Define your geographic position for initial project set-up as well as for expansion of future projects. You will service prospective clients in this target area. When you create your website, if you are limiting the geographic area of your work, you should list the locations that you will serve. Include any specific or primary areas you will serve so prospective clients know before contacting you. Setting limitations is not necessary; in fact, most online graphic designers do not set geographic limits.

Determine how competitively you will need to pursue your competition and sales leads in your defined geographic location. Marketing costs more money when you are unsure how to drum up interest and business in the market. Do not invest more money in marketing than necessary. Remember to favor Internet marketing than traditional marketing since it costs less.

Define your audience. Do you want to work for specific companies? Do you want to perform certain areas of graphic design work? Clarify this in your business strategy. Expertly address the services that you offer. Be concise and informative so that prospective clients understand these limitations right away. This will minimize wasting money or time by having ineligible prospects inquiring about services that you cannot deliver.

How many days each week or month can you work? Be careful not to take on more projects than you can complete in a reasonable timeframe.

Make sure to provide reasonable timelines, but not so tight that they require you to rush. Quality is important to consumers; as long as you can back up time with quality, this should not be an issue.

Owning your own business and working as a freelance graphic designer has different aspects. You can perform both functions from home, but you will notice different costs and standards in each, which helps to explain part of the differences between the two.

Research both options to find which one appeals to you. You can always change your mind at a later date. It will be vital to develop a head for numbers. Either as a freelancer or a business owner, you need to deal with costs, prices, and financial aspects of your job. While many creative people ignore the very notion of this, it is something you need to manage. You may want to employ an accountant for tax filings.


Who is Best Suited for a Graphic Design Business?

Overall, this is a great business for those who are interested in artistic ventures as well as marketing and other design functions.

Decide if you want to stick to one particular focus, such as logos, or expand your capabilities. Many designers will stick to logos and other types of simple designs as long as they can get the work to maintain their business.

This is the strategy that many people deploy in the beginning of their careers. After a certain point, they either continue to pursue other areas in graphic design, or they maintain their focus on one specific area and attempt to become the leader in that particular area.

Step by step process to set up graphic design business:

• Establish portfolio
• Determine career path - agency, freelance, or own company
• Register domain name - Cost can be as little as $2 per year
• Design website
• Establish contact information - Include email address, website address, post office box, and other information
• Upload portfolio
• Determine area of expertise - list all of the options you offer
• Create a newsletter, email flier, or other announcement
• Email the announcement to prospective business associates and clients
• If freelance, access sites below that offer jobs.

COST: $25+/month, personal time and effort invested

Job Outlook:

This particular program is expected to grow about as fast as average until the year 2016. It is important to note that graphic designers are expected to experience an increase in freelance jobs, which is always good to keep in mind!

The Department of Labor http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm is an excellent resource. You can find information about the job outlook for this particular career and other pertinent information.

For more information about job outlook and earnings in the United States, you can visit www.bls.gov or www.careerprospects.org.

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