3 Worst Freelance Designer Decisions You Can Make

The other day I did a piece on the three best freelance designer decisions you can make. Now, I’m following it up with the three worst freelance designer decisions you can make.

Keep in mind that I’m leaving obvious items off the list, such as copyright infringement and jumping off a cliff if a client complains, but including poor decisions freelance graphic designers make every day that jeopardize their careers and could spell doom for their businesses. In addition, I’ve avoided stating the opposites of the three best decisions you can make, since “double your fee” and “charge too little” seem a bit redundant.

Getting too comfortable
Ever hit a streak when steady client work is pouring in, you’re landing year-long contracts, and repeat business is so good you don’t have to look for new clients? I call it the Comfort Zone, and it’s a good feeling. But when you get too comfortable, you risk everything because you’re not sewing the seeds of new business.

Many say the freelance life is feast or famine, and getting too comfortable when things are going great means you’re setting yourself up for frustration when things settle down. Continually market your business, and even lulls in activity will be fruitful.

Refusing help
It’s great to have pride in your work, but too much pride can limit your profit potential and threaten your business. When you’re in the Comfort Zone, it can be easy to justify not looking for extra work because you don’t have time to take it on. Thus, you’re limited by what you – and you only – can accomplish. But when you’re open to contracting talented help to handle overflow, you can grow your business exponentially. Remember that every client you turn away is a client you can’t get back when business is slow.

Knowing everything
Think everything you need to know about graphic design you learned in college? Then you’re severely limiting your ability to compete in an ever-evolving marketplace. Always learn new techniques, stay abreast of new trends, and study others’ work. You’ll stay relevant and cutting edge while other struggle to keep up with archaic design styles.

What’s more, make a concerted effort to understand how graphic design plays into your clients’ overall goals. Remember that if your clients wanted a beautiful piece of art, they’d go to an art store. What they want, at least in most cases, is for you to create a design that will help them land sales. Understand how colors, contrast, layouts, font styling, and other design elements motivate customers in order to craft designs that not only look great, but also generate sales. Doing so will keep your customers ecstatic about your work and you in business for a very long time.

About the Author:

Brian Morris serves in various capacities as a freelance writer, content developer and public relations specialist for growing small businesses. His previous roles included managing editor for a hometown newspaper and club bartender for a group of quasi-alcoholics. When he’s not writing, he’s usually counting lost follicles and wondering what he ever did with his time before his two children were born.

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Typical Freelance Graphic Design Process

Social Graphic Designer (Photo credit: Filimonas)

Every freelance graphic designer operates their business differently, but in most cases follows the same general process as below. The information provided herein is based on my own experience as a freelance graphic designer, and can be used to set the basis for your own operations or to give clients a better insight into your typical design process.

Request for Quote
Before a project/job can begin, some form of introduction has to be made between the client and designer. It can go both ways: the designer submitting a project proposal, resume or portfolio for the client’s consideration or vice versa, the client submitting a request for quote, project brief, etc. This can be accomplished in any number of ways but most typically is either through an email, a website form, a phone call or an in-person meeting.

Estimate
If the cost of the project hasn’t been set by the client (i.e. in a job advertisement, project brief, etc.), generally the designer will review the project specifications and supply a reasonable estimate based on: the information submitted by the client during the introductory phase and their own rates and terms of service.

Contracts
An experienced designer knows better than to offer a service without the security of a contract to protect them. Typically the contract will cover all the basis of the designer’s working operations including: costs of services, deadlines, ownership, payment terms and so on. Always read and understand the contract fully before signing!

Deposits / Upfront Payments
Most designers require some form of upfront payment, generally 10-50% of the estimated project cost, and will expect it to be paid before any service is provided. This not only protects the designer in the event the client cancels after work has been provided, but also signals to the designer that the client is serious about following through with the project. In many cases, this initial deposit is retained by the designer (i.e. it won’t be refunded to the client).

