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Gary Hurd
17,533 PointsFreelance vs Design Studio/Firm
Hi everyone, I am in a quandary and would like get some feedback on working with a design studio/firm or going freelance. I really enjoy web designing - all aspects of it. I am currently putting together my portfolio, and I am trying to decide what the best option for my career is.
I would like to see if anyone would like to start a discussion about freelancing and setting up own design studio or going to work for an already established design studio/firm.
I have spent too much time thinking about the pros and cons of each, to the point that I have backed myself into a corner and I need to have someone slap me. JK.
If we could all just (and this may already be something in the discussions, that I just haven't seen yet) start tossing back some thoughts, it would really help me out and maybe some other friends of our on TreeHouse. We are all working to the same goals so I am reading out to my fellow students for guidance.
Thank you Gary
6 Answers
James Eden
1,539 PointsI'm a freelance designer now and I'd definitely say working for a firm is the best way to start, even for less than a year. I've been working in print for about 8 years and joined Treehouse to get my digital skills up to scratch but I'm sure there are similarities...
As well as the vast experience you might get working in a pressured environment you will also build connections, make friends and maybe collaborators. This will go a long way in establishing working relationships and getting freelance work. Acquiring and keeping clients will be huge part of your day job so I would say the more 'feelers' you put out in the beginning the better. Also, as mentioned above with 'scope creep', developing a very hard nose and managing your clients with tact is a skill.
And PLEASE don't join Freelancer [sourcing website]. I tried it a while back and I found the investment in time and resources to be completely wasteful. Unless you devote almost all of your time, attention and daily effort to pitching, competing, and promising work for almost nothing it is a complete dead end. I'm not sure what Elance is like though...
Best of luck. J.
Christopher Hall
9,052 PointsHi Gary, If you don't have much experience as a web designer right now, I would recommend going with a design studio/firm. That way you will have a team to learn from and a chance to improve your skills rapidly. You'll also get to interact with clients, developers, and other roles in the business.
Freelancing is best attempted after you have a decent amount of experience in a field. The reason is you won't just be web designing. You'll be the salesperson tracking down a lead, the lawyer drafting a contract, the web designer, the accountant creating an invoice, etc. A freelancer has to fulfill all of the roles of a business, not just do a single job. This is just as hard as it sounds, so freelancing is not for everyone.
Also after getting some experience you will learn that unless you protect yourself, you will get taken advantage of. An example is the scope creep that Michael mentioned, where the client keeps changing requirements beyond what you initially agreed to. That is why contracts specify that there will be additional cost for excess changes, so you're not working for free on them.
Gary Hurd
17,533 PointsChristopher, Thank you, I appreciate your advice and in all honesty, what you said was about 80% of how I feel. Now to focus on finding a design firm/studio. Thank you very much, g
Michael Wiss
19,233 PointsI've always found that scope creep was a hazard when freelancing. So much so that I prefer not to.
Gary Hurd
17,533 Pointsthat is something that I have been discussing with some other friends. I have a friend who was a designer and left to do something else, and he said he was tired of that and after a few months, he had it put in his contracts that any changes in the scoop after it was signed, any additional items were 25% above normal costs. I don't know how he got by with that, but his clients stopped
alechebb
14,211 PointsGuess it depends you know? I mean we do not know much about you lol but if you are a fast learner and can multitask and manage your time properly I think you should try freelancing. Put aside 3 months expenses and business expenses, maybe some extra away just in case and try getting some clients. Elance.com and freelancer.ca is a good start. Making business proposals properly is a must as well. I would recommend checking out the business courses here but hey! if a opportunity arises to work for someone else why not? Like Christopher said freelancing is not for everyone because you have to take care of a business.. Yourself. A lot of people prefer the security of a job because of the steady income but then again that is also not for everyone. So we like to think. Anyways I hope you come to a solution. Take care. .
Gary Hurd
17,533 PointsWhile its true that you don't know much about me, its a general question for discussion. I just wanted some feedback on what others thought about the freelancing and design firms. Thats all. I thank you for your input, as all the input has been valuable, and I hope this discussion will help others.