Working in a Design Company or Freelancing?

Designers are surely talented and we cannot deny the great role designers play in whatever occasion and situation. A big company would need a designer same as how a small business would need them for the creation of logos, posters, ads, packaging and many others. Even mere parties and small gatherings would need the help of a designer to give life to the event by making great invitations, thank you cards, tarpaulins and others. The artistic stuff we see on the internet, malls, bookstores, groceries and even billboards are evidences that designers exists. Without designers, the world would be dull and colorless. We owe to these people the rainbow of ideas that reign the internet, the marketing world, the business world and even fun and entertainment. The scope of a designer’s work is large and undeniably challenging.

These days, the demand for designers grow higher especially with the trend of online businesses and freelancing where in clients and designers can easily find each other online. One keyword entered in Twitter can already lead you to hundreds of brilliant designers who have truly proven themselves in the industry.

But there is confusion whether it is better to work at home with your own time through freelancing or would it be better to be employed as designer in a company or agency. The question of talent will no longer be entertained here for talent and skill will always be there. The only question is “where is work better for a designer”. Of course, these people will surely look for the type of work which can benefit them best. Let us try to look at the opinions of some designers in Twitter before we come into a thorough discussion on the matter.

What They Say

We asked the question:

And these are the responses of some designers regarding their opinion on the matter:

Working in a Design Company

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After getting the opinion of some designers, let us look into the advantages and disadvantages of working in a design company. Design companies are more established and experienced. You do not have to worry about lots of things.

One of the good things of being employed as a designer is that other things would be done by a different group of people and all you have to do is designing all the time. You don’t have to deal with clients, work on accounting matters and others. You’ll just wait for a project to be given to you and you work according to the requirements of the design. But you couldn’t choose your projects. You really have to work on those assigned to you.

Another good thing is that you could work for famous and large brands. Well, this is of course an opportunity for you to work for them, although it is the company who gets the praises and not you. But of course, if you did really well on the job, you might be given an incentive. Companies are good in dealing with large accounts and you are part of the success whenever they could close deals with large clients. And since a large account was closed, you did the designing and the project was successful, you can receive a testimonial from the client which is a big point for you.

Being employed also gives that sense of security. You wouldn’t have to worry about “non-paying clients” because no matter what happens, even if the company will have problems with the client, you will still get paid. If we speak of money matters, you’ll be assured to get something as long as you always go to work. Aside from your salary, you will also get other benefits like health insurance, incentives, bonuses and others. You don’t have to worry about pricing, too because with the experience the company has, they know how much should be given to you depending on a project. You may have a fixed salary rate but you’ll surely get incentives for larger projects.

You can also attend seminars, gatherings, parties, and even outings for free. Some companies sponsor events for their employees or send someone to attend seminars which can enhance the skills of their employees. They do that because they will still get the benefit if you improve in your works. They also make sure that the employees are happy by giving them time to have fun and establish good relationships with their co-workers. Having a good working relationship is vital to keep the company intact and successful. If the employees work in a happy environment, there will always be better results. You get to meet a lot of people and be friends with them.

In a company, everyone works on their assigned tasks and there is a collaboration of ideas and tasks, too. You don’t really work alone here. The outputs of other groups in the company matters for you will also be working on it after. For example, the type of project and client depends on the department who looks for clients and you do the design for them.

Freelancing

Image: Opetja

Freelancers or freelance workers are people who are self-employed. Some of them are represented by a company with contractual works while others are just searching for online jobs for them. Most freelancing jobs are graphic designing, video editing, web designing, writing and many others. Some clients prefer freelancers for they have a direct contact with the designer and it is easier for them to pay the bills.

In freelancing, you can choose which projects you could work on but you have to do the rest of the jobs, too aside from designing. You do marketing and even accounting for yourself. You handle everything. It is like a one man band but you also get all the benefits from it.

You can also choose your own clients and set your own rates. You can even decline clients if you don’t want to work with them. There are hundreds of freelance jobs online which you can apply. You do the negotiation and you also do the client brief. This is advantageous for you could ask all the information you need for the design.

The greatest thing about freelancing is your freedom and flexibility. You can have a vacation whenever you want to and you can choose what time you could work. You just need to determine at what time of the day you are most productive. It is also wise to keep your own schedule of work. You are the boss here but you have to do well in handling your time. Also, if you want to earn more, you can also adjust to that. You decide how much you will earn.

The downfall of freelancing is you don’t get incentives and other benefits that employees get from their companies. You may also do not need to mingle with co-workers and share ideas with them but you can always do that by networking. Even if you could not go outing with co-workers, you can still have outing with friends and other designers, too without worrying that you’ve spent a day off.

Making a Decision

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If we look into it, working in a design company and freelancing have their own advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on you which of the two you would like to engage in. Whatever will be your decision, you should consider your attitude towards work. Have an honest assessment of what you are looking for in a job. What we have given you is just a mere glance of how it is to work in a design company and freelancing. Some people opt to do both which gives a great advantage on their part for they are earning more and exposing themselves more. The decision depends on you but we hope this article have given you an idea about the question that confuses many.