Tips For Getting Clients As A Graphic Designer In 2024

Summary

In this video, Don from dap.com shares his insights on building a successful freelance design career. He outlines four phases: starting as a newcomer, the outreach phase, pushing your rock up the hill, and finally coasting when clients find you. Don emphasizes the importance of quality work, networking, genuine client relationships, and leveraging social media to showcase your portfolio. His tips guide freelancers on how to progress through these stages and achieve a steady flow of clients through word of mouth and referrals.

Takeaways

• 😀 Embrace freelancing as a journey with distinct phases, each requiring different strategies for growth and stability.
• 🔍 As a newcomer, focus on making good first impressions and doing quality work to build a foundation for your career.
• 💪 Invest in 'Sweat Equity' by taking on projects that may not pay well initially but provide exposure and experience.
• 🎨 Build a strong portfolio that showcases your strengths and the type of work you want to be known for, even if it includes conceptual work.
• 📱 Be active on social media to increase your visibility and build a following that can lead to more clients and opportunities.
• 📩 Engage in smart networking and cold outreach to find clients, but ensure to do your research and form genuine connections.
• 🛠️ Continuously improve your craft and stay consistent in delivering high-quality work to build a reputation in your field.
• 🤝 Cultivate strong relationships with clients by being personable and reliable, as word-of-mouth is crucial for referrals.
• 🏔️ Strive to reach a phase where clients come to you, indicating you've built a strong enough reputation and client base.
• 💰 Understand the importance of pricing strategies; start with competitive rates and adjust as you gain experience and recognition.
• 🌐 Utilize social media to your advantage, showing potential clients that you're capable and reliable through your online presence.

Q & A

What is the main challenge freelancers face when starting their career?

The main challenge freelancers face when starting their career is finding clients and securing enough work to make a living, as the income from clients can be unstable and inconsistent.

What is the term 'Sweat Equity' in the context of freelancing?

In the context of freelancing, 'Sweat Equity' refers to the hard work that one might have to put in without immediate financial gain, such as taking on free work to build a presence and reputation in the industry.

Why is building a portfolio important for a freelance designer in the early stages of their career?

Building a portfolio is important for a freelance designer in the early stages of their career because it showcases their skills and abilities to potential clients, helping to secure work and establish credibility.

What is the significance of being personable with clients in the context of the freelance design industry?

Being personable with clients is significant because it helps to build genuine connections and trust, which can lead to repeat business, referrals, and word-of-mouth recommendations, all of which are crucial for a successful freelance career.

How does social media play a role in a freelance designer's career progression?

Social media plays a crucial role in a freelance designer's career progression by providing a platform to showcase their work, engage with potential clients, and build a following that can lead to increased visibility and job opportunities.

What is the purpose of doing design challenges for a freelance designer?

Design challenges serve to improve a freelance designer's skills, generate additional work to showcase in their portfolio, and attract attention from potential clients by demonstrating their creativity and commitment to their craft.

Why is it important for a freelance designer to not just focus on the quantity of work but also the quality?

Focusing on the quality of work is important because it helps to build a reputation for excellence, which can attract higher-quality clients and lead to more lucrative and fulfilling projects, as opposed to focusing solely on quantity which may not showcase the designer's best abilities.

What is the concept of 'pushing your rock up the hill' in the context of the freelance design career?

The concept of 'pushing your rock up the hill' refers to the continuous effort and improvement a freelance designer must put into their work to advance their career, gaining more clients and recognition as they progress.

How can a freelance designer leverage word-of-mouth to grow their business?

A freelance designer can leverage word-of-mouth by providing excellent service and building strong relationships with clients, which can lead to referrals and recommendations from satisfied clients to their network, expanding the designer's client base.

What is the final phase of a freelance designer's career as described in the script, and what does it signify?

The final phase described in the script is 'completely coasting,' which signifies a point in the freelance designer's career where they have established such a strong reputation and network that clients actively seek them out for work, rather than the designer having to search for clients.

What are some strategies a freelance designer can use to increase their credibility and attract more clients?

Strategies include consistently delivering high-quality work, being active on social media, participating in design challenges, networking effectively, and under-promising and over-delivering to ensure client satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Starting a Freelance Design Career

In the first paragraph, the speaker introduces the challenges of freelancing, emphasizing the importance of finding clients and the instability of income. They share their personal experience working with high-profile clients and outline a four-phase approach to building a freelance design career. The focus is on the initial phase where newcomers are advised to do good work, make good impressions, and invest in 'sweat equity' by taking on projects that may not pay well initially but help in gaining exposure and experience.

