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Conquering distractions: The freelancer's guide to focus

Freelancing isn’t a walk in the park. Designers often leave agency life dreaming of a more relaxed and independent work-life balance, only to find that freelancing is high-pressure and requires wearing multiple hats and juggling numerous priorities. From creative strategy to managing finances and marketing, freelancers have to do far more than just design. When the stakes are this high, staying focused is critical to success. Yet, as we all know, mastering focus is a challenge in itself....

How should a graphic designer prepare for a cost of living crisis?

Businesses typically spend less on marketing during a recession. When demand decreases, businesses often need to cut costs to maintain profitability. Design and marketing budgets are often one of the first areas to be reduced.However, it's important to note that not all businesses will reduce their marketing spend during a recession. Some businesses see a recession as an opportunity and increase their marketing efforts.  Preparing for an economic recession is essential to ensure your b...

Which industries are more likely to be recession resistant for graphic designers and how to win with them?

While no industry is entirely recession-proof, some industries tend to be more resilient than others during economic downturns. It can be helpful to identify recession resistant  industries you are interested in working with and develop a strategy to work with them.Similarly there can be industries which are significantly impacted by a recession but smart business owners will take an opportunity to pivot and transform their business at this time which also creates fresh opportunities for de...

8 little wins for clients and designers. Income generating ideas in recessionary times

Generating additional revenue as a freelance graphic designer during recessionary times, can be challenging yet possible through creative strategies for your website clients that can be produced efficiently and also create real value for your clients. This blog covers some simple and practical ways to achieve bite sized profitable growth. ...

Will AI replace graphic designers? Predicting the future of graphic design

Working in technology for the last 14 years, friends often say to me “wow, how do you keep up, your industry moves so quickly!” While it might seem like that to someone outside the industry, in some ways it has felt slow for us. We get an early heads-up about new technology and often have to wait years for all web browsers to support that tech or for the late majority and laggards to adopt new tech....

Designing in Harmony: Balancing Passion Projects and Client Work

Graphic designers are at heart, artists and creatives. No, they don’t spend all day painting or drawing, yes, they may work for an organisation or freelance to an array of business clients, but that doesn't detract from their artistry. A struggle that many graphic designers share, whether they are in-house, an agency or freelance, is juggling their passion projects with their client obligations....

Celebrating Strength and Empowerment: Reflections from International Women's Day 2024

This International Women's Day, I had the wonderful opportunity to join a gathering that truly resonated with the spirit of celebration, reflection, and empowerment. As Kendyl, the Marketing Manager at Rocketspark and Conversation Starter for Creative Launchpad Community, I found myself immersed in an atmosphere of inspiration, surrounded by the vibrant community from the Raglan Business Chamber, at Rock-it in Raglan. The event was a profound reminder of the strength that lies within our collect...

Cultivating Self-Confidence and Resilience as a Freelancer

Solopreneurship, freelancing or whatever you want to call it has immense benefits. Freedom and autonomy are massive drawcards, as ditching the nine-to-five means creating a work-life balance that suits you. The potential for success as a solopreneur is also high, rather than being a cog in a company’s wheel, with no direct reward for your hard work (other than an occasional bonus or promotion) you can solely reap the financial gains....

Turning tumbles into triumphs: Simon’s take on overcoming failure

Failure - it terrifies us all. Yet we’ve all been told at some point that “we learn from our mistakes.” Simon Dowding is a solopreneur who has been in the freelance game since 2020, after transitioning from in-house roles and he’s sure had his fair share of failure and success....

Ethics and the power of AI

Chances are you that read about the controversial AI image that won this year's Sony World Photography Awards open category. German Photographer Boris Eldagsen submitted the image under the guise of being a regular photograph as a test to see if judges would be able to distinguish AI from reality. The joke is not only were they blind to the AI but they awarded it top prize. Eldagsen’s controversy did raise some serious questions about the ethics of AI and image enhancement or manipulation, lea...

The Nexus of Value and Brand as a Solopreneur

Our intrinsic value as people is what sets us apart from the rest. After all, David Beckham didn’t sign a $250 million deal with LA Galaxy after leaving Real Madrid for nothing - it was his un-disputable value that saw him rake in those astounding dollar signs....

Why you should invest in your business savvy knowledge as a freelance designer

As a solopreneur one of the best things you can do for your career is to upskill and stay relevant. It’s easy to put training to the side when you are juggling client demands and deadlines, the stresses of running a business and of course having a personal life, but it really should be a priority....

