How To Start A Graphics Design Business In India?

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Graphic Design Business?

• If you are an experienced graphic designer, it can be exhilarating to venture into the entrepreneurial side.
• Setting up a graphic designing business is pretty straightforward if someone is willing to put in all the effort.
• Graphic designing is a diversified dimension and includes a variety of specialisations, skills, and areas of focus.
• This is the very reason why freelancing, independent contracting, and self-employment becomes a lucrative career route.
• In a survey report, freelance graphic designers were almost 90% of the total industry participation.
• If you have plans to start and explore the graphic design business then this article is going to be resourceful.

What Does A Graphic Designer Do?

1. Graphic Designers offer services that deal with digital and printed creative designs having a variety of uses.
2. The products are digital, visual, or physical such as logos, signs, advertisements, displays, and more.
3. Graphic designs are implemented on different websites and online spaces that include digital illustrations, web layouts, typefaces, etc.
4. The scope of graphic designing is diversified and the noticeable services available in this industry are:

• Branding: Logo design, colour schemes.
• Website Graphics: Designs for mobile and web development.
• Advertisements: Marketing and advertising-orientated graphic designs.
• Print Design: Relevant for newspapers, magazines, and other printed publications.
• Packaging: Graphics for product labels, and packaging.
• Motion Graphics: Animations, videos, etc.
• The right skills and marketing plans can make a graphic designing business successful.

Steps for Launching Graphics Design Business

Establish Your Business Goals

• Business plans will remain worthless unless you have a solid idea that set the course of your business.
• The more specific you are in outlining your goals the better it works for your business.
• When you start your business, focus on brainstorming ideas about your business.
• The services you want to offer
• The total number of clients you want to maintain
• Amount of time invested per assignment or project
• Type of business model you want to follow for long-term success
• Set a timeline for business goals as to how and when you will achieve them.
• Develop an accountability parameter to check and re-evaluate the business goals that you have achieved within the last few months.

Evaluate Your Skills And Resources

• The graphic designers who set up their own business come from an established career background with ample resources, skills, and tools at their disposal.
• Once you step away from the professional field, you may no longer have access to certain resources.
• This typically includes a workstation, subscriptions, and design software.
• When you are setting your business address the requirement for these resources-

1. Laptop: for work purpose.
2. Hard drive: to store the backup files.
3. Design software: like Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, etc.
4. Working printer: for blueprints, printed files, etc.
5. Marketing materials.
6. Office supplies.

• You should also evaluate both your personal and professional skills that are required to market your new design.
• This will help to reduce the additional costs.
• If you wish to level up your business to another height, invest in intangible resources and skills.

Conduct Competitive Research

1. Graphic designing is a fairly competitive industry and this is not a secret.
2. Many prominent companies have a reputation to work with large clients regularly.
3. Similarly, there are many freelancer talented graphic designers in this field.
4. It is good to be familiar with the competition when you start, but there is nothing to get discouraged.
5. If you have the adequate skills and resources you can carve out your niche and serve potential clients.
6. Being a business owner, your skills and expertise will fit some of the customers and clients in the market.

Find A List Of Graphic Design Clients

• Determine the target clients and customers as it is a crucial step in running a graphic design business.
• If you are from a freelancing background, probably you will have a list of recurring clients and referrals.
• The main challenge lies when you transition from a professional field into a graphic designing business.
• You have to start from scratch for bringing the first few design clients to the door.
• Some various professional networks and platforms help you connect with potential clients.
• It includes Craigslist, Upwork, LinkedIn, etc.
• You can also spread the information on your new business website by taking leverage of social media.
• A report states that 73% of the markets believe that their efforts through social media marketing have been effective somewhat.

Allocate A Budget For The Business

• Whatever business you start, it requires some kind of capital investment.
• A graphic designing business is not different, you need to have personal funds or pursue a business loan.
• Start with budget allocation to every item that you require for your business.
• The cost of starting a graphic design business includes:

1. Hardware and software programs.
2. Subscription fees.
3. Employee salary.
4. Rental fees for office space.
5. Costs associated with marketing.
6. Additional training fees.

• Your long term budget needs to encompass all the revenue generated from the projects and clients.
• It is important to have clarity on income because loan officers will likely know about your income.

Set A Feasible Pricing Structure

1. When you set up a business your clients and customers will be interested in knowing the charges for specific services.
2. Make sure to do some market study analysis to know about the pricing structure.
3. Collect detailed information about the pricing structure of the other businesses in the industry.
4. Then adopt the best pricing structure for your company.
5. Customers expect to be treated fairly, so the pricing strategy needs to be transparent.
6. Initially, you might have to charge a little less to develop your clientele and get a reputation.
7. Make sure to offer the best deals, but it shouldn't be too cheap.
8. The idea is to make your clients understand that you are giving them the best deal that serves them and also adds value.

Have A Proper Business Approach

• If you are accustomed to working for another company or as a freelancer it is time to change your perspective.
• When you transform into a real business you need to think about certain details that ensure strong productivity and workflow.
• As your business expands you would probably consider moving to a large office space that accommodates more employees.
• The next thing will be to select a name for your website.
• It will help you to connect with prospective clients as well as serve as an online portfolio for getting your work done.
• Later on, you can also hire SEO experts to have a well-structured website.

Design Your Marketing Plan

1. Marketing practices lie at the center of every business.
2. Without marketing, you will not be able to scale your business, no matter whatever skills you possess and how good you are at doing things.
3. New business owners have to invest time to market their products and services.
4. It is essential to communicate the brand’s mission and objectives with the customers.
5. Marketing should convey the look, feel, and ideas of the company.
6. Marketing plans should be communicated through a website, social media, email marketing, and printed materials.

Bottom Line

• Devote some time to planning and execution as it applies to every other business.
• Having a clear vision regarding the market and the potential customers will give exposure on how to proceed ahead.
• In the end, it is the mindset and efforts you put into your graphic design business that makes a difference.
• A report states that in 2018, around 22% of graphic designers were self-employed.

Also Read:

10 DOs and DON'Ts of Starting a Graphic Design Business

How to Start an Interior Design Business?

Graphic Design Online Business: Quick start guide