05:00

🔍 The Outreach Phase: Building a Portfolio and Networking

The second paragraph delves into the 'Outreach Phase,' where the speaker discusses the necessity of being proactive in reaching out to potential clients and building a solid portfolio. They suggest creating concept work to showcase one's abilities and engaging in design challenges to improve skills and gain attention. The importance of social media presence and the strategy of cold outreach through emails and direct messages are highlighted, with an emphasis on genuine engagement rather than spamming potential clients.

10:02

🏋️‍♂️ Pushing the Rock Up the Hill: Consistency and Growth

In the third paragraph, the speaker refers to the phase of 'pushing the rock up the hill,' which symbolizes the continuous effort required to grow as a freelance designer. They stress the importance of maintaining a good relationship with clients, being personable, and consistently delivering quality work. The speaker also touches on the significance of word-of-mouth referrals and the role of social media in showcasing work and attracting clients.

🏄‍♀️ Coasting at the Top: Reaping the Benefits of Hard Work

The final paragraph discusses the ultimate phase of 'coasting,' where the freelance designer has built a reputation and client base to the point where work comes to them through referrals and reputation. The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining the attributes of previous phases, such as being active on social media, having a strong portfolio, and challenging oneself to improve. They conclude with key takeaways, including the importance of understanding the distinct phases of a freelance career and the need for consistency, quality, and genuine client relationships.

Keywords

💡Freelancer

A freelancer is an individual who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long-term. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe a person who works as a designer without the security of a full-time job, having to find their own work and clients to sustain their income. The script mentions the challenges freelancers face, such as finding clients and the instability of work and income.

💡Client Work

Client work refers to the tasks or projects that are undertaken by a freelancer for their clients. The video emphasizes the importance of securing client work as a freelancer's livelihood depends on it. The script discusses the fear of not finding enough client work and the need to build a portfolio to attract more clients.

💡Sweat Equity

Sweat equity in the video refers to the hard work and effort that a freelancer may need to invest without immediate financial return. It is used to describe situations where a freelancer might take on free work or low-budget projects to gain exposure and build their reputation. The script mentions that this can be a necessary step in the early stages of a freelance career.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of a freelancer's work that showcases their skills and expertise. In the video, the speaker advises building a solid portfolio to attract clients, even suggesting the creation of concept work if actual client work is scarce. The portfolio serves as proof of the freelancer's ability to deliver value to potential clients.

💡Networking

Networking is the process of building and maintaining professional relationships. The video script highlights the importance of networking in the freelance world, suggesting that it can lead to more work and better clients. The speaker talks about the Outreach phase where a freelancer should be prolific in networking to find clients.

💡Cold Outreach

Cold outreach refers to the act of initiating contact with potential clients or businesses without any prior relationship. In the script, the speaker describes using cold emails and direct messages as a strategy to find clients, emphasizing the importance of doing research and being smart about the approach to increase the chances of a positive response.

💡Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is a form of informal communication where satisfied clients recommend a freelancer to others. The video emphasizes the power of word of mouth in attracting new clients and building a successful freelance career. The speaker suggests that being personable and creating a good experience for clients can lead to referrals and more work.

💡Social Media

Social media platforms are used in the video as a tool for freelancers to showcase their work, build a following, and find clients. The script advises being active on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to increase visibility and credibility, which can help in attracting clients and building a freelance career.

💡Concept Work

Concept work in the video refers to the creation of designs or projects that are not commissioned by a client but are made to demonstrate a freelancer's skills and style. The speaker suggests doing concept work in the desired niche to build a client base and show potential clients the value that the freelancer can provide.

💡Phases of Freelance Career

The video outlines four phases that a freelance designer might go through in their career: newcomer, outreach, pushing the rock up the hill, and coasting. Each phase represents a different stage of development and comes with its own set of challenges and strategies. The script provides advice tailored to each phase to help freelancers progress in their careers.

💡Referrals

Referrals are instances where existing clients recommend a freelancer to others. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of referrals in the freelance career, stating that being personable and doing good work can lead to clients referring more business. This can result in a freelancer reaching the 'coasting' phase where clients actively seek them out.

Highlights

Designing smarter not harder is the core philosophy of the channel.

