The area of graphic and web design is one of the fastest growing segments of online services and it can also be the the one that pays the most. Perhaps a graphic design artist may be just perfect for you as a work at home career. One great advantage is that it can be full time or part-time to supplement your income from a full-time job – indeed there are lots of graphic design artists who only work weekends, working around a full time job.

More and more businesses are starting to realise that in order to compete successfully they need a professional web presence. That is where a web graphic design artist comes in – to make these businesses look their best and project a professional image.

If you are interested in this very exciting field you will first need the proper tools and software to do the job, and then the knowledge to use it correctly. The most common software used by web and graphic designe artisits is Adobe Photoshop. Although Photoshop is quite expensive, it is the top program for graphic design at this time and will ensure a really professional job. You’ll also need a good html editor to create web pages for your clients. You can use Photoshop to create entire web sites, or a specific program such as Dreamweaver. Neither Photoshop nor Dreamweaver are free software programs, so you are looking at an investment if you don’t own them already. Wordpress is also a free alternative to Dreamweaver – historically a blogging tool but now being increasingly used for content management websites.

Resources

OK, this is the ultimate package of Photoshop, with the price tag attached!

If you are on more of a budget try the below (or search the Adobe site)

Or what about Dreamweaver?

And finally an excellent resource on how to use Photoshop to it’s best:

 And back to the information…

The final piece of the equation is creativity itself and this is an area where you probablu have it or you don’t and having talent in this field is the main ingredient to success. People who make good web designers are those who often find themselves drawing by hand and constantly doodling on paper even when not consciously trying to create anything. If you do have the talent and drive however, you can have a very fulfilling career in web design.

If you’re convinced that you have the right stuff talent wise, and you have the software to bring your creativity to life then I can all you really need (!) is a client base. To get your first clients, you will need to begin a marketing campaign which showcases your design skills as the answer to your client’s problems.

Begin by using your favorite web browser to search for web design forums, marketing forums, and freelance sites that you can offer up your services. Participate in the forums, answering questions and be a regular contributor. Be sure that if you answer a question, you really know the answer. Giving bad info will get only hurt your efforts in the long run. Try to find forums which allow you to use a signature file with your posts. Use your signature file to place a link to your web site, which shows your portfolio and has your contact information.

With the freelancer sites you will have to go about it a bit differently. You will need to sign up as a provider at several of the freelancer sites, using a different email for each one for organizational purposes. (I recommend using Gmail as an email client; it is bar none the best way to keep your emails in order.) You’ll receive email notifications from each of the separate freelancer sites as projects are posted, to which you will then go to the site and bid on the project. It wouldn’t hurt to keep a spreadsheet or a notebook handy with your freelancer site information and projects that you have bid on. This will help you stay better organized and keep yourself from getting confused when you are actually working on multiple projects simultaneously.

To get picked for projects initially, you may have to under price your services. It’s alright to let your first three or four clients have projects done on the cheap, and there really is a good reason to do so. You are going to do the absolute best job you can for them so they will leave you a positive feedback rating on the freelancer site. As you gain a few more positive feedback ratings, you will get bigger projects, and then you will be able to bid a higher price for your work. Don’t be upset or discouraged if no one wants to pay you what you consider a fair price for your work in the beginning. This is a process that all new freelance graphic artists must go through. Once your reputation on the site has been established, then you will be the one who decides what your time and work are worth.

Being a graphic and web design artist is a career which is really fun and often pays very well. The demand for good web and graphic design will always outweigh the supply of good designers, so it has a great future ahead. However, having real clients paying real money it is vitally important you meet your commitments.
but if you have the eye of a graphic design artist, the desire to see it through, and the business sense and marketing skills to make it happen then this could really be the career for you.