Graphic Design - Freelancing 101

Freelance Graphic Design can be a lucrative and rewarding career. You have the ability to work from your home, day or night, and are in charge of your own business. There is no boss looking over your shoulder, no long commute to work, no dress code and no predetermined work hours.

Freelance graphic designers provide many types of services (including, but not limited to):

3d Modeling
Animation
Banner Design
Blog Design
CAD (computer aided drafting)
Fashion Design
Illustration
Jewelry Design
Photo and Image Retouching
Prepress Services
Presentation Design
Print Design
Template Design
Web Design

Freelancers can find work in their city of residence, or can secure projects through many online freelance websites.

A designer can put ads in local newspapers (both print and online), or can contact various companies to see if they might have a need for their services when the workload is heavy.

Finding freelance work online can be very lucrative, but finding the websites that will best utilize your services can be a bit tricky. I have compiled a list of 10 freelance websites that I have found to be a good source of income, along with the main type of service providers they are seeking. They are as follows:

1. www.guru.com - freelance programmers, web developers, graphic designers, writers, animators, blog designers
2. www.graphicdesignfreelancejobs.com - graphic designers, illustrators, web designers, logo designers, poster designers, template designers, banner designers, blog designers, email marketing designers
3. www.allfreelance.com - a directory of freelance job boards, resources & articles
4. www.freelancedesigners.com - graphic design, web design, fashion design
5. www.elance.com - graphic designers, illustrators, web designers, logo designers, poster designers, template designers, banner designers, blog designers, email marketing designers, 3d artists, animators
6. www.odesk.com - graphic designers, web designers, illustrators, 3d modeling designers, presentation designers, CAD, animators, blog designers
7. www.greetingcarduniverse.com - greeting card designers
8. www.zazzle.com - graphic designers, illustrators
9. www.project4hire.com - graphic designers, web designers, animators
10. www.designcrowd.com - graphic designers, web designers, illustrators

I urge you to research the terms of these freelance websites, and see if they are a fit for the type of services you provide. Keep in mind, these websites have their own set of policies regarding payment, legal use of service, submission guides, copyright legalities, etc. Make sure that you thoroughly understand the terms of agreement before you register with any of these websites.

Of course, there are many other freelance websites on the Internet, so it pays to do an Internet search to see if there are others that might better suit your needs.

I hope this article can be of help, to both seasoned designers or those just starting their career.