Promotion
Where do clients come from? LinkedIn mostly. The important thing with LinkedIn is not to treat it like Indeed and just apply for jobs, use it as social media for designers! Connect with companies, engage in conversations and follow the hiring managers of your target companies. The majority of my hires are through LinkedIn because these people mean business!
I know sites like fiverr and People Per Hour have the ability to present good clientele but don't undersell yourself. You run the risk of devaluing your skills and sites like fiverr sometimes have you working for peanuts - this is just my opinion, stick to your pricing.
And always, always have an online portfolio or website to show clients, some servers will stop attachments coming through on email and you don't want to miss out on a great gig because of a technical difficulty.
Imagery
You know the projects where you have zero imagery and have to make something up? I have done entire reports for companies with nothing but Getty images as my friend. Others have been a combination of illustration and paid vector files. I also like Unsplash (as long as you credit the creator) for free imagery as it often has very rich, less sterile stock imagery.
Websites
I have worked on many website builders and below is my preference:
For sales - Shopify however the more add ons the more expensive it gets and if selling transaction rates are high for small businesses.
For extensive web design and custom coding - WordPress
For a easy build - Wix
I am not a fan of Squarespace due to its lack of customisation and overall bulky design.
For sales - Shopify however the more add ons the more expensive it gets and if selling transaction rates are high for small businesses.
For extensive web design and custom coding - WordPress
For a easy build - Wix
I am not a fan of Squarespace due to its lack of customisation and overall bulky design.
Technology
For designing I have a Macbook pro 13 inch with as big a memory as I could afford at the time I plug that into a larger monitor when working from home or cart it to offices with me. The monitor is an Apple Studio Display and is the best investment I have made.
I use a Wacom tablet if I am working on a heavy project to reduce strain in my hands and an iPad Pro for illustrations, idea generation and calligraphy development.
I use a canon pixma printer for calligraphy work, most graphic design is digital/goes to an external printer.
