Entrepreneurship: Starting your Graphic Design Studio

Entrepreneurship: Starting your Graphic Design Studio

The evolution of a graphic designer from an employee to a freelance business owner can be a tough transition. Opening a graphic design studio requires more than skill and talent in design it requires a deep-rooted commitment to do and be more. There are advantages and disadvantages, misgivings and fears and above all, the opportunity to work with clients and exercise your own creative control.

As a paid employee, graphic designers are good at promoting the clients businesses. But as a business owner, one has to be prepared to do a lot of self promotion and marketing. Promoting oneself can be much harder than it seems. One of the first tasks is logo design and it can be daunting to come up with a logo for one's own company.

As a designer, you are responsible for developing layouts and advertisements. But as the owner of a graphic design studio, you have to extend the responsibilities to dealing with clients, coming up with content, managing billings and accounting, paying office rent and utility bills. It helps if you have a business model planned beforehand would you be comfortable working on client's premises or do you need to have your own space? Whatever you decide, owning a graphic design studio means that you will be expected to do a lot more than just design.

Choosing the right technology platform also matters. What sort of media you design for will most likely define your choice of technology. The difference between print design and web design extends beyond technology and into the realm of software. Graphic design software is not cheap and it is therefore imperative for business owners to make the right choices early on. Apart from graphic design and desktop publishing software, one may also choose to invest in some basic accounting and file management software.

While the learning curve for graphic design is not steep, it is definitely a long term learning process. Keeping up to date with the latest technologies and software is vital for graphic design studio owners. A great way to accomplish this is by seeking memberships to trade associations, subscribing to design magazines and networking with design industry professionals and veterans. Upgrading to newer software is necessary to know the latest tools used in design.

Some designers prefer a multi-disciplinary approach when it comes to design. Graphic design studio owners can choose to seek different clients and explore different industries. Others prefer to build a niche by specialising in creation of design for a particular industry. Either way, defining the USP (unique selling point) for your firm is necessary. It helps set your business apart from your competitors while helping your marketing process.

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