The current economic downturn has claimed another victim. The funding for the contract I was working on was being provided by the owner of a large trucking company, which has seen a considerable drop in its margins this past year. Because of this sad turn, they are unable to provide the money needed to keep me employed. This has led me to consider once again the eternal question of graphic designers: studio or freelance?

I considered the same question a year ago after graduation. I was presented with the option of working at the studio where I interned or going on my own with an amazing contract opportunity. I chose the contract. I had started freelancing in January of 2008, always assuming I would continue growing a company that would eventually stump others with these kinds of decisions. I grew up in Manitoba, the entrepreneurial capital of Canada, my dad owns several companies and my grandfather owned a market garden and a chicken farm. Obviously working for myself is in my blood, or is it? There is something incredibly appealing about having someone else search out clients, negotiate pricing, deal with billing, taxes and the sleepless nights.

Freelance | pros & cons
As mentioned, I enjoy the idea of working for myself. The knowledge that you have built a company out of nothing is quite intoxicating. When you start a company from scratch, you write the manifesto; the philosophy is up to you, both design and corporate. You set the tone of the corporate culture, giving employees the day off on their birthday, for instance, or donating a certain percentage to charity. You can choose your clients and the projects you want to work on. That may not be true at first, but eventually it would be. You are the face of the company for better or worse. There are the inevitable sleepless nights thinking about how to satisfy that client who has no idea what they really want, the pressure of making payroll, trying to pay bills on an inconsistent income, and having no one to fall back on when you can’t figure out how to get what is in your head on to paper.

Studio | pros & cons
The biggest argument for working at a studio is a consistent paycheque. Knowing how much money you will have every month allows you to budget and plan for the future. There is of course someone else sourcing out the clients and taking care of the financials. I also like the idea of having other designers around to bounce ideas off of and learn from. Having someone else direct your creativity is both good and bad in my mind. It can be nice to have someone tell you what to do when you are stumped, but when you have a great idea shot down by an art director, it can be demoralizing. One would have to consider the potential for advancement and earning. A studio may have a glass ceiling that can be difficult to break through. I have also heard that large studios can chew up young designers and spit them out, having swallowed their creative juices. That sounds frightening to someone who took so long to figure out what they wanted to do in the first place — not to mention disgusting.

Conclusion
Of course, all of this rambling has already taken place in my head many times. Writing it down has not magically revealed the answer to me, so I turn it over to you, the enlightened masses. What would you do in my position? What insight do you have for a young creative? What have your experiences been? I look forward to hearing from all of you.