A research conducted by the Design Council in the UK has revealed surprisingly that:
The design industry experienced a 29% growth even in the midst of recession from 2005 to 2010.
Now, that condition took a wonderful turn as time proceeded.
It has been found that design is valued to a supreme level by the UK and that the country spends 33.5 billion pounds to contribute to the design industry.
So, if you are a graphic designer or you want to be one, then it is true that you will be saved by your expertise all the time.
Graphic design is like an amalgamation of art and technology. And such an amalgamation is an asset to the business as any creative art fosters better communication.
You get the idea.
Creative communication is a much healthier form of communication than most other general counterparts (such as writing).
What creative communication can do is no secret to today’s people. And businesses know about it before them.
Are you a designer? The brands need you…desperately.
But,…
What if you become a brand and a designer at the same time?
- Reasons Why a Designer Can Definitely Be an Entrepreneur
You need a mindset; a little bit of knowledge (which you probably have already); some money either using your savings or a bad credit loan in Ireland (if you’re running a bit low on credit score) and a creative approach to set your business up.
But we need to discuss these steps thoroughly, right?
Well, read the following points to find out…
- Take Care of Advanced Education
- Make a Stunning Portfolio of Your Work
- Go for Making a Website
- What Apps Are You Going to Work with?
- Set up a Small Office Room (or a Desk)
- Get Some Money to Start off
Well, the elevation from designer to entrepreneur can indeed make you face a few issues. But, when you’re upgrading yourself, then it is probable you will face some sort of resistance.
But these resistances will only act as teachers to make you a better entrepreneur, right?
Right!
So, let’s go to know a little more about these points mentioned.
1. Take Care of Advanced Education
Yes, you are already a graphic designer, and that’s perfectly fine!
However, technology is being constantly upgraded and renewed. New design features and challenges emerge every day for each designer living in this world.
So, before rushing to be an entrepreneur, take some time and discover the things you ‘don’t know.
Yet!
There are graduate and postgraduate courses in graphic design offered by many colleges in the UK.
You may also take a more flexible, more comfortable (and a more ‘a lot’ actually) online course from Udemy; Skillshare; Coursera; Domestika; Canva; Alison or Shaw Academy (There are much more out there).
A variety of online courses on different design software and genres can be found here. For an online course, you might get affordable fees too.
Research a little before registering for a course and find out what is currently required in the market with a high potential of growth in the future.
2. Make a Stunning Portfolio of Your Work
Your portfolio as a designer is the ‘face of your work’.
A portfolio must be made with care and attention. Here are some steps you may follow for making a great graphic design portfolio:
- Include your best works
- Add creativity in designing the portfolio
- Involve creative storytelling elements
- Use words (or typography as the designers call it)
- Create an online and offline version of the portfolio. You may use animation for the online version.
- Share references from your social media reputation about your work
- Make it special in any other way you know
Remember, it is a portfolio of you not as a designer, but as an entrepreneur.
So, don’t compromise in making it special.
3. Go for Making a Website
Let’s make the website your way…the designer’s way!
As a designer, you can use your best creative skills in designing the UI/ UX of the website.
Feature some of your best work on the website. Add animated clips or snippets for storytelling.
It also saves you money.
If you are in a rush, you may buy some stocks as available on the Internet.
When you are finished with the design part, you need to develop your website.
Get in touch with a web developer or a programmer along with a web hosting brand to buy a domain.
You can now launch your website.
4. What Apps Are You Going to Work with?
Specialise!
Being an expert on many particular apps can raise your brand value. Working with all the apps available in the market may not put you in an ‘appealing’ kind.
People and a brand in particular, who work with all the apps lack on using specialised characteristics in their work.
Even if you work with a team, you stick to a particular ‘type’ of design-related work.
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator/ Adobe Illustrator CC are the two pillars of Graphic Design Software.
But you can still use:
- Affinity Designer
- Corel Draw
- Inskscape
- Gravit Designer
- Sketch
- Xara Designer Pro
You may search more or talk to your graphic designer instructor about other apps currently used by designers and preferred by brands.
5. Set up a Small Office Room (or a Desk)
If you want to grow as a medium business focusing on graphic design, you need an office.
A freelance graphic designer can efficiently work from home, provide a good portfolio and a few trustworthy and high-paying clients.
You may use the websites Fiverr or Upwork to get freelance work.
In that case, a desk and many graphic design tools like a stylus; a laptop or a desktop for design-related purposes, a printer; a scanner etc., will do just fine.
However, it still depends on the kind of work.
If you work well and gather a bunch of employees and market your brand in popular channels like YouTube; Vimeo or search engines like Google; Yahoo; Bing etc.; chances are you will get more and more work.
More and more work means employees.
More and more employees mean space.
More and more space means you need to own a small office someday.
And that’s good!
6. Get Some Money to Start off
Money shouldn’t hinder your graphic design journey, in which you are an entrepreneur.
Your savings account can serve you with the money you need. But that exhausts the account, and you may face issues with urgent financial requirements.
Why not take out a quick loan from Ireland without a guarantor instead?
These loans are unsecured, they come with no collateral, and you can use the money for any cause you like.
You can also take a bad credit loan to fund your business and rebuild your credit score at the same time.
In this process, you can at least ‘save your savings account’ and be more organised in managing money, don’t you think.
- To Conclude
Design can change the world. Business is just a small part of that.
And when you get to be an entrepreneur from a designer, you get to take that responsibility of changing the world and making it a better place.
It is because the world deserves to be better.
And you’re going to do that!
