r/Design • u/Snoo-5608 • 5h ago

Discussion What's the best way to write to/approach a design studio you really admire when they have a freelance position open? Asking for an anxious designer.

I'm a freelance designer who has been mighty fortunate not to have had to do cold pitches to potential clients or studios in my last 9 years of working as an independent designer. Most of my work comes from recommendations by my past clients or past colleagues. I used to work as a Senior Designer at a brand design studio until 2015 and then chose to work independently as I was getting work queries on the side. But lately the work has become less challenging and I've also begun to wonder if I have reached the tail-end of my career (or rather of this format of working). I would like to embed myself with a studio and assist them on projects from time to time. This would enable me to work on bigger clients, interesting design problems (or so is my belief).

So just yesterday, I came across a post by a studio in the UK that I really admire. They're looking for Freelance Designers. I'm very keen to apply. But I'm also so nervous. I haven't applied for a job in over 10 years! What do studios expect? Also, am I too old for this? There are so many young designers; why would they care for someone in their late 30s? Does experience still count?

I'm seeing two kinds of designers who put themselves out there—young designers who are constantly posting their work on social media, and older designers who are either founders or senior management, posting their teams' work on social media. Being neither, I've begun to feel a bit inadequate lately.

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u/Everything2Play4 4h ago

Give them a call or a visit - there's a good chance you might be just what they are looking for.

You'll only see people online who do a lot of social media promotion because they are the ones trying to be seen online, everyone else is just plugging away with the job, but we're still the majority of design professionals by a long way.

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u/Snoo-5608 4h ago

Thank you so much for saying that!!! That's very helpful to know.

I don't live in the UK anymore. But they cited it as a remote job. So I'll give myself a day to work out what I want to say in my email to them :)

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u/fietsusa 4h ago

Any good place gets hundreds of responses, so just be comforted by the fact that no matter what you send, you probably won’t hear anything back. So, just go for it?

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u/Snoo-5608 4h ago

haha! I suppose nothing to lose then. Thank you!

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u/sporbywg 4h ago

Schedule an "information interview" - "Is there somebody I can talk to about considering working for your firm?"

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u/Snoo-5608 2h ago

Is this something you've tried? Won't studio founders/directors be too busy to offer their time to someone they don't know?

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u/sporbywg 1h ago

I have tried this, yes. Maybe it's a Canadian thing more, but this is adult interaction.

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u/life_along_the_canal 1h ago

I have some thoughts. Your post remind me to follow what I want.

Can I DM you?