I began freelancing straight out of University, which was great in some respects. For example I gained experience working directly with clients, manage my own time, as well as the business side of it. However in retrospect there are studio processes that I didn’t learn until years later. So I feel studio experience is very important at the beginning of your career, even if you plan on moving into freelance.

Be egotistical and act as if you know better. Don’t take pride in your work. Do the minimum amount of work.

It took me years to learn that it’s imperfections that make better and more interesting work. Early on in my career I’d refine my work too much, which I now realise could leave it with less character. Alternatively I would have been better off spending less time on each project, and publishing more work instead.

Always start a project with simple sketches on paper. It’s so important to quickly establish ideas and rough comps before moving into any real design. It also helps establish the parameters and constraints of a brief. From a technical standpoint if I find myself repeating a particular task, I’ll look for a way to do it more efficiently. At first this costs a bit of time setting up, but the time that is saved in the long run is always worth it.

Rework  by the guys at 37Signals is packed with great advice.