Concepts 
Once all the paperwork and upfront payments are out of the way, the designer will then get to work by producing “concept ideas” based on the client’s requests. Generally these are sketches, mock-ups or what the designer believes the final design should look like (in rough form). Most designers provide 1-5 initial concept ideas. Providing the client with too many concepts could complicate and drag on the project for longer than initially projected – the client won’t like being billed more than the estimated cost.

Revisions
Generally the client will take a few days to mull over the concepts provided by the designer and choose one or two to modify or revise into what they want the final design to be. Some designers limit the amount of revisions that can be made in order to streamline the project to completion; while others provide unlimited amounts of revisions. If you have a picky client that likes to make change after change; a friendly reminder that they will go over-budget if they proceed to make any more changes and/or that their requested changes will be billed as a “redesign” (therefore needing a new set of contracts and payments) will help them make up their mind quicker, so you can get on with the design process.

Final Design
Once the client is satisfied with the concept idea that they’ve revised, its time for the designer to finalize the design – that is to clean up the artwork, prepare files for output, and compiling all the finished files to send to the client after final payment.

Final Payment
Before the designer releases the final design to the client a final payment is typically due for all the expenses incurred for the project; generally excluding the initial payment. Once all payments have been made, the designer will then send the final design along with any transfer of rights to the client. The client will then go on to use the files in the manner specified by the designer or as arranged for the project. Generally at this point the project is considered finished and the client and designer go their separate ways.

After Project Expenses
For projects where the content is licensed, sometimes the client will have to continue making payments to the designer for use of the design/material well into the future. Other times the client may return to the designer months or years later asking for a revision or change to the design; in most cases the designer will charge their then standard rate/terms for the service regardless of what the original rate was.

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Graphic Design Careers

If you think you are a person who could combine your artistic skill and your writing ability, you might try graphic designer as your occupation and become the professional one. A graphic designer has to be able to deliver the message effectively to targeted audiences or readers. That is the main job, because if the messages are not delivered very well, then no matter how artistic the design is, it would be useless.

Graphic design is an important marketing tool to create good images of the products or the company. Just take a look around you, whatever you see is, there is graphic design jobs involved. From logo, print ad, magazines, and many others.

Think about this, you are now reading this article on your monitor, right?! There are so many brands out there. Whatever decision you have made when you bought your monitor, I’m sure you believe that the product is the good one. That is because the company has already done a good job to market, advertise and sell their products. It is graphic designers’ responsibility to create a good image of the products along with the marketing and branding team.

As a graphic designer, you have to be able to dig in and explore your creativity and always come up with fresh ideas in order to produce the best graphic design and branding quality. Do some researches, find any information from their competitors, get the existing brochures (if any) and discuss it with your client. Ask what your clients really want and give them some alternative designs to choose.

There are some options working on graphic design field. You could focus on printed matter, web design or even on TV Commercials. It is possible for you to choose whether working on advertising agency or working by yourself as a freelance graphic designer. Working as a freelancer would give you more flexibility, while working on agency would give you steady income.

In fact, the options are almost unlimited. You could specialized on packaging if you think you are good at it, focusing on logo design is not a bad idea either.

If you like music, you can concentrate on music industry. That would be easier for you to explore your creativity when you are “in love” with the product. Specializing on CD cover design would be another interesting challenge.

Those are only a few alternative graphic design jobs that you could consider as your occupation for living. I’m sure you could come up with your own ideas.

Graphic design jobs is a promising career, considering that no matter how big or small the company is, it would need a good graphic designers to promote and sell their products.

Author
© Anton Ardjanggi, April 2007

Freelancers and Freelance Website Design

Freelance website design is the act of hiring a freelancer to design your website. Many webmasters all over the internet are doing just that. Hiring a freelancer is often cheaper and even sometimes faster and more reliable than hiring an establish design company. A freelancer is in business for himself or herself, they have a whole lot more to lose by losing you as a client, more so than an established company.

