Making money online has become more difficult in recent years. Only huge websites with a lot of backlinks and long, high-quality content often perform well in the most competitive niches, according to Google. Making money with blogs and websites takes a lot of effort unless you're already well-known. However, there is one simple way to profit from the current situation: offer your services as a freelance designer!
Offering services is an excellent method to generate money without having to compete with millions of other websites in a specific business or spend a lot of money on advertising. If you already have a computer, an internet connection, and some basic design software, you won't need to spend any money to get started t offering your services as a freelance designer. (There are workarounds even if you don't.)
For example, you can rent a nice laptop or desktop computer from Amazon, access free internet at a library or coffee shop, and rent software for a few dollars a month through Adobe Creative Cloud.) You don't even need to be an expert designer. With little to no prior experience, it is feasible to make a fair living as a designer.
You'll be making simple graphics in no time if you watch a few YouTube lesson videos. As your skills improve, you may always proceed to more complex designs.
Click here to register for a paid professional course on the Fiverr platform
Are you interested in learning how to generate money as a freelance designer? Let's get started.
Getting Started
There are a few things you must know before you can generate money as a freelance designer. You probably already have all of these, or at least most of them, if you're reading this. If not, we'll go through a few options for getting what you need without having to pay thousands of dollars upfront.
Here's what you'll need at the very least:
1. An Appropriate Computer
Unfortunately, you won't be able to get away with using a computer with poor specifications. Graphics software today consumes a lot of resources, so utilizing a 10-year-old laptop with 4 GB of memory isn't going to cut it.
2. Access to an internet
Again, you can't expect to succeed if your connection is really slow. Graphic files are frequently extremely huge, and a poor connection may rapidly irritate you. To be productive, you'll need at least a 3 Mbps connection.
3. Software for Design
Adobe Photoshop is highly recommended since it has more tutorials, add-ons, and other resources.
So what if you're missing one or more of these components? Let's look at some of the options for getting the materials you'll need to get started.
Computer
If you want to create graphics, you'll need a good computer because most software programs for designers demand a lot of system resources to run correctly. A powerful processor, at least 6-8 GB of RAM, and a competent graphics card are all required.
A bigger hard disk is also advantageous because the files you'll need to keep on it will usually be large. However, you may get around this restriction by storing a large number of your files on an external hard drive or using online storage such as Dropbox. Getting a good computer does not have to entail shelling out hundreds of dollars upfront.
See our recommendations for the best laptops for designersMany people are unable to afford to purchase a new computer entirely. Financing is the best option for you, but bear in mind that if you don't have good credit, you'll wind up paying a lot more for your computer because interest rates on alternatives that don't need strong credit are typically extremely high. Many businesses can help you finance a computer even if you have bad credit.
Here are some sites to think about:
Remember to select a computer with enough specifications, since having a computer that cannot run the applications you want would be ineffective.
Internet
Not everyone has access to high-speed internet in their area. There are still a lot of dead zones across the world, and having the internet isn't always economical, even if it is available where you live. Fast internet can cost $100 per month or more, and if you don't have any reasonable choices where you live, you may believe you won't be able to make a living as a freelancer.
Even if you don't live in an area where fast, inexpensive internet is available, there are still solutions open to you. The first alternative is to use a mobile internet connection. You might be able to use your cellphone as a personal hotspot to connect to the internet from your computer if you have one. You may connect to the hotspot by Bluetooth or by logging in as if it were a WiFi network.
By putting your phone into your computer, you may sometimes connect to your phone's hotspot. If you don't have a phone with a hotspot capability, your cellphone provider may be able to provide you with a specialized hotspot device. These little devices are available from a variety of carriers, and you can typically connect many devices to a single hotspot. Of course, you'll have to be cautious about how much bandwidth you use on your phone, as mobile data is sometimes pricey, and even “unlimited” plans are rarely genuinely limitless.
The second option is to go to a local college, library, coffee shop, or restaurant and access the internet there. Many locations now provide free WiFi, while some may charge a nominal fee to use it. Even the most remote regions generally have access to some form of free internet.
Software
Okay, the software is a little more difficult since, aside from stealing (which I certainly do not condone), there is no way to obtain the sort of program you require for free. You might try to get by with free alternatives, but keep in mind that free software will not receive as much maintenance. There won't be anywhere near the range of lessons and add-ons that you'll discover for applications like Adobe Photoshop if you hunt for them.
You can join Canva if you want to design online
I prefer GIMP if you insist on using free software:
GIMP is the most capable free graphics software choice, with the greatest support of any free program.
Photoshop is the way to go if you're looking for power and support. Thankfully, you don't have to pay hundreds of dollars upfront to get the program. Through the Adobe Creative Cloud service, you may simply sign up for a monthly plan.
Yes, it's still a bit pricey, but it's worth it for software this strong and with the potential to make you as much money as this one. For $9.99 per month, you can receive Photoshop (with Lightroom), or for $49.99, you can get all 20+ Adobe programs, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro, and more.
There is also special pricing for students, so if you have a student ID card, you may save money on your monthly bill. Students, for example, may obtain the $49.99 package for just $29.99. This is a substantial expenditure, but you can always start with the $9.99 Photoshop plan and upgrade later. When you're just getting started, the basic subscription will do unless you want to provide video editing or logo design, in which case you'll need extra tools like Premiere and Illustrator.
