Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
“Freelancing can indeed offer immense creative and professional<br />
satisfaction, but there are plenty of challenges too. From the stress of<br />
juggling multiple projects and knowing you’re 100 per cent responsible<br />
for them, to clearing your schedule for work that never materialises,<br />
freelancing can be as distressing and infuriating as it can be brilliant.”<br />
Anne Wollenberg, Computer Arts, Feb 2016<br />
With the lack of options<br />
in the area and without<br />
having the funds for travel I<br />
decided to freelance for my<br />
placement. Last semester I<br />
undertook a large job for a<br />
client that included wedding<br />
invitations, place names, a<br />
seating plan and photography<br />
on the day. The client now<br />
required a wedding book.<br />
This job as a whole was a<br />
huge undertaking during my<br />
degree and I had to manage<br />
my time incredibly well to<br />
fit it all in. Editing images for<br />
days on end is repetitive and<br />
monotonous but necessary.<br />
Problems that can arise include<br />
delays in receiving information<br />
from clients and continual<br />
changes to information<br />
provided. There are also<br />
instances where the client<br />
has requested something<br />
that goes against what you<br />
consider to be good design<br />
and you must put forward<br />
your opinion. Sometimes they<br />
will be happy to take advice,<br />
sometimes not.<br />
I learned from this job that I had<br />
underestimated the length<br />
of time the editing would take.<br />
I also determined that I would<br />
be better served getting more<br />
familiar with Adobe Bridge for<br />
work-flow efficiency. I was left<br />
frustrated by not having a good<br />
file naming procedure from the<br />
outset as I had to spend a bit<br />
of time locating raw files where<br />
the name didn’t correspond to<br />
the jpg chosen by the client. In<br />
industry, where time is money,<br />
this would be wasteful.<br />
As this is the first time I had<br />
printed a book, I wanted to<br />
get a sample book to test the<br />
quality, The client was delighted<br />
with the results though I know<br />
this will not always be the case.<br />
Some clients are very specific<br />
with their needs and exact<br />
shades of colour. I had a great<br />
deal of experience of this in my<br />
previous employment, where<br />
the employer would sometimes<br />
have to take a hit in the name of<br />
customer satisfaction. The book<br />
design was time consuming but<br />
the experience will allow me<br />
to make a better estimate in<br />
the future. Only experience will<br />
enable me to judge how long a<br />
job will take and how much to<br />
charge a client.<br />
The second job I undertook was<br />
to design an album cover for<br />
Aberdeen band Seas, Starry.<br />
The album is primarily for digital<br />
release. They wanted simple<br />
block colours along the lines<br />
of David Hockney’s paintings<br />
“If there is<br />
one thing that<br />
design is about,<br />
designers are<br />
taught, it is<br />
problemsolving.<br />
At college<br />
and then<br />
in business,<br />
designers<br />
learn that<br />
what they need<br />
in order to<br />
practice design<br />
is the brief -<br />
the problem.”<br />
David Carson, 2nd Sight