: How do I earn more as remote freelance Graphic Designer? I have worked as a Graphic Designer for almost a year. I was able to earn much more then I expected (I'm autodidact graphic designer),

@Holmes874

There is one problem - I'm working on quite well-known freelance website


Yea, that's really a giant problem. You'll likely never earn what a graphic designer is worth working on sites that are essentially set up as "How to find the absolute cheapest designer on earth".

Point being that clients that hire freelance work from sites like this really don't value the work. Or for that matter, they don't even value their own business.

It's like eating at McDonalds every day. Yea, it can work once in a while, but if you're eating there every day, you're devaluing your own body and food in general. :)

So, you're asking the right question, which is essentially "how do I get real clients?"

The simple answer is: Networking.

The more complex answer is: Networking, networking, networking.

Networking sounds simple, but it's work. Some ideas:


Join a professional group for designers in your region (in the US, AIGA is he primary one).
Ask design firms and ad agencies if you could come in for a critique of your portfolio. This is a good way to get feedback as well and make some connections for potential freelance work from these firms down the road.
Join a local business group. This is a good way to make connections with local small business folks...people who often need design work.

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@Smith574

You will never get more on sites like that. Those sites nickel and dime designers and look for cheap people that want a solution. They could careless about the designers because they get paid regardless of your headaches. The better approach would be to establish yourself with examples of your work on a personal website and communicate.

There are plenty of serious clients and companies that browse the boards such as Dribbble, Behance, etc. etc. Post your work actively and communicate what you can do. Restricting yourself to crappy low end sites that some will never make a living on is a terrible approach. Personally I would disconnect myself from those sites if you're talking about getting into this professionally because some clients that find you and could turn around and search for you happen to run across that you offer the same services cheaper on a website they will go there.

You could also look for established quality agencies in your local areas that play a role in finding legit companies that are looking for serious relationships with designers. One thing I have found that is helpful when I was starting out in print design was to set good relations with the local mom and pop printers that have no intentions on designing.

This would depend on what you want. Although, based on what you've said, I would encourage you to stick with photo editing if you think you're making a revenue and possibly look into meetups with local photographers or user groups instead of using low paying sites.

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