When you need freelance website design one disadvantage to hiring a freelancer over a company is that you may need to find several different freelancers to finish the website. While a freelance web designer will be able to take care of the design and graphic aspect of your website, they may not have the skills to take care of the technical aspects of a website. Furthermore, you might be able to find a graphic designer to take care of logos, headers, and buttons, but the overall design of the website might not be in their skill set.

Both of these situations will require a separate freelancer. Now it is not as bad as it sounds. You might find freelance website design in one very skilled and experience person or you might find a graphic designer who has a deal with another freelancer on the technical side of things. Either way you can get the job done.

Freelance website design is probably the most popular choice for business owners all over the world. However, you want to make sure the designer is experienced and has proof of their experience in references and samples. You never want to hire a freelancer that cannot provide you with verifiable samples of their work.

Now when it comes to budget, a freelancer will be cheaper, but you should be willing and able to pay for quality. Keep in mind you get what you pay for. If you expect to pay $50 for freelance website design, you should also expect to get your $50 worth and nothing more. This could result in a poor design that you simply are not pleased with. I once read somewhere a freelancer said, “If a client says they want cheap, fast, and quality, I tell him to choose two. I can provide cheap and fast, but I cannot combine it with quality.”

Keep in mind freelance website design takes time and talent, you should be willing to provide a good price for both.

Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com
To find a freelance website design specialist visit: www.unlimitedfreelancers.com today.

Freelance graphic designer – how to win the project

As a freelancer, whether you like it or not you have to get clients by bidding for the project often and wish to win to survive, because getting clients by doing marketing is not easy for freelancers. Some companies, especially the big ones hardly put the trust on freelancers to get the job done. On the other way around, if the companies open the project for bidding, they don’t really care who is going to do the job, as long as the freelancers able to fulfill all requirements needed, including the price.

The problem is that sometimes professional freelance graphic designer has to be pitched with either fresh graduates or graphic design students. In this case, they are ready to lower the price in order to make a quick buck, earning some pocket money or building their portfolio. It is not fair for professional freelancer, since they don’t do it for living. Not like us who really make a living out of freelancing.

Do you have to lower your price and integrity to win the project? Some freelancers succumb to the need to win projects after they bid on it. Hawking over a less than worthwhile project is a complete waste of time. What freelancers should do is to simply keep their integrity. If you’ve established yourself in the market, have a relatively large (and impressive portfolio) and think you deserve to be paid whatever you think you should be paid, why lower yourself?

Just stick to what you believe and control the price. By lowering the price, it means that you seemed to be desperate for business, and don’t let your future and potential clients think that you are.

Make them believe that you stick to your price because you are much better than others. That’s what you “sell”, isn’t it?!

Of course, even after winning a bid or not bidding at all, you should still be open for reasonable bargaining. In business, there’s always some bargaining involved. Therefore, mark your price up about 5% than what you would normally charge others on your first bid. If the clients negotiate for a lower price, bring it down by 5% and you’ll get whatever you thought you deserved to start with.

What if the client still wants you to bring the price even lower? In this kind of situation, you need to use your business intuition. If you think that this future client is a nice kind of person and your relation with him/her will long lasting, you might lower your price down. But if this is what you’re doing, make sure you point out the fact that the price is exclusive and you don’t charge everyone else the same price.

Sometimes the clients would say that they will give you all project in the future. Don’t buy that! They say that just to make you trust them and lowering the price. The only way that you could make them coming back to you is giving them a very, very, very good quality! Both design and service!!! Not only this will make the client feel special but he/she will recommend other people your freelancing services. And if they do, they will also make a special note not to mention the pricing.

© Anton Ardjanggi, April 2007

style - how it affects your career as Graphic Designer

Few years ago, I had an opportunity to discuss with one of Indonesian well-known ‘branding expert’ about “how we can survive as a graphic designer, specially a freelance graphic designer. Does style affect?” He said, “What is style?! Go to **** with it. Style is killing designer!”

