How to find clients in 2023: A guide for freelance graphic designers.
Is it possible to land a freelance client even if you have zero experience? The answer is Yes! Let me show you how.
When I first started out freelancing I was in my sophomore year of college and I had a lot of questions back then. How to make my portfolio more appealing? How to price my work? What are the best industry practices? It was very overwhelming at first, although I figured most of the stuff out by googling it over the years. But the thing that helped me the most was talking to other fellow freelancers. I wanted to do the same for you guys. From one graphic designer to another. Let’s discuss and explore different industry practices together and how to use them effectively. My goal is to help you to get that edge I wish I had when I was first starting out.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Making a portfolio
First things first, when you are starting out you don’t get clients just on the word of mouth you need something to show for. Hence, the first step is making your very own portfolio.
A portfolio plays a bigger role than you give it credit for, be sure that your projects are well presented and keep them up to date.
Here are things to keep in mind when creating a portfolio:
- Clarity: Who are you and how can you help the viewer solve their problems?
- Quality > Quantity: Curate your proudest work.
- Consistency: Be consistent with your style.
Clarity — Choose One, And Master It!
Let’s say you have a portfolio with your best work, and they look amazing! But something’s off, you get rejected. Why does that happen? For instance, I’ve seen a lot of portfolios on Behance where the designers have chosen to showcase random designs of different design fields. The first post would be a UI/UX project and the other motion graphics. That's something you want to avoid.
Before creating new designs, sit down and think about which is your favorite one. Now spend time mastering it and creating the best work you can.
Quality Over Quantity — Take Your Time.
My school motto was “Omnia Bene Facere”, which is Latin for Do All Things Well. And that is something I have followed to date. Don’t focus on doing a lot of projects, instead do a few and do them well.
Consistency — Owning A Style
The internet is filled with a lot of talented designers so the question you need to ask yourself is what makes you different? Your style. You have to stand out among other designers. Ask yourself what is it that makes you different and unique. Go about this by studying other design portfolios thoroughly.
Here are some portfolios I found on Behance that can help you:
List of websites to build a portfolio on
- Behance
- Adobe Portfolio (For Creative Cloud Members)
- WordPress Themes (If You Own A Domain) Article by blossomthemes.com
- Dribble
Finding Clients
We more or less covered the importance of your portfolio, and now comes the crucial part, finding clients. There are a lot of different effective ways to approach it. Some of the best ways are as follows:
Approach #1: Networking
This is where you meet a bunch of people who potentially need the services that you’re trying to offer. Then taking a follow-up with them. As a beginner, you should try to put yourself out there. Attend community meetups, and participate in design contests. The point is to expand your umbrella and expose yourself to a larger crowd. This will drastically increase your chances of getting “lucky”. Design hackathons are a great place to get your hands dirty. Not only do they help you to gain perspective on real-life problems but also allow you to meet a lot of interesting people from the industry.
Approach #2: Get discovered on Portfolio websites.
Pick up a niche you want to work in and start creating projects in that particular field. If you want to become a logo designer then start creating logos for fake briefs. GoodBrief and FakeClients are two good websites you can refer to if you are struggling with what to design. Otherwise, you could take existing logos of popular brands and re-imagine them in your own style.
Strive for perfection, but don’t let the great be the enemy of the good here. The last step is to showcase that to potential clients by putting your work on websites like Behance.
Approach #3: Community
Offline communities: Look around in your local community for businesses that you legitimately think you could help and approach them. In the starting, it's a lot about getting out there and trying, so just go for it.
Online communities: Start engaging in online communities on discord and Reddit. These days it is getting easier to get familiarized with people of the same interests, and these community-based platforms are all about that. Also, you get to express yourself and your work here and that will lead to new opportunities. To get you started here is the link to my discord server.
The game plan to draw more business
To jump without a plan it’s just like trying to escape from prison without a plan you might get out but you’re not going to last very long so it’s kind of really important. Jolted down a few of the points below:
Build Goodwill
Let’s say you already have had satisfied clients and you have to build a good portfolio over time, but you still are not getting many new clients. The best thing for that is to build connections through your previous client.
A satisfied client is the best way to build good connections or even get more clients, so when the person you were working with seems to be satisfied with your work, you could ask them to write a 2 sentence review on your ability to work (for your portfolio) and to recommend you to some of their friends. I have worked with a lot of my previous client’s friends and I can say that it was a pleasure.
- Once your client seems satisfied with your work, ask them to write a 2 sentence review on their experience working with you.
- Ask your client if they know anyone who also might need an e.g. Logo, and that they should recommend you to them.
Reach Out To People
You’ll never feel ready even if you have your portfolio ready. Start reaching out to people. Everyone has a problem they are trying to solve as easily as possible. Another way to find clients is by cold-emailing. You can browse sites like Linkedin or AngelList, get emails of people who might need your service, and shoot your shot.
In 100 emails you send, there is a high chance you’ll receive 5 answers, so I recommend you spend at least 50–100. It does sound hard but if you put time into actually writing an interesting and valuable email you can constantly reuse it. I am including a link for the article about reusing your email
Link: https://www.gmass.co/blog/send-email-multiple-recipients/
Underestimating the power of a follow-up is a mistake
Sending a follow-up after a few days is a good way to assure clients that you value their business. The same goes for when you’ve met a potential client at a networking or professional event (in person or online). Send a follow-up after meeting them, reiterating any business you talked about, or sending them information or resources you may have discussed.
Just don’t overdo it. I suggest sending the first follow-up after 3–4 days if there is no reply, send a second follow-up after a week after the first one. Usually, it is the third follow-up that makes all the difference. Send the third one after two weeks after the first one. Three are enough.
Publish Your Services To Freelance Websites
What better way to find clients than being on a platform where you are more likely to be found by people who are looking to solve their problems. There are a ton of amazing websites out there designed to help freelancers.
Websites you can start selling your service on:
Conclusion
If you are after your first client then don’t worry about pricing or having a perfect process or making a beautiful proposal. Focus on getting the work and that will put you in a process where you’ll learn the rest as you go along.
Much love!