How to get clients as a freelance graphic designer: A step-by-step guide

Looking for practical ways to win more design work in the UK without feeling salesy? This guide walks you through a simple, repeatable system for getting clients as a freelance graphic designer.

And once those invoices start flying in, we explain how Wise Business makes getting paid from UK and international clients straightforward, with local account details in multiple currencies and transparent conversion, so you keep more of what you earn.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

Table of contents

Step 1: Create an 'Ideal Customer Profile' Step 2: Tailor your pitch to your ideal customer Step 3: Increase your visibility on the right platforms Step 4: Create a reachout plan Step 5: Be persistent with follow-ups Take your freelancing gig to the next level with Wise Business FAQs How long does it take to land clients as a new freelancer? Do I have to niche down to one industry? What if my portfolio is thin? Where to find clients if I'm starting from zero? How do I get clients to notice my profile on freelancing and social platforms? What's the best way to follow up without being annoying? How to pitch your services to a startup vs. an established brand? How do I handle international clients and currency?

Step 1: Create an 'Ideal Customer Profile'

If you try to appeal to everyone, you end up blending in. An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a crisp description of the companies that get the most value from your work (and are happy to pay for it)¹.

An ICP describes the type of company (industry, size, budget appetite, common problems), rather than a single person, so your marketing and prospecting stay focused.

Start by writing one short paragraph that covers:

• The niche you serve (say, indie food & drink brands or D2C wellness)
• The moment they usually hire (new product launch, rebrand, website refresh)
• The outcome they care about (sell-through, conversions, footfall).

Keep it real and base it on past projects and conversations, not wishful thinking.

The UK has a large and growing freelance population, which means clarity helps you stand out.

Clear ICPs make your website copy, portfolio examples, and outreach instantly more relevant.

You can serve clients outside this profile, but your marketing should speak directly to it.

Step 2: Tailor your pitch to your ideal customer

Here's the heart of how to pitch your services: make the conversation about the client's business outcome, not your software stack.

A tight pitch usually hits these five beats:

1. Problem: Show you're paying attention: "Your new SKU needs more shelf pop and consistent secondary packaging."

2. Approach: Outline how you work (discovery → concepts → iterations → delivery).

3. Proof: Reference a micro case study with a result² (e.g., uplift in add-to-cart).

4. Plan: Suggest the next step, like a 15-minute call or a paid mini audit.

5. Promise: Set expectations with a fixed scope, clear milestones, and tidy feedback loops.

Case-study style portfolios build trust because they show thinking and results, not just pretty finals.

UX research on portfolios consistently advises designers to explain the problem, process, and business impact², which translates well for graphic designers, too.

Avoid mentioning hours or tools right away. Talk outcomes first, then scope. It's easier for clients to say yes when they understand the value.

Step 3: Increase your visibility on the right platforms

Your clients won't hire you if they can't find you. Rather than spraying content everywhere, focus on clients who match your ICP and show up consistently.

Instead of spreading yourself thin, be present where your ICP already looks.

LinkedIn is still the default professional network in the UK, widely used by hiring teams. Treat it as a place to share outcomes and comment thoughtfully in your niche.

Behance and Dribbble are great for showcasing project narratives and being discoverable for clients³ who search by skill and category. Keep project write-ups focused on problem → process → result.

Next up is The Dots, a UK-centric creative community where brands and agencies post jobs and scout portfolios.

It's designed for modern creative networking, with a jobs board to match.

You should also check out YunoJuno, a UK marketplace with a large, vetted freelancer network and thousands of clients. Many brands use it to source creative contractors quickly.

Last but not least, PeoplePerHour and Upwork can work when you're selective and filter for briefs that match your ICP.

PeoplePerHour is UK-first, and Upwork remains a large, process-driven marketplace, so use them sparingly to fill gaps or build proof early on.

Step 4: Create a reachout plan

Waiting for leads isn't a strategy. A light, repeatable reach-out plan turns good intentions into booked calls. It's easier if you think in days:

Monday: Research a focused list of prospects that match your ICP. Find a trigger (a launch, a new product, a rebrand, a funding announcement).

Tuesday: Send a handful of short, personalised messages (email or LinkedIn) with a relevant case or one-pager link.

Wednesday: Nurture your connection with the prospective clients. Comment on their posts, share something useful, message them about something you're sure they'd be interested in. Be human with them and create a genuine connection.

Thursday: Try engaging in calls and sending out proposals.

Friday: Tidy up the pipeline. Log replies, schedule follow-ups, and prep next week's list.

