In Nigeria today, freelancing is becoming more sought after. So how do you distinguish yourself from the influx of designers and attract those clients you’ve always dreamed of having on your books?. Having to create awesome design works and just posting online will not be enough to build a name and brand for yourself.

In this post, I have been able to outline some basics to help any designer (Graphics, print, Interface and digital) who wants to create a recognizable brand around their work and build a brand name.

1. Picture yourself as a client: spend a little personal time to develop a creative proposal for the project. Research information about your competitors and your market. Take your project through the same process you would use with a major client.

2. Build a strong online presence: social networks serve as a platform for you to showcase your expertise and gain some recognition. Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are the perfect platform for you to engage in discussions with the wider design world and build relationships with fellow designers and potential key clients.

3. Use online marketing tools: there are so many free marketing tools that can be used to boost your online presence. You can also make use of a good email marketing strategy to grab some attention.

4. Seek out client referrals: you might know, your last satisfied client might lead to your next project. Don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials on the experience working with you and your services overall from few of your satisfied clients and make sure you post all testimonials across all your digital channels.

5. Showcase your portfolio: and finally, make your presence known in the design community by joining sites like Behance, Dribbble. These sites are dedicated to showcasing creative work of various designers and they make it easy to display works and also find other portfolios.