Have you ever wondered what title you should give yourself? If you’ve been a freelance designer for long, it’s likely you have encountered a situation where you need to have a title.
Perhaps you were trying to print business cards. Maybe you were trying to tell someone what you do for a living and had a hard time explaining what you are. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, read on. Today we’ll suggest a few options for which title you could use as a freelance designer.
If you’ve already got it figured out, help the rest of us by telling us your job title in the comments.
Start with some brainstorming
A good first step is to start with some solid brainstorming. Write down your job description, your job traits, and what you do on a daily basis. Perhaps phrases like “I manage design projects on a daily basis” can help you realize your desired job title is “Project Manager”.
Get creative
The great part about working for yourself is that you’re not tied down with any superficial titles. You can call yourself whatever you want (of course I would choose something that explains a little what you do).
I knew a couple of freelancers who decided to go into business together. One was a video editor, the other was a web designer. What titles did they decide to put on their business cards?
“Video Ninja” and “Captain of Design”.
Originality paid off. People loved their creative approach to their job titles and their small business is growing.
A few options to get you started
Here are a few ideas to get your started on finding the perfect job title:
For freelancers who own their own business
- Owner
- Founder
- President
- Designer
- CEO
- Head Guy
- Main Man
For Jack-of-all-trades designers
- Web & Graphic Designer
- Solutions Man (or Woman)
For design specialists
- WordPress Specialist
- CSS Specialist
- Print Specialist
- Logo Guru
- Web Design Pro
One other option – no title at all
The last option is not using any title at all. If you have a great elevator pitch and can explain what you do without an official title, maybe that’s the best option for you. There’s no law that says your website or business card has to have a title under your name.
What do you suggest?
What title do you use? Share your tips with us by leaving a comment on this post.
Written by Preston D Lee Preston is the founder of GDB, a designer, programmer, marketer, and entrepreneur. Follow @prestondlee
The are some good point, Preston. I would say that it all depends on your marketing strategy. If you’re trying to make your business look bigger than it is, then a title like CEO or President may help, but it’s not very descriptive. I think the question to ask (after you’ve finished the brainstorming suggested here) is “what am I trying to tell my target market about my business?” If your title reflects your value as a designer, it becomes a marketing tool rather that just pomp.
Before I moved into Social Media Management I was using CEO then I switched to Freelancer and I thought, “lame”. So started using “Designer”. After Moving into Social Media Management, I’ve been using “Creative”.
I’m partnered with a couple others in our new venture… I’m the VP of Front End Development.
My parents have no idea what that means so I’m not sure my title is all that helpful unless you’re in the business.
@michael, I AGREED WITH YOU
I design according to KISS and why do different with my title so I simply use “Freelance Designer”
I refer to myself an an Internet Solutions Engineer because i am freelance and own my own business.
I personally think that using “normal” titles is best. Stuff like Graphics Ninja and Web Guru will become unfashionable quickly, and then you are left with a pile of business cards you are embarrassed to hand out.
One job or position title that is really annoying me at the moment is “Tech Evangelist”. WTF! That will run it’s course and fade out quickly I hope.
My own title is Creative Director. Because I run and manage my own Graphic and Web Design business I think that covers all bases. Perhaps it’s boring but you also need to bear in mind meeting people outwith our own industry and explaining to them what something like a “Tech Evangelist” is, without turning red in the cheeks!
Preston, this post caught my attention because it is something I second-guess myself on quite frequently. Yesterday, I came to a client’s rescue and assembled and prepared press-ready files for a 56-page full size catalogue. So as a result, today I am calling myself “Employee of the Month”! Tomorrow, I will probably go back to my usual title of “Art Director” or “Owner”… dry perhaps, but accurate.
When job searching I ran across “Design Ninja” and wanted to call myself something creative like that but I haven’t focused on it much as of late, but I wonder if it would be something so small, as a title for myself, that would help me in getting my business off the ground.
Because I cover a lot of aspects from (graphic design, web development, marketing etc, I’ve settled on Communications Consultant. It seems to work nicely. Covers all the bases without being super confusing.
@Christie,
You can remove the totally unnecessary “from” and chalk it up to a very early Saturday morning heading to the office pre-coffee ill-advised internet commenting!
Also, I love Design Ninja from the above comment!!!
I use the title: “Graphic Artist and Rudelfuehrer” – in parentheses below it’s translated as ‘top dog.’ I also had some germans help me out with the translation being as close as possible.
Hi Preston! For my part, I’m quite content with the general “Graphic Designer” although I might have to switch to the more specific “Brand Identity Designer” sooner or later. I think it’s more personal and welcoming for the types of clients I want to attract to go with something simple although common, but then they know right off that I’m just one person and they’ll get to me immediately when they do make contact.
Sort of agree with some of the other comments here….titles used should be ‘normal’…the fashionable ones tend to get gimmicky easily and lose its effect just as quick.
Preston, I simply use “Your designer + copywriter” in my business card. I think choosing a title is a little bit brainstorming because a lot of things to be considered…
Thanks for sharing! This is the inspiration I needed!
If you have to use to may words in your job title it tells the individual the mass of your organization. Thus, leading to an assumption that either you, or someone else in your organization may have lots of people to report to.
I introduce myself as a ‘Web Design Fairy’ to people I meet! My business card has no title. I saved space on it for a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Hitch your wagon to a star.” I like how it’s multidimensional – inspirational life advice, and a fun tagline for clients to let me – the design ‘star’ – take their online stuff to another level