His answer really shocked me, because I am a graphic designer who likes certain style of design, and without I realized people recognized my work by that style.

What he said might be true for graphic designers who work at advertising agency or some creative boutiques, because they have to be able to fulfill what clients need and obey their boss.

It made me think.

Do I have to change my style?

Then I tried to trace all the way back. I have been 10 years working on graphic design field, during that time I always design with a certain style which more oriented to German style that has a certain characteristic such as ‘neat, compact, well alignment with strong square or rectangle geometrical shape’. In fact, in my early years I broke the design style one of the biggest local bank which already known as a very conservative bank with ‘minimalism, modern and geometrical’ kind of design.

That makes me sure that graphic design style is not always about era, just like many people think. Style is more related to like or dislike. In other words, a certain style won’t kill designers’ life.

On the other way around, a freelance graphic designer will be able to survive with his/her own style.

A freelance graphic designer, who has his/her own style, unconsciously would create his/her own target market. With their portfolios, prospect clients would see the characteristic of their artworks.

So, to those (future clients) who like our design style will fall in love automatically when they see our artworks without wasting more time to brief us what they want. The only information we need is about product they sell or message they want to deliver. They already trust us on how we will visualize it.

We don’t need to deal with hard to please kind of clients.

But still, it doesn’t mean that we are stuck and stop digging our creativity. Explore and strengthen the style in order to get the personal touch, that way our style will be our identity in graphic design industry.

Design style that becomes identity is very important for freelancers, because it is not easy for freelancers to get new clients. That is how to attract new clients.

© Anton Ardjanggi, April 2007

how to survive as Freelance Graphic Designer

I’ve been a freelance graphic designer for about 2 years. Many people wonder how I can survive, because they know that I don’t have big clients.

Most graphic designers, especially beginners care too much about having big clients, big job with big bucks. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes they forget about their capabilities, considering freelancer has to do all work that ideally have to be done by more than one person. The result is that they can’t focus and concentrate on creativity process which is their main job. Therefore they can’t fulfill their clients’ requirements.
Guess what?!

The clients wouldn’t satisfy, and…… they never comeback!

So, what’s the big deal about having big clients, big job with big bucks if you’re only getting once for awhile? In fact, you’re only getting bad reputation by that.

Personally, I don’t really care about the big clients and big jobs. Big bucks?! Yes! I do care. But big bucks don’t always come from big clients. How can I get it, then?!

Continuity. That’s the answer.

Having small jobs from small clients constantly and continuously is more important than having big jobs from big clients once for awhile for freelancers.

During my career as freelance graphic designer, I focus on small to mid-size businesses as my target market. It’s been more than enough for me. They keep coming back regularly because they get their satisfaction from the first job I given. In fact, I got free marketing by their recommendation from one client to another.

Getting new client is not easy, but (trusts me)… to make them keep coming back is even harder. Therefore, treat them professionally and yet personally. Call them once for a while just to say “Hi” and find out how they’ve been doing if you haven’t heard from them for awhile. Create an “open-communication” in order to make both sides comfortable, that way it will be easier to understand what clients need when you get projects.

Treat your clients equally instead of take a side on the bigger one, because no matter how big (or small) your client (or the project) is, they all have the same right: getting what they paid for, rights on schedule.

© Anton Ardjanggi, March 2007

wanna be Freelance Graphic Designer? (English)

* For Bahasa Indonesia Version click here


Things to be considered before you decide to become Freelance Graphic Designer

- Place to work
First thing first, you are going to need place to work so you can work efficiently and effectively. If you work at home, a separate room would be nice in order to avoid any other home activities. Having a room to place a set of computer is good enough, even better if you have more space to any supporting activity such as writing, drawing, printing, set up final artwork (mock up), because as a freelancer you have to do all work which is supposed to be done by more than one person. Place your telephone or fax machine near you, so you don’t have to get up to receive or make a call. It would be better if you have filling cabinet to store all your paper-works.

