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A design brief is nothing but a written document that is used to describe all the features and scope of the project’s design. This documents is jointly developed by the client and the by the Web designer.

This is not particularly intended to be to be the entire description of the actual designs. It just briefs the goals and objectives of the work that has to be done and they are also designed in such a way that it includes the terms and conditions of the work.

What is the need of Design Brief?
For any process of large designs, design briefs must be part of the work’s planning stage. They are pretty useful for both the client and for the designer as they provide the roadmap for the goals that has to be achieved.

Where to start the building of this design brief?
You as a Freelance Web designer, you will be the instigator for any design brief. While the project client will have the better idea on what he/she will require from their website just beyond making money or else to get more page views. So it is entirely upto the client on project planning and client interviews.

What should be mentioned in a design brief?
Mostly, the design briefs has to include the objective and goals that has to be achieved and also the deadlines or contractual or billing issues. So you have to include some of the things such as:

Site’s goals and objectives
Site’s overview
Entire description of the objectives and goals of the site
If there is a redesign, you have to have the description of the objectives and goals of the project.

Site Audience
The typical description of the audiences that they are trying to attract towards them
Age
Gender
Employment
Interests

Where the site will be used?
At home with slow connection or high connection
In the office
On PDA’s or on the cell phones
On a CDROM
Over a kiosk
Scope of the project
Type of technology that will be required for the project:
Redesign or full site build
HTML development
Ajax development or JavaScript
CSS development
ColdFusion, PHP or ASP
In which language the CGIs are written?
Ecommerce storefront
Flash
Content type of both the designer and the client
Text
Graphics: logos, animation, icons, photos and illustrations
Video
Sound
Localization of above mentioned
Design aspects
Creative design
Conceptual design
Typography
Layout
Colours

Details of the contract
It has to include the project’s details and also include:
Pricing: be specific or general for the need that will be required by the client and make sure the client understands for what he is paying for
Schedule: include the dates of content due and approval dates. Also you have to include the deadline dates as well.
Billing: the date for the invoices and also when the late fees will be assessed.
Copyright: who will own the entire copyright of any design, content etc?

Description of the work or scope of the work
Initially, most of the people think that they will know this automatically, but as go on with the work, you will come to know that most of the clients do not have any idea. Clients think that they know what they need but in reality, they do not have most of the clues. The idea is not to plan the entire course of the work, but to acknowledge that the time that you’re working on is very much valuable and the client have to meet the expenses of the plan that you will be drawing up. Whether or not you have to make your client agree to that and you have to draw up the work contract. The contract should include the scope of the work that you’re doing. The contract should include

Number of pages that has to be built
Number of scripts or the CGIs or the programs that has to be built
Number of graphics that has to be created
Total amount of content that has to be written
The margin of error that has occurred
Make sure that the client agrees to the contract and then make the move towards the work that has to be done.

Project dates
A contract which is good includes dates. It will be pretty tempting to leave this upto the client and all of the clients will want the site to be fixed. Most of the clients will forget about the dates as they will get busy with other works. So you have to include the dates. Some of the dates that has to be included are
Due date of the signed contract
Starting date of the work
Designs or the plans completed
Approval of the designs and plans by the client
Due dates of the client
Designer milestone releases
Dates of invoices
Competition date of the site
Due dates of the clients review
Updates date
Client’s final review
Launching date

Payment
You should not only include the project’s cost but also how much have to be invoiced. You have to take some percent of the project cost as the deposit and will thus ensure that the client is pretty serious about the work and will definitely give you some amount of cash for the work to move ahead.

Revisions
Mostly, clients will always want to make some of the changes in the project. So if you include number of revisions in your contract, you will not be in the trouble of sticking in to the never ending work of revising the work.

Source files and copyright
The contract that you have done should include and mainly specify the entire copyright of the content, graphics, designs, programs and the multimedia and also you have to specify of who owns the rights of source files. The source files include
Images
Multimedia
Scripts and programs
Design of the website
Content written for the site

Credits
Along with the files rights, you should also specify the on how you will be credited for that wok that you have done. So you have to mainly specify
Where will be the credit displayed?
How the credit will be done
For what things you will be credited

Nobody will get the job if it requires the experience in that field. This is called as catch-22 in most of the industries. Luckily, you need not have any job experience to create the web design portfolio and here you can create your own experience by doing the projects. If you use the projects that you have done, that can itself translate into the paying jobs so that it means into more of the portfolio jobs. So, if you are starting out as a freelancer, you need not say that you do not have any portfolio, instead making use of the suggestions mentioned below; you can create your own portfolio.

Your own Website
So if you have decided to get in to the profession of Web designing, then you need to have a website of your own. This is done because till didn’t have any job that were paying you, so by creating a website, you will not have the problems that are faced by the experienced web designers. When you are spending your time on creating and improving the website, here you are not only improving your business but also you are improving your portfolio as well.

Do remember that you website doesn’t have to be a portfolio piece. Just think of different things that you have built for your website and here make each design a portfolio piece. Do include the details like
Home page, the custom 404 pages, the Contact forms, any of the CMS templates you have built and even the entire portfolio page.