Freelancing involves finding your own work and dealing with the instability of client work and income.

The fear of finding clients is one of the biggest challenges in freelancing.

The speaker has worked with high-profile clients like Metallica and Olivia Rodrigo.

Freelancing is broken down into four phases: newcomer, outreach, pushing your rock up the hill, and coasting.

As a newcomer, focus on doing good work and making good first impressions.

Sweat equity involves putting in hard work that may not directly lead to financial growth initially.

Building a portfolio is crucial for showcasing your skills to potential clients.

Engaging in cold outreach through emails and direct messages is a key strategy for finding clients.

Being personable and forming genuine connections with clients is essential for repeat business and referrals.

Word of mouth is a powerful tool for attracting new clients.

As you progress, increase your prices to reflect the quality of your work and the value you provide.

Coasting phase is reached when clients start coming to you due to your reputation and connections.

Consistency in delivering value and maintaining a good portfolio are key to reaching the coasting phase.

Social media presence is vital for showcasing your work and building a following.

The importance of underpromising and overdelivering to build trust and authority as a designer.

The video concludes with key takeaways and final tips for aspiring freelance designers.

Transcripts

hey y'all welcome back to the channel

I'm Don with dap.com where I help you

design smarter not harder being a

freelancer means you have to find your

own work and finding your own work can

be very hard and scary it's completely

on you to make a living for yourself so

you can pay rent eat and do whatever you

need to do and that can be a pretty

daunting thing for a lot of people

considering that the amount of client

work you get and the money you get from

those clients is not always going to be

stable in fact one of the biggest fears

within freelancing in general is being

able to find any clients at all I've

been extremely lucky to work with

hundreds of clients over the past few

years including some big names like

Metallica and Olivia Rodrigo but of

course it did not start that way in this

video I'm going to give you my Approach

for getting clients as a freelance

designer and I'm going to break that

down into four phases you might go

through in your freelance career while

you're watching this video try to

identify what phase you're in and what

you need to do to progress on to the

next phase so with all that being said

let's learn how to make some

guav so phase number one you're a

newcomer you just got onto the scene

you're just starting to look for clients

or maybe getting yourself a little bit

out there on social media not many

people know about you yet you're

probably going to be getting a lot of

local work or work requested from

friends maybe your friend band needs a

t-shirt or your friend's company needs a

new logo quick sign out you're actually

always going to barely cross up having

your friends request some design work

from you some friend somewhere is going

to have a great business idea that they

want you to make a outstanding new logo

for which is great that you come to mind

but it does kind of get funny down the

road especially when they want that uh

that friend discount AKA free so at this

point if you're even getting work for

some local places or for your friends

it's a good place to start and get your

feet wet but it's not going to be

sustainable either way here's some tips

on that front as you begin your

freelance career this actually applies

all the way down the road but number one

do good work and make good first

impressions your work will get better

over time obviously no one starts as the

LeBron of design but focus on quality

over quantity and persist in trying to

learn something new with every design

that you do number two you got to put in

that Sweat Equity even though it sucks

this is a term that I hated to hear here

but it's real and it basically means

sometimes you're just going to have to

put in that hard work even though it may

not directly lead to instant Financial

growth so sometimes you do have to take

on free work just to get your name out

there and get your presence on the

Playfield or maybe even work with

clients with a really low budget again

just to get your name out there if I

never did all that I would not be where

I am right now so it does suck in the

moment but it will pay off down the road

it's obviously something you don't want

to stick to for long um as you progress

you don't want to do free work or start

consistently working with clients that

have a low budget you don't want to get

stuck in that phase at all you also want

to really start taking seriously

building out your foundations especially

if you didn't go to school for art or

design you want to start feeling

yourself out as a designer gaug what

kind of people are interested in your

work and also where your work fits best

in then hone in on what you're good at

that way you can start trying to build a

client base inside of that Niche that

you're interested in so phase one is all

about finding yourself as a designer

finding what Niche you want to pursue

and start putting in the work for anyone

who takes interest

okay now we're getting into phase number

two the Outreach phase so at this point

you've done some work around town maybe

for some friends or some clients you

found on social media but it's

definitely not enough to be stable so at

this point you want to start really

reaching out to clients and getting as

much work under your belt as you can

this is where you have to start being

really prolific not only with your work

but also in networking and reaching out

to clients and putting in the effort in

finding people who want your

work so here are some tips for phase