Unlocking the creative flow: Setting the stage for uninterrupted inspiration

Creativity is intrinsic to a designer’s career, yet as we all know, sometimes inspiration runs dry and we can find ourselves in a serious creative rut. For freelance designers, maintaining creative flow can be tricky for a myriad of reasons; for instance, the isolation of working remotely, juggling multiple clients at once or slogging through a project that you just don’t love....

Designing with purpose: The impact of socially conscious graphic design

In a digital world where great visual content and brands have the ability to influence how people think, graphic designers have the unique opportunity to help make positive change. From social issues to environmental ones, designers can use their skills to have a lasting impact on the people and communities they care about....

Designing your worth: How to price your graphic design services

When designers transition from employment to freelancing there are a few hurdles to overcome; a massive one is money. We all know that money is still a bit of a taboo topic in New Zealand society, and people aren’t always very forthright with what they earn and how they manage their finances. Unfortunately, that means new solopreneurs can find themselves in the dark regarding how to run the financial side of their business. ...

Embracing Upskilling: a freelancer's journey to success

Freelance life comes with some serious perks; being your own boss, prioritising clients and work you’re passionate about, and freedom of course. Yet that doesn’t mean it's easy, without the safety net of steady employment, you have to truly learn to stand on your own two feet....

Finding success, the 2nd time freelancing

“There are so many people that are afraid or just wait for things to come to them in life. If that's the way you are, it would pay to think seriously about whether the freelancer life is really what you want, it can be super tough out there!” reflects Bron Alexander, freelance Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Art Director. Her words are harsh but pertinent, and perhaps what we need to hear....

Navigating business as a designer - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

Are you struggling with setting the right price for your services? Or perhaps you're unsure about the most effective onboarding process for new clients? Abby, Nicole, and Serena, are three seasoned entrepreneurs and Graphic Designers. In this Q&A, they share their take on a few elements that are helpful for both budding and established business owners....

Managing your mindset as a designer - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

This Q&A session explores the often-overlooked aspect of entrepreneurship: mindset. Nicole, Serena, and Abby, three designers, open up about the mental and emotional facets of running a business. From battling imposter syndrome to setting boundaries with clients, from networking strategies for introverts to aligning personal values with business goals—this conversation is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the relationship between mindset and entrepreneurship....

Starting out and working in a design business - Q&A from Brunch by the Beach Christchurch

From building a client base to understanding the importance of networking and keeping up with technology, to the value of 'passion projects' and the intricacies of agency work—this interview is a goldmine of insights.Whether you're a student, a freelancer looking to scale, or someone considering diving into business as a self-employed designer, you’ll enjoy this Q&A session with Abby, Serena and Nicole....

Crafting emotionally engaging websites

Humans are meaning-makers. We are constantly seeking for a reason, a connection or a relation to the world around us. User Experience (UX) Design understands this principle intimately, it’s job is to marry design principles, brand and the course of the user journey to create a particular feeling when a customer uses a website....

6 quick ways to edit the copy you get from your client

For many web designers and developers, getting copy is the biggest hold-up in their project timeline.Often, clients haven't thought about their website content. They just want a website.So when you ask them to provide SEO conversion copy that's customer-focused and written with H1, H2, and H3 headings, including keywords and alt text, that has a logical and compelling information flow … funnily enough, they freak out.What reactions do you get when you ask your web design clients for content fo...

Hey designer - are you wondering how much web design could add to your business?

From designing logos to print material, a business’s overall branding concept, marketing content, packaging, advertisements and so much more - there’s plenty of cool, creative stuff that rests on the desk of a graphic designer. But have you often wondered about the world of web design, and whether it’s something you should consider adding to your suite of services?  You might immediately think, point blank, no. Or you could be curious, but apprehensive. However, what we do know is tha...

Natalie’s story: Breaking the stigma of the ‘9 to 5’ as a graphic designer

Dolly Parton was certainly onto something about the whole ‘working 9 to 5’ business, and how you’re often barely getting by because it’s all taking and no giving. Which is why many of us turn to the freelancer life, right? To get more flexibility in our day, and take real ownership of the work we do.  There’s also a number of other reasons the traditional ‘9 to 5’ doesn’t work for graphic designers, which is what our very own Olivia had a chat about recently with freela...

Resilience and reinvention: a designer's journey of freelancing and motherhood

Re-entering the workforce after taking time off can be terrifying, there’s no doubt about it. This is the reality for countless women with professional careers, who face the daunting prospect of coming back to work after maternity leave....