Personal Web Projects
Do build your personal websites. The sites should be very much attractive and this site may be the site for your pet or etc. by seeing the site, you may get the paying web design works where you can earn decent income for you.

Do take the online tutorial or a class
There is no conditions or riles against using your class work as the part of your portfolio. By taking the class, you will learn on how to do or create something new and will help you to improve your portfolio as you will be growing.

Create Pages on you website for some of the Imaginary Clients
Things such as a page to sell the products or the annual report page can be put up on your website. As long as you are able to tell your clients that these are all the samples and are not the live designs, there is nothing wrong in showcasing your skills and will thus improve your portfolio.

Modify Templates in your web design
There are several free web templates that are available that are useful for building the WebPages. Without modifying these templates would not be very good for your portfolio.

The portfolio that you choose should be the best of all
Remember that, you’re creating the portfolio is to showcase your best output. So do not add something that you have created in order to increase the size of your portfolio. So do choose the best portfolio as much as you can.

If you are initially beginning out as Freelance Web Designer, you may have to do the thinking related to on how much you are going to charge for a project?, and will you charge exactly for the project. You have to take in some considerations before quoting a price such as,

What is the project about?

Before evaluating any kind of Web Design project, you have to determine on what the project will entail. Some of the questions be asked are
Total number of pages that has to be created
Is there any designs or/and images that has to be used or else the images or design have to created as part of the project you have accepted?
You have to ask if any content has to be written, or will that be written by the designer?
Will there be programming, Flash, multimedia, or any kind of scripting required?
Your prices have to be quoted depending on the answers from the client
When do your clients want the project to be completed?
You can generate more amount of money if the work is of more urgent.

What the experience do you have in you?
The more experience you have the more money you can earn and also you charge more. Bear in mind that if you do not have experience and it is what your client wants from you.

How much long term maintenance is needed?
Very often, whenever a Web site is started the clients of the website might not have thought beyond just getting site’s page up. You as a Web designer should ensure that your clients have covered with maintenance. You have to get a separate contract if your client demands you for the maintenance cover.

What will be the going rate?
To determine the going rate is hard. One of the possible ways is to checkout with the local area. For more information you can take assistance from the Websites as well.

How much you will want to make?
After everything the bottom-line is – how much you want to make. Take this for example; you might have taken a project you like to do as it would be more fun, or challenging or interesting. That might reflect in your bid. On the other side of the work is that you might not feel comfortable doing that job or have to do lot of extra work just to complete it and it would be the situation where you have to hire another designer.

Some General Rules
If you do not have the sufficient resources do not bid for that project. Do get as clear as possible and the contract has to be specific enough. If the contract that you are going to bid is vague, you may find that you yourself will provide more services than what you might have expected.
Be careful with the pro bono work.
Always do be honest with the clients. If you can meet the deadline tell tem that you can do so or if you cannot meet it do tell them.

It’s great to be a freelancer as there are lots of things in this to learn and experience. Before getting into the freelancer job, you have to know the facts that are associated with this job. Just like a corporate web designer, even in freelance there a certain pros and cons associated. Before you jump in to this job, ensure the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in this job.

Advantages of being a freelance Web designer

Work whenever you want to do:
This is one of the popular reasons why people become a freelancer. If you’re a person who will be up all night, a 9 to 5 job is very much challenging. But you as a freelancer can work whenever you feel like to work. This job is a perfect one for house wives and for daddies who need time to arrange their work along with their babies. This job also means that, you can for any people in different time zone and can also work after you return from the job as well.

Work from wherever you wish to do
Most of the freelancers work at the comfort of their houses. It is also possible to work from your nearest libraries or even from your local coffee shops as well.

You can be your own boss.
As a freelance worker you will not be working under any company or any person, instead you are the boss for yourself. So as a freelancer, you need not worry about micromanagers or from any unreasonable expectations from your company or your boss. In any ways the clients who give you the work is your boss. The clients can be demanding and unreasonable but that may leads to your next advantage.

You can be your own boss.
As a freelance worker you will not be working under any company or any person, instead you are the boss for yourself. So as a freelancer, you need not worry about micromanagers or from any unreasonable expectations from your company or your boss. In any ways the clients who give you the work is your boss. The clients can be demanding and unreasonable but that may leads to your next advantage.

Choose the projects that you will be able to do
As a freelancer you will not be choosing the projects but also the clients as well. If at all you feel that the job has trouble and working with company may ask you to do some work and if you feel it is unethical you can quit that work and if you feel that the job is boring, then also you can reject the work.

As you go learn whatever you want to do
You can learn many new things as a freelancer suppose if you decide on get fluency in PHP, you needn’t take permission from your boss in order to put PHP scripts on take a class or server. You can just do it. The fact is that a good freelancer will be learning all the time.

No fear of dress code.
As freelancer you will be in your own world and nobody will question about your dress sense. But you need to have some business outfits for client meetings, presentations and but you won’t need nearly as many as you would if you worked in an office.

You will not be working on only one project and only one site and you can incorporate your hobbies into your work
As a freelancer you can choose wide variety of projects and can work on different sites as well. While doing the work you can even incorporate you hobbies as well.