How do freelance graphic designer increase 110% efficiency in 14 days?

Freelance graphic designers produce a wide range of creative work for their clients, often working on tight deadlines. In order to be as efficient as possible, it is important for freelance graphic designer to develop good work habits and use the right system. In this article, I will show you the “Freelance Organizer System” for increasing your efficiency as a freelance graphic designer.

The Challenge of a freelance graphic designer

The freelance graphic designer has always been seen as a challenge to the industry. It is a career that is filled with many unknowns and can be very difficult to break into. The freelance graphic designer often has to be their own boss, marketing expert, and accountant. They must also be able to manage their time efficiently and meet deadlines. Let’s see all the challenges:

• No one knows you
• No good portfolio to show the potential client
• Good design but not impactful
• Good design but not customer reject
• The customer does not return back
• More freedom but does have the private time

Is that the problem you are facing now? So am I. But after I use the freelance organizer system, all the above issues were clear, and now I even have time to write blog posts.

I introduce this system to all my freelancer friends and they use this not only to improve their life quality but also to have more time to stay with family.

Let’s discover how this easy system helps your life.

Freelance Organizer System

Freelance work is becoming more and more popular these days. More and more people are choosing to freelance as a way to make money, and as a way to have more control over their lives and their careers.

One of the biggest challenges of freelancing, though, is staying organized. There are so many things to keep track of- clients, projects, deadlines, invoices, payments- it can be hard to keep it all straight. This is where a freelance organizer system comes in.

A freelance organizer system is simply a system that you create and use to help you stay organized as a freelancer.

Organize your timetable

As a freelance graphic designer, a timetable is an extremely important element in your life. Why? Just look at the challenge listed above, do you think if you do have not a good planning timetable, can finish all the tasks? From designing jobs, marketing, and discussing with clients to accountancy.

And you still need to learn some new techniques, so that your skill can follow up the market trend to provide more service to customers.

As a freelance, time is equal to money earned, more time means more money. But maybe it was wrong, we need to work hard, but we also need to work smart.

I remember my first logo design job charges customers $5 for a design. Yup, I think that do more get more. But I was wrong. Order a lot, but I am unable to make a good design since deadlines are short to finish most of the customer orders. So it makes me no return customer, and get a lot of complaints.

So, my solution is I only receive 2 logos design for a maximum of one time. This strives for me time to communicate with customers and fulfill all the customer requirements.

Make sure always listen to clients no matter what they say, the more I know them, the easy for my design. And now I can charge customers $100 for a logo. Do less and get more.

I don’t mind losing some customer who is too rushed, who calls me 10 times a day to follow up the jobs. Fast unable to produce quality artwork, that why $5 for a logo unable to get the return customer.

So, I organize my design timetable for only 5 hours a day. 5 hours were enough for me to research and discover customer business industries. I will review those industry’s logo designs and improve the logo design for my customers to make it stand out.

In some of the repeat industries, I can finish the job even faster, so I have more time to do my other thing.

Organize a marketing plan

The freelance graphic designer is just like a small business, you are unable to succeed without a proper marketing plan. That is how to make people know you? How does your potential customer get you? How client confident to deal with you?

All this you need to organize a marketing plan.

First, you need a portfolio. The portfolio is a place to show all your amazing designs to potential customers. You do not need a fancy portfolio, it will distract people to explore your jobs, just simple, but make sure to show the best artwork here.

You can look at my 2 other blog posts, “How To Create An Awesome Graphic Design Portfolio” and “Top 5 Best Free Online Portfolios for Graphic Designer“

Next, is social media marketing, it’s a free way to promote. Organize time to make some designs and post on your social media frequently. Giving yourself 1 hour to design and post was more than enough. With the same design, you can post on different social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Or maybe you need some advertisement base on your budget. This can boost your brand awareness, to get more people to see your job.

My solution, I also create a website. For my extra time, I will create some graphic elements, and group them into a package to sell on my website. But you do not need to follow me, that is not an easy way, but is an interesting way to sell my graphic.

So, if you want to know more about the marketing plan, please read my other post “6 Keys to creating a successful marketing plan.“

Organize learning section

After you get more time, please organize the learning section for yourself. Don’t ever think you graduate from university so that you know everything. The world is changing rapidly, so graphic design industries too, which were trendy in January, but already outdated in October.

Keep learning will not you regret it. In my extra time, I learned to build the website with WordPress form sketch. But that is just a platform, nothing helps in your career. So I continue learning Searching Engine Optimization (SEO).

So now I create blog content for my website and also continue to write guest posts to create backlinks, learn and share my knowledge the interests parts.

But I think still not enough for that, I also learn something about business and marketing, that is why you can see my website has information about that.

Sometime it will bore. Hang out for the beautiful landscape of the world. And I also learn knowledge about photography to capture the scenic screen.

Lastly, please learn a bit of knowledge about financial management. We as freelance graphic designers were always alone to finish all the tasks. You need to know all the income and expenses, organize funds for certain purposes is important. Not over expend and tight in financial.

Make sure to have funds for your marketing plan.

See that? Well organize will make your life upgrade.

Organize time rest

We know all graphic designers are always busy. Finish jobs before the deadline, most designers always work until midnight or 1-2 am. So am I.

I was a designing staff for a graphic company, job are not finish ever and ever. Meeting follows by another meeting… deadline is close but the customer still needs to make the amendment, adjust the color, etc.

That’s way totally not a healthy lifestyle, I was always getting sick, and the doctor always advise me to take more rest.

So I decide to become a freelance graphic designer, but this situation seems nothing changed or even worst.

But since I use a freelance organizer system, everything was different.

Now, every day I organize at least 7-8 hours of sleeping time. My health has become well, not feeling pressure in my life. Not feel worried to be a freelance graphic designer, because I learn enough knowledge to handle all the problems I face.

Rest is for a long journey, and is an extremely important part of our life. We are not a robot, and cannot work 24 hours, and this will decrease our efficiency of work. Not a good choice.

Rest is not lazy, but to charge your energy, just like your phone needs more battery to continue to stay on.

Results

My friend Kelvin, started his graphic design business after I become a freelance graphic designer. Sometime he will send me some jobs.

In the beginning, every staff of his company was always very busy, even the admin staff. I suggest him use my freelance organizer system by increasing the price and receiving jobs only from the profitable client. So that the designer has more time to produce high-quality artwork for the customer.

He applies this system to his company, he was “wow” and tell me, never know before can make a change like this, it was totally impressive.

By making more revenue, he decides to increase the budget of the marketing, and he gets more quality customers and increases profit than ever.

His company can lower the jobs and get more benefits, every staff is happy to stay in the position. Now, he owns a well-organized company.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this freelance organizer system can help me as a freelance graphic designers increase the efficiency of a business in just 14 days. This system and expertise can help streamline processes and improve the conversation rate.

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