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 Milosh Zorica (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?
Milosh Zorica
2. Where are you are based (Country/Area)?
Belgrade, Serbia. at the moment I’m moving (or it’s more appropriate to say ”have just moved ”) to london, UK. but really I’m a very
nomadic person.
3. What type of work do you do? (design for print, web, multimedia etc)
Web & corporate ID. been in print for a while too. but now print is about 10-20% of my production.
4. How many years had you been working in the design industry before you went freelance?
about 5-6 years.
5. How long have you been freelancing?
4 years
6. Why did you decide to go freelance?
Freedom was the only (or at least main) reason for me. being able to work whenever and wherever i want.
7. How did you market yourself (find design work/new clients) in the beginning – (online portfolio/brochure/direct mail/email/phone etc)?
At an early stage I had a solid network of connections established while used to be an employee.
8. How do you market yourself (find design work) now?
Referrals, word of mouth, social networking sites, forums, attending events/conferences/exhibitions, direct contact with people and
businesses I think might be interested in cooperating with me.
9. How did you decide what to charge? What was the process?
There are plenty of factors included in forming the price. client’s size/type and location (since I have a very global pool of clients I can’t charge the same to a small business in colombia and a major league player in UK/russia/US/israel), kind of work and how much it’s worth to the client. I really try to avoid charging per hour. how much money I need to cover my expenses plays an important role as well.
10. Do you work from home/have an office/work inhouse at design agencies?
All of above! at the moment i’m giving a try to sharing an office with other guys doing the same or similar work. so for it goes well and is a lot of fun.
11. How do you organise your workload, do you work long hours?
Depends on where i’m and what I work on. time zone difference is sometimes kinda major headache (my dear USA clients, it’s nothing personal, it’s just business). I have both, busy & quiet periods.
12. How much holiday do you give yourself?
Anywhere from a few days to a few months a year. but in reality, I almost have no holidays.
13. How do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?
Blogs, magazines, forums, etc.
14. What blogs, magazines, podcasts etc do you subscribe to?
Used to be subscribed to various medias online and offline. but really no time now.
15. How do you generate ideas/what techniques do you use to stimulate creativity?
I like sketching a lot. I also like to look at work created by other people. The best ideas I get in a metro/bus/subway or while strolling around the city.
16. What about the business side of things, accounting, invoicing, bookkeeping, how do you manage it?
I do pay a lot of attention to the business side of my work. but, my administrative stuff is a real mess.
17. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone starting out freelancing?
Network like crazy, keep your clients satisfied and have ”can do” attitude.
18. Would you ever go back to fulltime work?
Should a nice opportunity arise, yes. honestly i prefer a few months contract here and there.
19. Any thing else you would like to add?
Design is is a lot of fun. it’s not a job or career, it’s lifestyle.
20. Where can we see some of your work (URL)?
miloszorica.info is going to be online soon (after 2 years working or
pretending to be working on it). http://www.coroflot.com/miloshz .
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15 Comments
Great interview Milosh! – J.
Congrats on the interview – great job!
Milosh, what a small world. I’ve been visiting Tara’s blog for about 100 years (is she really that old?). An interesting insight. Oh, and I might have some work for you!
Johno it certainly feels like it
I assure you, I feel older. Really enjoy this pieces, BTW.
Glad you enjoy them, I am running out of them if you want to take part.
Excellent to read a little insight into your world, Milosh.
Tara, I too have enjoyed this focused series. Great idea.
Informative interview. Have you noticed a difference in your work now that you’re in London? I’m in NYC, but considering a move elsewhere.
Tara, can I participate in your Freelancer Focus? I really don’t freelance that much
What about a Corporate Connection? Silly name, but something where those of us employed in-house or with an agency can share our thoughts, too? It would be minus the business side of things, but we’re all in search of inspiration!
Thanks everyone for commenting and Milosh for taking part.
Lauren why don’t you take part in design case studies and talk us through some of your work? I will try and think of some questions (for non freelancers) based on your suggestion too so ou can take part, thanks.
Very nice to read a little insight into your world!
Hehe, yes, I have something all written up for the case study, I just need to find my thumbnails and scan them in! I’ve had it done for a while, then I moved and lost the TN’s I think…
And all the stuff that I’m doing now I’m very proud of but can’t share yet because it’s not publically available. Maybe I can share it in March after the event is over. I’ll do the write up (and scan in my thumbs!) now and send it over in a few months.
All good points, but what about pricing. Get the price right is essential and we all know the difference in the price of design.
I can hire a designer for next to nother or one for thousands. So put your prices up!
I would like to join Freelancer Focus .please tell me how can I join it
Hi, I am not taking submissions for Freelancer Focus at the moment but have an idea for a new feature you may want to take part in soon.
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