Web Hosting Blog

We recently had a chat with Greg Findley, founder of popular UK web design forum designforums.co.uk about how the forum got started, his move in to becoming a full time freelancer and his advice for anyone thinking of doing the same.

Could you provide a bit of information about yourself and designforums.co.uk?
I studied at the University of Creative Arts in Kent, and then worked as a graphic/web designer with a local agency for just over a year before making the move to full-time freelancing in February, 2008.

DesignForums.co.uk was created in October 2008, with the aim of providing a friendly,  professional community for people working in the UK design industry. I wanted to attract a slightly older audience than many of the graphics forums around to prevent us becoming a home for ‘gfx’, and young contest designers looking to earn some pocket money.

I’m pleased to say we have a really good mix of creative people on the forums, with a range of backgrounds, from Graduate Designers right upto Creative Directors.

What do you think sets your forum apart from the other leading UK web design forums?
We cater for all design disciplines, not just web design, we have people working in illustration, 3D, video production, furniture design, and everything in between. The combination of skillsets and experience creates an inspiring community. We’ve seen the advantage of networking on the forums with many forum members collaborating on projects and outsourcing work to each other.

We also run design contests, usually for community donated prizes, we’ve had some fantastic work produced for these, and had the pleasure of Elliot Jay-Stocks and Graham Smith as guest judges in the past. More often than not the winner donates the prize back into the fund for the next contest, which just goes to show how strong the community spirit is. Up until a fortnight ago the forums had been running advert-free,  part of the reason for bringing ads in is to raise funds for future contests, in addition to covering our running costs.

Why did you choose to use vBulletin to power the forum?
At the time of launching I was a regular on a few other forums all running vBulletin, so was familiar with the setup, and it offered the features (+ plugins) we needed. I’m keeping a close eye on XenForo for a potential switch in 2011.

When you first started, how did you get people to the site and to then engage with the forum?
The first forum members were other designers I already knew, along with some e-mail invites I sent out to designers whose websites and portfolios I liked. From there we’ve relied on word of mouth, and been really lucky with the people it’s attracted. The time and effort members invest into DF is fantastic, I’m really grateful for their continued support, it’s down to them that the forums have come this far.

Is there one moment you can look back on that kick started the website’s success or has it been a case of steady growth?
Generally it’s been steady growth, a number of members have been around since the start, and have continued to help spread the word. The contests give us a boost as people blog about the design brief and their entries, the quality of work on show also helps to attract other designers to the forums.

You made the personal decision to go freelance a couple of years ago, what lessons have you learned and what advice would you give to anyone thinking of doing the same?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is to value your own time, and to know that no is an answer too, trying to keep everyone happy and take on every project that you get offered is a quick way to burn out. Don’t be afraid to turn down a project if you have a bad feeling about the client, examples such as asking for a reduced rate in promise of lots of work in the future are a tell-tale sign.

You’ve probably read this before, but I think it’s worth repeating, If you’re thinking of going freelance try and build up a reserve of cash to cover yourself for at least 3 months, if not 6. Also get your own identity and website designed & built before you start, it’s amazing how much time you can spend on a project when you become your own client.

How do you keep yourself motivated and consistently inspired working from home?
Keeping motivated is simple for me, I just remind myself for every piece of work I complete I will see the full benefits, not an employer. For inspiration I try to keep an eye on trends through the normal design galleries (and Design Forums), and magazines such as .net & Computer Arts, along with the occasional new book for my growing design library.

How active are you within social media (personally and professionally) and how do you see this developing over the next 12 months?
On a personal level, not very active, I don’t really get the time to keep them updated. For Design Forums I have been trying to utilize Facebook, and more so, Twitter (@UKDesignForums) to keep connected with the forum members and latest industry information. Over the next year I think Twitter will become even more important for us, in attracting new members, and keeping in quick contact with existing members.

Are there any resources on the internet you use that you would recommend for beginners and advanced designers?
Aside from DesignForums.co.uk, I’d recommend regular visits to DirtyMouse.co.uk, TheDieline.com, FormFiftyFive.com, and the new site from David Airey, IdentityDesigned.com.

Name:Craig Cotter

About:As Product Manager, Craig's role is to put our customers at the heart of all our decision making and ensure that our products continue to lead the market, through product development and testing, along with consulting with our focus groups.

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