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ESSENTIAL
FREELANCE
SURVIVAL TIPS

THE ESSENTIAL TIPS YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH LIFE

AS A FREELANCE DESIGNER
1
HIRE A GOOD ACCOUNTANT!

Lesley Moss Creative Designer - Northsouth Design

www.lajohnstone.co.uk

The best thing I ever did was hire an accountant after years of struggling
with invoicing, accounts and tax assessments. Take that stress away and
let the experts deal with it and then you can concentrate on building your
business. I have also signed up to a cloud accounting system which means
all my quotes and invoices are in the same place while automated invoice
reminders help save time chasing payments.

2
BUILD A FOUNDATION

Ian Paget Logo Geek

www.logogeek.uk

If you want to work as a freelancer and are already in a stable

job I wouldn’t recommend taking the leap without having some
kind of foundation already in place. By that, I mean a website
already ranking on Google and clients already begging to work
with you. That’s something you can do in your free time.

Most people say they don’t have time to do this, but what if I said you only
needed 30 minutes a day? Every little thing you do towards your business
will never go away once you’ve done it, so build your business in incremental
steps. After a few weeks you could have a website built, template emails
written and processes designed… Small steps will really make a big impact.

From day one you need a website so potential clients can find out
more about you and your services. Start lean and don’t worry too
much about things being perfect. It’s better to have something
that serves its purpose from the outset that you can improve upon
rather than having nothing for weeks because you worry about
perfection. Get it out there quickly so you can start promoting
yourself, start attracting clients and simply improve as you go.
3 USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Ash Flint Freelance Graphic Designer - Nottingham

www.ashflint.com

Use social media as much as you can. Get on Instagram, Dribbble and
Behance. Keep sharing what you're working on and show your passion
for design; it gives you the opportunity to find clients beyond just local
companies.

4
BECOME A MARKETER!

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

Do the marketing for your own business every day for 60 – 90 minutes.

5
STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH SOFTWARE

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

Sometimes you are only as good as the software you work with, so make
sure you stay up to date with all the latest software and equipment
6 NETWORKING

Lesley Moss Creative Designer - Northsouth Design

www.lajohnstone.co.uk

The best thing a designer can do is network - in person!

Join local networking groups where you know businesses will be looking
for help with design. Many small groups will have start up businesses who
don’t have any brand identity or a website. It’s a great opportunity to get
business and you will grow in confidence as well. Offer to be a speaker
and do a presentation on why a business should hire a graphic designer
or why they should have a professionally built website. Build up these
natural relationships with businesses in your area and people will trust your
expertise and come to you. They in turn will recommend you to others. If
there are no networking groups in your area - start one up yourself! I co-
run a networking group for women in business and have built up a great
reputation within the group.

7DON’T HIDE YOUR IDENTITY

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

Clients like to know who they may be working with, so don’t be afraid to get
your picture and personal information on your website.

8
KNOW YOUR CLIENTS ADDRESS

Polly Playford Freelance Graphic Designer - London

www.pollyplayford.com

Always find or ask for the clients registered address for your invoices. You
can’t take anyone to court to chase unpaid invoices unless you have their
address. Companies House is a good place to look.
9
CREATE A NETWORK & MEET PEOPLE

Matt Hollands Graphic Designer & Typographer

www.matthollandsdesign.co.uk

Make friends with other creatives such as designers, illustrators, PRs and
photographers etc. This may offer future opportunities to work together
or refer work. Also, find out about networking events in your area because
these can be a great way to get your name and face out there.

10 HIRE A COACH

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

Consider engaging a mentor or coach. A coach can hold you accountable.

11
BE PREPARED TO WORK HARD

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

Some people believe that when you go solo the money will come rolling
in straight away… trust me this is not the case! You need to be mentally
prepared to work the long hours that are required to push your way through
the competition. Just remember on the late nights and early mornings
though…in the end it will all be worth it!
12
GIVE PRICING OPTIONS

Jacob Cass Just Creative

www.justcreative.com

When putting together a proposal, offer multiple tiered options; Bronze,

Silver, Gold or whatever you want to call them. Humans are hard wired to
compare options and if there are three laid out, they will choose the best
one suited to their needs rather than a straight yes or no answer.

13
TRY STAY AWAY FROM LOANS

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

A large percentage of companies fail in the first 12 months because of too

many outgoings, therefore try keep your costs down as low as possible.
Don’t be afraid to get a small part time job to keep you afloat rather than a
bank loan.

14
MONITOR YOUR NUMBERS

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

Know your numbers. Know what your overheads are, monitor them
regularly to keep them under control. Know your “breakeven” and monitor
sales daily.
15
BE FINANCIALLY ORGANISED

Matt Hollands Graphic Designer & Typographer

www.matthollandsdesign.co.uk

The hardest part of being a freelancer is keeping a consistent flow of money

coming in.
For every project, create a contract with a payment structure that details
dates or stages of the project that require payment. This is especially
useful for projects with a longer timescale. Always start with a project
commencement payment, generally 25-50% of the total project cost,
depending on length or type of project. Finally, make sure the client either
signs the contract or agrees to it in writing before you start any billable work.

