Archie loves website designing, developing and surfing! To promote himself he likes to share and inspire people by giving some of his knowledge and work away for free. As he wants to choose by himself with whom he works together freelancing is the perfect solution. It also gives him the flexibility to pursue his favorite hobby. However he prefers to work inhouse instead of working from home…1) Firstly, thank you Archibald for the possibility of an interview. Please tell tell us bit about yourself!
Hi My name is Archie, I am a 30 year old website designer and website developer from London. I have also worked in France as I speak French fluently. Since a child, I had a strong passion for illustration and animation. Thanks to my university degree (BA Digital media productions) from the London college of Communication, I have been able to learn a variety of coding languages such as HTML5, CSS2, Javascript and more. I learnt these script languages because I wanted to make my illustrations and animations into interactive websites. Coding was a means to an end for me. In my career, I now only usually do coding, not design, as there is a lot of work in this field and the pay is better for developers than designers. I have now reached a stage where I am going to concentrate a lot more on my own personal web style while I go back packing around the world to fulfil my second passion: Surfing!
2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
“Free website templates” I rank well for with Archibaldbutler.com. Often when I design a template for a new website in photoshop, I add it to the blog as a free download. I like to share, inspire and provide free work to promote myself. Rather than hide knowledge/work I like to give it away for free. This has sometimes resulted in leads for illustration work which is what I love doing. Here are some links to my favourite illustrated websites(created exclusively by me):
http://roaming-giraffe.com/
http://archibaldbutler.com/projects/edwinsfordestate2/
http://archibaldbutler.com/web-design-templates/archibald-butler/
http://archibaldbutler.com/web-design-templates/beeny/index.html
3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
I was going through very harsh times after university when I was 23 years old. I was doing manual labor jobs such as factory work and fruit picking. I had no money when my wife got very sick and I couldn’t afford medical bills. I was very upset in my unfurnished flat when I had an epiphany and I swore to myself I would never work in a job I hated ever again as I wouldn’t ever get well paid doing that. Soon after I got 50 euros for a website I spent a week building for a bistro in France. It was the first time I felt money that had come from my passion and art. I never looked back and never will!
Soon after I landed a full time job with a web design firm in Somerset. I liked it to start with but I found that my colleagues didn’t share my vision of illustration and animation and were putting me down a lot as my personal work wasn’t corporate focused. I left after one year for London where I thrived creatively and financially in freelance. I signed up to many digital recruiters and called them very often until I landed my first freelance contract with an agency (Williams Murray Hamm). I was very well paid, earning over £200 a day. At that time, I decided Full time employment no longer fitted with my Company ethos.
4) freelancermap: What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide?
I have 2 types of clients:
1. In house through my recruiters: I get sent to an agency to do coding projects such as Website builds, custom Javascript, newsletter coding, html cut up or banner animation (js and Actionscript). I get paid per day, this is the most lucrative of the 2.
2. Clients/businesses that approach me directly and want me to completely redo their websites from the ground up. I usually sketch the new site on paper, discuss it in depth with the client, and get the photoshop designs approved. I then cut it up and develop the new design into a fully CMS editable dashboard (usually a bespoke WordPress theme integrated with the Advanced custom fields plugin) while taking SEO into account.
5) According to your personal website you have realized more than 100 web projects. Quite impressive number of projects for a solopreneur! What are your insider tips to stay productive?
I really like working in a team of creatives and developers as you learn more rather than working from home on your own. I would recommend freelancing in house by signing up to recruiters in London such as Aquent and Digital gurus. It is a great career start. I also find that the phone is my greatest weapon. People don’t reply to emails, but if you consistently call someone to track the progress of your application, they will eventually break as it is a lot more personal! Master the phone! Also, there will be times when you are faced with a new program you have never learnt before. Be prepared to learn new things, Front end developers are all rounded in skills and must be open to changes in the way we work at all times. Github and Bash are examples of new technologies that are vital now but didn’t exist a couple of years ago.
6) What is your number one source to find new clients for your web services? Where do most of your project offers come from?
There is a huge amount of work available for front end developers. You shouldn’t be having difficulty getting work right now. When I don’t have any work (really not often!), I update my PDF CV and Portfolio and send it to potential new recruiting companies. I then chase them up with calls and ask if I can come in for a quick interview. Once they know you they will recommend you and you will start building a reputation. They also take care of the whole sales aspect which is a huge burden. I hate chasing unpaid invoices and arguing with clients over things they want for free. Recruiters take care of all of that!
As I have been working in web for quite a while now, a lot of my work comes through recommendations and by word of mouth. I currently get 1 to 2 offers per week I have to turn down as I am too busy. Remember: Every business needs a website today!
7) You also give/gave courses on how to be a freelance Web Developer and Designer in France. To sum up, what would you suggest “newbie” Web Developers and Designers who are thinking about going freelance?
There are great video tutorials on all subjects on Youtube. I am mostly self taught using that tool. Coding takes a lot of time and patience, there is a lot to learn. It won’t happen over night.
Make sure you go above and beyond on your first jobs as this will improve your reputation. Choose wisely who you work with. If you do not get on with the client, it probably won’t be worth the money!
Note: The courses in France haven’t taken place yet, it is on the back burner until I return in September. Though I do think this is the next big step in my career.
8) How do you manage the pressure of meeting deadlines? Do you use any specific apps or software tools for self-organization, invoicing and something else?
I use Crunch.co.uk to do all my accounting(£80/month). A lot of businesses fail because they don’t file company accounts correctly with HMRC. Keeping your new business profitable and legal is your number one priority. Apart from that, I don’t feel too much pressure from deadlines, as I explain to clients that the time I need varies hugely: Bugs and issues always arise and can be difficult to repair. Allow ample time in your deadlines. I don’t use many project management tools. I use Google Keep for notes and timekeeping, I set reminders in my Iphone calendar and Google drive to store my files and backups on the cloud.
9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
I love this book I was given for my birthday: “The principles of beautiful web design”:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Principles-Beautiful-Web-Design/dp/0975841963
I like Behance and Awwwards for inspiration.
I get other information i need from bloggers and vloggers usually.
I will browse magazines like Web Designer but they are not gospel! I was featured in Advanced photoshop magazine too:
http://archibaldbutler.com/uncategorized/archibald-butler-was-featured-in-advanced-photoshop-magazine/
10) Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
Choose your clients wisely, you don’t want to be working with people you don’t get along with.
Try and work out what fields in web you are really passionate about: this is where you will excel(become a specialist) and earn the best money! The top 3d motion specialists in the world earn up to £500 per hour! That’s more than a brain surgeon!
Overcome your fear of calling people, this is the best way to communicate with your clients rather than email.
Try to work in house rather than from home: you will be more productive, learn and earn more. Always go above and beyond on every project you take on to improve your reputation!
Contact:
- Link to website: http://archibaldbutler.com/
- Skype: archi.butler
