Have you seen the Real World? Go out on the street and toss a stick. It’s likely to come down and hit a graphic designer.
Build the best portfolio. Build the best rep. Rise above it all.
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True, but there is always competition, no matter how one attempts to find work.
My point (that I didn’t state very well) wasn’t about eliminating competition; it was about eliminating one’s involvement in the kind of competitions that the contest sites hold.
For example, on a contest site, a designer might spend a day working on a logo that will compete with the logos of many other people who enter the contest. The chances are that all but one of those contestants will have wasted their time.
On freelance sites, such as UpWork and others, there are no contests. Clients post briefs. Interested designers respond with rates, other thoughts, and their portfolios. The prospective client chooses the designer they want to work with. A contract is negotiated, and the designer is guaranteed payment. There’s little time wasted other than the time spent applying for the job.
I’m not a fan of UpWork, by the way. The clients are usually inexperienced, naive, and looking for inexpensive work. However, as I mentioned, it’s a step up from the contest sites.
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Like in any other branch, it’s important to have something unique. I take my work very seriously and I always put my clients first. On top of that, if any clients contacts me more than twice I try to make a discount for them or something to let them know I appreciate that they come back for my services.
I handle competition by continuously improving my skills and staying updated with industry trends. I also focus on building strong relationships with clients, delivering exceptional quality work, and differentiating myself through a unique design style or approach to stand out in a crowded market.
if you give a discount, were you overcharging to begin with?
And unique styles only go so far. It’s not about YOUR style. It’s about having a solution for the clients’ particular needs that works. Style may not be any part of that.
That’s true, but as designers’ careers progress, they tend to specialize, both in terms of the jobs they get and the work they do, and that work typically entails a style that the designer has developed that is appropriate for the niche they’ve found themselves in.
For example, I spent 15 years as the design director and website editor for a newspaper. I was subsequently recruited to work as the CD of an outdoor recreation publishing company — not because of my outdoor recreation portfolio or style (which was non-existent) but because of my design, publishing, and web coding experience. When the company went belly-up, I was suddenly in high demand as an outdoor recreation designer since my portfolio was full of the stuff.
Utah is sort of a mecca for outdoor recreation, so even the agencies that hired me seemed to specialize in that niche. They liked the aggressive, colorful outdoor style that I had developed. To this day, I’ve been sort of typecast as an outdoor recreation designer. Subsequently, my portfolio is full of it, which solidifies the impression that this is my specialty and I get work because of it.
Sounds like you got typecast for the outdoor recreation work rather than developing an actual style.
I knew a designer, did the same freelance gig for the same company for 6 years. The 7th year rolls around and the company hired a new designer. I asked the first guy what happened. He said, “They wanted something different this year and didn’t think I could do it. They didn’t even ask.”
Looking at these numbers this would be definitely the wrong platform for me. It’s hard for me to offer logo design below 2000€/$. A good Logo as part of the communication foundation ideally for eternity but at least a decade in my opinion it’s worth even more to the client.
Reminds me of how Hollywood actors are often cast for the same kind of roles when they could do so much more 
.
=Typecasting… 
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I do not. I am just trying do my best and find good clients who ready to pay a good price
Handling competition in the design business requires a combination of strategies and a focus on your unique value proposition. Here are some steps to effectively manage and thrive in a competitive design industry:
- Define Your Niche: Specialize in a particular area of design. This can set you apart from competitors and establish you as an expert in that niche.
- Know Your Audience: Understand your target audience’s needs and preferences. Tailor your designs to cater to their specific requirements.
- Quality and Innovation: Maintain high-quality standards in your work. Strive for creativity and innovation in your designs, keeping them fresh and appealing.
- Market Research: Keep an eye on market trends and competitor offerings. Being aware of what others are doing can help you identify gaps or opportunities in the market.
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Clearly define what sets your design business apart. Whether it’s your unique style, exceptional customer service, or a particular skill, emphasize your USP in your marketing.
- Networking: Build and nurture professional relationships within your industry. Collaborate with fellow designers, attend industry events, and engage with potential clients and peers.
- Client Relationships: Focus on building strong client relationships. Satisfied clients are more likely to return and refer your services to others.
- Online Presence: Create a professional website and establish a strong online presence. Showcase your portfolio and provide valuable content to attract potential clients.
- Social Media: Utilize social media platforms to showcase your work, engage with your audience, and stay connected with industry trends and peers.
- Pricing Strategy: Set competitive yet fair pricing for your services. Consider the value you provide and the market rates when determining your prices.
- Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest design tools, software, and techniques. Continuous learning keeps your skills relevant and enhances your competitiveness.
- Feedback and Improvement: Solicit feedback from clients and peers and use it to improve your work and services. Continuous improvement is key to staying competitive.
- Marketing and Promotion: Develop a marketing strategy to reach your target audience effectively. This may include online advertising, content marketing, and email campaigns.
- Customer Service: Provide excellent customer service. Be responsive, attentive, and accommodating to your clients’ needs.
- Adaptability: Be open to change and adapt to new market dynamics and client expectations. Flexibility is essential in a competitive environment.
- Legal Protection: Protect your intellectual property and design work through appropriate legal measures, such as copyrights and contracts.
- Resilience and Patience: Building a successful design business takes time. Be patient and resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks.
Remember that competition is a natural part of the design industry. Embrace it as an opportunity to grow, innovate, and refine your skills and services. By focusing on your strengths, unique offerings, and client relationships, you can thrive in a competitive landscape.
Same issues with my site Same issues with my site REMOVED
I’m not saying it’s a bad answer, but ChatGPT?
At first, I thought some of it was scrapped off LinkedIn, but I couldn’t find any direct quotes — just a lot of paraphrasing. Since that’s pretty much what ChatGPT does, I think you’re right.
I think I’ll leave the post since it’s a slow day, and just remove the advertising link at the bottom. As you said, the answer isn’t a bad one, despite it being copied and pasted from ChatGPT by someone or something from Pakistan (who is now blocked).
In a family business within the design industry, handling competition requires a mix of adaptability, leveraging your unique brand story, and focusing on customer relationships. A family-run design business often has the advantage of a personal touch and a strong legacy, which can help differentiate it from larger, less personable competitors. Emphasize what makes your business unique—whether it’s your close-knit team, long-standing customer relationships, or specialized expertise passed down through generations.
To stay competitive, keep up with design trends and technology while being true to your brand’s roots. Regularly gather feedback from clients to understand what they value most about your work and adapt your offerings to meet changing demands. Competition can be challenging, but it’s also a chance to strengthen your family business’s identity and build loyalty by showing clients they’re part of the family too.
“Leveraging,” now there’s another word I dislike, on top of ‘whether this or that.’
Buzzwords.
Also, to stay competitive, you don’t “keep up with design trends”
You make new ones.
A family-run design business? In my 40-plus years in this field, I’ve never encountered such a thing. Here in the US, it takes years of education, considerable raw talent, and a never-give-up brand of tenacity to succeed in this field. The chances of finding that combination in multiple members of the same family are almost nil.
Staying competitive means delivering practical solutions that meet clients’ business needs. This rarely has anything to do with trendiness because 99+ percent of clients don’t care what’s trending in the design world — they care about accomplishing their business objectives.
I’m not a big fan of business BS talk, but leveraging is a verb that I believe is useful. Now that I think about it, I don’t hear as much business BS talk as I used to. Maybe everyone got over “disrupting paradigms.”
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I guess I just have always associated leverage as financial. As in borrowed money.
Not sure when the definition shifted to include ‘maximize potential.’ Not too long ago though.