Graphic design is a visual communication and problem-solving process through the use of typography, photography, and illustration. This is considered by many as a subset of visual communication and communication design.

Graphic designers create and form visual representations of ideas and messages by creating and combining symbols, images and text. In other words, they create visual compositions using typography, visual arts, and page layout techniques.

Graphic designs are commonly used for corporate designs (logos and branding), editorial designs (magazines, newspapers, and books), wayfinding or environmental design, advertising, web design, communication design, product packaging, and signage.

It can be an exhilarating and exciting adventure starting a graphic design business, whether you’re hoping to work for yourself full-time or just make a little extra money from an on-the-side graphic design business.

I want to show you 10 simple and straightforward steps to start a graphic design business as itemized below.

1. Get Your First Graphic Design Client: For you to become a successful graphic designer, whose focus is how to stay in business, instead of going back to your day job—then the most important task is getting your first clients.

This is because you don’t have a business without clients. And if you don’t have a business, you are just a hobbyist, not a graphic designer.

Many Graphic Designers failed because they waste time building a portfolio with a business name, invoices, and doing other tasks that won’t ultimately help them become a successful graphic designer.

Finding your first graphic design clients will give you confidence, momentum, and traction from which you can become a designer even faster.

As a freelance graphic designer, there are a couple of ways you can find your first clients. Here I will share with you two of the quickest and most effective ways a freelance graphic designer can find clients.

(i) Search for easy-to-get graphic design jobs on freelance job sites like Fiverr, Upwork, SolidGigs, Flexjobs, FreeeUp, etc.

(ii) Explore your network. You can also tap into your network of friends, school mates, family members and colleagues in your workplace. This is something you can (politely) tap into to help you become a successful freelance graphic designer.

2. Brand Yourself And Name Your Business: After getting a good number of clients, you can start thinking of having other elements of how to become a freelance graphic designer. First of this is branding yourself and adopting a business name for your brand.

There is a debate about whether you should use your name or a business name. If your goal is to stay a one-person business forever, then use your name as the company name. But if your goal is to grow your freelance business to be bigger than just you, you may want to consider coming up with a name for your design business.

3. Build A Minimum Viable Graphic Design Portfolio: One of the most critical elements of becoming a successful graphic designer is by building a minimum viable freelance portfolio.

By “Minimum viable” I mean your ability to provide answers to questions that bother on your competence and quality of service delivery. You should build a small but concise portfolio that highlights only your best work and encourages visitors to hire you.



4. Over-Deliver For Your First Clients. The next critical step on your journey to becoming a successful freelance graphic designer is to ensure your clients are very happy. Where you find your clients, whether your network or freelancing websites, does not matter, each client represents an opportunity for more work.

A satisfied client is most likely to hire you a second time or refer you to a potential client. You might even be able to convert your one-time client into regular, recurring revenue by getting more design client referrals.

5. Master Proposals, Invoicing, And Paperwork: Apart from learning how to get clients and doing great creative jobs as a freelance graphic designer, you’ll also need to run your design business.

That means learning how to write an invoice, drafting and sending proposals to your clients, working with contracts at times, and lots more.

Their loads of freelancer invoicing software you can get online and use to make your life easier.

6. Avoid Being Too Picky Too Fast (that’ll come later): Some professional graphic designers will tell you about becoming a freelance graphic designer is to never compromise and always be selective about the kinds of clients you take on.

This idea of being "picky" only makes sense if you’ve been a freelance graphic designer for years, and have built enough viable portfolio. But for newbies, who are getting started and are trying to figure out how to go about the trade, this advice is flawed.

If you are "picky", chances are you will turn down many freelance design jobs because of poor pricing or you dislike the kind of projects they send you, This will risk disconnecting yourself from potential clients before you ever become a freelance designer.

7. Build Your Network And Utilize It: I encouraged you in step 1 to tap into your network to find clients. Once you’ have utilized your current network, however, you will find the need to grow that network to continue to find new work.

One of the things about how to become a successful freelance graphic designer includes meeting new people, provide value to people and developing relationships.

The truth is, your network is the most valuable aspect in becoming a successful freelance graphic designer.



8. Always Be Finding New Clients: One of the biggest complaints and turn off of becoming a freelance graphic designer is the feast-famine cycle.That is, have plenty of work this month, and not nearly enough work next month.In other to escape this feast-famine cycle of freelance design, always be looking new clients.Even if it requires you to do some extra work you have to do; no matter how many client projects you currently have; no matter how swamped you feel;Dedicate a good amount of time each week for client outreach activities such as cold-emailing, networking, or SEO.

9. Collect Payments On-Time: Like every other business, if you don't get paid you won't last long.For the reason, to become a sucessful freelance graphic designer ensure you collect your payments on-time.

10. Use Every Chance You Have To Get Referrals: Most successful freelance graphic designers I have spoken with told me they get most of their business through word-of-mouth marketing.At the early stage of this journey, automatic word-of-mouth promotion may be difficult.Aks your existing clients to refer you to potential clients.Each time you deliver a project on time and at exception quality is an ideal time to ask if they have any friends, acquaintances, coworkers, or colleagues who might.

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