Freelance Design - Week TWO - 27.09.07

Istock image of the week - Dark blue tropical frog

This isn't the best illustration I have ever done but is proving a best seller for me on istock, I chose this particular image because it's currently at 99 downloads and is 1 off from being 'in flames' an accolade for files with over a hundred downloads. My full portfolio can be viewed here.

Stats so far:
Uploads. 135
Downloads. 388

This week

As was with last week little has happened, I really have chosen a poor 2 weeks to begin this blog especially after the last 2 and a half months of back to back work. So to keep you entertained I will give you a run down of those two months (July, August and the first half of September) that I was really busy.

July, August and September

July, August and the first half of September showed a good increase in work that kept me busy consistently, showing a distinct upturn in work and the potential of future business. I have had to go back to invoices to remind me of the all the projects I was involved with as I was handling multiple jobs at the same time, I will recount them as I received them but they tended to overlap. I will also mention how I attained them for people interested in freelancing or have just begun.

The first was very exciting for me as it is the second biggest job I had ever received and the company, E&J Gallo wines was also the highest profile company I had worked for. They contacted me after seeing my portfolio on Coroflot.com and I assume that it was the Hotcan project that they were particularly interested in as it shows I had worked with beverage labels in the past. Their brief was the most comprehensive brief I have ever worked on and was several pages long with matrix's, strong consumer research and a clear idea of who they wanted to market too. I was employed to conceptualise ideas for phase one of a new wine brand. I cannot mention much more than that as I signed an NDA, but I enjoyed designing a wide variety of labels and coming up with ideas for the particular brand and hope that something develops from these initial ideas. I really enjoy the early stages of a brief as I feel I'm most suited to creating a 'big idea' but this often means I miss out on development and things are lost in the final outcome. I look forward to seeing the end results and will post some images after I have had the OK'd from Gallo.

The second project was the development of the 'Sense' oak bedroom range mentioned in my earlier posts. I was commissioned by Bradshaw Beds to develop a range of oak furniture that could be launched at Furniture China 2007. I have been working with this company since I began freelancing in 2002 and received work from them after a friend suggested me for a particular job as he couldn't do it after moving away. Initially the brief specified a french inspired range but after presenting a range of concepts a more contemporary European design was chosen for development. Unfortunately with a limited budget I was only given time to develop the concepts as sketches and these were sent straight to the factory in China. This range of furniture sold well at the show so it is displaying promise for future sales.



The third project I received was from a new start up business dealing with online viral marketing, the company is soon to be launched so I can't mention specifics until this happens. They picked up my details from a freelance forum which I often post on to boost my profile and link back to my website. What was particularly enjoyable about this client was their enthusiasm for my work and were confident in my ability to create a brand that excited them. The brief was to create a identity which incorporated a unique cartoon character as the focus of the brand, as it would be predominantly based online relevant supporting media was required including a variety of blog banners. I will post the final identity when it is launched.

Throughout this period I had a number of smaller projects which I shall quickly mention. The design of an events flyer for a Nigerian Independence party (I was recommended by a past client). The development of 3d visualisations and flash presentations for Bower Parnham Stewart's e-mailer 'Job of the week'.

The forth project was a period of in-house work at Bower Parnham Stewart who I have been working for after a friend in a printers recommended me to them. I cant mention too much about this work as it has still to be OK'd by their clients, but I came up with the concepts for two separate projects. The first, a new product launch, the second a soft drinks industry report. Both included the creation of a brand and literature, hopefully when everything is cleared I will post some images.

The final project was the biggest chance for me to date as an opportunity to get involved with a large high street chain. Next asked me to come up with a range cast bed concepts that had a french feel to them, again I cant go into too much detail until I hear back from them.

A lot of these projects are in the very early stages of development so I am restricted about what I can write and the images I can post but I hope to in the near future so check back soon.

Thanks for reading.

www.workinprogressdesign.co.uk

Freelance Design - Week ONE - 20.09.07

Istock Image of the week - Horned Demon

As part of my weekly posts I will be showcasing my latest uploaded istock image. I have been using this site to develop a portfolio that will provide a continual stream of income. I often create new characters as a way of developing my illustrative style. My full portfolio can be viewed here.

