I've been designing for quite a few months now and I usually just create websites for ideas I'd get, but now I'm out of ideas and no one I know needs a website. I'd really like to get some more practice in but I have nothing to do. What did you web designers do when you had no work and no reason to design a website in the beginning. I really don't want to just create one for no reason. I was thinking of making a WordPress template to sell but those go for pennies on DP and that's if someone actually buys them which is essentially a coin-flip; unless there's a better place to sell a template. I've only been designing for almost a year now and I'd really like to get a lot more practice in. Thanks, DP.
If you wanted to post your services up on my forum I think a lot of our clients could find a use for you. http://forum.ismywebsite.com/ Just post around. There's lots to be designed specially if your good and you have a well developed portfolio.
Indeed there is alot of work around on forums and websites promoting freelancing work, but you must also be careful of who you do your design work for, some companies or people may seem trust worthy via email communications but in the end it could be any one on the end of the message with any motive. My advice would be to look more local for work, atleast a company within your country and preferably your local area who you know is for real, if full time work isnt what your looking for, then try to find part time work with a company which has fluctuating levels of design work to deal with, many companies are like this in the design industry. It's quite easy to produce work for a company via the internet and for them to steal the work or idea without any compensation for yourself. I've also come to understand through personal experience that some companies can make a post looking to work with freelancers and when you run a trial with them, so do many more 100's of designers at the same time (which they forget to let you know), this is rarely a unique trial and you could easily be wasting hours designing for someone who has many others on trial and is unlikely to pick you unless your first production is picture perfect. They could also simply claim your artwork isn't good enough and then steal your ideas. Whatever route you decide to take, just remember face to face work is always more reliable than work over the internet.
Thanks for the advice guys. Jodfran, your post was really informative. I know there are some shady people out there and I need to look out for certain things but I never thought about someone hiring tons of other designers and he just picks the best one. The problem with me getting a full-time job (which I wouldn't mind) is that I personally think I'm too inexperienced. I only know the basics of PHP and JS, and I've only designed a handful of things (asides from countless proxy templates). Here are a few things I've created so far: www.indieread.com, www.escaperoads.com (under construction), www.everythingstandup.com (under construction), www.sourcustoms.com. Do you guys think that this is a good enough start to build a portfolio, and start looking for design work?