With the pandemic and all restrictions from going outside, working from home as a freelancer has become a necessity. In our landscape today, a freelance graphic designer will find more job opportunities from the comfort of their homes with these 8 freelance graphic design websites. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, these websites are sure to help you find your dream job as a freelance graphic designer.
A freelance graphic designer in today’s era is a necessity for some companies who want to thrive on their aesthetics and design. While it’s easy to load up Canva and create your own artistic rendition of a banner or logo, hiring a freelance graphic designer to create your dream logos and banners is still the way to go. As a freelance graphic designer though, it can be tough to find clients or even a place to find clients. So, with this list, we will introduce what we think are the best freelance graphic design websites that you should check out as a freelance graphic designer.
8 best freelance graphic design websites:
Screenshot taken from Upwork
Whether you are a freelance graphic designer or a decorated BPO Industry worker, then you should have already heard of Upwork at some point. Upwork is our number one on the list because of its reputation and a streamlined system that enables its clients and workers to work in harmony to achieve tasks and projects quickly.
For a freelance graphic designer, this is the place to go try first as there are hundreds, if not thousands, of potential employers who are looking for skilled freelance graphic designers on the site. Freelance graphic design is also a popular niche that is covered in Upwork, so you can be confident that you won’t run out of options to choose from when applying. Do note that Upwork is free to use, however, it makes use of a “connects” system that you use to apply for a job posting. When you run out of connects, you cannot apply for further job postings unless you apply for their Upwork Plus membership which will entitle you to 80 connects per month as opposed to the 10 connects on the free plan.
With that said, some, if not most, freelance graphic designers secure a lot of jobs and projects just after their first job completion on Upwork. Upwork can be worth the time, and once you've built yourself on the network, it provides the opportunity for great returns.
Screenshot taken from Fiverr
One of the best-known freelance markets around is Fiverr. From templates for business cards and brochures to branding, brand graphics, and more, you can get almost every freelance graphic design service you want. There are hundreds of thousands of gigs on the website for freelance design, so you'll have a lot to pick from. It is also the perfect place to get hired as thousands of clients are awaiting talented people like you to start working for them.
Fiverr is completely free to use for employees like you. Just like Upwork, you can work your way up using star ratings and user reviews. With this, potential customers will be able to gauge if you are worth their money or not. Fiverr is another good place to start for freelance graphic design, freelance graphic designers, and people looking for graphic designers.
Screenshot taken from Freelancer
Freelancer is actually one of the biggest outsourcing and crowdsourcing markets on the internet, trying to pair small companies with freelance artists. It is a solid place to take up assignments and communicate with prospective buyers, linking over 21 million employees and freelancers worldwide, from over 240 cities, regions, and territories.
It is also a solid place to start your freelance graphic design journey. Freelance graphic designers will find Freelancer like an ocean full of potential employers. It’s also a profitable sideline since freelance graphic design jobs typically start at $100, dependent on your expertise and talent of course. It only goes higher if you are an expert, though keep in mind that just like with Fiverr and Upwork, you also have to work your way up in building a promising Freelancer profile.
This is one of the downsides of working in a freelance graphic design niche. Even if you are a decorated expert in your field, employers may still not choose you since you are new to the platform and thus, have zero stars and reviews. But don’t be too afraid to try new things out! Your experience is still their number one priority, and ensuring that your portfolio will speak for itself should be your mission.
Screenshot taken from Designhill
Designhill offers a few avenues for employers needing freelance graphic designers to find them. Employers can create a project contest that would directly carry a lot of design submissions to them, or they can browse for the services right at the top of the landing page in a search box. Contests for architecture are very polarizing. We feel your pain if you are someone who grumbles about crowdsourcing jobs on freelance platforms, but do not worry since not all design competitions are a fraud, and Designhill reveals that they can be a real company with their reputation.
Designhill is also a special place since it is a freelance website dedicated to creatives, which of course, counts you - a freelance graphic designer! Freelance graphic design is one of the niches that this freelance website offers, and you will be hard-pressed to not see an offer that will not entice you to apply.
As a freelance graphic designer, a web designer, or pursuing other forms of design, Designhill has a lot to give. By giving them the ability to design their own T-shirts, have them printed and sell them in their online store, Designhill further courts their talented citizens. This is a good gesture, offering another way for freelance artists to get their work out there and make more money off their artistry.
Screenshot taken from Behance
This wouldn't be a freelance graphic design article without talking about the king of graphic designing: Adobe! Adobe has its own platform for freelance graphic designers too which they call Behance.
If you were hunting for artistic inspiration, you have landed on Behance. It has so much fantastic work to do, including drawings, graphics, web design, and much more. When you add excellent samples of your work in your Behance profile, your work is placed in front of an audience of like-minded creatives. And if your role wins the featured project's prized spot, you'll get even more positive publicity. Who knows who might see that and that they may even want to recruit you! To communicate with other designers, Behance also acts as a social media network. Expanding your contact list can offer you new opportunities to design and earn money.
Behance is the perfect platform for creatives who not only want to get employed but get in touch with other professionals in the niche and potentially grow a healthy connection that may transcend outside of the platform.
7. Dribbble
Screenshot taken from Dribbble
As a freelance graphic designer, Dribbble is a fantastic platform to start your freelancing adventure. Dribbble functions the same way as Upwork and some other websites we have listed in this blog, but it is specifically curated for designers and creatives who want to advertise their portfolio, whether it be in photography or in graphic design.
Getting a high-quality profile for Dribbble is a perfect way to advertise yourself and demonstrate what you are capable of to prospective buyers. With lots of customers looking for creative artists, it is needless to say that Dribbble gets a lot of traffic. What you need to do is write a stellar bio and show your portfolio at its finest. Dribbble also provides you a simple way to update the availability of your job and helps you to turn the switch on and off anytime you need to. And if you move to the pro class, you gain access to an exclusive workboard for freelance design.
Not only can web developers, graphic designers, and those with similar skill sets find inspiration for Dribbble, but their next freelance gig will also be sought out.
Screenshot taken from We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely boasts that a month they get over 2.5 million people. It's gigantic. With multiple design-related offerings, they provide a plethora of career listings. We Work Remotely can sound a little less intimate than more websites that are design-centered, but this is offset by the number of job postings.
A fixed price of $299 must be paid on We Work Remotely by individuals or enterprises finding designers to list, which serves as a filtering mechanism and filters out a lot of low-quality job leads. This is a real site, with big hitters like Google, Amazon, and InVision all listed as businesses that have posted on it. And what's even cooler, you don't have to build a profile, all you have to do is click and be taken directly there on a work link.
We Work Remotely is a compelling platform for freelance graphic designers since you do not need to build and go through the hassle of “profile ratings”, which just adds another hurdle in getting employed.
Build an awesome portfolio for your graphic designs with Strikingly!
Now that you have sought out the best of freelancing websites, it’s time to make an awesome looking website or portfolio for your much-awaited employment. It’s not easy to visualize and build a website or portfolio on your own, especially if you do not have any background knowledge with tech or coding. But worry not! With Strikingly, you will be able to build your dream portfolio in just minutes - zero coding required! With hundreds of themes and templates ready to be used, you will be able to show your creative prowess while building. Strikingly is a free service with optional premium plans to enhance your website building experience.
