Best Freelance Platforms for Graphic Designers to Find Jobs

Are you a graphic designer wanting to expand both your network and your clientele? Or are you wanting to find part- to full-time careers locally or remotely? Then this collection of the best freelance platforms for graphic designers provides everything you'll need to satisfy your professional development.

How can freelance graphic designers find the best job opportunities?

Even in a pandemic, job opportunities for graphic designers are still quite prolific. However, not all are great or even worth reviewing. Fortunately, we've investigated the best freelance platforms for graphic designers for you so check out the list below:

1. AIGA

BEST NETWORKING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SITE

The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) has a website with many features that can be helpful for graphic designers looking for jobs. Its home page has different posts that consist of designer spotlights, news articles in the field of graphic design, and job postings.

However, the paid membership requirement limits full job posting access. For jobseekers on a budget, the $50 a year option could be a bit steep. Fortunately, it does allow you to boost your professional presence as a graph designer from the AIGA which can ultimately help get your name out into the field to be seen by potential employers and clients.

Luckily, AIGA’s platform focus is comparatively narrower than other websites. People in the graphic design field are the primary targets for using and communication through the website. Fortunately, the benefit is that the platform becomes a place where those seeking either graphic designer jobs, a community, or both can find less chaos than on other larger job websites.

Pro’s:

• Exclusively graphic design related content
• Narrowed job search to graphic design field
• Close community of those sharing careers

Con’s:

• Accessing more job content requires membership
• Least expensive membership is $50/year

2. Artisan Talent

BEST PLATFORM FOR CAREER ASSISTANCE

Artisan Talent is another career search website that is centered around the fine and language arts fields. The detailed profile creation aids you in finding the job that is the right fit for you. Although the location options for potential on-site jobs are limited, there is still plenty of remote work available in their searches.

The website is a tool for both employers and jobseekers so each job posting is direct yet detailed, and not superficially recycled from other job boards. There is also an advice and blog section of the website, providing for genuine human exchange which is meant to help those having a harder time finding a career. This is one of the main reasons this makes Artisan Talent one of the best freelance platforms for graphic designers.

The service is free to use and job searching is simple. Unfortunately, since the search results focus more on quality versus quantity, it doesn’t produce hundreds or even thousands of results like other websites do. Therefore, the ability to apply filters is minimal, with the only ones available being “job location” and “job category”. This can be disheartening when so few job results show up while browsing. However, considering that the platform is streamlined to a specific type of career, this does make sense and searching using this website is, at the very least, a simple task.

Pro’s:

• Free to use
• Detailed profile creation
• Narrowed down career search results
• Simple to use and navigate through

Con’s:

• Meager job results pool
• Few locations for on-site work

3. Behance

MOST ROBUST COMMUNITY-CENTERED PLATFORM

Behance is a double-duty website that's designed to both help craft an artist’s portfolio as well as allow them to conduct job searches. It is one of the more well-known websites in the art field. With a social media structure, the website provides a robust platform for finding a community of similar career professionals. Its social media-esque home page allows users to view other artists' work and facilitate connections. This is either via “following” or messaging them directly, similar to network building on Linkedin.

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What to Look Out for on Benance

Its layout and navigation are easy to understand, and all of the job postings are relevant to the field of design, whether it be graphic or other, such as photography or videography. The design giant Adobe owns and runs the website, and so, expectedly, the platform is easy on the eyes.

The job search field only provides for a few search filters. However, given the specific career-field focus on the platform, finding the right job is easier without having to experiment with an array of keywords like on other sites. Behance is a well-rounded website with many opportunities for freelance work and internships, and is a must visit for any graphic designer looking for work.

Pro’s:

• Free to use
• Focus on design jobs exclusively
• Detailed profile creation and portfolio crafting
• Search engine is simple and optimized for all job types
• Pleasant and understandable layout

Con’s:

• Popular and thus can be competitive to search on

4. Dribbble – Freelance Platform

BEST BANG-FOR-YOUR-BUCK PLATFORM

Dribbble is another graphic design job website that also boasts features for providing feedback on user's graphic design work. It also has an “explore” tab where users can view other designers’ work, profiles, and experience stories. As a result, Dribbble provides a more personal experience compared to other job search websites. On Dribbble, the job search engine has the same filters that the other websites have, and even includes a “remote friendly” option. This is perfect for those looking to work from home, either due to the Covid-19 virus or other factors.

Dribbble is also a website where searches can be conducted by companies for specific designers or by designers for a specific company’s jobs. Unfortunately, the paid subscription option is where a freelancer would have the best experience finding jobs.

However, the $5 monthly cost for the multitude of features and options is cheaper than a basic Netflix subscription. Of the best freelance platforms for graphic designers mentioned, Dribbble provides a very strong bang for a reasonably priced buck. Paid subscribers can access freelance search boards, as well as add more detail and content to their profile. Along with this, the site includes the ability to craft a meaningful and interactive portfolio. A designer can even profit from their work by selling it directly to creative production markets.

Pro’s:

• Free for non-freelance job searches
• Graphic design and creative jobs only
• Subscription is cheap at $5/month
• Subscription gains access to multiple powerful features:
  • Portfolio creation
  • Freelance job search
  • Selling designs for production companies
  • Offers discounts on design tools

Con’s:

• Freelance job board requires subscription