HOW TO START A GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICE IN GUYANA
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In this blog post, I will teach you how to start a graphic design service in Guyana for free. Yes, that is correct. You won’t need a start-up budget, as everything in this article will be for your benefit. Before I dive into the details, let me also say if you need graphic design services, be sure to hit me up on my Facebook page at 24-hour designs. I am a self-taught graphic designer specializing in logo designs, flyers, and business cards, product labels and much more. Now let’s get into the details of how you can start your graphic design service in guyana.
Before you start graphic design service in Guyana, you need to understand that there is demand for graphic designers all year, That is due to events and special requests, as well as business owners who seek assistance from time to time. Graphic design has many opportunities and categories you can fall into. For example, You can target party flyer designs, which can find you working along with DJs, Club owners, artists, and much more.
You can target Business Owners, This will allow you to work with small businesses as well as large companies who are seeking services like branding, logos, flyers, brochures, and anything company-related.
Now that I have highlighted the various avenues you can venture into, how can you get started with graphic design service in Guyana with no money? Well, it starts with you learning any of the graphic design Softwares that exists in the world.
To list a few; Adobe photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, coreldraw11, or Canva. As a Beginner, I highly suggest you check out Canva since it’s where I first learned flyer design. Canva has millions of free templates you can customize and you can do this all from your smartphone. If you do have a PC it’s better but not mandatory.
When you create your Canva account you should start practicing, First learn to design business cards as it is something in demand, Flyers, and Brochures. With Canva you can save your work and resume even if you get a power outage.
The more you practice the better you will get. And when you feel comfortable enough to offer graphic design service in Guyana to the public here is what you can do. You can create a business page on facebook. Create a logo for your business page and update the information needed. That is the contact number, email, and location.
How do you get clients as a beginner graphic Designer in Guyana?
Clients are easy to find, One of the best ways to go about finding clients is by reaching out, One of the things I like to do is find newly established business pages and pitch my services to them, cause sometimes not every business owner reaches out to get the services, The next option would be to use Facebook marketplace. I recently wrote an article that teaches you how to make money with the Facebook marketplace. You can read it here. By following the tips provided in that article you can make flyers and post in several groups. This allows you to get free organic traffic and inquiries daily regarding your graphic design services.
You can also use TikTok, and Instagram and also create a Google business profile. This will allow you to receive reviews in your business which can provide and connect you with international clients.
Getting paid as a graphic designer in Guyana?
When it comes to pricing as a graphic designer, I usually advise persons to charge what you are worth, or if you feel the need to charge based on competitors never underpay yourself. While the price can determine if you will get the work or not, Always ensure you inform your customers that discounts are not permanent. One of the services I highly recommend as a beginner graphic designer is Gtt mmg. The service is great and allows you to work remotely accepting payments from customers across Guyana.
Working with international clients in Guyana
One of the perks of offering graphic design service in Guyana is you can have clients worldwide while still working in Guyana, This is possible if you sign up for an international bank account, I did mention how Guyanese can get a US bank account in my previous article, you can read it here. After acquiring your international bank account you can create a free Etsy account, or make it better you can work on sites like fiverr.com, upwork.com, and many more freelancing sites that exist in the digital space.
While getting international clients is great always remember the major benefit of having US Clients is the ability to scale up your pricing. For example, you can charge a Guyanese business owner USD 20 and they will be okay with it but if you mention USD 200 for a logo, good luck they will go take their business elsewhere. International clients are willing to pay USD 200 for a logo but not all of them will accept some do try to break it down to a lesser fee.
Offering Revisions as a Graphic Designer in Guyana
Great so you have managed to reach this part of the blog post, Let talk about revisions and why it is very important. Ever so often as a graphic designer, you will find yourself taking on clients who are great to deal with while you may find some who came from the pit of hell (lol). Clients that come with the most attitude and problems. Revisions help you to deal with these types of customers professionally.
Revisions are rules you provide to your customers letting them know you are only allowing them to make x amount of changes to a specific design before they have to pay extra. For example, let’s say if a customer does not like your logo colors, you can inform them “I can change the colors two more times but any other changes may incur a fee” This lets them know that you won’t be there all day playing color match-up.
This also saves you time cause it can be a bit frustrating sitting all day making minor changes for a customer who is only paying for the design and not the hours spent making the design a reality.
One of the biggest mistakes I see graphic designers making is placing status updates with the quote “unlimited revisions” While it may be a great way to hook customers in, belive me it comes to haunt you when you meet up with a frustrating customer who would only have you exhausting your time and resources for the same fee.
Offering Samples Before Final Designs
Offering samples before the final design is very important when doing graphic design service in Guyana. I remember a time I did work for a client, and I sent them the original design. They exclaimed how they loved the work and were very excited. I sent them the details of ways to get paid and a day pass. I never heard from them. I also called, and the numbers went to voice mail.
I later learned that offering samples and a watermark of the design is key because some folks would take the original design and ghost you. Especially in a case where you are offering advance work before payment. So offer samples and a watermark, and until the payment is made, you can deliver your final work.
Offering Printing services in Guyana as a Graphic Designer
Printing services complement your graphic design skills because you can get paid for your talent and also for your investments (printer). Many affordable printers exist in the world, and many local stores sell printers. If you do not have a place to do business, I would suggest partnering with a few local printers instead. Message printers across Guyana and let them know you are looking for partnerships. This allows you to offer printing services without having to own a printer. Bear in mind that this method also comes with some challenges because not always the owners of the printery will be responsive.
Concluding this article, I would like to encourage everyone to start a graphic design service in Guyana. Although it’s something I do and highly depend on to make a living, I am encouraging people to start these services as there is room for everyone to earn. The demand for graphic design service in Guyana is growing, and so is the need for new graphic designers to enter the market. I wish you all the best in your journey and remember, To do this means to take some time to learn and then earn. See you in my next article.
Some do’s and Dont as a Graphic Designer in Guyana
Here are some Dos and Dont’s as a beginner offering graphic design service in Guyana.
- Do ensure you quote prices to customers before starting the work.
- Do ensure you let customers know about your revision prices
- Do ensure you let customers know about the schedule (some customers would drag out the work and you want to inform them that you are working on a time schedule)
- Do collect an upfront cost to begin your work, or if you genuinely trust your customer you can start the work without a downpayment ( I regret doing this cause lots of customers become untrustworthy but its better to take that upfront deposit)
- Dont overcharge your customers as they will not be returning for your services
- Dont use the designs of someone else to complete your project. If a customer brings a design to you always inform them of possible copyright claims that way you won’t stand to blame if anything should arise of such nature.
- Dont ever let the customer know you dont like the design even if that is what they want. Some professional opinions are best kept to yourself.
Also read Guyanese: 60 Side Hustles to Start Earning Money From Home in Guyana