16 HAVE FUN

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

This is the most import factor of them all because let’s face it, you made the
jump to go solo to have a better lifestyle and enjoy life.

17
MOOD BOARDS ARE ESSENTIAL

Polly Playford Freelance Graphic Designer - London

www.pollyplayford.com

Visual mood boards are such a valuable tool, especially when weeding out
misinterpretations in a badly worded and vague brief.
18 MY EXPERIENCE

Nathan Ryder Freelance Graphic Designer

www.ryderdesign.studio

I was in a senior position in a fairly decent job and getting reasonably well
paid for it. It was predictable. It was secure; I got a regular monthly wage. In
short, it was safe. On the other hand, it could be extremely stressful at times
and hell! I’d been there for 16 years!
Fast forward to September 2016: I’m actually ill – I’ve reached burnout –
that’s it, I’m done, I’m leaving.
So that’s what I did. I got ‘my ducks in a row’. I sorted out a list of contacts,
read loads of stuff about freelancing, told potential clients when I was going,
sorted my portfolio – I hadn’t updated it in years – and it takes ages.
In March 2017 I made the jump.
I was lucky: I had some work for my old company already lined up. I was
keen to keep on good terms with my last boss and vice versa. We’d known
each other for years and business-wise we could certainly continue to help
one another out.
At first I struggled with the isolation of working on my own. I struggled with
not knowing when the next lot of work was coming in. I struggled with the
fact that I was working hard but still not earning what I was in my last job.
But gradually, my mind-set has changed – the work is coming in, organically.
I’ve actually been working seven days a week recently and have got work
booked in weeks in advance. I’m still working hard but it’s different now – I
don’t feel stressed, I feel good – positive even. I’m actually looking forward
to getting up in the mornings again! (That hasn’t happened for years). My
mojo is back, my motivation is back … it’s exciting.
A few months down the line and I’m still going. They haven’t taken the house
off me yet; I’ve got food on the table; I’m going on holiday (again) at the end
of the month; I’ve got worked lined up and it’s still coming in … I’m going to
smash this!

19 SPECIALISE!

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

The more niche the better, whether market or product.

 20
SHOW YOUR EXPERTISE

Duncan Gilroy Down the Line Design

www.downthelinedesign.co.uk

Become an expert. Develop a crystal clear picture of what services you

offer. Be specific. Consider what you want to offer (and most enjoy doing).
Research what your ideal clients really, really need and are most likely to
purchase from you. That way you can formalise your core set of services
then, importantly, become an expert in them. Your goal should be to
become the ‘go to’ person for the specific services you offer.

21
ALWAYS IMPROVE YOUR BRANDING

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

Always improve your branding – The first impression of your company needs
to make your clients go wow! My general rule is whatever hours you spend
a week on client work, then 75% of that time should be spent again working
on your own company image, marketing and general skills.

22 ADD VALUE

Kyle Courtright Graphic Designer - Courtright Design

www.courtrightdesign.com

When pricing your design services, take an honest look at the value you
provide. It’s your job to show the value you have to give and intentionally
shape what potential clients feel you’re worth. Quality of work, research,
communication, turnaround times and how you present your work are just
a few examples of how you can level-up your perceived value today. Want to
raise your prices? Raise your value.
23
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Polly Playford Freelance Graphic Designer - London

www.pollyplayford.com

You have to believe in yourself before others will believe in you. Fake the
confidence before you become it. There is a great TED talk on the subject called
Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are. You have to start somewhere.

24
CREATE CONTRACTS

Lesley Moss Creative Designer - Northsouth Design

www.lajohnstone.co.uk

Never ever do any work without a contract or a (non-refundable) deposit. It

shows you are professional and mean business. Have all the details of the
work signed and agreed before starting any new project.

25 CASH IS KING!

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

Have someone external to you to chase your debtors to ensure you get paid
on time.
26
TREAT CLIENTS LIKE KINGS & QUEENS

Paul Gill MD - GillGraphics & ToxicFish Media

www.gillgraphics.co.uk

Your reputation for being a genuine, honest, polite person is just as

important for having a reputation for producing good work, so treat your
clients like your future depends on it…because it does.

27
DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN 1 BASKET

Ryan Carter Freelance Designer

ryancarter.co.uk

Be wary of extending a majority of your hours out to a large client. If you’re

used to contracting, it may work, but if it’s ongoing work you need to ensure
you are also building up a pipeline of new business so that you’ve got
something to fall back on should the client ever decide to take the business
away from you. It may not be something as frightening as being replaced by
another freelancer or having a disagreement; they may just decide to take
on an internal position to fulfil the work you’ve been providing.

If you put yourself in this position, you may find yourself scrambling for new
clients if that fateful day ever came. However, if you’ve already got a good
base of clients, you can kindly let them know you’ve got increased capacity
should they wish to give you further business. It may be stressful managing
more clients at once, but the contingency is well worth it.

28
CREATE YOUR OWN USP

Philippa Smart Owner & Founder of BeSmart Design

www.besmartdesign.co.uk

Without it you are just the same as everyone

else. This takes time but is worth it.
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