When a "yes" arrives, keep the momentum by confirming the scope and milestones in writing. Then you just need to take a deposit, and kick off.

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💡 For clients abroad, a Wise Business account lets you receive money in 40+ currencies, with local account details you can drop directly into invoices.

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Step 5: Be persistent with follow-ups

A lot of wins land after the second nudge. The key is following up after the initial reach out without sounding pushy.

Data from large email-reply studies suggests two useful benchmarks: early-afternoon sends (around 1 pm) and late-morning (11 am) tend to perform well on reply rates⁵.

That's a simple way to improve your timing while you test different angles for your message.

Here's a rhythm many freelancers like:

1. A quick bump two days after the first note ("just floating this up")
2. A value-add a few days later (like a tiny suggestion or micro-mock)
3. A social-proof note the following week
4. A soft close after three to four weeks.

Keep messages short and change the angle each time, and don't just say "checking in." Most replies happen within a day of open, so schedule your follow-ups accordingly⁶.

Take your freelancing gig to the next level with Wise Business

Wise Business is built on cross-border creativity, just like a globally connected freelance graphic designer.

With Wise Business, you can get local account details in 8+ currencies, enabling you to receive payments in GBP, EUR, USD and more.

You can then hold your earnings in over 40+ currencies and pay for software subscriptions or stock assets with the Wise Business card, earning 0.5% cashback on eligible spending.

Need an invoicing solution to go with the money management? No problem - you can create professional invoices for free directly from your account, making it easier to bill international clients.

If you're ready to simplify your self-employment money management, open a Wise Business account today.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

FAQs

How long does it take to land clients as a new freelancer?

Anywhere from days to a few months. It depends on your niche clarity, portfolio strength, and the consistency of your outreach plan.

Given the size of the UK freelance market, precision beats volume; define your ICP and commit to a weekly cadence for research, messages, calls, and follow-ups.

Do I have to niche down to one industry?

Not strictly, but speaking clearly to a defined ICP makes targeting the right client far easier.

You can market to two adjacent niches (e.g., food & drink and D2C wellness) by crafting separate case studies and landing pages tailored to each.

What if my portfolio is thin?

Create self-initiated case studies based on real brands (clearly labelled as concepts) and show your thinking.

Offer a low-risk starter project (brand audit, "Shopify PDP clean-up") to turn those first wins into real case studies quickly.

Where to find clients if I'm starting from zero?

Begin with warm circles (past employers, classmates, local SMEs), then layer in platforms your ICP already uses: LinkedIn for professional discovery, The Dots and YunoJuno for UK creative work, and curated portfolios on Behance/Dribbble.

If you use marketplaces (Upwork, PeoplePerHour), filter hard for briefs aligned with your ICP and budget.

How do I get clients to notice my profile on freelancing and social platforms?

• Refresh your portfolio's top three projects² into case studies with outcomes.
• Add a "Who we're best for" section that mirrors your ICP.
• Publish downloadable design templates on your socials⁴.
• Write one "how-to" article aimed at your ICP (e.g., "How to brief a packaging designer for a Q4 launch").
• Update your email signature and social bios with your positioning and a scheduling link.

What's the best way to follow up without being annoying?

Make each follow-up useful: a small suggestion, a relevant case study, or a quick mock.

Keep it brief, change the subject line, and space messages (2, 5, 12, 21, 35 days).

This plan will ensure you follow up in a professional manner after the initial outreach.

How to pitch your services to a startup vs. an established brand?

For startups: be quick and outcome-focused (MVP packaging, social kits, launch timelines). For established brands: emphasise governance (brand consistency, stakeholder alignment) and measurable KPIs.

In both cases, keep the next step small (audit or short discovery) and anchor conversations in results rather than hours.

How do I handle international clients and currency?

Be clear about timelines, time zones, and approval processes. For payments, Wise Business gives you local account details in multiple currencies, so clients can pay you in 40+ currencies.

You can also convert at transparent mid-market rates when you need the money in GBP, useful when working with EU or US brands from the UK.

Sources:

1. Hubspot, Ideal customer profiles and buyer personas: How are they different?
2. NN/G, 5 Steps to Creating a UX-Design Portfolio
3. Flux Academy, The Top Freelance Websites for Designers Seeking New Opportunities
4. Upwork, How To Get Graphic Design Clients: Tips and Strategies
5. Yesware, Top Sales Follow-Up Statistics for 2024 + Templates
6. Yesware, The Complete Sales Email Frequency Guide: Why It Pays To Follow-Up

Sources last checked on October 14th, 2025