Web Design - Starting as a Freelancer

[Argathor]

Hi Guys and Girls,

I am currently at University and last year did a web design module as part of my course. I really enjoyed it and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about it. (Then I got scared when I realised how much I didn't know and now I am back to enjoying learning!- haha)

I have decided to start out working for myself while I am at university to build up experience. I am looking for any and all advice on the business side to it, things to look out for/think about etc.

-I have been taught how to make proposal documents linked to terms & conditions to avoid disagreements on what a project involves and to aid my understanding of what the client wants.

-I have also found my first client, a freelance consultant (family friend).

I do have a few specific questions:

-I presume web designers have a structured way they tackle each project? e.g. Design process/ Production/ Testing, etc. Is there anywhere I can learn more about each stage and how to best go about tackling my projects?

-When should I make myself a website? After my first client? Once I have a number of previous works for my portfolio?

-I have been attending a few local business/networking meetings (which I really enjoy going to), are these the sort of places I should be going to find customers and build relationships? What else should I consider doing once I get going and am looking for work?

I think I have successfully bored most of you to death by this point, so I will end it here!

 

[kwills]

I have been freelancing for almost a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it. If you enjoy what you are doing and are willing to put the time and effort in, you can make a success of yourself.

"-I presume web designers have a structured way they tackle each project? e.g. Design process/ Production/ Testing, etc. Is there anywhere I can learn more about each stage and how to best go about tackling my projects?"

Have a look at this:
freelanceswitch.com/clients/whats-your-production-process/

FreelanceSwitch is a very good website full of resources for freelancers and has a lot of valuable information worth reading. That should explain the core design process that you can implement when designing your sites.

"-I presume web designers have a structured way they tackle each project? e.g. Design process/ Production/ Testing, etc. Is there anywhere I can learn more about each stage and how to best go about tackling my projects?"

What i usually do when designing my sites, is have some sort of checklist before it goes live to make sure i haven't missed anything, have a look at the link below for some good resources.

smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/29/45-incredibly-useful-web-design-checklists-and-questionnaires/

I would start creating yourself a website now, even if its only a few pages about yourself, your services and your skill set... it will soon grow when you get work in. You may not have enough time to build if things move quickly and you get a few projects on the go. You don't even have to put it live yet, you can build up your portfolio before you do.

If you have the budget, get yourself some business cards made and take them to the local events you have been attending. If you get chatting to potential clients, you can easily hand them one so they can get in touch with you.

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[fisicx]

This is my process (I know it's a self-promo link but the info is advisory rather than promotional): http://www.aerin.co.uk/design-process.htm

Web design isn't just about the layout of the site, it's about content, navigation, usability, accessibility, information flow, visual focus, call to actiom and so on und so weiter.

 

[darubio]

yeah i think you have to build your own site first so you will have a website to show to people and maybe get to know you a little bit from it. Also are u a member of linkedin.com? You could try set up yourself a profile and input the services you are offering. Linkedin is a great way to get contacts with other professionals.

 

[Argathor]

......

Thank you for the advice and great resources, I especially liked the production process link. From reading it seems that the design process is a large part of the project. Is the split likely to end up 50/50?

The business card tip is a good one, I will make sure I have some for my next networking meeting! I feel rather silly for not thinking of that before!

......

Thank you. Self promo or not it made for interesting reading. One question it brought up was, how does the content side of the project work? Is it important for the client to supply it all before you start the project to aid in the design process? Do clients always supply content, or sometimes expect you to write copy?

......

Thank you Darubio, I have taken a quick look at linkedin and it looks very interesting. It looks very useful for networking! I have noticed that a lot of web designer sites have links to social networking sites, is this an important aspect of promoting the business?

 

[darubio]

you want to get yourself expose out there so the easiest way to do that is join social networking sites and promote yourself

 

[fisicx]

Thank you. Self promo or not it made for interesting reading. One question it brought up was, how does the content side of the project work? Is it important for the client to supply it all before you start the project to aid in the design process? Do clients always supply content, or sometimes expect you to write copy?

It depends. Ideally you need something to work with so you can sort out how best to link it all together, if a blog would be useful, the type of navigation, the images to use, the call to action, the footer links and so on. Starting with a layout forces you down a design route that may not be best suited for the business model.

If a client wants a website for their cat lovers club and know nothing about cats then they are the only ones who can provide. If it's an online store then you need the product list to set up the categories and so on.

Of course it's not always possible to get all the content on day one but at the very least you need the main material to sort out the wireframe.