In recent weeks some of my design friends lost their jobs or projects. For some of them, it was so sudden that they were not prepared for that situation…

Now, I would like to help you with my experience and knowledge so you can survive these hard times. If you do not feel affected by the crisis, you still have time to prepare!

Here are some essential tips that should help:

Don’t Panic.

There are multiple tips on what to do during hard times, but the ultimate advice from this article is the following: Take your time.

This is advice I heard years ago from the F-16 pilot. He said that when some sudden unpredicted situation occurs, you have to stay calm, observe what happened, and think about fixing it.

So, now turn off emotions.

Analyze Your Financial Situation

If you have enough money saved to live for 3-6 months without any income – that’s very good. If not, try to build your financial fund as quickly as you can.

If you want to build your financial cushion, very quickly reduce your expenses and ask clients to pay you sooner. You may consider selling stuff you do not use anymore to get some extra money.

Saved money will let you survive the hardest part of the crisis – losing a job or projects. It may be hard to find a job within a month, so the fund will help you keep things going. It will build your safety and self-confidence.

Ask Clients How You Can Help

During crisis business-life is still going on. Your clients struggle with many obstacles. This crisis requires business owners (that may be your clients) to move rapidly into e-commerce.

Ask if there are things you may help. You will get extra money and build your trust when they see you bring more value to their businesses.

No New Projects? Change Your Communication

Pretty images published on Dribbble and Behance are not enough during the crisis to get new clients. Think of what they need? Your primary task is to be more valuable to their businesses.

How to achieve that? Think like a person who runs a company – ephatize. There are at least three areas for most of the businesses where you can help:

• Increase sales
• Lower costs
• Improve customer satisfaction

Think of how you can offer a design that may enhance these business areas. These aspects are always important, but during hard times they are essential.

Lost Your Job? Find The Next One Here…

There are still multiple offers for designers. Even during the crisis, some industries still grow and need designers. Use popular platforms to find offers, always send a personalized CV and the message. People hate generic communication!

Consider remote work. Thanks to this, you will be able to seek a job around the world. Maybe you can become a freelancer? Rethink of what you want to do. This may be the best time for a change!

Would you like to get more tips?

I knew that crisis would come, and I prepared my self for that. Surely, nobody can predict everything, but I feel quite safe now. When I realized that not everybody was prepared for this crisis, I decided to write tips to help.

The Guidebook for Designers includes multiple tips in three areas – finance, work, and life. I planned to make it a premium resource, but I know that during hard times not everyone has got money to spend so… You can get it for free now!

 

Summing up

Hard times have come, but it is not time to give up. I hope that these tips and the guidebook will be useful to you. Remember, this is temporary, every crisis will pass, and the good times will come. Stay Strong!💪