Starting Out As A Freelance Designer: What You Will Need

Starting Out As A Freelance Designer: What You Will Need


 Starting your own freelance designer business can be very exciting. But it can be a bit scary and even overwhelming. However, if you take it step by step and make a list of the things that you will need, it can be done without too much confusion and hassle. There will always be a vast market for a freelance graphic designer. More and more businesses are turning to the Internet as their main source of advertisement. Let’s look at what you will need to start your own freelance design business to get your piece of this growing industry.

The first thing you will need is the necessary skills. Without these skills, you cannot make it as a freelance web designer. A degree in graphic design or a few years of experience working for a graphic design company will give you the skills that you need. Once you have the skills, you will need the equipment. A good computer with a high speed Internet connection is a must for a freelance graphic designer.

Next you will need a scanner and a high quality printer. You want your graphics to look professional and the best way to achieve this look is by using high quality equipment. A professional freelance designer will also have access to the top graphic design programs. These software programs can be quite expensive but are a must have for any freelance designer. So which software programs should you acquire before you start your first freelance design jobs?

The first type of software you should have is a good word processing software. You can use Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect. Just make absolutely sure that these programs are capable of importing and exporting file formats that are compatible with your page layout software. Speaking of page layout software, a great one to have is QuarkXPress. It may be expensive but will be worth the price in the long run.

Once you have acquired these word processing programs, you need to get your hands on two types of great graphics programs. You will need a great illustration program such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. These programs will enable you to create your own artwork and edit it multiple times. You will then need great photo editing software that will allow you to professionally edit photographs and scans. Two examples of quality photo editing software are Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint.

Now that you have the proper equipment to start your freelance designer business, it is time to build your business. You should develop a portfolio of past work that you can show prospective clients. If you have no samples, then offer to do freelance web design work for a few people at a reduced price or even free, in exchange for testimonials and portfolio samples.

Just remember that starting your own freelance web design business will take a lot of work. You have to keep a positive attitude and learn to work well with all types of clients. But once you start working for yourself as a freelance designer, you will realize that all the hard work will be well worth it.


Starting your own freelance designer business can be very exciting. But it can be a bit scary and even overwhelming.