In the last 2 weeks the Covid-19 crisis has really come to a head, our studio has made the tough decision to temporarily withdraw from setting up office in Europe until things settle down. We are extremely saddened to hear friends and other design studios have lost many clients and large amounts of work. Truly upsetting times for our industry and many others indeed.
Creative problem solving is what we pride our selves on at our studio so we have come up with a few strategies that we would like to share on how designers and studios (including us) can adapt to the current situation.
There are a lot of people sitting at home contemplating their future career and wanting to learn new skills. Lucky for us we live in a day and age where we can share screens, make instructional videos and teach our skills from anywhere in the world. If there are designers out there that want to look at becoming online tutors, there has never been a better time to do so.
The price of social media advertising has plummeted during this crisis so now is the best possible time to market your self to large audience at a reasonable cost. I know clients are dwindling out there we might have to look at playing the numbers game instead.
Web design Is a great place to focus your energy right now. There are many companies scrabbling to bring their workplace to the online market. Also when creating and hosting websites you can build your self some consistent and passive income through client billing which will help secure your income for any future global meltdowns (touch wood!).
In our area we have a tightly knit group of designers that know each other and share ideas, work and advice. If you find you don’t know the designers in your area we recommend start building your creative community. When you find your self with over flow work, share the love and look out for each other.
If theres one thing this situation should teach us its that it is a necessity in our industry to be adaptable and diverse. Remembering not to get complacent and always continue to up skill where you can. Stay positive and connect with each other, we are all in this together and all industries are feeling the impact. We are positive that given the right attitude you designers out there will contribute to the solution.
If anyone needs to reach out, ask for advice we are always listening at The Green Room. Stay safe.