•because we love what we do 
• because it’s an opportunity to work on more exciting projects 
• because it can advance our professional careers 
• because it pays very very well 

•step one is figuring out what you want and why you want it 
• step two is figuring out what it takes to get what you want 

•a portfolio isn’t enough 
• it is about reputation complimented by quantity and quality of work 
• it is about being involved in the community 
• do great work and be known for doing great work 

•no one really knows what to do 
• no one freelancer is the same, no one client or project is the same 
• you have to figure out what works best for you 
• it takes time, patience … it’s all about trial and error

•be a realist … don’t be naive 
• it is human nature to make mistakes 
• you may never fail but always be prepared 
• don’t be scared of making mistakes, be scared of your reaction

•getting clients is easy … but not always rewarding 
• if you want better clients, you must act like a better freelancer 
• there is nothing exciting about knowing you work out of a spare bedroom 
• be small and nimble but act large, established and professional 

•a project isn’t worth what a client is willing to pay someone else 
• no two freelancers are the same … there is no standard market value 
• know your client and your competition; know the psychology of your rate 
• you win some and you lose some … remember the “opportunity cost” 

• just ask! start by always asking for a budget 
• the client doesn’t always know what they need … they are looking to you 
• be a problem solver and a solution provider  
• determine what is it going to take to create an amazing deliverable

•do it to work on bigger projects that require more diverse talent 
• don’t do it because your too busy for your clients 
• do it to get the opportunity to work with new people 
• don’t do it because you can charge a lot and pay little 
• do it to get a feel for running an agency and managing talent

•a contract is only necessary if you plan on using it 
• pay your taxes … and deduct everything! 
• be organized, stay organized and be really anal about it all 
• there is nothing wrong with being a sole proprietor 

• you are a freelancer … the cat is out of the bag 
• the difference is really in protection  
•protect yourself at the level in which you grow

• always collect a deposit 
• never accept credit cards! 
• manage your clients expectations 
• don’t take on more than you can handle (there will always be more work) 
• don’t’ wait until the last minute 
• know when to walk away 
• understand what your client is really asking of you 
• don’t do it just for the money … like the client, like the work 

This section is specially created for students who works on freelancing sectors.........

A student once asked me it it was important he had real world experience upon graduating (actually 
more than one student asked this). I won’t deny that it does help get a foot in the door to have 
experience. I have observed that many students feel the need/desire to take on any freelance 
opportunity, regardless of pay or compromising their ideas, because it gives them this experience. 
Not all freelance work is going to produce portfolio worthy work, and I have seen several students 
put that work in their portfolio only because it was done outside of school. To be honest most 
employers don’t care. What they really want to see are your skills and abilities—production skills 
(reflected through craft) and creative skills (reflected through ideas). My advice, avoid falling into this mind set.In Winter 2007, I learned that several of my students were doing work for clients at little or no pay. What 
made this worse is I had recommended them for these jobs. As an instructor I get several people asking for 
students help to do design work for them. Sometimes it is a legitimate organization really wanting to help a 
student gain some professional experience, and these groups (mostly university or non-profit groups) have a 
great cause. Most of the time it is because a client does not want to pay the normal fees for a professional 
designer, and serve to gain more profit if they use student help. Because I do not always know what happens 
beyond my recommendation of individuals to people wanting design services I offer the following advice.

Avoid Spec Work
Speculative, or “spec,” work is when a client asks you to come up with design solutions without offering compensation for them. I have heard this line from a potential client several times, “Come up with a few different solutions, and if I like one I will pay you to develop it from there.” This situation happens all of the time, and as students you are the most susceptible to fall for it because you are desperate to get experience and money.Avoid this situation at all costs. In most cases a client will end up running off with your ideas and try to implement them on his own before ever paying you a cent. Or, they have acquired several designers to do this, and have a large pool to choose from so you may be wasting time. Also, your time is worth money, if you are coming up with ideas/concepts/sketches you should be compensated for the time you spend creating them. There is a norm in the field of architecture to do spec work. Often in the form of competitions and call for proposals. It is an acceptable practice in architecture mainly because the payoff is a multi-million dollar project. The time spent developing ideas is nothing in comparison to the time that would actually be spent on the project. It is rarely this case in the world of graphic design. So, unless you are expecting a huge payoff for you labor, avoid spec work.In the end, a client is going to hire you for your abilities. Let your portfolio demonstrate what you can do, and let that be the basis of why they choose you.

