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I spotted a social media ad a few months ago promising that if I signed up for this freelancing workshop, I would learn how to triple my salary.Â
I then enrolled out of curiosity and found out that in order to earn this much money, I needed to specialize in graphic design and sell my services.
Being a graphic designer has always brought joy to creative people. Many take a plunge into this career because a lot of people boast that you can earn a lot from it.Â
But the real truth is that there are many factors that have made this industry challenging to be in.
Working with graphic designers has given me enough insight into the ups and downs of the industry. Earning “a lot” seems to be the tip of the iceberg. Rejected proposals, tons of revisions, and shaky self-esteem lurk beneath.
Many people get into graphic design thinking it will be a fun job where they will be able to draw pictures all day, however, this is rarely the case. True, you get to draw nice things, but you also have to deal with clients, deadlines, and other potentially stressful situations.Â
Here are the five issues that graphic designers secretly suffer from.
You might think that working as a designer is a wealthy and steady profession, but you could be wrong. Graphic designers are in high demand, but the average pay is poor.
More people than ever before are developing websites, logos, and other visual designs thanks to the internet and digital media. The demand for graphic designers has dropped in the past few years, and the competition is rising.
Designers make websites and graphics look good but there are other factors that affect customer conversion. Unfortunately, since design is the most obvious visual change, non-designers tend to blame it first.
A lot of business owners just look at their website as a bunch of pretty pictures but fail to recognize that it is just one cog in a marketing or branding system. Even the most attractive website makeover will not bring in a swarm of clients overnight.
Some clients are easy to work with, while others are quite a pain. It’s annoying to have to argue with clients about the colour of a button. However, some people believe it is vital since, after all, they are the design expert.
The most difficult client is the one that refuses to change and blames the designer for their own mistakes. Sure, they have the final say, but isn’t it heartbreaking to design something that contradicts all you battled for?
Designers find it frustrating to constantly push the boundaries of what a website could be, or the appropriate design for an advertisement.Â
If you have clients who are willing to listen, consider yourself lucky. But what about the bullies who approve the invoice?
Graphic design is about more than just churning out designs on a daily basis; it’s also about debunking clients’ myths and even subjective judgments that might hurt the brand.Â
You’d be creating and redesigning the same project hundreds of times if you were insecure about your work.
Freelance designers ensure that the design contract specifies a maximum number of revisions. This is to protect their time from clients who are undecided.Â
If you’re working on a big client’s design, you’ll probably give in to one last revision rather than risk losing the job.
You’ll find yourself hurrying to complete revisions in order to submit them on time, often crossing work-life boundaries. You’ll feel overwhelmed and out of control as your client list grows.
It is not always rainbows and butterflies in the realm of design. Designers have their own set of challenges. Aside from creating designs, they like to show that graphic design is much more than just making a picture look pretty.
Instead of becoming a graphic designer yourself, consider outsourcing the design work to an on-demand design service and focus on solving bigger problems for your clients.
Designers are not only creative but also highly skilled professionals. They are art, science, and psychology experts. They are not, however, magicians; they have a set of tools with which they can solve problems through design.
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