Now that you have an idea of how to choose the right graphic designer, let me tell you a bit about how I became a graphic designer.
Other than the bad experience I had with hiring one, the lack of having enough capital was the main drive. At the time, a logo design would cost between $50-$100, branding of stationery (letterhead, quotation, invoice, business card etc) $150-$300. That was expensive for me, mostly because I was a student and had no investor.
As I explained above, I was still in college studying Bsc in Applied Business Computing and had no specific set of skills. My mentor advised me to apply for online courses and learn how to design one myself. I did my research and that is where my interest grew. Paying $190 just to learn graphic design was weird for me, at first. You see, there was no guarantee!
5 weeks later, I designed my first logo. Thanks to the online courses, I learned the whole process. I did a few projects for my family and friends for free. That was a bad idea but I gained experience on how to handle difficult clients.
My first client offered to pay $30 for a typographic logo design. Why $30? Well, I had no professional portfolio or enough experience to charge higher. After the project was finalized, the client asked me if I knew any web designer. I told him I might and asked him about his budget, $250!
Guess what I did then? I taught myself web development, again, thanks to online courses. I wasn’t lucky though, he had found someone else since it took me 3 months to learn how to code.
Summary
Most of my clients know my journey, by most I mean those that have been involved in my career since the beginning. I am still building my professional network and still learning new skills.
Most graphic designers I know are passionate and have the will to continue learning. Since the industry is highly competitive, you will have to be patient and continue growing your clientele.
The aim of writing this article is to advice those thinking of venturing into web and graphic designing. If you can’t afford to go to college, try online courses. You will spend between $20 – $200. After that, I recommend working on some projects so that you can save to pay for college. After all, you need that certificate.
