I agree with Opus, I think you can gain a lot from some industry experience before going freelance. University doesn't really prepare you for the practical side of the design industry, the tight deadlines and the client/agency processes. You can also build up a decent foundation of work from clients you wouldn't be able to approach as a new freelancer, and make the contacts that are so crucial to freelance success. I'd recommend getting at least a couple of years experience agency side before you think about making the switch.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of companies prefer to deal with Ltd companies because it offers them that extra layer of protection. If the design agency you're working for now is fine either way then maybe this isn't an issue for you though.
Ardesco, post: 4699 a écrit : How about some sticky posts in each forum providing ball park figures for various services?
Then when people come along they will get a rough idea of what XXX service that they want would cost.
There are so many factors to consider when pricing jobs, never mind trying to sum up industry-wide prices that everyone would agree with. I think it would be very difficult.
Welcome to the forum r-41157,
I'd say you need to decide first wether you want a laptop or a desktop computer then you can go on to decide which model. I personally use a 15" MBP I find it pretty good for all my needs using the Adobe suite. I also use a second monitor for a bit of extra screen estate. I think if you go for just a MB, you may find the screen too small for doing lots of graphics work.
The iMacs are nice desktop machines, they had a few at the last agency I worked at, and you get a LOT of screen.
Basically I think MBP or iMac, both great machines - you just need to decide whether you're going to need your computer with you at all times or if the University computers are going to be sufficient. I used to lug around a 17" PB and I can tell you that wasn't much fun!
Good luck with your choice!
Maybe you want something more professional, but when I want to get out I just go to a wifi enabled cafe. Might not be ideal for skype calls I suppose but for the price of a few lattes it saves a bit.
You should be fine if it was just a short trip. If you're registered and live in the UK, and you're being paid into your UK bank account then I don't think you'll run into any problems.
Sometimes I think it's worth waiting for second generation models. It does look cool though doesn't it!
For a budget laptop I think the MacBook is still good value for money, and I'd have thought it's more than capable for journalistic work.
rachie37, post: 4191 a écrit : I have experience in typing and administration mainly but I am also interested in researching especially online
What kind of freelance work are you looking for? I'm not a fan of them myself, but for this type of thing you might be best going with a recruitment agent :eyes
Yep you don't need to pay tax in the states in this case. I think you only need to worry if you're working abroad for something like 190 days or more. In your case it sounds like you're doing the work from the UK anyway, so it shouldn't even be an issue.
Sounds a bit like you want to build myspace.com for $500!
There are already hundreds if not thousands of similar clone sites out there, you might want to re-think your business plan.
I think Mike's right, they're not going to go crazy over sums like these, especially since you wouldn't have to pay tax on it even if you declared it before. If you have an accountant maybe have a chat to them.
DesignSimpleWeb, post: 3261 a écrit : so in principle freelancing its selfemployment? what about tax. How does it look when Im dooing full time job in one company and wonna do some freelance work as weel??:confused:
There's nothing wrong with working full-time and freelancing as long as you register yourself as a freelancer and declare this additional income.
nocturnal, post: 3060 a écrit : In order to get paid, my employer told me that I have to invoice them. How can I do that? Do I have to register somewhere as freelancer so that I can get to invoicing people, if yes, what are the registration/montly/annual costs to this registration?
Hi Nocturnal,
You will have to register as being self-employed with HM Revenue & Customs within the first 3 months of contracting (I think it's 3 months, but please check).
But you can go ahead and invoice the company straight away. Just mock up a basic invoice listing services rendered, the cost for each service (include times if you were working hourly/daily) - the address of the company you're invoicing, and your own address. Also include an invoice reference number for your own and their records. Your word processor may even have an invoice template or there are plenty online to look at. FreelanceUK has an invoice template and here's another.
If you're going to be doing a lot of freelancing now you could get something to manage and create your invoices. There's a bunch of online and offline software that will do this for you. I use an offline programme called Billable
Sunflower, post: 2831 a écrit : Am not sure if I should be using WYSIWYG editors or code -
Wow sounds like a challenging workshop! I've no experience of this I'm afraid but I would suggest staying well away from any code and probably stick to a really basic WYSIWYG editor. If you're on macs then maybe something like iLife's iWeb would be a good place to start. I'm sure there must be windows equivalents too.
I hope you post up how it goes on here I'd be interested to hear.
Did you not agree any hourly rates or project quote before the project started? This is surely something you should think about before you do the work. If I were you I'd work out how many hours you spent on it, and then whatever you feel is a fair hourly rate for your work.
bex51, post: 2808 a écrit : I probably spent a couple of weeks on it, and off on it, I don't know how many hours exactly.
Your client will want to know specific times if you're charging on the clock. So you need to be a lot more specific than this.
You'll need to speak to your bank also and get an IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and a SWIFT number to provide to the client.
I also agree, make sure you get a % up-front, I usually ask for at least 40%.
gilly, post: 1520 a écrit : cheers, that is something I will take a look at, because the mortgage and the wife won't apprecite too much of a drop, mind you I could handle the mortgage it is the wife that scares me:laugh2
Unless you're prepared to initially take a big pay-cut maybe you should consider doing this in your spare time until you have developed the skills and confidence to move into full-time or freelance work.
I think your work shows potential, but you need to do something about the portfolio site itself, especially your landing page. The graphics pointing to the different sections look pixelated and are compressed badly.
Also personally I'd broaden the site out a bit, allowing you to make more of the images in the portfolio section. You want to be really showing these off, and currently I think they're lost a bit inside that big bold frame around the whole site.
One last piece of advice, a quick look at you source code shows it's a table based layout made in dreamweaver. If you want to up your game a bit learn the basics of CSS, and if you're comfortable, start using a text based editor to code up your sites. It really doesn't take too long to master the basics and you'll find it faster and cleaner in the long run.
