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11 Websites to Find Product Design Jobs
Toptal
Toptal is a freelancing platform that is designed to remove any uncertainty from the hiring process to allow the product designer to carry out their best work. When an employer visits Toptal they already understand that each designer has been thoroughly vetted with assessments and skill tests by professional product designers.
This may make it daunting when you’re joining the platform. But it does give you access to high quality clients that are willing to pay for your services. Totptal operates with an efficient curated match service to ensure that the right designer is efficiently found for each project. If you’re serious about starting a career as a product designer you must consider Toptal.
Dribbble
Dribbble began as a community site designed for designers. But it’s now a portfolio platform that can be searched by location, skill set and type.
This makes it easy for users to find the product designers that they need and take a look at the quality of their work. If they like what they see, the potential client can hire a designer directly or post a job listing.
There are many different types of designers using this platform. Clients find your work rather than just a description of it, making it easier to land jobs. Thanks to the search engine it’s easy to find local designers to build a team and you can benefit from these collaborations in many ways.
Upwork
Upwork Summary
- Earn up to $34 per hour as a freelancer
- Get 10 free Connects every month
- Get 40 extra Connects when you pass a test
- Time tracker ensures you get paid
Upwork is a freelancing platform for many professionals and the clients that want to hire talent. The pricing and ratings are clearly displayed on the freelancers profile and employers love the transparency when they are looking to hire a production designer.
The platform has gone from strength to strength in recent years because the company switched to a system where freelancers purchase and use “Connects” to bid on jobs. This has deterred scammers and honed down the freelancers to improve quality for the clients and the workers.
It’s easy to get started on Upwork. Once you set up your profile, you can simply browse the available jobs and put in a proposal for any project that interests you. A “Connect” costs only $0.15 and although you do pay a commission fee at the conclusion of a project this is scaled to encourage continuing business with your clients.
Working Not Working
Working Not Working may seem like a strange moniker. But it’s a great place to find work and there are no commission fees to worry about. This platform allows creatives to find freelance opportunities or long term work. There are many different types of designers that use this platform regularly and it’s easy to display your work.
As a production designer you can display your availability for a project and you will be paired with a client by a human talent matcher.
Fiverr
Fiverr Summary
- Set your own prices for your services
- Choose from over 500 service categories
- 3 different options for cashing out
- Protection from fradulent chargebacks
When Fiverr began, it was a simply a place to buy a “gig” for $5 which could be virtually any kind of service including design work. Over the years the platform has expanded significantly and the basic pricing structure has changed to allow upselling to create extra value.
It is true that most clients visiting Fiverr are expecting to get a bargain but you can make money with this platform.
If you want access to better clients you can upgrade to Fiverr Pro and there are specialized tools to help the client to track the progress of their project. Many professionals have started out on Fiverr, it’s a great place to network, hone your skills and earn money at the same time.
Envato Studio
As a brand, Envato is well known for its suite of tools and other assets that help people to grow and thrive in the online environment. A key part of the company is Envato Studio. This is a comprehensive marketplace for clients and companies to find and hire fresh talent.
At first glance, Envato Studio works in a similar manner to Fiverr.
Users can search the platform using:
- Skill set,
- Services,
- Pricing
- Other factors.
This helps the client to find creatives that can help them realize their latest project ideas. However, Envato Studio does have more to offer that many of its rivals, with an easy project management system, inexpensive service packages and a hub for WordPress, UX and other key website design tools.
All of this functionality means that you can use Envato Studio to complement your designing skills as you grow in confidence.
Behance
Behance was acquired by Adobe. It’s an interesting platform where creative people congregate and collaborate to create projects. When you visit Behance you can view the profiles of creatives and look at a portfolio of their work. Some of the best up and coming talent is using the Behance platform to build their reputations to get paid work.
A visitor to the site can contact the designer directly and offer them a contract to work on their project. Alternatively, the potential client can create an active job listing which can be searched by creatives looking for paid work.
This is a great way for professionals and clients to find each other via a portfolio or search. Most professionals using the site are already trained to use Adobe software which is an important consideration for some clients and companies.
People Per Hour
The PeoplePerHour platform is focused on connecting freelancers and potential clients in Europe. This is quite different from some other platforms that have detailed freelancer profiles and perhaps a portfolio.
The work here is price in hourly packages. This makes the platform popular with smaller stores and businesses. A potential client can find a designer using the search engine and look at a select number of work sample packages that are similar to your own.
This is a good platform to network and find design work if you live in Europe. But it lacks many of the features that you find on more comprehensive platforms.
Hired
As the name might suggest, Hired is a job hiring site that is focused on connecting job seekers with businesses and enterprise companies.
Hired is a little different because the platform works hard to match the talent with the active job listings. This is very welcome and it considerably reduces the stress that often accompanies recruiting.
The primary source of work on Hired originates in larger cities. It’s typically remote working opportunities for tech workers. But, there are product design jobs listed and it is possible to find part-time work or a full-time role if that’s what you’re looking for.
Freelancer
Freelancer is a well established marketplace that provides opportunities for clients and freelancers in many different fields. The Freelancer platform charges both parties to use the site. This has vastly improved the quality of the experience. Scamming on the Freelancer platform is virtually unheard of and most interactions are authentic and conducted in good faith.
A potential client can post a job for general approval or contact a particular product designer that they want to work with. As a freelancer, you can easily bid on jobs that interest you with a search engine that works well.
You can filter your options for efficient search with factors, such as:
- Project budget,
- Location,
- Working hours.
A project milestones system helps the client to monitor the progress of the project and this helps you to concentrate on your work.
LinkedIn is a great resource for networking with potential clients and other designers. Many professionals rely on this platform to help them build a business profile that will help them to secure work.
Potential clients, recruiters and business owners can all view your profile. There is also a career pages section with a job listings board.
It’s easy to get started with LinkedIn:
- Create your profile,
- Upload a photo,
- Describe your skill set,
- Link to your social media and a website where you have a portfolio
And you’re set. It is certainly possible to build a rewarding design career using the LinkedIn platform but you need to put in plenty of effort to make the most of this fantastic resource.
What Does a Product Designer Do?
A product designer works with a client, model makers, engineers, sales and marketing staff and many other professionals to create the optimal product that meets the project specifications.
In this role you would use computer designs, 3-D modelling and other techniques to help bring the product to the manufacturing stage.
What Skills do Product Designers Need?
A product designer needs the following skills if they want to excel in this career:
- Good decision making.
- Efficiency and forward planning.
- Clear Communication.
- Virtual design.
- UI design and interaction.
- Visual design.
- UX design
- A commitment to high quality.
- Able to work as part of a team.
Are Product Designers Well Paid?
A Product Designer new to the industry with less than a full year of paid experience could expect to earn around $50,000 per year.
The median salary is around $83,000 but this could rise to as much as $129,000 for a talented product designer.
Is Product Designing a Good Career?
Every business is constantly looking for a fresh new perspective to give them a competitive edge in the marketplace. Developing new and innovative products can be tough, but it’s enormously rewarding if you have a real passion for product design.
As a product designer you will have great job satisfaction and many opportunities to show your talent. If you like the idea of designing things that people need and want to use every day this may be the career field that you’re looking for.
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