Graphic design has turned into a lucrative career for many people. However, one of its most difficult aspects is finding the best way to portray your work and getting more clients. This article has compiled all of the different ways that design students can best portray their work in the age of technology.
1. Create your own website
The first and perhaps most important step in this process is creating your own website. Graphic design websites are among the best tools for graphic design students to use if they want to advertise their products, gather clientele and get the word out there about their services.
Aside from just creating your own website, a graphic design student can look at other graphic design websites as inspiration to see what they should include on their website. When you create a graphic design website, some of the most important tools that you want to have include an “about me” page, your education and experience and some examples of your work.
You will also want to include a section that people can use to contact you, set up an appointment, or place an order. In short, you will find that creating a graphic design website will help you propel your career.
2. Sign up for freelancer websites
Although you can certainly work for a company exclusively, many graphic designers tend to freelance. In fact, sometimes having some freelance gigs can help you financially, and if you are just starting out as a student, you will need to build some experience before you work for bigger companies.
Freelance work is one of the best ways to build your portfolio and gain some experience. There are many websites out there for freelancers, such as Fiverr and Upwork. You can create a profile on these websites and get orders.
On Fiverr, you will be able to personalize gigs, including all the services you have to offer and your pricing. With Upwork, people will post their request and you can respond to the request accordingly. You will certainly want to make use of these websites if you are trying to build your portfolio and gain some knowledge as a student.
3. Make use of social media
People always emphasize the importance of social media for any business, and for good reason. Social media has become one of the most important platforms nowadays for businesses to advertise themselves, and the same goes for anyone in graphic design, or anyone offering any type of service.
On social media, the opportunities are endless for making sure that you can advertise your product and services to a large group of people. Not only do you not have to use your personal page, but you can also create business pages that will enable you to check out your insights and pay for ads.
With social media, you have endless ways to display your work as a graphic designer and get in touch with people who would be interested in what you have to offer. You can also join groups on sites like Facebook that will enable you to find some graphic design gigs in the meantime.
4. Don’t forget to have a portfolio
For anyone working in a field like graphic design, you should never underestimate the importance of having a portfolio. In fact, in many cases it is required. Your portfolio is going to be a compilation of the absolute best samples of your work.
Potential employers and clients will often request a portfolio in order to see what you are capable of. This is also why it could be a good idea to sign up for freelance websites because you will be able to build your portfolio accordingly.
Don’t be afraid to take on some free gigs in the very beginning just so that you will have something to build your portfolio with. You can also include some of your own personal works, such as if you have a Facebook page, other type of business, or you did some work for a friend or in school.
You can advertise your portfolio on social media or any of the freelance websites that you have signed up for. It will also be an important component of your website.
5. Advertise your services to people
Finally, do not forget to advertise your services accordingly. You will often want to pay for ads on websites like Facebook and Instagram so you can get the word out there to a niche audience that would be most likely to be interested in your work.
This will also help you to gain clientele. You can even offer your services to influencers and other people in your area because they will have to include who the graphic designer was for their project or logo, which will help more people to get to know who you are and check out your services.