number two you want to build a portfolio

first so find what you're good at or

what you like to do and build a solid

portfolio off of that even if it's fake

if you're struggling to find clients

within your Niche start doing concept

work in the niche that you want to build

a client Basin use this to show people

that you can deliver them value as a

designer don't just expect them to trust

you they're hiring you to make some cool

stuff to look at so the first thing you

want to do is show them some cool stuff

to look at you can even start doing

design challenges to improve your design

game and get some more work out there I

know a lot of my friends who have gred a

lot of attention and clients by doing

challenges like the 365 poster where you

make a poster for every day of the year

or even 36 Days of type or whatever so

just find what suits you and crank out

work that your ideal client base would

be looking for you also don't need to

have a super polish portfolio I've

honestly always just used Instagram as

my portfolio but then again a lot of the

work I do was sort of informal uh in

comparison to like corporate design so

if you feel your work needs more context

and explanation you can create a pretty

cool portfolio using like a website

builder like Squarespace or Wix or

something like that but again focus more

on the quality of the work that you're

putting out there rather than the

portfolio itself and here's my biggest

tip on on here be everywhere on social

media this is just how it is in present

day you need to be on social media get

on Instagram and Tik Tok you can post

process videos even anything you can do

to start building a following is going

to give you Credence and eventually help

you find clients here's another big tip

you have to start engaging in cold

Outreach so cold emails cold DMS things

like that just make sure to do your

research I obviously didn't get to work

with Metallica by dming the metall

Instagram page if you want to get a

client like that you want to find what

company does their merch find someone in

that company that can link with the art

directors maybe go on LinkedIn for that

and start reaching out from that angle

you want to be smart about your

networking you don't always want to

reach out to the top boss or your dream

client immediately you want to start

small and work with people that know

those people and maybe they refer you

and you can work your way up that chain

the first couple clients I got were off

cold messages here's actually the exact

message that I DMD a ton of clothing

brands when I was starting out a lot of

them didn't respond but some of them did

and that got me some really good and

consistent client work that I can put on

my portfolio and eventually get more

clients from just do not however be a

bot you don't want to a thousand of the

same messages to everyone you know like

you're some sort of pyramid scheme talk

to people and potential clients like

people have genuine conversations form a

connection and that will lead you a lot

further than sending them a message like

I do designs please hire me that's

something I only learned later on but

it's going to help you a lot so the

concept of quality over quantity doesn't

just apply to your work but it also

applies to the way that you network with

people okay phase number three this is

what I like to call pushing your rock up

the hill getting a little existential

here at this point you've got some

decent clients on your belt just enough

to make you think maybe I can start

doing this for a living you know you've

got yourself some repeat clients and

you're starting to feel a little bit

more comfortable with the whole

freelance thing so at this point you

just got to keep pushing that rock up

the hill and by that I mean just keep

chipping away at your craft get really

comfortable with your work and you'll

keep going up as long as you stay

consistent it only gets easier from here

the more work you do the more work

you'll get if you've got some repeat

clients that's a great way to get your

foot in the door with a lot of other

clients sometimes those clients will

just automatically refer you to their

friends but you don't always want to

wait on that to happen so you can always

message your clients like hey I love

working with you if there's anyone else

you know that needs work they can hit me

up again this ties back to having

genuine conversations and genuinely

bonding with your clients I can't

underestimate how important word of

mouth is so you want to make sure that

your clients like you not only as a

designer but as a person too you're also

hopefully showing your social media

followers and anyone you know pretty

much that you're getting these clients

that you're doing this work for them and

that ultimately gives you more Credence

and brings more people to your spot

so here's some tips for phase three as

you push your rock up the hill like I

said be extremely personable with your

clients make wholehearted connections

and be good to everyone you work with

trust me it goes a long way this may

seem obvious but you don't want to make

any bad Impressions and you sort of have

to be a people pleaser at this point you

want to be the guy that someone thinks

about when they need a new design or

when their friend mentions that they're

looking for a designer you want to make

sure to stick in the back of people's

heads because Word of Mouth really

really counts and it only gets more

important the more time you spend as a

freelance designer most of the time when

people need a design they don't know

where to go so they're going to start

asking around and if you made some

genuine connections with people you're

going to be popping up in those

conversations also you will fall

naturally into where you're supposed to

be according to the proficiency of your

work what I mean is if you're doing good

work people will notice and people will

