From zero to one. How I went from freelancer to chief designer in a year

At first I liked the rhythm of a freelancer's life. But after the next project, which I forgot about, as soon as I received the money, I wanted to change something in my work. I wrote out my skills, aspirations and chose a new path for myself. I wanted to not only receive money, but also to do something meaningful. It was at that moment that I decided to temporarily refuse future orders and prepared a step-by-step plan for achieving the goal - to become the chief designer of the product.

Start

Without a decent portfolio, I was able to receive a new order several times a month. Clients were satisfied with my insignificant experience, but he was not enough to work on a serious product. On a piece of paper I outlined the following plan for achieving the goal:

1. Implement three good design tasks.
Not all the work done on freelance, I could place in the portfolio. Some of them were made in a hurry, while others ceased to please me after editing the customer. These three works were to be an outlet for me from the whole routine.

2. Prepare the portfolio.
I decided to use third-party resources (Behance, Dribbble) and not spend the energy on creating my site. It helped me save some extra money and time.

3. Find a job
For a long time it was necessary to update profiles on hh.ru and linkedin.com. In fact, I updated them right away, but profiles became finished only after posting the work.

Development

I understood very well that the only way to improve design skills is through practice. Since I limited the time to achieving the goal to two months, I began to look for ways to accelerate development. And such a method was found.

At the UX environment conference, I met the founder of Tilda Publishing . I liked the service. Studying the site, I stumbled upon its design course and, after reading several introductory lessons, acquired it. It was this course that helped me accelerate development several times. It cost decently for a young designer (8000₽), but I perfectly understood that in the future it would pay off several times.

I took a course and prepared a daily development plan:
- at least 5 hours of design practice per day;
- At least one topic from the course per day (+ compendium).

Explanatory theory + practice yielded results very quickly.

Job Search

Having completed the first two points, I began to receive job offers almost every day. Not one of them greatly interested me. Most companies wanted to find a simple artist, while I wanted to influence the product. Therefore, I turned to the list of contacts on Facebook and remembered a former colleague who is developing a promising company.

I went to the company’s website and realized that since my departure the design had not progressed at all, although a decent amount of time had passed. “Here is a chance,” I thought, and suggested updating the site design as a test task.

Cognitive Story # 1

The site is really outdated, and my idea was put forward for discussion, but after a few days I still got a refusal, citing a lack of resources. I was surprised, but I did not stop working on the site and at the end of the week showed my results. The quality of work forced the director to reconsider his decision and I was offered the job of a UX designer.

Work

I was designing interfaces. The design of the visual part was decided to transfer to a third-party studio, which hurt my pride. Moreover, it was long and expensive. The director was in good relations with the staff of that studio, so my arguments were rejected, and I agreed to do my part. But the designer ego made itself felt, and I changed something.

Cognitive Story # 2

I, as promised, thought out, designed the interface and gave it to the director. But besides this, I brought the visual part to such a level that it was not just unprofitable to outsource materials, but pointless. My work spoke for itself, and the question with a third-party studio disappeared. In addition to restoring pride, I grew up in the eyes of my colleagues and a month later took the place of the chief designer of the product.

What helped me to achieve the desired

Goal and plan

As you recall, I used to think on paper. I believe that writing down a goal and a plan is very important. I used to use notepad for large-scale goals, but with the advent of the SmartProgress goal achievement service, this need disappeared. Events Not reports, but the atmosphere of conferences contributes to development. You find yourself in a society of professionals and begin to listen to the conversation. Little by little they will begin to notice you and ask for an opinion. Conferences are useful contacts. I met with the head of the Mail.Ru Group design team Yuri Vetrov, the founder of Statsbot startup Artem Keydunov, the chief designer in Badoo (formerly VKontakte) Pavel Shumakov and many others.









Conferences are an opportunity to remain “in the subject”. It was at the conference that I first learned about the Sketch design tool, when few people heard about it, and for about two years now I have been working only in it.

Books

I have read many books , but thinking about which books helped me become a chief designer, I highlighted the following:

“How to write well” - William Zinser
Most people underestimate the writing skill, although now we communicate more in writing. We write letters to employers, colleagues and each letter forms ideas about us, as a person and a professional.

“Steal like an artist” - Cleon Austin
I came across this book in the bookstore on Tverskaya. She was in English, but, standing by the shelf, I swallowed it almost completely. Austin Cleon briefly and very convincingly presents the 10 commandments of a creative person.

“Business from scratch” - Eric Rice
Eric Rice on the example of his own company tells how to test ideas, make changes to the product and, most importantly, make money on it. This book saved me from perfectionism when creating the first versions of the product.

“Number 1. How to become the best at what you do” - Igor Mann
I always recommend this book, since it was with her that my path of active self-development began. Igor Mann, in his usual manner, presents an understandable scheme of personal development, applicable in almost any industry.

“Developing value propositions” - Alexander Osterwalder
An excellent book that forms in the head an understanding of how a business works. This skill is important for anyone who wants to influence the development of the company. The book is based on the business model of Alexander Osterwalder, filling in which you can learn a lot about your company and find problem areas.

Conclusion

Over my short career, I was convinced that finding a decent job is not difficult. During my studies at the institute, I managed to work as a web developer, a writer in a men's magazine, and a designer. From the beginning of my acquaintance with a new topic to the first profit, it took me no more than six months.

I tried various activities and eventually realized which one gives me pleasure. It took several years. Maybe in due course I will again change the type of my activity. I do not know this, but from personal experience I know that this is possible.

I am sure that in our community there are hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories. Share your experience of achieving goals in the comments. It will be useful to everyone.

Thanks for attention!

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