Freelance vs. Corporate Design
Freelance or Corporate - Agency World?
Choosing a career between solo-entrepreneurship, running your own business versus going into the corporate - agency realm can be a daunting decision. How do you know which path is right for you?
Well, there are a multitude of ways to get to each destination, but you need to have a moment of honesty with yourself. Neither is an easy journey and both take a lot of hard-work. Start by weighing the pros and cons!
For me, I started out in both worlds simultaneously. I do not recommend this for anyone. :) It created a lot of burnout for me during those early years. Not only was I a fresh designer learning the industry, I began building my own freelance business outside of corporate working hours. I put in a lot of hours burning that midnight oil. Although I learned a lot in each industry (multitude of paths in print, vendor connections, digital etc) it was extremely hard and mentally draining. I really struggled in the beginning, deciding if I truly wanted to run my own business full-time or continue down a corporate path towards art direction. That was the question.
Ask the Hard Questions
The more questions I started to ask myself, the clearer the decision became. I knew I liked working in teams and the solo career wasn’t becoming very appealing. I learned I didn’t want the pressure of running my own business full-time. Having a work-life balance was way more important than spending 16 hour days trying to make it work and thrive. That’s how I got my clarity through trial and error. It began showing up clearer the more things I tried.
I also stopped career shaming myself. My path is going to look so different than someone else’s. And that’s okay. Remember you don’t have to be or do what others tell you even if you are good at it. Make up your own mind and decisions…and begin.
So, I shifted my focus. I did less freelance even though I’m still open to the right opportunities every now and then, however; I put a time limit on the amount projects I take on. I stopped the burnout and prioritized myself and goals. First step pursue towards jobs/industries I really wanted to work in and narrow down my path. That’s how I started to conclude that UX design was my goal for the next few years then eventually move into art direction, creative direction, or even videography. It will never be a straight path, but you can definitely help clarify a lot sooner than I did with so many sources at your fingertips. My advice, ask yourself all the hard questions.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
Do you want a remote job?
Do you like working on a team?
Do you like working solo?
How do you work best? Strict deadlines or time allowance for creativity?
Do you work better with someone telling you what you need to do for the day? Or do you work better under your own initiative?
Is running your own business more important?
Is work life balance important?
Is monetary success important? Creativity? Or Both?
Are there opportunities for professional growth? Ways that will challenge you in your career.
Is my own design identity the purpose at which fuels my creative engine? Or is it more fluid in changing for each client?
How diverse do my technical skills need to be?
And so on…
Be open and honest with yourself… that is what's gonna get you there. Don’t let ideas of others’ dictate your life and decisions. You are the one who makes your dreams come true. Live authentically and take small steps each day. It WILL change and blossom you just have to keep moving forward.
Pro Tips
Build your own personal brand! We as designers can not get away with it anymore. You have to have a professional online presence. It has to be unique and capturing the essence of you as a designer and artisan.
Get on social media or have some kind of interactivity with your design community. It’s much easier to have a support system who understands what you go through day in and day out with your job.
Start a YouTube channel. Or some kind of online discussion. Talk about design and immerse yourself in it. It’s going to help you stay fresh.
Go to networking events. Be authentic with people. Don’t just be trying to get their business or money, really understand who they are and listen. Connect.
Understand psychology and human behavior. This will help you tremendously with clients, coworkers, bosses, and literally in all aspects of your life. Understanding how we behave and interact with others will give you a better understanding it’s not always about the decisions your making, but gives you a new perspective that you normally wouldn’t ever think of.
When applying for jobs create an application unique to each company and why you want to work there. Do not mass produce on a large scale, it will get you nowhere.
Never give up. If this is the career you really want to have, go for it! You are the only person who can make things happen for you. Life will never just have handouts or if it does its VERY RARE. Put in that hard-work, have a community and be bold in your voice.
Freelance Route
Solo entrepreneurship (Online sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Moonlighting, Fiverr , The Creative Group …just to name a few)
Build to a business model and run your own agency (Build a personal/biz site with Squarespace, Wordpress, GoDaddy, Wix, ShowIt, etc.)
Pickup certificates along the way, design courses, workshops, etc and constantly be growing your knowledge bank
Flexibility is key in this world. It’s less stable, but comes with greater wins and successes because it’s higher risk. Have a thick skin to change at the drop of a hat and don’t take things personally. Nothing is an attack on your self worth, it’s purely an expression of someone’s else’s ideas for their business… you are the interpreter. You are here to help convey other’s idea to the world and help them be successful along the way.
Way to find clients: Online job sites, word of mouth, advertisements, google jobs, part-time applications, contract roles on job networks, networking events, etc.
Corporate Path
Start out as a designer, junior role, or even marketing with a design focus. There are boundless way to get experience under your belt. I started out in a title agency as a marketing designer with pre-closer skills. Get your foot in the door whatever way you can. Experience is experience.
Set career goals for each step. Define what track you want to take and gain knowledge, research or understand the roles you need to get in order to progress.
Example: Junior Designer > Client Focus Production (Graphic Designer) > Strategic Brand Designer > Designer Manager > Art Director > Creative Director > CCO (Chief Creative Officer) *Set a goal in # years you plan on reaching said “CCO role” and this will dictate which roles you need to apply for in order to reach that completion.Pickup certificates along the way, design courses, workshops, etc and constantly be growing your knowledge bank
Don’t box yourself into roles you think you have to take in order to achieve a goal. If a role isn’t the right fit for you, change it. Not every position out there is perfect for everyone. Know your limits and strengths and be willing to shift if needed.
Ways to find roles: Unique applications online, networking events, updating portfolio, social media, youtube, content creation, and more!
Thank you for reading!
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