Work with a contract
Just because you are a student does not mean you have to work without a contract with your client. Write up a contract make them sign it, it will help immensely. The contract should at minimum specify the following:your process conceptual design, design development, implementation, etc., more specifically this lays out what the client can expect from you. How many ideas does he get, how many revisions, etc. your fee hourly, hourly not to exceed, flat rate, etc. include material costs in therepayment schedule when do you receive payment, how often, etc. client responsibilities what does the client need to provide you and whenBeyond that you can add in more detail. I recommend looking at AIGA’s Standard Agreement which is under the Good Advice section on the course website. It is pretty solid and extremely helpful. As a student your contract doesn’t need to be that specific, but it does need to be specific enough to protect you. I know many students who have worked with a verbal agreement of an hourly pay schedule and received nothing in the end. The contract serves as a binding document that they understand what they are getting from you.

Flat Fee or Hourly Fee
As a student it is difficult to know exactly how to charge a client. I recommend students ask for an hourly rate. The hourly rate protects you from a client who doesn’t know exactly what they want, who can’t make up their mind, who changes the scope of the project, and who asks for endless revisions. It compensates for a poor client. Unless you have the terms of your contract and what you are going to provide the client clearly defined in terms of time, revisions, etc. avoid working for a flat fee.Also adjust your fee to your work ethic. If you work slowly, charge a bit less per hour. If you work fast and are extremely efficient charge a bit more.Don’t Allow People to Pay you PoorlyLast year I heard a student was getting paid $8.00/hour for web design services. That is wrong! A professional web designer on average charges $50.00/hour. Even though you are a student doesn’t mean you have to work for the same amount of money as you would get washing dishes somewhere. You are offering a professional service and should be accommodated accordingly. The average entry-level freelance rate for the nation is right around $25/hour, about half of what a senior-level designer would charge. I recommend working for anywhere between $15-$25/hr.

Don’t Allow People to Pay you Poorly

Last year I heard a student was getting paid $8.00/hour for web design services. That is wrong! A 
professional web designer on average charges $50.00/hour. Even though you are a student doesn’t 
mean you have to work for the same amount of money as you would get washing dishes somewhere. 
You are offering a professional service and should be accommodated accordingly. The average 
entry-level freelance rate for the nation is right around $25/hour, about half of what a senior-level designer would charge. I recommend working for anywhere between $15-$25/hr.

When is FREE Okay?
As a student, and even as a professional, there will be opportunities to accept free work. The best way to figure out when that it is okay is by asking what both you and the client serve to gain from the work. If you are doing an identity system for a start-up that serves to make a good amount of money down the road (or even an established business), most often they can and should be able to afford to pay you for your efforts. Watch our for the line, “we’re just a start up now, but down the road we’ll use you for all of our jobs.” It takes most start-up businesses more than a year or even two to make a profit.Family often expects you to work for free. Whether you do is entirely up to you. I have charged my own family, especially when the job has nothing for me to really gain out of it. Again, use your judgement; ask, what do they serve to profit from your services, what do you serve to gain?Non-profit organizations, university groups, and even faculty will ask for assistance from time to time. Unless funded by grants or other external means, they serve to gain little profit from your help. This is a prime opportunity to work for little to no pay in exchange for creative freedom. Tell the client up front that is what your fee is, creative freedom. However if they break the contract of offering you creative freedom, move on, it is not worth your time and effort unless you are really gaining something from it. Most often these groups will be excited about giving you such an opportunity. There are many ways to profit from a job beyond money. Creative freedom gives you something amazing for your portfolio. Some jobs have a high exposure to a broad audience and can lead to future work, some jobs can receive credit for internships, and others allow you to learn new things. In the end, use common sense and good judgement before taking on free work. 

Having client work is what employers want to see, right?
A student once asked me it it was important he had real world experience upon graduating (actually more than one student asked this). I won’t deny that it does help get a foot in the door to have experience. I have observed that many students feel the need/desire to take on any freelance opportunity, regardless of pay or compromising their ideas, because it gives them this experience. Not all freelance work is going to produce portfolio worthy work, and I have seen several students put that work in their portfolio only because it was done outside of school. To be honest most employers don’t care. What they really want to see are your skills and abilities—production skills (reflected through craft) and creative skills (reflected through ideas). My advice, avoid falling into this mind set.