The first thing to understand is that web designing is different from web development. Therefore, the skills required to become a freelance web designer are different from that of a freelancer web developer. Even though they are related with a few common skill sets and technologies, largely speaking, they are different. Therefore, the first step is to decide whether you will become a freelance web designer or a freelance web developer. This decision can be made based on various parameters.

Choosing Between Web Designing and Development –

If you are creative and good at painting and drawing, web designing is a good choice for you. Besides, if you are not that passionate about coding, then web designing is the only choice you have. However, if you are good at coding, a freelance web developer is a good career choice for you. It is true that a freelance web developer is likely to earn more than a web designer because the effort and skill sets are valued more by the clients. But the web designers can earn high with experience and quality work produced. Therefore, both the options are great from the career’s perspective.

Top Steps For A Freelance Web Designer/Developer –

Mindset – To be a freelancer, you need to have a proper mindset. Just because someone else is earning high as a freelancer does not mean you can do the same from the very first year. There is money in the freelance web designing and development world, but it does not happen overnight. You have to struggle a lot at the very beginning trying to get works.

Most of the proposals will get rejected because you have no experience in the online world and clients mostly award projects to experience freelancers with good reviews on the profile. Therefore, if you are doing a job, do not leave it. Instead, do freelancing side by side and get a strong footing in the freelancing world and then leave the job to take freelancing up full-time.

If you are starting new, you should get a job and do it in free time. You need to be highly patient and explore all the different freelancing platforms where there are plenty of works in your niche. You need to put low bids to win projects and your aim should not be money but building a strong profile with high reviews and ratings so that there is a constant flow of works. Therefore, you need to give it a try and develop a proper mindset and feel confident enough to be a freelance web designer or developer full time.

Skill Set – As mentioned earlier, there are different skill sets required to be a web designer and a web developer. To be a web designer, you need to have knowledge of all the professional designing tools like Photoshop, Illustrator and you need to master them. The most important skill is creativity and knowing the way to transform your creative ideas into reality.

Apart from that, you need to know HTML+CSS and even JavaScript, if possible. This is because you might have to do the basic design structure with these front-end technologies and the web developer will take it further from them. Besides, you have to know the industrial standards and practices to work with a web developer in conjunction using wireframes and likewise. Most importantly, you have to keep track of the modern designs in the web designing work and design UI and UX accordingly. When you are a freelance web designer, you need to know that you have to do various modifications as the clients will never be satisfied at once and therefore, patience also falls in this skill set.

For a web developer, one needs to know that front-end technologies like HTML+CSS+JS as well as Ajax, jQuery and various such programming languages that are used in the web development world. Besides, the server-side technologies are where the main focus should be. You cannot master all, and it is useless to be a jack of all trades. Therefore, any two of the leading programming languages like PHP and Python, or Python or Java or CMS and Shopify will do the work. You should also have the skill to understand the work done by the web designer so that you can take it up from there.

Portfolio – The first thing you have to do before starting the freelancing career is to get a strong portfolio ready. You should have complete profiles in all the leading freelancing platforms, and you should make regular bids even when the bids are not getting any response. Moreover, starting with the premium plan on those platforms is a better idea to get the initial projects. When you have a strong portfolio, and you showcase that to the potential clients, your chances of getting a project awarded is more, and you look more professional. Besides, you should prepare some standard proposals that you can send to generic clients all the time while bidding. The items on the portfolio should be your best work, and they must be relevant to the concurrent web designing and development.

Conclusion –

Therefore, get in the right mindset to struggle and emerge a winner, get your skill set ready to go and create a stunning portfolio to showcase. The rest is only a matter of time before you take freelancing full time.

Kitty Gupta
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