Exploring Extending Our Services
Exploring and diversifying the services offered as a freelancer is not only a strategic move but also a significant asset in building a successful freelance career. It’s essential because it enables freelancers to provide comprehensive solutions and exceptional value to their clients while fostering long-term relationships and creating opportunities for growth.
By branching out into additional service areas, freelancers become one-stop shops for their clients’ needs. This level of versatility can be particularly appealing to businesses that prefer to work with a single point of contact rather than coordinating with multiple service providers. For example, a graphic designer who can also handle website development or IT-related tasks becomes more valuable to clients looking for an all-in-one solution. This versatility streamlines the project management process for clients and simplifies their workflow, which is a significant selling point for freelancers.
Furthermore, diversifying services enhances the potential for long-term client relationships. Clients who are satisfied with the quality and efficiency of the services provided are more likely to return for additional projects or refer the freelancer to other businesses. Building a portfolio of satisfied clients can lead to a steady stream of work, reducing the need for constant client acquisition and allowing freelancers to focus on delivering exceptional service.
In the competitive world of freelancing, expanding one’s skill set to offer a broader range of services can open up new avenues for revenue generation. For instance, a graphic designer who becomes proficient in website development can attract a wider client base, as businesses often require both graphic design and web development services. This diversification can lead to higher income potential and a more stable freelance career.
Examples of other areas of services that we could potentially help our clients with:
- Website Development and Design
- IT & Helpdesk Related Items (Email setup, software setup & user management, creating UI/UX designs for software)
- Email Marketing Support (designing email templates)
- Printing Services (brochures, posters, banners)
- Physical Items (business cards, apparel, packaging design)
- Social Media Graphics and Content
- Video and Motion Graphics
- Content Creation (blog graphics, infographics)
- Branding and Logo Design
- Presentation Design (events, tradeshow signage)
- Illustrations and Artwork, Graphics, Icons
- Marketing Collateral (flyers, newsletters)
- User Interface (UI) Design
- User Experience (UX) Design
- Support Documentation (documenting processes, instructional materials, manuals)
Embracing a diversified skill set as a freelancer is a strategic move that benefits both clients and freelancers themselves. It enables freelancers to provide comprehensive solutions, build strong client relationships, and unlock new revenue opportunities, ultimately contributing to a more successful and sustainable freelance career. The key is diversifying our skill sets to meet various needs & provide more solutions for our clients.
Discussion 6 – Teaching Ourselves & Exploring New Technologies
*Submit Discussion into D2L
Don’t ever stop learning & teaching yourself things… Especially in the world of web, design, and even IT (Information Technology). Search on Google for new website technologies and spend some time learning about something new that sounds interesting to you. Explain what you seem to have found and share a link!
Assignment 6 – Design a Website for a Non-Profit Client who has No Content
*Submit Assignment into D2L
Design a simple website for a non-profit client who has unfortunately provided no content (which can be common in the real world!) except for their Facebook and Instagram pages. The goal is to use this content to design a website that showcases the client’s mission, work, and accomplishments, utilizing creative content adaptation and focusing on a user-friendly, responsive design.
—–Step 1: Choose a non-profit organization to build a website for—–
If you’d like to work with one of the non-profits we are connected with, you can build a website for “Be a Boarder” whose mission is to provide access to skateboarding for all by providing equipment, education, and opportunities for community involvement. All of their Facebook content can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/beaboarder/about_details
https://www.facebook.com/beaboarder/photos_by
https://www.instagram.com/beaboarder/
—–Step 2: Select a website platform OR choose to design your website in Photoshop, Canva, etc—–
Choose any website environment you’re comfortable with to design and build this website (e.g., WordPress, HTML Template, any other website building tools you’d like to try out) however, you can also choose to simply design the website with any design tools you are comfortable with as well, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, etc.
It is recommended to build the entire website to use as a portfolio piece, however, not all of us may have website-building experience at this time and can choose to focus purely on the design alone in any design program of your choice. These designs alone can then still be just a good for a portfolio piece. If you are choosing to go in this direction you will still need to create every page for the website in your design program.
—–Step 3: Design your website—–
Website Structure: Create a website with at least 5 different pages. Suggested pages could include:
Home Page: Introduce the non-profit’s mission and impact.
About Us: Provide information about the organization’s history, team, and values.
Projects: Highlight the non-profit’s work, using content from their Facebook page.
Get Involved: Describe opportunities for volunteering, donations, and support.
Contact Us: Include a contact form and relevant contact information.
Events?
Donate?
Content Adaptation: Utilize content from the non-profit’s Facebook page, including text, photos, and videos. Be creative in adapting and arranging this content to create coherent and engaging website pages. Ensure that content is concise and relevant to the respective pages.
Branding and Design: Incorporate the client’s logo and branding elements, maintaining a consistent visual identity throughout the website. Pay attention to color schemes, typography, and layout.
Responsiveness: Ensure that your website design is responsive, offering a seamless user experience on both desktop and mobile devices. Test your site’s behavior on different screen sizes.
—–Things to keep in mind—–
-Creativity and coherence in adapting Facebook content for the website.
-User-friendly design and responsive layout.
-Effective incorporation of branding elements.
-Proper structure with a minimum of 5 pages.
-Overall quality of the website in conveying the non-profit’s message.
—–What to submit into D2L when finished—–
-The URL to your website (e.g., a link to your WordPress site, Wix site, or any other platform you chose) or your HTML & CSS files in a ZIP folder.
-A brief written explanation of the design choices you made, including how you adapted the Facebook content, your approach to branding, and how you ensured responsiveness.
-The client’s Facebook page URL for reference.
Have fun and good luck!
Sample Student Work
