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Starting Out – Things I’ve Learned as a Freelance Web Designer

3
Mar
2010
0replies
posted in Opinion

In the 14 months I’ve been officially freelancing, I’ve learned so much. I’ve had the privilege of working with some truly remarkable people and companies. When doing what I do, it’s easy to lose track of time, so when I look back at some of the first designs I’ve made I can honestly say I’m improving, but there is definitely vast room to improve. Below are a few key elements which I have tried to follow while freelancing, and hopefully an aspiring designer can learn from even one of these tips.

Simplicity is Key

The designs you make between becoming relatively familiar with Photoshop and learning to create a worthwhile design, are often the worst. Because as you start learning different techniques in Photoshop, you naturally want to exhibit them through your work. But more often than not it just adds to the clutter of web designs people start out with. Watching Jon Ive talk about Apple products helped me understand the importance of simplicity and how to avoid it. And I have definitely made this mistake on more than one occasion.

For example, gradients are nice when used properly, but subtlety is key.  Using gradients that have similar colors, and that are perhaps only a few shades apart adds depth, without it looking overworked and cheap.

Familiarity is also important. When making a search form, people usually use a magnifying glass icon, because that image association is embedded our brains. It’s the same with colour. Green is for positive actions, red for warnings or excitement. These little things make seem unimportant but they really can make the difference between an alright site and a great site.

Work on your brand first

Its important to make a strong first impression when trying to find potential clients. That’s why your personal place on the web should encompass all your skills, all your ideas of what web design should be, and perhaps where you think it’s going. Don’t follow trends, set them.

If you are not able to make yourself look hire-able, how can you expect to create a site for clients who want to be. Some essential things to include on a personal site might be :

  • Portfolio – Make sure this is updated as often as possible
  • Services – Outline your services clearly and make sure you can do them all
  • Testimonials – Ask clients for their opinion – it gives your site a bit of personality
  • Contact Info – Pretty self-explanatory

Some of these sound pretty obvious, but it is surprising how many people forget the important things, especially when they are focused on making something look good, but without thinking about the end user, your missing the point of having a site in the first place.

Stay Frequent & Social

Things like Twitter and Facebook are great because they’ve brought blogging to the average Joe. They’re simple, fun and you can gain alot from it with only a few minutes of use a day. I dont have time to blog daily (or weekly for that matter), so when I have an idea, thought, or something to share, I tweet, or Share on Facebook. And the more I am active on these, more people come to my site. My SEO is fine, but I get a lot of referrals directly from Twitter and Facebook primarily because of my frequent postings on these services

Designing frequently is also important. Web Design isn’t a static career. Trends come and go, practices and frameworks are introduced weekly. Keeping up to date can set you apart from everyone else. Break the mould, and try to create a design as different as you can from the last. If you don’t have any clients right now, create something anyway, and hone your skills.

It’s not about what you want or even what the client wants

Its about what their end-user needs. A lot of clients seem to think that a 2 hour tutorial on Powerpoint gives them a creative advantage over you, but the fact is, they hired you to solve something for their users, not them. Yes, clients know more about their business, but they hired you for your expertise and you have to find a way to let them remember that. It’s alright to say no to clients, as long as you have reason to. Whether its regarding payment or a design suggestion, if they are wrong, and you know it, be straight and tell them (nicely though).They’ll thank you for your honesty.

Just remember that with every design you make,  its an opportunity to better yourself. Try to create something different. Every time that you open Photoshop is a chance to improve, to do something entirely different, to experiment, because you’ll never learn otherwise. Stop when you have to, or if you think your ruining something, and do something else. Have fun with web design, it’s not meant to be serious but to grab attention and excite people.

This is my ultimate career, and I can believe I’m doing it right now. Of course I have off days, and get sick of it from time-to-time, but I play around with colours and images all day – whats not to love?

Daily Links – 12th Feb 2009

12
Feb
2010
1reply
posted in Daily Links

This week, the biggest news socially has to be Google Buzz, a social aggregator integrated into Gmail. It needs to be refined more, but right now, its doing its purpose, worrying Twitter.

This is what else I’ve been reading this week.

Video

My favourite Super Bowl advert this year

Daily Links – 2nd Feb 2009

2
Feb
2010
1reply
posted in Daily Links

This is what I’ve been reading for the past few days

Videos

What an epic performance!

Helvetica – The Quintessential Typeface

1
Feb
2010
0replies
posted in Design

Since I’ve been designing, “Helvetica”, has probably been my favourite typeface. And I know I’m not alone with my opinion. “Helvetica” has been a staple in advertising, design, and street signage for the past 50 years. And after watching the documentary “Helvetica”, directed by Gary Hustwit, it has enlightened me on how significant this typeface actually is.

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Daily Links – 29th Jan 2009

29
Jan
2010
0replies
posted in Daily Links

Busy week both for me and the tech world. iPad introduced, multiple companies trying to block competitors from importing goods into the US and of course the most important, miralize v10 was introduced!

Here’s what I’ve been reading recently

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