I am wondering if anyone else out there is doing any freelance work, and if so- how are you going about it? (getting paid, timetables, communication etc.) My girlfriend kind of finagled me into designing a business card for her boss, free of charge. I am also doing a postcard for her aunt who owns a store, for a free dinner someday. Basically all good opportunities, but no pay and added work on top of an already crazy schedule. Anyone else feeling it? Anyone getting paid?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
Freelance doesn't necessarily mean you do work for free, although any experience is worth it when you're in school as good preparation for when you graduate.
Don't be afraid to charge a small to medium fee for your time. but if you feel weird asking for money, tell them that in exchange for your services you want them to back you up when a potential employer asks for real life work references.
hope this helps!
Jessica
I agree with Jessica. At this point its good to get the experience... yes money is nice but if you do it for free than so be it. what ever gets you work out there and also the word of mouth is always good you never know you could get another job from that person.
Nikki
Hi Matt! Yeah so far all of my freelance work has been free of charge. At this point I'm just trying to gain the experience rather than the loot. (modimes!)
i think once we're graduates, it'll be more official.
see you tomorrow
Does anyone have experience doing freelance work for someone you don't know (ie- not friend of a friend etc) from answering an ad or the like...how do you determine a fee in a situation when the circumstances say to state fee/price? I feel like I work so slowly that I couldn't charge by the hour and have anyone willing to pay it.
I know the hypothetical situation is a little confusing when trying to explain in words but do you catch my drift?...
Kelly d, I would suggest flat rates if you are a very meticulous worker. Also, have them sign off on design decisions that were talked about prior to your work. This way if they are wishy washy about the work you produce you can always bring out the sheet they signed. I did a free lance project for a very small price, and because I didn't have a sign off sheet, I ended up spending a ridiculous amount of time re-working and re-designing the product, trying to make them happy. In the end, I wasn't happy, and it wasn't enough money to make me happy. My advice is to charge however much you think your time is worth, even if the number seems high. You are the one providing a valuable service.
I agree with Jessica as well. I would never do work for free. Unless, it was with someone that could help me down the line (IOU). I've done a little freelance work mainly with the same two clients. I typically called upon by two photographers to edit their photos. I usually charge an hourly rate.
The freelance that I have done was for people that I know. It was mostly unpaid, but for now it's the experience and practice of working with people and printers that matter. I think you should charge a small fee for your time. I think that everyone would agree that right now, our time is very valuable. Most people would accept paying a small fee, just don't overcharge. If you have queastions about what you should charge, there are many faculty members that are willing to help you figure it out.
The only freelance I have done has been for friends, and people who needed something quick and easy at little to no charge, I try not to charge people I know just because I need the experience, and enjoy doing it. If i didnt know the people and were asked to do some work, i would just charge a flat rate right up front just so they are aware of the services, and charges
Yeah, so far it's only been freelancing for friends and acquaintances. I am telling myself that after I'm not a student, I will feel more comfortable charging for my design time. The only problem is right now I have NO free time at all and all these free projects piling up. Glad most of my peers are feeling basically the same way. cheers.
I'm doing a little freelance work for my next door neighbor. Luckily, she brought up the money and told me to research and figure out how much I wanted. It was kind of awkward because I didn't want to ask for too much or too little, but we finally decided on $12 an hour to start and then if she continued to have work for me we would discuss a raise. I think its good to be flexible in freelancing situations.
I have done a little freelance work over the years and I would just caution everyone about being taken advantage of. Some people are just cheap and try to get what they can for free. Charging a small fee for your expertise or doing things in trade is a great way to get more experience without people taking advantage of you.
I have done a a few paintings in trade for various things as well as some graphic design. Most of the time I have found that people are more than happy to pay for something they do not know how to do. Just because we are still students does not mean that out time is not valuable.
I also highly recommend setting parameters on how many rounds of changes a client can make. I would also say ahead of time how many ideas you will present. I recently got into a situation where the client kept changing their mind even after they had approved everything to go to print. I was on the phone trying to stop items going to print because of this and it was not a good situation to be in.
This project was free of charge and ended up wasting a lot of my time and other students time who were working on the project with me. We did not know enough to set up restrictions on the number of changes the client could request.
We ended up not doing the job after many hours of work because of the frustrations with the constant changes.
I am actually in limbo doing a freelance project for a restaurant/bar in the North End. The owner asked me to re-design their logo, and immediately said he would pay me for it. I haven't finished the logo yet, which is alright with him because he understands I'm busy with other stuff as well. Once it is done, because of the time situation, I would charge him a flat rate, not hourly (obviously). I have found that it is hard to charge hourly unless you're really good at making notes of when you start working and when you're done each day.
Also, going along with what others have said, you're time is always valuable, so charge for it! Have confidence in yourself that you have the skills, and should be paid for them. I've had a hard time believing that I was good enough to be paid until I got this internship. Once I started working there, I realized that my work and time are both valuable enough for someone else (aside from family and friends) to appreciate it and use it (whether it's for credit or money). That being said... you should always charge what you're comfortable with, unless it is a gift that they didn't ask for in the first place :)
Yeah- it's all starting to cool down now. I am going to stop taking these free jobs until I get out of school, I think, though it is nice to get the work out there; I think my personal sanity is worth a little more right now.
Post a Comment