Graphic design is a creative business that you can do as a freelancer, from home, online, and through a studio or as an agency. Graphic design is a very wide and big industry that supports and works in the development of other businesses.
For example, the designing materials of a telecom company is used in branding, marketing, and advertising activities. It means your designs, directly and indirectly, will work in the growth and marketing of the other business, product, and services.
What is graphic design: Graphic design is a visual communication method. Similar to written or verbal communication. In visual communication things such as images, diagrams, icons, brochures, cover pages, logos, product packaging, presentations, and various other materials attract, communicate, engage people in the content.
When they are engaged they will read and take action. It can be a landing page, sales funnel, or social media likes.
Almost every business needs graphics in their product development and marketing activities from the start to lifelong such as logo design, brochure, product package design, website design, social media page design, YouTube video banner design, etc.
So, you can utilize this market to start and grow your own graphic design business. We will share this strategy in future posts. We have started this series to guide and provide you some of the best tips that will help you to start, manage, and grow your graphic design business.
Uses of Graphics and graphic design services:
Graphic or art or creativity or visual communication is used in almost everything. But mostly in Logo and Branding Materials, Books, Magazines, App, Events, Seminars, Blog Posts, Videos, and Social Media and also in software and mobile apps.
The overall goal of graphics is to increase user experiences and improve brand value. It also means to inform, educate, and communicate with the target audience through designs. It should look like a brand, attract people to the message or product or service or apps and websites.
For example, if someone wants to increase sales through sales funnel or landing pages on the website then it’s important to design and create a landing page elegantly. It means content (text) + graphics (landing page design) + images will work best for the sales funnel.
Now if someone wants to market and promote an event then he/she needs banners, brochures, and online marketing content designs.
Similarly, every business needs logos and business cards.
So, it means that graphics are always in use. And that’s why it’s a great, creative, profitable, expandable, marketable business to start.
Types of works that graphic designer do or Services that you can provide in your graphic design business:
- Logo Design Services
- Brochure and leaflets Designs
- Books and Book Cover page Designs
- Apps Icons Designs
- Apps and website designs
- Business Cards
- Wedding card designs
- Birthday and best wishes cards design
- T-Shirt Printing
- illustration designs
- Social media designs
- 3d graphic designs
- Creative flyer designs
- Event calendars
There are lots of services that you can provide as a graphic designer and I will explain to you them in the next posts. This is a general overview and introduction part of how to start a graphic design business and upcoming posts will explain to you everything about the graphic design business.
Skills you need to start a graphic design Business:
- Logo Design Skill
- Brochure and Leaflet design skill
- Office Accessories design such as business card designs skill
- Icons Design
- Product packing and distribution designs
- Landing page or sales page design skills
- Photo editing and manipulation skills
- Typography skills
- Presentation designs
Also, knowledge about colors, pixels, fonts, size, responsiveness, user interface and user experiences, positive and negative shapes, copyright, and trademarks will help to work effectively and confidently.
Software /Apps/Tools you need to practice to start your own graphic design business:
Remember, graphic designing skills and knowledge is not all about graphic design tool, it’s all about creativity. Knowledge of tools will not make you a graphic designer. The use of the right tool on the right work or design or concept will make you successful.
You can use the following tools:
- Paint Program – To create bitmap images and design
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Adobe Photoshop – Photo Editing, Banner Design, Logo Design
- Affinity Designer – All in One
- Corel Draw – Printing Materials
- Adobe illustrator – Digital and Printing Works
There are various online tools and other applications and you can start with the lowest priced graphic design software or you can go with any of the above premium services.
Hardware/Tools you need to start a graphic design business:
- You need to have a minimum of a computer or laptop with i3 Processor or AMD, 4GB RAM, Inbuild or external Graphics Card, 1 TB Hard Disk or SSD, High-Quality Monitor or LCD Screen. Etc.
- External Hard Drive or Cloud Storage Space for Data Backup.
- Good quality Internet Connection and Speed
- LaserJet or InkJet Printer
- A comfortable chair in which you can sit continuously for 3 to 4 hours without break. (Please take a break after a 1 hour, to reduce the chance of back pain)
- Working environment or a creative corner space in a room.
Ways to start and grow graphic design Business step by step:
You can start a graphic design business in various ways. You can start it as a freelancer and then later you can convert it into a private Limited Company.
Following are the steps that you can follow to start the graphic design business:
- Start as a Freelancer: You can start a graphic design business as a freelancer. In this case, your cost will be minimum. And you can work whenever you want and you can select the project as per your choice. Your work mostly focused on online design clients. You will work remotely for clients and companies.
- From home: Starting a graphic design business from home is look similar to freelance. But when starting from home, you can also focus on getting local clients as well as online clients.
