How To Start A Graphics Design Making Business | SkillsAndTech

Looking to start a Graphic Design Business? Well, don’t worry we have you covered. Here, you’ll find the best info, inspiration, and resources on the subject and discover best practices in how to start your business.

Graphic designs are in high demand. If you have the talent to create original graphics or designs, you can be involved in a wide variety of industries such as web design, graphic arts design, and even interior design.

Graphic design is needed in a variety of contexts and people are often willing to pay well for this uniquely creative skill.

Table of Contents

Who is it For?

The first thing you require before starting your Graphics Design Business is ambition. This is the most important question you need to ask yourself before stepping into the business.

You don’t necessarily have to be artistic but just passionate about your graphic designs. You have to be comfortable working at odd hours and be flexible with your work environment.

Consider your talents as a part of your resources. Everything you can bring to your business will help define what it becomes in the future.

Skills Needed to Start a Graphics Design Business

Upon starting your Graphics Design Business you should be fluent in as many software and platforms as possible. This is required because in the day and age with so many professional tools to choose from a client may require you to work on different software to which you are not used to.

The only way you’ll get better is by practicing your craft. That means constantly stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new things, using new tools, or even taking on new forms of work. New and updated software is released every week, for you to be ahead of the curve you will also have to constantly keep learning.

You’ll be working intimately with the software to create your designs and content, so make sure you’re incredibly familiar with it when the time comes.

Making Your Graphic Design Business Legal

As the proprietor, you will need to take care of the legal matters if you don’t want any trouble. It might not sound important if you’re just starting out on your own now, but as the company expands there will be crucial.

What you will need is a local trade license, and a current bank account in the name of the company. You will also need billing and accounting software to do business with clients.

All of these, of course, comes only after you have registered your company.

Equipment Needed to Start a Graphic Design Business

Having a good grasp of the Software/Platform of choice is paramount. Great online courses are available in plenty nowadays, as mentioned above.

You will need to download a good selection of artistic design software such as Monkeyworks, Canva, or other online tools. Then you’ll need to practice using them until you master the tools before you start taking clients.

Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, however, are two incredibly popular programs that you’ll likely include in your repertoire.

Some of the essential equipment you need for graphic design jobs are as follows:

Computer or Laptop
Pen and Paper
Graphics Tablet
Camera
Smartphone
Graphic Design Software
Online Design Tools like Canva
Cloud Storage

Scaling Up Your Graphic Design Business

The amount of capital you wish to invest initially will only be the starting point. With time you should consider hiring additional manpower.

Ideally, you can employ a core group of 1-2 Graphic Designers and 1-2 for digital marketing along with yourself.

For that, of course, will need additional capital. Generating such capital from your business returns alone will be tough initially.

In such a case, you can approach Lending Companies or financial institutions such as banks for loans.

Setting Your Price

You have to set the price of your service for both, the initial and long term. This will help you in keeping yourself motivated and achieve bigger milestones. However, it’s not easy as veterans still fret over whether or not they’re charging more or less.

When you’re just starting out, it’s even more of a mystery, but the basics of pricing are as follows:

Determine how much profit you need to survive (personally and professionally)
Determine what your knowledge, experience, and quality can command
Determine what the market will bear

Create a Website

Well, this one is a Must. If you want to have any type of online presence, having a website with a blog is a no-brainer. Your website and blog will serve as your virtual real estate and people will come to find out how they can purchase your services.

You should also have an online portfolio on your website on a separate page that people can view to see the kind of work you do.

Market Your Brand

Marketing your brand will be key to having success in this business. You have to make the most out of every social media platform available. On Facebook, this includes ads (possibly paid), building pages, and a community around it. You also have to be active on Twitter and Instagram and build a following around the brand.

See Also: How To Become A Multi-Unit Owner

Also, People love podcasts and videos. You can attract a larger number of viewers if you use media on topics that appeal to your target audience.

Find the Right Clients (and Projects)

The thing to remember is, when you’re just starting your graphic design business, sometimes the “right” clients are anyone who’s willing to pay you.

But as time wears on, you get more selective. You figure out which projects have the highest profit margin, and which ones you really enjoy working on.

And, if you have favorite clients, keep track of how you found them and try to repeat the process.

Your Work Will Get Better

Growth is inevitable — especially if you’re practicing your craft regularly. It’s just something that happens naturally over time.

You’ll learn new techniques and styles, new apps, and maybe even discover new talents you didn’t realize you had. Your performance and efficiency will also grow. Projects will be completed much faster and you’ll have better ideas.

Unless you stop working. Don’t do that.

Is Graphics Designing Business Profitable?

Yes, a Graphics Designing Business can be hugely profitable but only when you have a set plan to achieve certain goals and objectives.

We say this because, much as you would like to, you will not be able to provide all of the graphic design services potential clients might ask for. Focus your efforts on a specific segment of the market and aim to provide a first-class service in the first instance.

Specializing in one niche will help you have a tunnel vision toward the future of your firm. It will also help in getting more clients because they would know that you “specialize” in that field.

Conclusion

Starting a graphic designing business can be intimidating at first. It can be easy to get swept up in the first job demands and feel overwhelmed by the design requests.

Keep your calm and remember your motivation that we discussed in the 1st point (Who is it for). We hope this post on How to start a Graphics Design Business was helpful to you all.