{"id":22082,"date":"2014-09-19T21:01:14","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T13:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=22082"},"modified":"2018-04-09T20:51:19","modified_gmt":"2018-04-09T12:51:19","slug":"freelance-or-in-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/freelance-or-in-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Freelance Vs. In-House: Which Produces The Best Designers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite things, besides design, food, and writing about design and food, is perturbing my fellow designers with strange questions. You guys should try it sometime; it\u2019s really fun. Anyway, today I was thinking about the dynamic of an in-house work environment, and how it compares to freelancing<\/strong>. I\u2019ve done both, and I definitely have some thoughts on the matter.\n<\/p>\n

Does the uncertainty and ever-changing nature of freelancing<\/strong> produce designers with sharper, more adaptable skills? Or does the social, fast-paced, and ordered workflow of an agency<\/strong> or design firm create more design superstars<\/a>? Let\u2019s see if we can find some answers.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading:<\/strong> 9 Things You Should Know About Freelancing Full-Time<\/a><\/p>\n

Jobs Are Stable\u2026 Or Are They?<\/h2>\n

Not in this economy they\u2019re not. Having a job these days, especially in the creative industry, is almost as uncertain as freelancing<\/strong>. In fact, it can be even more uncertain. But does uncertainty by itself create a more stimulating creative environment<\/a>? In my experience, the answer is: yes and no.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> 10 Ways To Stay Creative While Working From Home<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, you can feel challenged to perform well under pressure, and as a result create excellent work. But the opposite can also happen. You can freeze up if faced with too much pressure, resulting in disappointment all around. For this round, I believe freelancing and working in-house are tied. It all depends on whether you feel more pressure on your own, or beneath the watchful eye of a fickle boss.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Truth About Being Your Own Boss <\/h2>\n

When you freelance, you call the shots<\/strong>. That means not only can you pick who to work with, you can also pick what you learn and whom you choose to associate with.<\/p>\n

But are you truly better off on your own? Does the endless ability to choose your own projects and reject anything for any reason develop a tough enough hide to help you deal with scrutiny from users and the design community?<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>Freelancers: How To Create Your Ideal Client Profiles<\/a><\/p>\n

From my perspective, working as an in-house designer puts you in the position of an employee.<\/strong> You have an itinerary of things to get done<\/a>, and there is a whole operation of people counting on you to do it all on time. You\u2019re given a project and are told exactly what to do and when to do it. That\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing, if all you want to do is design.<\/p>\n

Freelancing is a business<\/strong>. One of the main reasons freelancers give up freelancing to work at an agency or firm is because they get tired of handling all the non-design, \u201cbusiness stuff.\u201d Marketing and self-promotion, networking, bookkeeping, contracts and other legal issues; those things can get tiresome if you\u2019re not the entrepreneurial type. It can actually drain some people\u2019s energy which they would ordinarily use for creating great designs.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> 8 Contract Clauses You Should Never Freelance Without<\/a><\/p>\n

So, for this round, I\u2019d say it depends on where you draw your energy and inspiration from<\/strong>. If you feed off of working for yourself and handling all of your own affairs (and I mean ALL of them), then definitely freelancing will bring out your best as a designer. But if you only want to focus purely on design itself, working in-house is the way to go.<\/p>\n

The Social Factor<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s face it: freelancing can get pretty lonely sometimes<\/strong>. Especially if you do all of your work from home and not, say, from an office or even a coffee shop. If your family and friends are all at work or school during the day, or if you live alone, your exposure to healthy social activities can seriously suffer<\/strong>. Depending on the type of designer you are, this can either inspire you to work harder, or completely drain you of motivation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re more of an introvert, you may find freelancing to be pretty much the ideal lifestyle.<\/strong> There\u2019s no office or co-workers to deal with, and you can pretty much work as much as you want without seeing another human face.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re more extraverted, you might find freelancing unbearable, and prefer the more social atmosphere of an in-house environment<\/strong>. There are other creatives to bounce ideas off of, and you can take the edge off the solitude of your work<\/strong> with friends near.<\/p>\n

Again, it comes down to the type of person you are, and the ideal design workflow you wish to cultivate<\/strong>. There is really no \u201cright\u201d way to go here. Whether you freelance or work in-house, you can still have a social life and benefit from the spontaneity of having people around; you\u2019ll just have to work a bit harder at it if you freelance.<\/p>\n

It All Comes Down To The Work<\/h2>\n

In the end, of course, it doesn\u2019t matter whether a great design was produced in-house or by an independent contractor. All that matters is that the work solves the design problems it was meant to solve<\/strong>. But what kind of work will your career choice bring you, and is the grass greener on the other side?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that, at an agency or firm, you (arguably) have more opportunities to land huge, corporate clients and work on large-scale projects<\/strong> which will be seen by millions. While as a freelancer you (again, arguably) have more opportunities to select meaningful projects<\/strong> that you truly believe in.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> How To Become A High-Demand Designer (And Get The Good Clients)<\/a><\/p>\n

But let me play the devil\u2019s advocate anyway. Does in-house work actually fill more pages of design annuals and win more awards than freelance work<\/strong>? Or vice-versa? I\u2019ll leave it to you to formulate your own answers to these questions. (It\u2019s no fun if I simply tell you, now is it?)<\/p>\n

What Do You Think?<\/h2>\n

So, designers: what\u2019s your verdict? Do freelancers make better designers, or does working in-house tend to bring out the best in creative professionals? We\u2019d love to hear your thoughts.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite things, besides design, food, and writing about design and food, is perturbing my fellow designers with strange questions. You guys should try it sometime; it\u2019s really fun. Anyway, today I was thinking about the dynamic of an in-house work environment, and how it compares to freelancing. I\u2019ve done both, and I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3410,352],"tags":[3780,510],"topic":[4520,4523],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFreelance Vs. In-House: Which Produces The Best Designers? - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One of my favorite things, besides design, food, and writing about design and food, is perturbing my fellow designers with strange questions. 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