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Any good places to start?

Thread title: Any good places to start?
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07-31-2011, 07:36 AM
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emeyex is offline emeyex
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  Old  Any good places to start?

So iv'e been doing my best to put in at least 15 mins a day to find clients. I have gotten a couple of replys that do not seem to keep up once I PM them back. Are there any suggestions as to how I can get started with cheap $5-$10 digital designs?

07-31-2011, 09:17 AM
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Try ODesk.com ... I see a lot of projects there for graphics and designs.

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08-03-2011, 01:01 PM
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Thanks much! Ill check it out!

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08-06-2011, 03:39 PM
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Chris Suyeda is offline Chris Suyeda
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Have you ever thought about approaching local businesses? One way I found work was finding business with 'dated' company logos or websites. If you want to start small, I suggest you find a local business with a company logo you can improve. Come up with a few mock designs to present, along with reasons why they should make the change from their old site logo to the one you have created.

It's important to ensure that they are still actively using their website. Otherwise, you could have created a masterpiece, but they could care less because they no longer use their website for their business.

If they like your design and are willing to incorporate your new logo, you can being a little more bold and offer a complete redesign of their company website. Make sure to have your portfolio handy!

If you don't have a portfolio just yet, consider completing this project for a very reasonable price to help build your reputation, your portfolio, and gain more experience. While we all have bills to pay at the end of the day, there is nothing more valuable then the experience you take away with communicating with a client you the time you put into a project.

Good luck with all your future endeavors.

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08-10-2011, 06:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris Suyeda View Post
Have you ever thought about approaching local businesses? One way I found work was finding business with 'dated' company logos or websites. If you want to start small, I suggest you find a local business with a company logo you can improve. Come up with a few mock designs to present, along with reasons why they should make the change from their old site logo to the one you have created.

It's important to ensure that they are still actively using their website. Otherwise, you could have created a masterpiece, but they could care less because they no longer use their website for their business.

If they like your design and are willing to incorporate your new logo, you can being a little more bold and offer a complete redesign of their company website. Make sure to have your portfolio handy!

If you don't have a portfolio just yet, consider completing this project for a very reasonable price to help build your reputation, your portfolio, and gain more experience. While we all have bills to pay at the end of the day, there is nothing more valuable then the experience you take away with communicating with a client you the time you put into a project.

Good luck with all your future endeavors.
Thank you so much! This info will give me a new way to market my work. I'm sure it's as simple as finding the contact information of the site owner at the bottom and contacting them right?

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08-11-2011, 02:29 AM
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Chris Suyeda is offline Chris Suyeda
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You're very welcome! Glad to be of some help.

Yes, that is one way about contacting them, but make sure you don't come off like a robot. Try to be personal with them and introduce a little about yourself. If you like the product/restaurant/service they offer at your community -- say so! A few genuine compliments can go a long way, but also include why you think a site/logo redesign would benefit their company.

If you're willing, take on a few local projects for free and build a portfolio based off your local projects only. When I first started contacting local business (in person and online), I got turned down several times. I decided that I would take on a few projects for the local business free-of-charge to build somewhat of a 'local reputation.' Now that I had these 3-5 local logo redesigns completed, other businesses were more willing to listen to what I had to say and if they weren't currently interested they had ensured me they would contact me when they were.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

09-26-2011, 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris Suyeda View Post
Have you ever thought about approaching local businesses? One way I found work was finding business with 'dated' company logos or websites. If you want to start small, I suggest you find a local business with a company logo you can improve. Come up with a few mock designs to present, along with reasons why they should make the change from their old site logo to the one you have created.

It's important to ensure that they are still actively using their website. Otherwise, you could have created a masterpiece, but they could care less because they no longer use their website for their business.

If they like your design and are willing to incorporate your new logo, you can being a little more bold and offer a complete redesign of their company website. Make sure to have your portfolio handy!

If you don't have a portfolio just yet, consider completing this project for a very reasonable price to help build your reputation, your portfolio, and gain more experience. While we all have bills to pay at the end of the day, there is nothing more valuable then the experience you take away with communicating with a client you the time you put into a project.

Good luck with all your future endeavors.
Great advice right there, exactly what I was going to say. I started locally and have branched out since.

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10-08-2011, 01:38 AM
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Sounds like you're in the same boat as me. I've heard from quite a few people that getting started in graphic design, especially freelance, is often challenging. I really think it'll take perseverance and dedication to improving your craft to get to where you want to be. Since trying to go pro earlier this year, I've taken a step back for a while to sharpen my skills and learn new software. It's very competitive out there.

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