So you need some design work done. There are a few options open to you; 1) you can hire a design firm. That usually involves some sort of contract and complicated copyright entanglements. 2) you can hire a designer full time or part time. That involves payroll taxes and some usual perks such as health insurance, acrued vacation time and probably non-productive time which can end up costing you.Or 3) find a reliable freelancer.
How does hiring a freelancer work to your advantage you might ask. To begin, freelance designers usually telecommute. That means that you won't have the need to 'create a workspace' for them. Freelancers usually charge 'by the job' as opposed to charging an hourly rate. The rates they charge are usually lower than what a design firm would charge because frelancers usually work from their home studio and haven't the need to amortize overhead into their pricing.
By and large, most freelancers have quite a bit of experience because they have worked in those pricy agencies and/or worked 'in house' for one or more companies. Much of their work comes by way of word of mouth, Consequently; they perform. Nothing is more valuable to a freelancer than a good recommendation, possibly even a lead.
My name is Ron Matt, I am a freelance designer. I live in Paradise, California. I moved to Paradise in 2000, from Los Angeles, CA. I have well over 35 years experience as a designer. I'm a 'pre-digital' designer. In other words I started out back in the day working on an actual drawing board with cold pressed art boards, a glue pot, a set of Rapid-o-Graph pens, an X-acto knife and a set of Panograph colored markers. My design comps were created by hand. I did my own product photography with a 4x5 studio camera in order to save money. I worked in design 'boutiques' as well as a number of big name agencies.
The introduction of the computer in graphic design was a boon for me and many like me. It opened many avenues that didn't exist prior. The design software, as it developed, made it much easier for a designer to be free to expand their field of expertise. It gave us control over photography and typography and time. Projects that involved many peripheral industries could be accomplished in Photoshop and Illustrator by the designer without ever leaving their studios. But with the benefits came the disadvantages. A decent designer that earned $35 and hour in 1985 (a relatively good wage then) was quickly being replaced by computer techs that made $12 an hour. Most design was being done for the press then. The 'Internet' hadn't come of age yet. Those new techs could whip out a design, But they had no idea what the printing process required. Resolution, trapping, screen frequency and ink saturation were abandoned. Even today, many designers haven't a clue how to prepare their digital files for the press. So many design for the screen because the screen is the primary medium now. The term WYSIWYG came to be. Back end costs piled up for the print client because their designer failed to properly prepare their files for print. The printers 'pre-press' department would have to spend hours repairing submitted files adjusting resolution, trapping and saturation so the the jobs could print well. (or be printed at all)
So, what can you expect if you hire me to be your 'freelance' designer? You can expect me to be there 'when you need me' and not there when you don't. I won't be hanging around 'on the clock' when there's nothing to do. You can expect me to give you a bottom line price for the design projects you need. I won't 'stretch' the time needed while again, being 'on the clock'. You can expect to own any and all 'intellectual property' that I create for you. You can expect that the final files I provide to you on a project will be accurate and complete, ready for print and you can expect to not get those surprise phone calls from your printer informing you that the files provided are sub-standard and extra charges will be added to their quote for their DTP person tries to correct the files.
How does hiring a freelancer work to your advantage you might ask. To begin, freelance designers usually telecommute. That means that you won't have the need to 'create a workspace' for them. Freelancers usually charge 'by the job' as opposed to charging an hourly rate. The rates they charge are usually lower than what a design firm would charge because frelancers usually work from their home studio and haven't the need to amortize overhead into their pricing.
By and large, most freelancers have quite a bit of experience because they have worked in those pricy agencies and/or worked 'in house' for one or more companies. Much of their work comes by way of word of mouth, Consequently; they perform. Nothing is more valuable to a freelancer than a good recommendation, possibly even a lead.
My name is Ron Matt, I am a freelance designer. I live in Paradise, California. I moved to Paradise in 2000, from Los Angeles, CA. I have well over 35 years experience as a designer. I'm a 'pre-digital' designer. In other words I started out back in the day working on an actual drawing board with cold pressed art boards, a glue pot, a set of Rapid-o-Graph pens, an X-acto knife and a set of Panograph colored markers. My design comps were created by hand. I did my own product photography with a 4x5 studio camera in order to save money. I worked in design 'boutiques' as well as a number of big name agencies.
The introduction of the computer in graphic design was a boon for me and many like me. It opened many avenues that didn't exist prior. The design software, as it developed, made it much easier for a designer to be free to expand their field of expertise. It gave us control over photography and typography and time. Projects that involved many peripheral industries could be accomplished in Photoshop and Illustrator by the designer without ever leaving their studios. But with the benefits came the disadvantages. A decent designer that earned $35 and hour in 1985 (a relatively good wage then) was quickly being replaced by computer techs that made $12 an hour. Most design was being done for the press then. The 'Internet' hadn't come of age yet. Those new techs could whip out a design, But they had no idea what the printing process required. Resolution, trapping, screen frequency and ink saturation were abandoned. Even today, many designers haven't a clue how to prepare their digital files for the press. So many design for the screen because the screen is the primary medium now. The term WYSIWYG came to be. Back end costs piled up for the print client because their designer failed to properly prepare their files for print. The printers 'pre-press' department would have to spend hours repairing submitted files adjusting resolution, trapping and saturation so the the jobs could print well. (or be printed at all)
So, what can you expect if you hire me to be your 'freelance' designer? You can expect me to be there 'when you need me' and not there when you don't. I won't be hanging around 'on the clock' when there's nothing to do. You can expect me to give you a bottom line price for the design projects you need. I won't 'stretch' the time needed while again, being 'on the clock'. You can expect to own any and all 'intellectual property' that I create for you. You can expect that the final files I provide to you on a project will be accurate and complete, ready for print and you can expect to not get those surprise phone calls from your printer informing you that the files provided are sub-standard and extra charges will be added to their quote for their DTP person tries to correct the files.
ron-matt@comcast.net
