Requirements:

• Computer
• Graphic Design Programs and Software
• Design experience prior to setting up business
• Phone
• Internet Access

Personality:

• Artistic mind
• Attention to detail
• Ability to create works of art that others can or will appreciate
• The ability to talk the client through the process
• Clear communication skills
• Self-motivation for project completions

Description:

Being a graphic designer is a phenomenal job for people who want to work from their own homes. It requires creativity, discipline, knowledge, and a finger on the pulse of what is hot and what will not work in today's culture.

Unfortunately, graphic design is a position that has a high percentage of competition in the job market. Competition between prospective employees is fierce, and this helps to explain the lower wages that clients pay to many designers.

Since many people have gone to school for graphic design and need to pay back student loans, these individuals need to find higher paying positions at successful locations. The solution is to establish a graphic design business from home. For this profession, you can find different businesses that require graphic design work; a work-at-home solution makes perfect sense!

By working at home, the individual graphic designer can enjoy benefits unavailable to them if they worked for a company. Some of these benefits are obvious — such as working the hours that best suit your lifestyle and, at certain times of day, when you are most creative. And this is not the end of positive options for these skilled and talented graphic designers.

Starting this home business is economical. In school, teachers require students to purchase different computers and software pertinent to the field. Even if you cannot go to school for graphic design, you can find ways to purchase discounted graphic design software programs, such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Adobe inDesign and Illustrator.

These tools are necessary before attempting to set up a home business. Therefore, I did not factor in these costs to establish this business. I'll explain why later in this section.

To become a graphic designer, you need experience with the software prior to establishing a business. You cannot expect the start-up of your business to succeed if you are unfamiliar with the software. Turn-around times, production, and determining price quotes are impossible without having worked with the software.

Additionally, you should not start a business without knowing if you are interested in the particular idea or concept. Being a graphic designer sounds interesting to most people, however, the harsh realities of what the work actually requires may cause some to change their minds about the career. This is why you need to determine if you are truly interested in and capable of doing graphic design work.

It is reasonable to assume that if you are opening your own graphic design business, you have the software programs on your computer, and this explains why I did not factor in the costs of software. This also allows you to begin production and distribute samples of your work through a portfolio. Samples are necessary to add credibility of your business. Customers and clients want reassurance that you will deliver outstanding work to meet their needs.

It is important for graphic designers not only to create portfolios, but also to store files for easy access. After you create a number of sample pieces and are ready to begin accepting projects from other businesses and corporations, you can design your website.

This is when the cost for the startup operations for the business comes in. To own a domain name, or the web address for a webpage, you'll need to pay for a domain name. You can buy a domain name and hosting for under $10. Registering a company name may also cost money if you are freelancing as a business and not an individual. The registration fees depend on different things, such as type of business and location of business, in terms of state, city, and town. Many work-at-home graphic designers freelance as sole-proprietors, which gives them more flexibility when it comes to registration, zoning laws, and related things.

Freelancing as a graphic designer means that when you complete a project, you receive all of the profits — the person who did all of the work. When you work for a company, you may have access to more work, but the company takes the majority of the profits from what you worked on. When you freelance from home, you may find that you can generate more money at a faster pace.

While it is critical to keep the customer in mind, far too many graphic design artists force themselves to conform to what the company's standards dictate. Since this can stifle creativity, many freelance graphic designers are surprised by the amount of creative freedom that they can enjoy.

You eliminate the red tape and approval processes as your own boss. You have creative license and final approval rights over your design and your work. This will help you produce designs at a faster pace than in most corporate settings.

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