- You are the company (…and the company is You)
As a freelancer, you’re not only responsible for your creative-works, but you’re responsible for your marketing, briefing, presentation, accounting and filling system matters as well. You are also responsible for all incoming calls, make appointment and take any complain (if any). Being a freelance graphic designer is not only about creativity and design, but it needs strong commitment and takes a big responsibility.

- It needs a lot of patient
All the activity mentioned above needs a lot of patient. It happen so often, when you are so busy designing and need very good mood, at the same time you have to take the incoming calls from your clients who’s complaining your recent work (bad service, bad quality, etc.). Not to mentioned technical problems which occur at the bad time such as problems with your computer, paper-jammed printer, run out of paper, ink and the list goes on. Those problems will hamper your on-going project, and you have to tell your client about the delay.

- Be a professional
As a freelancer you have to be professional. You might be stressed with your on-going project, but at the same time you have to do presentation in front of your client. In this kind of situation you have to be able to get your stress out of your head and leave it at home, on the other way you need to get your concentration on your presentation. Do not let your problems home ruin your presentation. Keep your performance at the highest level, don’t forget… as a freelance graphic designer, you’re not just an artist, but you’re a businessman as well! Your performance affects how the way your client evaluate youself and how the way you run your business.

- Well organized
To run business by your self, you have to be a ‘well organized –person’. Well organized for your filing system on your computer, filing system for your paper work, graphic tools, the preparation for your presentation, etc.

- Supporting facilities
It would be the best if you have telephone, facsimile and e-mail with high speed internet connection. Set your e-mail program to receive all mails at least 15-30 minutes automatically, so you won’t miss any important mails.

- Discipline
The key of success for being freelancer is DISCIPLINE. Trust me… it’s not an easy thing to do, because you have to discipline yourself! No one would warn you but yourself! Discipline in this case consists of:

a. Discipline with your time, although you work by yourself at home, you have to work at office hours. You can’t wake up late and start working at 10-11. What would happen if your clients try to reach you at 9.00 while you’re still sleeping?! In this situation, your clients don’t care about your condition (whatsoever). He has right to call you at the office hours, on the opposite you have responsibility to serve them during that time.

b. Discipline with your money, as a freelancer you have right to own all the profit you get! But it would be wise, if you pay yourself on a salary basis. That way you will save few bucks each month, because who knows you don’t get any job later on… That happens if you don’t have strong or big market.

c. Discipline with YOUR OWN DECISION, being a freelancer is not an easy thing to do! It needs a strong commitment that you have to respect and do it consistently. You better think twice (or maybe more) before you make decision to be a freelancer, because once you jump in this industry as a freelancer, than you risk your own life and your own credibility!

By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com

wanna be a freelance graphic designer? (Bhs. Indonesia)

* For English Version click here

Beberapa hal yg perlu dipertimbangkan sebelum anda memutuskan untuk menjadi FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER adalah…:

1. Pemilihan nama
Sebaiknya pilih sebuah nama supaya anda terlihat lebih professional, hindari pencantuman kata2 ‘freelance’ pada nama usaha anda.

2. Sediakan tempat untuk bekerja
Tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa anda akan membutuhkan satu tempat khusus untuk bekerja dimana anda dapat bekerja dengan efisien dan efektif. Jika anda bekerja di rumah, usahakan menyediakan satu ruangan khusus supaya anda terhindar dari aktivitas lain yang ada di rumah anda. Memiliki satu ruangan untuk menempatkan 1 set computer anda sudah cukup baik, tetapi akan lebih baik lagi jika anda memiliki space/area untuk menulis, menggambar, printing, membuat dummy dan aktivitas lain yg menunjang pekerjaan anda, karena sebagai freelancer anda akan mengerjakan semua aktifitas yg dilakukan oleh lebih dari 1 orang. Usahakan anda menempatkan pesawat telpon anda di dekat anda bekerja, sehingga anda tidak perlu beranjak untuk menerima/menelpon client anda. Usahakan anda memiliki ‘filing cabinet’ untuk menyimpan semua ‘paper-works’ anda.