tell people and you'll end up on

somebody's mood board and you'll end up

getting hired that's also a cheeky

little tip for you you want to be on

people's mood boards so put your work

everywhere you can including Pinterest

and Instagram Twitter and whatnot anyway

like I said push the rock do good work

and as you get bigger and better so with

your clients I do want to mention that

pressing is a huge factor in all this

but I'm not going to dwell on it too

much because I have a whole video on

that but basically a low price will help

you get work in the beginning once you

start building up your bases you want to

start increasing your prices and that

way you can do more quality work for the

same or more amount of money and you'll

also probably be dealing with better

clients you also want to keep this in

mind though prices aren't everything

sometimes you'll have to go back to that

Sweat Equity concept to build your

Credence Maybe by working with a big

artist who has a low budget or just

accepting a lower budget for some work

you really want to do think about it

like this even though for that project

you might not be getting the amount of

money that you want to get say if it's

for a big name then that's going to be

put on your portfolio and that will lead

more clients to your spot like I said

that gives you Credence it gives you

Authority and it builds your respect as

a

designer okay in Phase number four this

is what I'm going to call completely

coasting it takes a lot of hard work to

get to this point I'll be honest not

everyone will get to this point for

different reasons maybe you lacked on

your consistency maybe you weren't Smart

in your networking or you just haven't

put any the time to really improve your

craft but if you've reached the stage in

your design career you've done enough

client Outreach and worked with enough

people to have made such the amount of

connections where instead of you go to

the clients to get work the clients

start coming to you because they know

about you or they heard about you or

they saw your work somewhere or a friend

refers

them this also all ties back to Word of

Mouth again you really don't want to

underestimate that concept you can only

expect someone to trust you so much as a

designer but if someone that person

trusts tells them to trust you then

you're in either way the goal is to have

clients coming to you instead of the

other way around and it is only

achievable by doing this relentlessly

putting yourself out there constantly

delivering value to your clients and

being extremely personable with your

clients and your prospects the other

three phases is where you build the

foundation and lay the groundwork to get

here there's really no cutting corners

but I trust that if you are digilant

with your work and you follow all the

tips I outlined in this video you will

eventually reach the point of completely

coasting I do want to make it clear that

that this phase is still sort of

cumulative as then you're going to want

to have all the attributes of all the

other phases in your back pocket when

you need them so that's still being

ubiquitous on social media creating

genuine connections with your clients

maintaining a good portfolio and

challenging yourself to get better every

day that's the four phases I've taken

notice of during my time as a freelancer

I hope this helped you realize not only

what phase you're in but what you need

to do to progress to the next phase

let's quickly go over some of the key

takeaways here and some final tips

number one you have to understand that

your your journey as a freelancer

progresses through these distinct phases

and it's obviously not going to be the

exact same for everyone but just having

an outline like this helps a lot follow

all the tips I give you earlier and I

promise you'll thank me to if you're

unsure of your work or your capability

or your prices I recommend you under

charge or under promise and overd

deliver and once you're comfortable

enough with yourself as a designer you

can start building your Authority and

charge more appropriately for your work

remember the last thing you want to do

is make bad Impressions so just never

underd deliver number three get all over

social media and create a good base and

portfolio to show these clients that you

can deliver them value I can't stress

this enough you can't just expect people

to trust you you have to show them if

that means doing concept work in the

niche that you want to be involved in do

that if that means doing a design

challenge to keep yourself working and

show clients what you can do do that do

whatever you could do to show potential

clients coming across your page that

you're able to get the job done for them

number four do good work and be

personable with all your clients if you

do this I promise your clients will

refer you I'm at a point now where I

don't go searching for clients and I've

put in enough work where they start

coming to me because number one they

know I'll get the job done based on the

work that I put out there and number two

I've always tried to craft a good

experience for the client and I always

try to be as genuine as I can that way

they know they can trust me and that way

they'll let other people know that and

that word will get around and eventually

you'll start getting more clients based

on referrals and word of mouth and

that's not concrete but that's one of

the most important things to take note

of as a freelance designer number five I

just said this but I'm going to say it

again because it's that important get

all over social media post your work

often you never know who's watching all

right and that's a wrap if you like this

video be sure to like the video if you

like me subscribe to the channel I post

videos like this every week to help you

become a better designer I'll see yall

in the next one peace out

[Music]