How to Become a Freelance Designer

Closes in
7
days
21
hrs
15
mins
59
secs
44% booked
Intermediate

How This Course Will Help Your Career

What You’ll Learn

  • Whether freelancing or entrepreneurship is for you
  • How to set up a successful freelance business
  • How to market and sell your business services effectively
  • How to handle all the day-to-day management of a freelancer’s and entrepreneur’s practice

Have you ever dreamed of breaking away from the 9-to-5 grind and becoming your own boss? How about escaping from your office setting—the endless meetings, corporate politics, and other irritations that fill your mind on a Sunday night? If so, have you ever considered how different life might be as a freelancer, or as the founder of your own design agency? Maybe, you’ve even wanted to do all that from the beach or from a trendy coffee shop in an inspiring urban landscape? The truth is that there’s nothing stopping you from doing any of the above. Going into business for yourself as a freelancer or entrepreneur can be a highly rewarding and exciting way to work—this course is here to show you how you can achieve that, and jump the fence that keeps all too many bright and motivated people trapped so tragically in the workaday ennui of being employees.

You are not alone in your desire to work in a way and location of your choice; freelancing is the most rapidly growing business market on Earth. Gone are the days of people’s perceiving self-employment as “not a proper job”; contractor positions are increasingly being held by the best and brightest in the industry through a phenomenon coined “The Rise of the Supertemp”. In the United States alone, freelancing is a $1 trillion industry, according to Upwork. It’s the way to work in many industries moving forward, and you can be part of it! Better still, it will give you a new lease of life which will leave you wondering why you hadn’t done it sooner.

Freelancers and entrepreneurs often get to choose where they work. By redefining the way you work, you can also redesign the way you live. Once you have the contracts, you can set up wherever you have your heart set on—be it Prague, Delhi, Koh Phangan, Cape Town, or Rio, to name just a few. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a ton of savings in the bank—tens of thousands of other freelancers built their freelance businesses from nothing. The founders of the Interaction Design Foundation can attest to this—Mads Soegaard and Rikke Friis Dam built the platform while living in low-cost countries, traveling the world as digital nomads as soon as the internet would allow them to. This enabled them to focus on creating high-quality educational content while having low expenses. It’s an ingenious way of having the best of both worlds (freedom of work and seeing the world), all while keeping the wolves away from the door money-wise. In fact, most of our employees and loyal freelancers now live and work as dedicated and hardworking digital nomads all over the world.

This course will show you how to create a freelance business from scratch—from overcoming your fears, to the practicalities of making a brand name of yourself. We will share knowledge regarding how you can start your own design agency or start working as a freelancer from pretty much anywhere, at any time. You will be able to live the life of your dreams while providing high-quality services and products for the benefit of your clients. We will introduce you to the best and most relevant research, as well as ideas and best practices, derived from others who were once in your shoes but who are now living and working the way they always wanted to.

This course is created and presented by one of the founders of the Interaction Design Foundation, Rikke Friis Dam. Rikke is Editor-in-Chief and in charge of our educational profile. She hires and works closely with highly skilled freelancers and entrepreneurs on a daily basis. So, what are you waiting for? There’s no reason for you to sit in an office, counting down the clock and taking orders unless you truly want to live like that. Your clients can be based anywhere on Earth, and so can you; it’s time to quit dreaming and start doing.

Gain an Industry-Recognized UX Course Certificate

Use your industry-recognized Course Certificate on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.

Course Certificate example

Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders:

Our clients: IBM, HP, Adobe, GE, Accenture, Allianz, Phillips, Deezer, Capgemin, Mcafee, SAP, Telenor, Cigna, British Parliment, State of New York

Is This Course Right for You?

This is an intermediate-level course, and while a freelancing or entrepreneurial experience is not required, some form of professional skills is recommended:

  • UX designers looking to become freelance UX consultants and work on projects from anywhere in the world
  • Project managers interested in freelancing or building their own products
  • Software engineers keen on the freedom and rewards of being a freelance software developer
  • Entrepreneurs, UI designers, web designers, copywriters, photographers, accountants, etc. looking to set up a freelancing business

Courses in the Interaction Design Foundation are designed to contain comprehensive, evidence-based content, while ensuring that the learning curve is never too steep. All participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, seek help with tests, and enjoy the social aspects afforded by our open and friendly forum.

Learn and Work with a Global Team of Designers

You’ll join a global community and work together to improve your skills and career opportunities. Connect with helpful peers and make friends with like-minded individuals as you push deeper into the exciting and booming industry of design.

Lessons in This Course

  • Each week, one lesson becomes available.
  • There’s no time limit to finish a course. Lessons have no deadlines.
  • Estimated learning time: 21 hours 47 mins spread over 8 weeks .

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 40 mins.

Lesson 1: Are You Cut Out for Freelancing and Entrepreneurship?

Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 48 mins.

Lesson 2: How to Plan Your Business

Available anytime after Mar 15, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 15 mins.

Lesson 3: How to Get Clients – Marketing for Freelance Businesses and Design Agencies

Available anytime after Mar 22, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 4 hours 20 mins.

Lesson 4: How to Sell Your Business Services: Telesales

Available anytime after Mar 29, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 9 mins.

Lesson 5: How Should You Handle Your Business Clients?

Available anytime after Apr 05, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 18 mins.

Lesson 6: Entrepreneur and Freelance Skills

Available anytime after Apr 12, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 14 mins.

Lesson 7: How to Become a Digital Nomad & Resources for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs and Digital Nomads

Available anytime after Apr 19, 2024. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 3 mins.

Lesson 8: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up

Available anytime after Apr 26, 2024.

How Others Have Benefited

Louis (Levi) Salguero

Louis (Levi) Salguero, Australia

“The instructor 'Walked the Walk', not just 'Talked the Talk' because they have been digital nomads and have the track record to prove it; they knew their subject matter extremely well.”


Nicena Fontaine

Nicena Fontaine, Canada

“The tone was authentic and real, like having a cup of tea/coffee with a friend who's already been there and sharing the ups and downs. Also, addressing fears and internal obstacles throughout the course was something I've never experienced in other freelance/entrepreneur classes, and that was a real tipping point for me because it externalized my fears and helped me see I'm not the only one.”


Masood Raja

Masood Raja, United States

“I think most of the material has been developed with some deep experience behind it so it makes it into a very convincing course.”

How It Works

  1. Control your learning.

    Lessons are self-paced so you’ll never be late for class or miss a deadline. Learning and life, hand in hand.

  2. Earn Course Certificates.

    Your answers are graded by experts, not machines. Get an industry-recognized Course Certificate to show you’ve put in the work.

  3. Advance your career.

    Grow your professional knowledge by watching Master Classes, networking within our UX community, and more.

Start Advancing Your Career Now

Join us to take “How to Become a Freelance Designer”. Take other courses at no additional cost. Make a concrete step forward in your career path today.

Advance my career now
How to Become a Freelance Designer
Closes in
7
days
21
hrs
15
mins
59
secs
44% booked
How to Become a Freelance Designer
7 days 21 hrs 15 mins 59 secs