3. Anda adalah perusahaan anda (…perusahaan anda adalah anda)
Sebagai freelancer, anda tidak hanya bertanggung jawab terhadap masalah seputar ‘kreatif’ saja, tetapi anda juga dituntut untuk melakukan (bertanggung jawab) terhadap masalah marketing, briefing, presentasi, pembukuan/keuangan, administrasi, filing system, dll. Anda juga sekaligus bertindak sebagai receptionist, telephone operator, membuat appointment dan menangani semua keluhan client anda. Anda juga bertanggung jawab terhadap pemasaran perusahaan anda. Menjadi ‘freelance graphic designer’ tidak hanya tentang kreativitas dan design…. Tetapi juga dibutuhkan komitmen yang tinggi dan tanggung jawab yang sangat besar.

4. Anda dituntut untuk menjadi orang yg sangat sabar
Semua aktifitas tersebut di atas sangat membutuhkan kesabaran, tidak tertutup kemungkinan di saat anda sedang sibuk2nya dan membutuhkan konsentrasi tinggi, pada saat yang bersamaan anda juga harus menerima telphon dari client anda yg mengeluhkan masalah yg ada dari pekerjaan yg sedang anda tangani (bad service, bad quality, etc.) Belum lagi masalah teknis yg sering timbul di saat yg tidak tepat (computer bermasalah, printer mengalami ‘paper-jammed’, koneksi internet sangat lambat, kertas atau tinta habis, dan paling parah adalah aliran listrik tiba2 mati !) Masih banyak lagi masalah teknis lainnya yg akan anda hadapi dan dalam hal ini anda harus menangani sendiri, mulai dari masalah computer, beli tinta/kertas sampai tanggung jawab anda terhadap client mengenai keterlambatan pekerjaan anda.

5. Be a professional
Anda dituntut tidak hanya profesional dalam hal kreatifitas dan design, tetapi anda juga harus tampil dan bersikap profesional. Bisa saja anda sedang stress dengan pekerjaan anda, tapi di saat yg sama anda juga harus melakukan presentasi terhadap client dan pekerjaan anda yg lain. Dalam hal ini anda harus bisa meninggalkan konsentrasi pekerjaan anda di rumah dan berkonsentrasi penuh terhadap apa yg akan anda presentasikan. Pada saat melakukan presentasi (bertemu client untuk keperluan apapun), usahakan anda berpakaian sedikit formal. Anda boleh saja menganggap diri anda seorang seniman, tetapi jangan lupa bahwa sebagai ‘freelancer’ anda juga dipandang sebagai seorang ‘business-man’. Sikap dan penampilan anda sangat mempengaruhi penilaian client terhadap anda dan business anda.

6. Well organized
Untuk menjalankan bisnis anda seorang diri, anda harus menjadi orang yg ‘well-organized’. Mulai dari filing system di computer anda, filing system untuk ‘paper works’ sampai dengan persiapan untuk presentasi.

7. Sarana pendukung
Sebaiknya anda memiliki fasilitas: pesawat telephon, facsimile, dan e-mail, ditambah dengan koneksi internet yg memadai. Untuk e-mail, sebaiknya anda men-check inbox anda minimal dua kali dalam sehari.

8. Dukungan lingkungan
Dukungan dari lingkungan sangat anda butuhkan. Jika anda bekerja di rumah, maka orang seisi rumah anda harus memahami profesi anda, sehingga mereka dapat menghargai kesibukan anda dan tidak melakukan hal2 yang dapat mengganggu konsentrasi dan aktifitas anda. Walaupun sehari-hari anda berada di rumah, bukan berarti anda “do nothing”. Tunjukkan bahwa anda tetap produktif dan menghasilkan (uang!).

