Graphic Designer FAQs

A graphic designer, also known as a communications designer, is a visual communicator, that creates visual concepts either by hand or through computer tools and software. These professionals are trained to relay messages, inform and captivate consumers by using physical and virtual forms of art, including images, graphics, and words. 

One of the main roles that graphic designers play is to ensure that the brands that hire them gain maximum visibility from their campaigns. Organizations can benefit from graphic designers by communicating ideas or boasting their identity using adverts and promotions. 

Graphic designers will help them create unique print designs, animations, logos, graphics, billboard adverts, etc. Graphic designers will also enable them to develop their brand identity through social media posts and website copy.

Some of the perks of being a freelance graphic designer include:

• Higher earning potential - the ultimate goal of being a freelancer is to ensure that you make more than you would when working in-house. Working as a freelance graphic designer will open more doors to you, and you can work on different projects from different clients at a go. This will definitely improve your chances of earning more.
• Choose your own hours - if you’re reading this, then you are creative, and we all know that we do not have creativity with us at all times. For you to develop amazing projects, you may want to work on them when you are entirely focused and feeling creative. 

Freelancing allows you to work at whatever times you feel more comfortable. Furthermore, you get to manage your time much better, unlike when you work in a traditional 9 to 5 environment. 

• You can pick your own clients - the beauty of being a freelancer is that you are not bound to work for clients you don’t relate well with. You have the full authority to decide who to work with and who not to work with. This is not the case when you are employed in-house, as you will have to work with a client that you may not like or one that you do not have any prior relations.
• Work where you want - the number one reason for most freelancers to choose that career path is the fact that you can work from anywhere. You may not have to leave the comfort of your home when you need to work on a project, as most of the tasks are done virtually (online). 

Whether it means converting a spare bedroom into a home office or working from your living room, being a freelance graphic designer will offer you all the freedom that you need.

 A couple of years back, this notion would have been correct. However, the popularity and usefulness of computer tools make this requirement invalid. All that you need to have is a sense of design and not necessarily know how to draw, as you will have computer-aided design software (CADs) for that. 

As a graphic designer, you need to be able to convey your ideas and design plans by making sketches on paper - to be presented to the client before you begin working on the actual designs. 

The highest paying graphic design jobs are:

• Multimedia Designer
• Art Director
• Senior Designer
• UI Designer
• UX Designer
• Creative Director

The best way to pick the best from the rest is through communication. You should communicate well in advance with them about your needs and goals - what exactly you wish to achieve with your creative designs. The next thing is to check out their portfolio and see if their way of doing things matches with whatever you’re looking for. 

You can also request them to see if they have worked on a similar project to yours before and gauge their expertise on the matter. You should also know how their customer relations are by checking out their testimonials or reaching out to some of the designer’s previous clients. 

You also need to have the right questions prepared for the designer, such as:

• How much will you charge for the project?
• How does your design process look like?
• Do you include the client in your design process, and if yes, how will I access the progress of the project as you work on it?
• How will I receive the project once you’re done?

Every freelance graphic designer uses their skills to solve specific communication challenges to achieve certain visual goals. 

However, even though they are all visual-problem solvers, it still doesn’t cover in its entirety what a graphic designer does. This is because there are different types of graphic design fields that one can major in. Some of the most common job titles in graphic design include: 

• A creative director - just as the name suggests, a creative director manages a team of creatives responsible for creating visuals for branding and advertising campaigns.
• An art director - still in the management phase, art directors are more inclined to manage and coordinate projects between illustrators and production artists while ensuring they are done as previously agreed on.
• A package designer - product designers, are in charge of creating product packages for marketing purposes. Package designers take care of both the design and physical construction of the package.
• Brand identity developer - this is more of a jack of all trades when it comes to assisting companies in developing their brand identity - from their themes, colors, flyers, banners, posters, social media posts, etc. 
• A visual image developer - this is a graphic designer with more expertise in creating images through 3D modeling and image editing.
• A logo designer - although this can be part of the brand identity developer’s roles, some graphic designers specify their niche to be in logo design. A logo is the first brand identity that speaks more about their values and what they do.
• An interface designer - these individuals mostly work for web development companies to develop graphical user interfaces. 

There are many other types of graphic design professions that one can join. There are the likes of content designers, multimedia developers, broadcast designers, and so forth.

Although there are many perks associated with working as a freelance graphic designer, you may also encounter some setbacks while at it. Some of the challenges you may have to put up with are:

• No coworkers - the lack of coworkers tends to leave many freelancers feeling lonely. You’ll be working alone in relative isolation, and the lack of a collaborative environment might make you lack the motivation to carry on with work.
• Hunting for work - Working as a freelancer enables you to pick the clients that you want to work with. However, finding these clients is not an easy task. You will have to actively seek and bid for projects from clients. As the competition is quite stiff, you will have to devise ways of making you stand out from the rest.
• Unreliable pay without benefits - as a freelancer, you won’t have a steady income as it all depends on the volume of the work you handled and the rates you agreed with your clients. At times you may earn a fairly high amount while you may go without work to do at other times. Moreover, the benefits you would get as an in-house employee for some companies, such as health insurance, maternity, etc., will all be on you.

If you have a knack for design, it might take you a shorter period to master the trade. However, to become a graphic designer, you should undergo a short two-year certification or get a bachelor’s degree. The latter is a preferred qualification when applying for work, more so at corporates. 

Apart from possessing the technical know-how of graphic design, a freelance graphic designer should also be able to have the following skills: 

• Creativity
• Communication
• Typography
• Adobe's creative applications
• Interactive media
• Coding
• Branding
• Delivering presentations

 Graphic design is so vast that you may never run out of new ideas. However, whenever you don’t feel creative or scared of trying new things out, there are various ways you can use them to get motivation. 

For starters, you should be actively following your mentors on social media and any other brand you feel has a good sense of graphic creativity. Apart from that, you should be an avid reader of blogs that offer new ideas regarding the finished product and other raw ingredients such as the use of color, grading, etc.