In this week’s episode we weigh out working for a creative agency vs. going alone as a freelancer. Your host have spent time on both sides of the fence, so we aim to bring some real perspective for the pros and cons of each.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] This week we’re talking about agency life vs. freelance life
[1:43] Lisa, Ian and Dustin have worked as part of an agency and all four hosts have been freelancers
[2:30] The hosts give some huge praise to Lisa
[3:00] Lisa prefers working on her own and it works as she always gives her best
[3:40] People who are working just enough for a pay check and don’t give it their best
[4:30] Only a small percentage of the people in a team are top performers
[5:40] The real advantage of working for someone else: when your work for the day is done, you don’t have to worry about it
[6:10] Freelance work means that sometimes you need to answer emails at 9pm
[6:30] The current society encouraging an increase in the number of workaholics
[7:00] The need to take enhancement drugs to perform better
[7:40] The differences in work culture between countries
[8:15] Ian misses the fun of working with other people
[9:45] Tom’s shift from working as a freelancer to working with the Design Cuts team
[10:30] The value of discussing ideas and getting a second pair of eyes on a piece of work
[11:00] Man power and being able to achieve more as a team
[11:30] Things getting lost in translation over email or phone communication
[12:20] Working within a team and having a set schedule gives your day structure
[13:30] Forgetting to have lunch when working from home
[14:10] Questioning your social skills after working as a freelance for many years
[14:50] Tom’s experience with the first Design Cuts office inside a bigger corporation
[15:30] He used to be jealous of his friends that got office jobs after uni
[16:00] 15% of romantic relationships happen at work
[17:00] The benefits of being surrounded by a diversity of people
[17:40] All the different origins within the Design Cuts team
[18:10] Ian couldn’t see himself going from freelance back to working with a team
[19:50] What are the designers motive for becoming a freelancer?
[20:30] Dustin talks about panic attacks and running his own business
[21:00] Most business owners will suffer from anxiety
[22:00] There are massive benefits to being a freelancer?
[22:40] Tom’s take on all the benefits
[23:20] Dustin’s analogy of the monkey trying to get the banana out of the cage
[24:00] For Lisa the most important is the freedom of expressing herself creatively
[25:00] When working as an in-house designer she felt trapped
[25:45] Ian felt he wasn’t true in his designs while being employed
[26:30] Always following someone else’s creative vision
[27:00] Lisa experience with designing the cover for a magazine
[28:00] Learning and developing your skills while working on a team
[29:00] Developing your design skills in an agency vs. developing them as a freelancer
[30:00] What employed people think of freelancers
[30:45] Tom’s experience with freelancing for an agency
[32:30] Dustin experience of working at the bank and wondering how other people had free time during the day
[33:25] He enjoys the freedom of being able to make his own schedule
[34:00] As a designer you expect higher profit margins from your work
[35:20] Ian didn’t enjoy the work appraisals or asking for a pay rise
[36:00] Tom lists some of the pros of having work appraisals
[37:00] Think about what you value in life and what makes you happy
[37:30] The school test that told you what you could be in life
[38:40] The host joke about Dustin working as a social worker
[40:40] Final thoughts on agency life vs. freelancing
[41:15] The many other jobs that a freelance designer must do
[42:00] Freelancers are glamourised, but they are no better than employees
[43:00] Dustin remembers the video the Design Cuts did in celebration of his birthday
[43:40] The work you do as an employee is just as important as a freelancer’s work
[44:50] Agencies open the doors of working with bigger clients
[45:30] The example of our designer Allie re-designing the previews for some big names
[46:30] Doing what you love is the most important
[47:00] Thanks so much for listening to this week’s episode


“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD