get feedback on your work as well as connect with others and share information, advice, tips or even possibly collaborate on projects of find client/job leads.

Being Diverse

There is a distinct advantage to being strong in multiple disciplines. For one thing it allows you more options in choosing clients and projects and various perspectives in how to approach them. Being able to handle multiple projects means that a clients is likely to make you there “go to guy/girl” for all their creative needs, and that in itself will look good to other clients down the road and increase the number of pieces you can show off in your portfolio.

Not everyone can handle the multi-discipline approach however, for some it can be overwhelming or distracting. If you are strong in some areas and mediocre in others, sometimes its better to pass up the potential for extra money and clients, and focus on doing what you do best.

Being A Specialist

There are many advantages to be had from specializing in one or two areas of design. It provides incredible focus and allows you to showcase your strongest talent and stand out from the crowd. It also means that when dealing with clients you have a much better idea of what to expect and develop a very efficient work flow and defined style. Specializing can also allow you to improve your level of ability dramatically in a short period of time because of the amount of focus it allows you.

In all honesty if there is an area of design that you know you excel at and have a real passion for, I highly recommended starting out as a specialist and simply taking on additional projects outside your specialty on a case by case basis.

Finding Work & Getting Paid

It goes without saying that although you are doing something you’re good at, something you love, you really need to get paid for it. Many freelancers immediately struggle with this, which is why I always suggest developing a marketing plan, as well as marketing materials before taking the plunge. Hopefully you can generate enough buzz through self promotion to have clients coming to you without a problem. If not, don’t despair. There are several ways you can use your talent to generate revenue.

Selling your prints through Deviantart is always an option. As long as you create high quality work there will be someone eventually willing to buy it. You can also use sites like Graphic River to produce “stock graphics”, something as simple as colorful download buttons, or as elaborate as a InDesign Brochure template, can be sold over and over again through these sites with you receiving a direct commission. With a large enough design inventory there is not limit to how much money you can generate passively from work you did in a few short hours each week.

In addition to self publishing for the purposes of self promotion, it can also be a great way to generate income. Lulu.com and Blurb.com sell your print products on a “Print on Demand” basis and you can determine the amount of profit you make from each product, so this presents another great opportunity with nearly limitless growth potential.

In terms of finding freelance jobs online Freelance Switch and Freelance Folder are great places to look and once you sign up will update you via email if freelance jobs that suit you have been posted. I also highly recommend in competing in logo design competitions if you feel you have the skills to do so. You could also try your hand at stock photography through sites like iStockphoto.com and Jupiterimages.com

Also make sure when dealing with clients you know what to charge for different services. There are several methods you can use for determining you rates per hour or per project. Consulting other designers with more experience can be helpful. Also don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth.

Compete For Attention

Becoming an award winner is a sure way to boost your career and attract clients. If you can publish your personal work in as many places and get yourself some recognition, people will start requesting you to work on your projects. Submitting your work to magazine publications in particular is a great way to attract new clients and make them aware of you. If you don’t know where to start the book Artist & Graphic Designer’s Market is something you should definitely look into. I also recommend competing in competitions through Deviantart.com, AdvancedPhotoshop.co.uk, and PhotoshopCreative.co.uk

Become Detail Oriented

Pay attention to details whenever you can. Be sure to respond to emails promptly and give all the necessary information. Always double check spelling and grammar and even run things past friends and peers. Use contacts and design briefs to keep yourself covered legally and remain organized. You can also use software like Freshbooks to handle your invoicing and keep on top of things.

When dealing with clients both in person or on the phone I always try to keep my notebook ready to jot any notes I may need and have all of the necessary contact information. I also try to keep my desktop folders on the computer as organized as possible.

Be Refreshing & Original

On and end note, don’t stick to traditions or conventions, break away from your comfort zone and push the envelope, set yourself distinctly apart from the competition. Fill your portfolio with pieces that will blow clients away, try and show your ability to think out of the box! Remember that clients are looking at your creative abilities as much if not more than your technical expertise.