Freelancer Focus 14th September 2007

I am looking for more people who would be interested in taking part in Freelancer Focus please see this post for details if you are interested. I am also interested in design case studies too.

Freelancer Focus is a regular feature, where freelance designers are invited to answer a series of questions about themselves and freelancing. This week Rob Cubbon (pictured left) is the freelance designer in question. If you would like to take part please read my previous post. Any designer or illustrator can also take part in Design Case Studies.

1. Your name?
Rob Cubbon

2. Where are you are based (Country/Area)?
London. UK.

3. What type of work do you do? (design for print, web, multimedia etc)
Design for print and web

4. How many years had you been working in the design industry before you went freelance?
I was working in publishing for nearly 3 years as a picture researcher (do they exist now?)

5. How long have you been freelancing?
15 years

6. Why did you decide to go freelance?
I didn’t like office politics and working for other people

7. How did you market yourself (find design work/new clients) in the beginning – (online portfolio/brochure/direct mail/email/phone etc)?
In the beginning I wrote letters and phoned (this was 1993), I have also used agencies.

8. How do you market yourself (find design work) now?
I market myself as a cheap all-rounder who can do all sorts of things and has contacts in various different areas of design who can get things done. All through the website.

9. How did you decide what to charge? What was the process?
The law of supply and demand, I think.

10. Do you work from home/have an office/work inhouse at design agencies?
Home and inhouse at design agencies.

11. How do you organise your workload, do you work long hours?
I don’t organise my workload. Sometimes long hours, sometimes a bit of free time.

12. How much holiday do you give yourself?
I take time off when my wife has her holiday.

13. How do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?
I should say the internet, but as I’m always at various design studios in London I usually pick things up that way.

14. What about the business side of things, accounting, invoicing, bookkeeping, how do you manage it?
All at the last minute with a lot of swear words. This is my first year as a limited company so I’m a bit worried. The advent of internet banking and completing a tax return online should make the process a bit less painful.

15. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone starting out freelancing?
Make sure you’ve got a spare £1000 in the bank.

16. Would you ever go back to fulltime work?
Never.

17. Any thing else you would like to add?
I think that what I do is totally modern, without trying to sound pretentious. Anyone, literally, anyone, could contact me today and ask me to do literally anything. And I love that.

18. Where can we see some of your work (URL)?
http://www.robcubbon.com/