When I first started doing graphic design for a living, it was quite hard to get myself known. I now have to compete in a global marketplace, where amazing artists from all over the world can display their work in online galleries or portal sites. It used to be fairly straightforward to market a new business. You could have a few hundred leaflets made up and deliver them through doors, go to Chamber of Commerce meetings and introduce yourself and get to know your local printer.
While these are still valid marketing methods, they ignore a massive potential market that no businessman can afford to ignore. There is a worldwide audience out there, and while the competition is global, so are the opportunities. So what to do?
First thing was to get a decent website with a good portfolio. Designers seem to have the best websites in my opinion because they can use them completely as a showcase for their work. This allows them the freedom to ignore convention and rules to create something truly original and quite often, amazing. I had to get someone to do mine for me, but fortunately they wanted some work doing too so we did a skills exchange. I know time is money so it did cost me, but it didn’t cost me cash I didn’t have, and I had no work to speak of anyway.
Once the website was finished I had to promote it and put a portfolio together. I had some stuff from college which I could add but nothing else. I decided to go all philanthropic and offer my services free of charge as long as I could use the end results in my portfolio. So I went to some business websites and began offering free business card designs. Cards were small enough that it wouldn’t take me too long to do a few, and used in business enough to perhaps get me some extra publicity.
This offer went down a storm, it seems everyone, no matter their status or income loves the word “free”! I was getting several orders a day for my business cards and I was barely keeping up. In situations like these, you have to take the long view. I was working hard but not making any money. I couldn’t keep it up forever, but the longer I did, the more my name was out there.
Eventually people were contacting me for other things, and I was slowly able to add fees to my work. I had to scale the free stuff back because I began falling behind in my fee paying work, eventually stopping altogether.
“Free business card designs” still brings a smile to my face. It was what got me started, got me known and made me a successful designer and businessman. I’m sure there’s a lot of established knowledge out there that says you can make money from nothing, but I’m living proof of it. I still make business cards now, but I charge for it. I have a lifestyle to maintain!