Freelance Web Design Jobs
If you surf any sort of site that offers graphic designer jobs, expect to find loads and loads of people looking for someone to make their website, or to edit one that they already have. This is because everyone and their mother wants their own website, be it for personal or business use, but not everyone knows how to design a website. One person might want a site for his used rubber gloves business, while some other guy will want a site on which to show a live broadcast of his wife giving birth to conjoined twins. Either way, it’s two people who know nothing about web design who need someone to make their internet dreams come true.
In order to do freelance web design, you’re going to need three things: a computer, web design software, and the knowledge of how to use the first two in order to make a website come to life. Oh yeah, and you’ll need about a million examples of your past web design work to show to clients.
It’s good to know how to sling around HTML coding and Flash ActionScript, since those are the most commonly requested types of websites. Knowing CSS is kind of like tap dancing…it’s a perk to have the skills, but you don’t necessarily need to know it in most cases. No matter what kind of site you design, though, be sure to save a copy of the HTML file or SWF file and take some screen caps. You never know when your client will go ninja on you and get a new site design, or forget to pay their site maintenance bill and the domain goes up for sale without the layout you poured your heart and soul into.
How you go about acquiring your design software is up to you. Dreamweaver is generally considered to be the best (and, of course, the most expensive), but clients might have some other sort of shareware or freeware that you’ve never heard of…like CakeBaker 2.0, or LitterBox 5.1, and they’ll demand that you also use this same software. Unless you’re very good at using new software and mastering its use within an hour or so, try and stay away from clients who make you use a certain kind of development program. Otherwise, you’ll be ripping your hair out trying to figure out what you’re doing, and I guarantee what you’re being paid will not cover a hair transplant.
Web design is challenging and rewarding. Like with any other type of art, getting to see your work featured in a public venue and knowing people are looking at it is a wonderful feeling.
Posted in: Jobs for Graphic Designers