- To start as Graphic Design Studio and Printing Press: This is the best stage for your graphic design business to become profitable and bigger. In this time, you will be getting offline clients, online clients and you have invested in good infrastructures such as Printing machines, computers, software, team, marketing, and advertising. This time, you’re getting various types of graphics, web, and printing related works. You will get templates designs, book design, business card designs, and various other printing related works from the local as well as international business. This time, you need a team of 4 to 5 people. Your monthly cost can be around 100000 rupees approximately and you will be earning 5 to 100000 rupees per month. This time it’s a complete registered business. And you registered it as a firm.
- Start as Company: Starting as a company is the 4th stage in the graphic design business. When starting a company. You have 100+ regular design clients such as schools, colleges, government contracts, and many others. Not only that you also have multiple sources of revenue. It’s because you have invested in passive income streams and online business. In this not only you’re providing graphics design and printing services offline but you’re also selling digital assets online. In this stage, you have a 50+ team of people. And your business is fully automated.
Start with one graphic design service:
If you want to start successfully as a graphic design freelancer or home-based business or even a small graphic design agency then start with one graphic design service.
It can be logo design, apps design, banner design, business card design, or web design.
One graphic design client or one logo design client has many other design requirements in the future. So, you have to focus on the specific service in which you’re good and that cost you minimum to start. You have to think big from the beginning but you have to start small and slowly but definitely you will expand the services in the future.
Do you need to register your graphic design business?
Starting from home or as a freelancer, I don’t think you need to register your business. But once you have 5 to 10 regular clients or when you think your initial cost is now recovered, then you can register it as a local firm.
You must set a target to clarity this.
For example:
Your next 6 Months goals will be to become a successful Freelance Graphic Designer – It means you have 5 to 6 regular clients or you’re getting regular works from local businesses as well as from online clients.
After 6 months, you have the goal is to expand it as a home-based business or register it as a firm:
This time you have to hire someone to help you in daily design works. And you can focus on getting more work and expanding the business.
etc.
After that, you can start as a graphic design agency and later into the graphic design company.
You can also consult about registration with CA or Local Authorities about registered process and consultancy.
Who can start a graphic design business?
Anyone from anywhere with any kind of financial situation can start a graphic design business. But starting a business is different than running a business. And running a business is different than building a successful graphic design business.
It means anyone can start a graphic design business, but everyone has to learn and think to expand and grow the business consistently. I will share it later.
But to start you need to have a computer or laptop, internet connection, and software. Other than that, you will get other things on the way. Don’t expect too quick success. Instead, focus on quality works as quickly as possible in each work and deal that you do with people or customers or clients.
Platform and methods, you can use to promote or market your graphic design services and get more clients:
Quality in your graphic design work automates your graphic design business marketing. But you can’t depend on the quality. There are many people who provide quality designs but still are not successful. It’s because they don’t promote themself as confidently.
It means marketing is very critical and the most important success factor in the graphic design business.
1. Local Area: Make sure that every person you know, knows about that what you do. It means every person in your network should know that you provide graphic design service or any other specific service such as logo design. So, whenever people will think about logo design in your city, they will think about you. 5 to 10 clients from the local area are enough and very good to start.
2. Website and Blog:
Without an online presence, it’s impossible to compete with other companies or online graphic design software. Don’t think you are small or your designs are not as per the online competition. Instead, share your most beautiful project, work, client testimonials, project proofs on your website and blog. Create your portfolio and showcase the work that you do. Create a contact form page so that people can contact you. You can also run a blog in which you can publish at least 1 article related to graphic design per week or as per your selected category. It will make you the authority and reliable person to contact for graphic design work.
Setting up a portfolio and graphic design website is not a big thing these days. But make sure you know the basics of online marketing. If you know it will help you to get good clients. And getting 5 to 6 clients per month from the website is enough to start a successful graphic design business.
3. Social Media Pages and Groups
Social media is important if you want to inform your local network and your friends about your services. You can also create the Facebook page; you can create a google my business page as well for your business. so that people in your network and in the local area will find out your business or services when they search on Google.
4. YouTube:
It’s optional but important if you can inspire other people from your design. In this YouTube channel, you don’t have to teach how to start a graphic design business or how to start a YouTube channel. As I know most of the designers do, instead you have to focus on your target audience and client. And you have to create videos that matter to them and their business. This time your focus is to get maximum ideas and knowledge to make your graphic design business successful and it will become successful when you have clients and skills. So, focus on clients and improving your graphic design skill.
So other than the website, YouTube channel, social media, and marketing of your services in your local network and friends. It’s also important that you create your business cards, templates, services brochure so that each person you contact will get the ideas and information related to your services.
So, friends, today this article is all about starting a graphic design business. And I hope you liked it. Till the next post and video study graphic design business. Do online graphic design courses and learn everything about graphic design skills and business on YouTube. And make sure you know the basics of graphic design.
If not then I have selected a few courses here for beginners: Best online graphic design courses and skills for beginners to practice
And if you have a question please ask so that I can answer them all in my next article and video.
Some other helpful posts related to Graphic Design:
Online Graphic Design Courses – Learn Basic Graphic Design Skills
How to become a graphic designer with no experience
Career Options After Learning Graphics Design Skills