9. Disiplin
Kunci dari keberhasilan anda sebagai seorang freelancer adalah DISIPLIN. Hal ini tidak mudah karena anda harus mampu mendisiplinkan diri anda sendiri. Tidak ada orang lain yang akan menegur anda melainkan diri anda sendiri! Disiplin dalam hal ini ada beberapa aspek:

a. Disiplin terhadap waktu, walaupun anda bekerja sendiri (di rumah), anda tetap harus memberlakukan jam kerja. Anda tidak bisa bangun siang (dengan alasan apapun!) dan baru menghadap meja/computer jam 10-11. Apa yg terjadi seandainya client anda menghubungi anda pada jam 9.00 sementara anda masih tertidur lelap? Apakah anda akan menerima telp tersebut sementara suara anda masih jelas terdengar spt orang baru bangun tidur?
Sebaiknya anda juga tidak terlalu sering meninggalkan rumah (kantor) anda apalagi untuk kepentingan pribadi. Karena kalau hal tsb terlalu sering terjadi, maka di saat client anda membutuhkan anda, anda selalu tidak ada di tempat dan hal ini dapat memperburuk citra anda/perusahaan anda.

b. Disiplin terhadap uang, walaupun semua keuntungan usaha anda adalah untuk diri anda sendiri, tapi sebaiknya anda tetap memberlakukan system gaji. Kalaupun seandainya dalam sebulan anda dapat menghasilkan untung sebesar 10 juta rupiah, bukan berarti anda bebas menggunakan uang senilai tersebut untuk kepentingan anda dalam sebulan! Sebaiknya anda menghitung dulu seberapa besar kebutuhan hidup anda sehari-hari dalam sebulan, seandainya kebutuhan anda dalam sebulan sebesar 3 juta rupiah, maka anda dapat menggaji diri anda sendiri sejumlah 3 juta rupiah, sementara sisanya dapat anda simpan dalam rekening bank. Kenapa hal ini sangat penting? Karena sebagai seorang freelancer anda akan sering dihadapkan pada kebutuhan uang yg sifatnya mendadak. Beberapa contoh misalnya: dalam beberapa bulan anda dapat menghasilkan untung bersih sebesar 20 juta rupiah, tetapi tiba-tiba saja beberapa bulan berikutnya anda sama sekali tidak mendapat proyek !!! Belum lagi kebutuhan operasional, misalnya anda beberapa kali mengikuti pitching/tender, dimana anda harus menyiapkan beberapa lembar FA untuk dipresentasikan. Kebutuhan ini sudah membutuhkan dana yg tidak sedikit, tapi ternyata tidak satupun tender yang anda menangkan!!! Saya yakin, berapapun besarnya keuntungan yg anda perloleh setiap bulan, kalau anda tidak memberlakukan system gaji, maka pada saat anda “sepi order” anda tidak akan dapat bertahan hidup ! Apa yg akan terjadi seandainya dalam waktu 1-2 bulan anda mengalami sepi order, atau kalaupun ada untungnya tidak besar?! You’re killing yourself…..
Satu hal yang tidak kalah penting adalah, bahwa anda harus membayar pihak ke-tiga (supplier, separasi, cetak, dll). Adalah kewajiban anda untuk membayar mereka terlebih dahulu, SEBELUM anda menikmati keuntungan anda !

c. Disiplin terhadap keputusan anda sendiri, menjadi seorang freelancer bukan hal yg mudah, dibutuhkan komitmen yg harus anda junjung tinggi dan harus anda jalankan sendiri. Sebelum anda memutuskan untuk menjadi seorang freelancer, sebaiknya anda pikir berulang-ulang untung ruginya, enak atau nggak enaknya, karena begitu anda terjun ke industri sebagai seorang freelancer, maka anda sudah mempertaruhkan hidup dan nama baik anda sendiri.

By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com