How to Work as a Graphic Designer During Times of Crisis

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With messages from governments about the Covid-19 Corona virus all over the world good graphic designers have been essential in relaying important health messages both on a national and international scale.

What is good graphic design?

Good graphic design is effectively good visual communication, and this tends to the in the form of a message or idea that is conveyed through visual means. It is the communication of a relevant messages and in the context of the beginning of 2020- the political, effective, provocative health messages concerning the pandemic of Corona Covid-19 filled with values and ideologies.

Testimonials:

With coronavirus officially a pandemic, numerous countries are taking an aggressive approach to limit its spread which is reflected in the graphic design of many government website.

Analysing Coronavirus graphic design messages

Taking a brief analysis of the Coronavirus graphic design messages, look at the logo “STAY AT HOME” depicting a doorframe with two exclamation marks!! with white on black for maximum effect.

UK government advice for Corona Covid-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/

While many countries are shutting their doors, and the UK taking drastic measures to help flatten the curve of the virus it is fundamental that graphic designers work with the authorities in conveying the emotions of importance, urgency, time sensitivity, seriousness and even the colour of death (black).

Advice for ways to work during the corona virus outbreak

While many companies now require their employees to work from home, more companies are joining the list, but what about freelancers’ graphic designers.

Aside from the various new initiatives and policies by government there are still many ways to work from home there are other ways to make money from home either as a newly skilled graphic designer or an experienced graphic designer.

Preparing to Work from Home During an Emergency

Even when there isn’t a new virus spreading, other emergencies can necessitate your sudden need to work remotely. Natural disasters, power outages, even cold and flu season are all reasons you might have to work at home for a few days.

Fortunately, even without an advance plan, there are many things you can do to make working from home in an emergency a success. We’ve put together this guide, but also have LinkedIn Learning courses available below to help you seamlessly transition.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus not predicted to peak until at least April, more companies may find that either by choice or by mandate, their staff will have to work from home. And whether or not your employer has an emergency work-from-home plan, there are steps you can take to make sure you can work from home in any emergency.

How to make the most as a freelance graphic designer?

Being a freelance graphic designer has many advantages but with it there are disadvantages too and at times such as no or little work when there is a crisis like the Corona Covid-19 period or any future pandemic period. The good news is that there are ways to navigate through the storm.

Being a freelancer requires that you are the person in charge so you operate as your own boss. Of course, you get to pick your timetable and the clients you work with, but what about when many businesses are shut temporarily, and work is not coming though? Well the good news is that many businesses during this Corona Covid-19 period will remain functioning overall at least partly open. This means that there is the possibility of contacting them directly or using an agency. If can contact them to see if they need any graphic design work (or banners, social media adverts etc. directly to help get them through this period) be ready to send them examples of your portfolio work.

As a Freelancer, it is also your responsibility to find your own jobs and find your own clients. Good old fashion cold calling is not a bad idea and might be appreciated. Business want to survive during the Corona Covid-19 period or any future pandemic crisis period.

You may even want to consider creating your own website for those interested or call companies around the UK (using a directory like yell.com may not be a bad idea).

Graphic designers are always in demand for creating a wide range of design items. Right from logos to mobile apps, there are immense possibilities of employment in designing business.

How can Freelance graphic designers make money?

There are various ways freelancer graphic designer can make money during the Corona Covid- period or any future pandemic crisis period.

1) Start an online store and to sell your designs online

You can use a digital store like Spreadshirt, Podia, Creative Market and Squarespace.
Spreadshirt is a global platform for personalised clothing and accessories, they are the go-to-place for anyone looking to realise their creative ideas on quality fabrics. Their website can be found at https://www.spreadshirt.co.uk/

Another website is Podia which has everything you need to sell online courses, downloads, and memberships without worrying about the tech. You could use another site to make the products and then a site like Podia to handle the processing. But it’s entirely up to you how you would like to implement this.

When making a personalised item or designing a star hit make it special. Most designer “icons” in the fashion business today have worked very hard at their craftsmanship. Then, they created a design for someone or some entity that was so elegant and so perfect, it resulted in huge recognition within the design community itself and far beyond to the general public. This is what happened to Massimo Vignelli, for example, after his wonderful subway maps for New York City.

Another good website to sell your designs online is Creative Market. This is a brilliant place to sell your designs online. You can create 3D designs, fonts, graphics, or photos and there’s no exclusivity lock-in, you set your own prices and take home 70 per cent of each sale. The portal promises to be far reaching with as many as five million members.

2) Create Printable to Sell on Etsy

Etsy is a global e-commerce website that offers creatives looking to sell a platform to do just that with a focus on design work, focusing on handmade goods, vintage items and art and craft supplies. Essentially, it’s an online version of a massive craft fair.

Think about those quotes you see on Instagram or Pinterest and now you can make your own on Etsy. Esty website describes these as “digital downloads” and there are many of them available.

3) Create a Logo and Brand Package

During any free time, you have or the Corona Covid-19 period or any future pandemic crisis period use your time to make a brand vision plus a logo for potential future clients. You’ll need a program that can create vectors (or study graphic design with an online school such as Blue Sky Graphics ) and then use the skills to design the type of logo your clients are looking for.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uqiTgSy7EKY

Reassuringly you no longer must invest huge amounts of time and money in building your own online store solo. Why not use any down time at home to explore the various ecommerce websites that will allow you to reach a wider market to sell your products. ant to make more money this year. Whether you’re a Junior Graphic Designer, Illustrator, UX Designer or a student of graphic design, selling your designs directly to the public could not be easier. Whether you’re looking to publish a book, sell your more experimental designs as prints, create your own T-shirts, or delve into product design, it’s now simpler than ever to sell design work online especially during the Corona Covid-19 period or any future pandemic crisis period.

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