Freelancing In Graphic Design - A Real Possibility?

[kidrow]

Hello all,

I need some advice about what scope, if any, exists for freelancing in India in the graphic design industry.

Here's some background info. I'm currently making ends meet by carrying on the family business. [We have a small store in Mumbai]. I have always enjoyed drawing & painting. Recently I've been dabbling in computer graphics, viz., Photoshop & 3ds Max. I don't have any formal training whatsoever, be it in the traditional medium or computer graphics.

All this while, I was pursuing graphic design purely as a hobby, indulging in it in my free time. [I even bought a laptop so I could pursue it whenever I was free at the store]. It recently occurred to me that I could probably freelance as a graphic designer, both for some much needed job satisfaction & supplementary income.

So is it possible for someone in my position to freelance in this field? [Of course, this is after having learned the programs & finer aspects of design well].

What would one need to learn? Can a freelancer only know either 2d or 3d & get by? Or does he have to know the entire gamut of programs for both 3d & 2d? Is specializing in one part of the pipeline, say, modeling or texturing, the norm for a freelancer?

Is formal training a must? Or can one still get work without it? Would you recommend formal training, & if yes, where from?

Is creating a portfolio of your work the 1st step towards making this a reality? How do you get to clients? How do you spread the word?

I realize I'm probably jumping the gun a bit, because I don't even know the programs well yet. But I feel that knowing these things would help me plan things out a bit better.

Regarding where I'm currently at, this [See Post # 75 - the Robo/Mech] is what I could achieve after following a few step by step tutorials. I haven't got to a stage where I could make something like this, all on my own.

I do hope that responses to my query about whether freelancing is a possibility are in the affirmative. Because ever since I got this idea into my head, I'm wanting for it to work real bad.

Thanks for your time. Much appreciated.

P.S. - I'm 28 btw. So I hope I ain't over the hill.

 

[gaganjain]

Yes freelancing exists in India

Your work must be good and outstanding

portfolio is needed

It will take time for you to get into freelancing

In this field you don't talk your work speak for you...

 

[kippu]

i been freelancing for 10 years now , portfolio is a must and so is luck and contacts . but yea the first step is portfolio , if thats not upto par , then it is not viable

but take my advice , go learn the stuff and join some studio then after some years get into freelancing , dont just jump into without prior experience or a safety net

 

[rite]

The best place online would be Elance.com and Guru.com. The remaining websites are crap for your purpose, others don't have clients who pay much, at least most of them don't.

As a single freelancer you can earn 25k-1.5 lacs per month if you are established on these websites and work full time.

And if you open your own firm, you just may end up crossing 1 cr in annual profits if you extend to web programming and stuff as well. All you need to do is have your own freelancers etc for that.

But even as a freelancer, you can end up earning 1-2 lacs per month.

There are very few freelancers who make more than that, although something much higher isn't absolutely unheard of, but relatively, in fact quite rare, especially online in India.

And the good thing is that within 2-3 years you can be a top shot in such websites on the internet.