Stats so far:
Uploads. 130
Downloads. 353

This week

This week has been a bit slow for new work, a couple of clients who use me on a regular basis are away on holiday, so I have spent most of this week expanding my istock portfolio. I have also spent a small time this week updating the resume on my website adding all my recent freelance projects.

I had some good news regarding my latest furniture range 'Sense' an oak and leather bedroom collection. This was launched this week at Furniture China 2007, a full container consignment was sold which is a good start, but it still needs work so I am looking forward to liaising with my wholesale client on developing the range further.

I would love to give a long detailed and exciting account of the week but as is with freelancing not much happened this week. My main aim is to give an accurate account of my freelancing career and as you have read isn't always as busy as a designer would like, fingers crossed for next week.

My journey into freelance design - An Introduction

Welcome!

Before I begin my weekly blog about what I am currently working on, I would like to give you a brief introduction of my journey into freelancing so far. I recently had the article below published in Design Week, it gives a bit of background with some advice mixed in there too. So here it is, enjoy.

A bumpy ride but it's worth it

Going freelance can be rewarding, but to succeed you have to be positive, promote yourself at every opportunity and, above all, keep on training, says Richard Baird

Becoming a freelancer can be difficult at any point in your career but doing it straight from university is much harder. This is how I began my professional design career.

I graduated with a BA Hons in Furniture and Product Design from Nottingham Trent University in 2005 but quickly realised the industry was getting tougher for new designers. So I used any free time to develop other skills, including illustration, website design and flash animation, feeling these would give me an edge.

After graduating I found it difficult to find work as the opportunities simply weren’t there. I hadn’t intended to become a freelancer but my first commission paid well, I had nothing else lined up, so I registered. A year and half later with a steady stream of work, I feel more settled and I am looking forward to building new working relationships in the future.

If you’re thinking of freelancing, here are some tips based on my experience so far;

It's a cliché ‘it’s who you know’, but I secured my first two freelance jobs because of people I knew and I’m entirely grateful. Since then I have found it beneficial to keep in touch and network as much as possible. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace makes this increasingly easier to do.

Initially, opportunities were rare – be ready to grasp anything that looks remotely promising. Turn bad experiences into positive experiences – keep a pro-active attitude when things go wrong. For example, my laptop crashed and I had to call out an engineer. We got chatting and he said that he was often asked if he designed websites. He didn’t but I did, so I gave him some of my business cards. I honestly didn’t expect anything but the next day I got a call.

If you don’t think you have the expertise to do the work, teach yourself, ask someone or employ someone. It’s this stuff that keeps me sharp and continually learning. Not knowing a program and becoming an expert in two weeks is a great feeling and will increase your work prospects. I believe diversification has allowed me to succeed as a freelancer. While working at an advertising agency designing a display stand, I suggested modelling it up on a 3D package, a skill that wasn’t intrinsic to the company, but felt it would really sell the concept to the client. It did and subsequently I’ve modelled reception refits and several other products and stand visualisations.

Taking opportunities is easy, creating them is harder. I make the most of free online portfolios such as viewcreatives.com, it was a while before anything resulted from these but I do believe in having a presence everywhere. Even if you get a single project, that one project will have a ripple effect.

Use Google Analytics to monitor the traffic going to your portfolios and website, it will give a clear idea of what’s working and what isn’t. Update the better ones regularly; it should put you back to the top of the pile.

E-mail local companies and new business start ups a link to your online work, go for volume but always show an obvious interest in each company avoiding generic e-mails. If you do this often enough you may catch someone who is considering a new website or identity that day, this has happened to me on a number of occasions.

Speculative work such as competitions and book submissions are currently a contentious issue, I believe it’s a good idea in moderation but stick to the free ones. I’ve done my share of winning and losing. If you lose then look at it from a personal development angle, you have another piece for your portfolio and if you win enjoy it, you’re likely to lose next time.

Freelancing is like istock, it isn’t going to make you millions in a day, but the work that you have done is not going away and you can always build on it. Satisfied clients will mention your name to others and word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools around. Don’t expect instant returns, plant some seeds, if someone puts you on their outsourcers list, celebrate - this is an achievement.

Finally, don’t worry when work is slow to pick up, there are a lot of ups and downs to freelancing. Remain confident in your abilities and focus on marketing, enter some competitions or feature in a book, it will all contribute to your future as a successful designer.

Richard Baird http://www.workinprogressdesign.co.uk/