Lovey Pale – Graphic & Web Designer
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Lovey Pale, a South African graphic and web designer, shares insights from his seven years of freelancing, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and acknowledging limits. His services range from corporate identity to web design, and he finds clients through referrals and freelancing platforms. He highlights the need for support in emerging economies and provides practical tips for other freelancers regarding client relationships and business management.
Lovey Pale – Graphic & Web Designer
- 1. FREELANCER INSIDES More interviews with freelancers on www.freelancermap.com... © freelancermap.com Lovey Pale – Graphic & Web Designer 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 2. “Cultivate an unquenchable thirst for learning” and “never be ashamed to say you don’t know something.” These are two helpful and honest tips from our freelancer of the week Lovey Pale. Since he got inspired by a fellow designer over seven years ago and decided to become a freelancer himself, these guiding words have helped him through challenging as well as succesful times... 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 3. 1) First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself? I am Lovey Pale, born and raised in South Africa. I am a full- time freelancer, doing mostly corporate identity and branding projects for small to medium sized companies. I have been freelancing for +-7 years and despite it being a very challenging choice, it has many rewards that fit well with my character. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 4. 2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the keywords you would type in the search bar? UX/UI Design, Graphic Design, Web design. My web design/development skills include: Joomla, wordpress HTML5, CSS and javascript. I am more enthusiastic to work on visual communications projects, whether be it for online or print. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 5. 3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer? My inspiration was actually a freelance illustrator and photographer name Rob Dobi. His work inspired me so much that I decided that freelancing was going to be a full time occupation for me; hence I am a full-time freelancer. Before I started freelancing I was actually an electronics technician. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 6. 4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide? My projects are mainly corporate designs, corporate identity, website design/Development and sometimes some copy righting for online articles as a ghost writer. I also provide domain registration and hosting services. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 7. 5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don’t possess? Yes definitely, you can’t be good at everything and I sometimes solicit the skills of other freelancers when a project exceeds my skill set and I have already taken it on. It’s not something that happens often but something that I see as normal. Most of the freelancers I use I search of social networks like facebook or local directories. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 8. 6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services? Most of my clients I find through referrals from clients that liked my work and some through advertising on local classifieds and word of mouth. I have just recently started using freelancing websites. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 9. 7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with our IT-network? Well freelancermap is a very interesting platform for me since it provides international exposure for people like me who were otherwise limited to very small and saturated local markets. What I would like to suggest is for the company to actively promote their services specifically in emerging economies like those in Africa and Asia. Talented individuals like me in African countries where freelancing is still frowned upon, face the challenge of turning their skills into a reliable source of income especially as freelancers. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 10. 8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes you special? I would say what differentiates me is that I strive to build lasting relationships with my clients and offer support that goes beyond the services they purchased. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 11. 9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market? I read business insider, use LinkedIn to follow companies that are in the same field as I am to stay in tune with the latest developments. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 12. 10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers? My tips to other freelancers: • Don’t try to be someone you’re not. • Cultivate an unquenchable thirst for learning. • Know your limits and don’t bite off more than you can chew. • NEVER make a promise to a client. Just do what you are required to do. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 13. 10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers? (Cont’d) • Always remember that this is your bread and butter, as passionate as you might be about your trade you need to make a living at the end of the day. So never neglect the business side of freelancing. • Some clients are more trouble than they’re worth. Know when to cut ties with problematic clients. • Never be ashamed to say you don’t know something. 9/14/2015 [email protected]
- 14. © freelancermap.com Further freelancer interviews available on www.freelancermap.com/freelancer-insides Contact freelancermap.com Contact person: Doreen Schollmeier - International Affairs Mail: [email protected] Skype: doreen.schollmeier Phone: +49-911-37750286 facebook: www.facebook.com/freelancermapInternational Twitter: freelancer_INT 9/14/2015 [email protected]