More and more people are choosing freelancing as their primary income. Project work today can be found not only in the design niche but in any niche. And this form of cooperation is more convenient for many people than hired work. However, the time is going and new ways of collaboration with experts in different niches appear.
What Is A New Approach To The Work For Designers?
There are platforms that match designers and business customers worldwide. They combine the advantages of freelance and in-house teamwork (you will read about them below), bringing the designers a new approach to the work.
If earlier freelance designers needed to constantly look for clients and in-house designers to work with clients they don`t like, then now, thanks to new approach platforms like Awesomic.io, these troubles disappear.
These platforms with different AI-powered algorithms match designers with the best-fit tasks based on their skills and expertise. This way, they handle all the searching and managing troubles for both designers and businesses in their needs. Thanks to this new approach, the designer can:
- Schedule their work
- Forget about looking for a new client
- Have a steady income and safety
- Get a community of skilled professionals
- Use a massive library of resources
Such platforms also provide designers not only with customers but also with a global community of professional peers. As a result, such platforms unite the advantages of freelance and in-house work and improve designers` life/work balance.
Freelance designers
Freelancing is project work. A freelance designer collaborates with different clients and does not have one permanent employer. There are three key characteristics of freelance designers that distinguish them from in-house designers:
- A high degree of independence. Freelance designers determine their working hours and workload, as well as make their decision to work with a particular client.
- Payment for the project. Unlike in-house designers, freelance designers do not have an hourly wage or a fixed monthly salary. They get paid for a completed task.
- A short-term employee-client relationship. Freelance designers are generally not bound by permanent employment with the same company. Once the project is completed, the working relationship with the client is also completed.
Freelancing is always two sides of the coin. First, it is the joy of the freedom to choose projects, customers, and geographic locations. Second, it is the fear of instability and an unfixed income.
Benefits of a freelance designer
- Freelance designers decide for themselves what schedule to work on and how many projects to take so that they have time on all fronts and don't burn out.
- Freelance designers don't have to commute to the office. They cut down on public transportation, personal car maintenance, and gasoline costs. They won't have to spend any more time commuting.
- No need to adjust to corporate standards. Freelance designers forget about the office dress code, rigid work schedule, long meetings, and not always interesting corporate events, attendance at which is optional but desirable. At home, freelance designers choose what clothes to wear, when to start work, and how much time to spend.
- Freelance designers decide what tools to use for any stage of the project they work on.
- Freelance designers are responsible for their creative decisions and are free to stop work on the project whenever they want.
Drawbacks of a freelance designer
- Combat procrastination. Those who have recently switched to freelancing and are used to the office routine sometimes take a long time to get used to working from home. Newbies often put things off for later - for the evening, tomorrow, and Friday. And they have to finish a project on the last day, working all night. In the morning, they promise themself not to procrastinate any longer, but soon procrastination takes over, and history repeats itself. That is why freelance work suits responsible, hard-working, and organized designers who understand personal discipline.
- There are many distractions at home. A TV set playing in the background, a rotary hammer from your neighbor, inmates, and pets - anything can distract freelance designers from work. It is crucial to organize the workplace and find a quiet corner where no one will bother you while you are busy. As an option, consider co-working spaces. On the other hand, there are enough distractions in offices: the coffee machine and printer noise, phone calls, or colleagues talking over each other.
- Lack of live communication. They say that freelancing is more suitable for introverts because they do not need contact with other people as much as extroverts. At home, freelance designers will not be able to exchange a few words with a colleague at lunch and after work to exchange impressions of the day on the way to the subway. All freelance designers' work will be online, and communication - on the Internet or the phone.
- Unstable earnings. Having a pool of regular customers who provide work and wages is nice. But there is no guarantee that tomorrow, these customers will not find another freelance designer or simply stop needing your services. Hence the uncertainty about tomorrow and the fear that you will not be able to earn as much as you used to. Freelance designers have to have a financial "safety cushion" to feel more or less comfortable in freelancing.
- The day's routine is disrupted. Freelance designers don't have to get up early, hence the great temptation to sleep until noon. Because of this, freelance designers' routine gets disrupted: they get up late, work late, and sleep late in the morning. It affects regular life when they don't have time to meet up with friends because of the disrupted regimen, and they feel lonely on long nights working at the computer while all their friends are offline.
In-house designer teamwork
In-house designer teamwork involves both the independent thinking of the design team members and the involvement of the team members in the overall work of solving the team's tasks. A team enables one to implement projects that one person can't do alone. The team, as a unit, is responsible for everything it does and doesn't do.
Benefits of in-house designer teamwork
- Normalized working hours and regulated breaks. In contrast to freelance designer work, wages are paid regardless of the number of jobs performed. While most freelance designers work without lunch and have to have a hasty snack instead of a full meal, in-house designers usually have such breaks. As a rule, there is no overtime and no need to leave at 10 pm for urgent orders.
- There is no problem organizing the workplace. The employer is preoccupied with an in-house designer's lighting, heating, and other microclimate parameters. Freelancers, on the other hand, are distracted by these little things.
- A team of designers makes it possible to solve problems that one designer can't.
- The creation of a design team is a guarantee that the interests of all parties will be taken into account when developing a solution.
- When working as a design team, the risk of making a wrong decision is reduced. It also reduces the risk of overlooking essential facts. The proverb: "Two heads are better than one" applies to teamwork.
- The team positively affects the development of qualities essential to collegial cooperation. It encourages tolerance, order, acceptance of others' opinions, and overcoming selfish attitudes. These factors go beyond teamwork and affect overall success.
- The team implements ideas that would not occur in normal individual activities. This is because the particular designer does not have the opportunity to find entry points to solve a problem that is outside of their direct scope of work.
- Teamwork allows each member to maximize creativity and put it into practice.
Drawbacks of in-house designer teamwork
- Teamwork, unlike freelance work, can require an additional investment of time. The initial period when team members are getting used to each other can be lengthy. It also takes time to find an appropriate way to work together.
- Teamwork is often slow. This is especially noticeable when the design team is large and when working on a part-time basis. Difficulties gathering team members at scheduled times harm the progress of work.
- Discussions that arise when working as part of a team are time-consuming, especially if individual team members do not know how to conduct them. Serious disagreements are possible.
- Teamwork can lead to a delay in decision-making because the different views of participants are summarized only after lengthy discussions.
- If a team member is doing teamwork as an extension of their main activity, it may be too much of a burden. Therefore, it is necessary to consider whether this load is feasible in each case, what tasks, and how much should be paid for working in the team.
Conclusion
Previously, there were two types of designers: those who like the stability of a full-time job and others who adore freelance freedom. Now, there is one more type: designers who choose stable freedom by joining new approach platforms. Such platforms take perks of both approaches without dragging along their drawbacks.