Able noob

Make your own briefs and do self motivated projects.

Dare i say that Stock Logos is a good practice ground for rookies even if you don't post your logos > at least they have 'live' briefs... and you can pad out your portfolio with your designs in reflection of the briefs.

http://stocklogos.com/

And yes, I am fully expecting to get eggs, tomatoes and bags of shit thrown at me for this suggestion.

Depends on how low you're willing to go, I guess. Some dude on craigslist was "willing" to pay $50 for his logo. Some firms create logos, campaigns, whatever and then try to cold sell them to clients. That avenue has more integrity than crowd sourcing imho (which is one step below spec work if you ask me). Even if the client doesn't bite - you can still add the work to your portfolio.

if there are studios in the area that could use freelancers for overflow work, you can seek them out and offer your services. brings in $$ and allows you to add work to your portfolio.

not sure where you are, but if you're near a city, find out if there's an AIGA (www.aiga.org) chapter or art director's club nearby and try to attend any networking events you can get into. meet local designers, chat them up, potentially get advice and maybe overflow work from them, too.

talk to family and friends, find out if they know anyone who needs work.

gotta get out there.

Thanks for the feeback.
ZM I think I'd like to earn my way into things if I can, so working to client briefs is preferable at this stage.
Jon so clients post on there and cherry pick the best logo? That might be worth a shot, I'll check it out thanks.
ADR I'm getting about £100 a logo at the moment which is nice as they don't take long typically. I did try cold selling for the first time last week for a law firm with a shocking company identity, I succeeded in pissing them off ;) It's something I'll continue to do though just incase I 'get a nibble'
gwells, yup I'm trying the friends and family route but I hadn't thought of trying local companies for overflow work, it's definitely worth a punt and a few phonecalls.

So I'm generally on the right track then, that's good to know. It seems like if you've the ablilty it takes longer to find the work than do it!!! That is until you build a reputation I guess.

Thanks again for your thoughts :D

you might look into joining local business networking groups. i have found them WAY better than design networking as far as actually GETTING clients.

my sales pitch in those events is "im the one person in this room that every single one of you either needs or will eventually need." that generally gets a laugh and makes the baby kissing and hand shaking that comes afterward easier.

cold calling for logos is almost a no win situation. because youre basically saying "hey. your logo sucks. give me some money." i find cold calls work best when you are selling general advertising / design services in general. beacuse even that pipe fitting company with the shitty logo may need a banner or catalog or whatever...

When I first started out it was all about networking and it still is. If you want to do print, hang out with printers and print brokers. If you want to design logos, join some business associations and get friendly with the folks that issue business licenses in your area.

Logos are the gateway projects... If you design their logo, they will call you in on other projects.

Get some really awesome business cards that you can be proud of. Hand them out two or three at a time. One for them. Some to pass along.

Subscribe to RSS news feeds in your client's business sector. A couple times a month, send them a link to something they need to know about. It shows you have a finger on the pulse of their industry.

Design your web site simply and easily accessible and keep it updated. As for content, it will grow as your work does. Don't sweat it. It's a part of the process.

Carve out a niche for yourself... Become the guy to call when you need ____. Blog about it. Teach others to do it. Become an expert in your thing and never sell yourself short.

This is a feast or famine business. Learn to appreciate both. Work your ass off when you're working for clients and do the same for yourself when you're not.

Don't allow clients to dictate your workflow. No one walks into Walmart and tells them how they want to do business. You go to Walmart. They hand you a buggy. That's how they do business.

And stay away from Craigslist and the like. There's always someone willing to do it cheaper. Let 'em have it.

My two cents...