Creative Studio
Designers, illustrators, photographers and other creative freelancers.
Design, illustration, photography and other visual commissions, from one-off editorial illustrations to ongoing brand and content work for independent studios and small organisations.
- Editorial and publishing illustration
- Brand and graphic design
- Photography commissions
- Creative direction for small studios
- Public and community art commissions
Opportunities for this desk
This list includes sample listings while we build up the real ones. Real listings link out to the organisation's own page; samples don't.
Editorial illustrator for a quarterly print magazine
Northfield Print Quarterly
One full-page illustration per issue, responding to a feature article. Style should suit a literary current-affairs magazine.
Design and illustrationRemoteRemote, worldwideA portfolio of editorial illustration; comfortable working to a brief and a tight print deadline.Project fee, stated in listing
Example: 6 days left
Short fiction commission for a literary anthology
Harbourlight Editorial
One new short story, 3,000–6,000 words, for a themed anthology exploring migration and belonging, to be published in print and audio.
Creative commissionsRemoteRemote, worldwidePreviously published short fiction; submissions by invitation after a sample chapter.Flat commission fee, stated in listing
Example: 5 weeks left
Grants and open calls for this desk
This list includes sample listings while we build up the real ones. Real listings link out to the organisation's own page; samples don't.
- CommissionExample: 4 weeks left
Public mural commission for a community library
Elmridge Library Trust
A single external mural for a community library's refurbished entrance, developed with input from a local reading group.
- Support
- Commission fee, stated in listing
- Eligibility
- Experience with large-scale or public artwork is preferred.
Resources for this desk
- Day-rate calculatorWork out a day rate from your costs, target income and realistic billable days.
- Pitch email templateA structure for a pitch email that leads with the idea and keeps the logistics clear.
- Invoice templateA plain, clearly labelled invoice template covering the details clients expect.
- Scam-check for listingsRun a suspicious listing through this checklist before you apply or share any details.
- Project proposal templateA structure for longer project proposals, beyond a short pitch email.Coming soon
- Contracts and client communicationWhat a freelance contract should cover, and how to raise problems with a client in writing.Coming soon
- Negotiating feesHow to respond when a client's budget doesn't match your rate, without starting from zero.Coming soon
- Portfolio and CV for freelancersPutting together a portfolio and CV that works for commissioning editors and clients.Coming soon
- Project-management tools for solo workKeeping track of deadlines, invoices and client threads without a team around you.Coming soon
- AI tools in creative workflowsWhere AI tools can help a freelance workflow, and where they create problems with clients.Coming soon
Guides for this desk
How to set a day rate you can live on
Rates and money6 min readMost freelancers price from guesswork or from whatever the client offers first. Here's a steadier way to work it out.
Spotting a fake freelance listing
Staying safe6 min readFreelance scams rely on enthusiasm and urgency. The patterns are recognisable once you know what to look for.
A pitch editors will actually read
Pitching5 min readEditors read dozens of pitches a week. Most fail for the same handful of avoidable reasons.