Like with most things, being a freelancer can be learned. This beast can be somewhat tamed to work for those who have perhaps failed at it in the past.

Perhaps the reason you have been unable to take that step, or that you were unable to make a go of it when you did, was because you weren't privy to some of the secrets. Less tricks of the trade, and more ways to make this lifestyle fit more comfortably.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

What this Post Isn't

If you have come to this post expecting to find the secret to banking the big bucks as a freelancer and retiring at the age of 25, then I am afraid you have come to the wrong place. This post is not going to be any sort of automatic recipe for successful freelancing. Because such a recipe does not exist.

Sorry if I burst any bubbles with that statement, but freelancing is not some sort of magical field where millionaires are made around every corner. It's a field of long days and waiting games.

This post is also not going to spell out how you can become a rockstar in the field and suddenly be designing the site for the next Avenger's film.

Becoming a rockstar is up to you. You have to have the passion and talent to shape the game in that manner as you work in the web. It is more about giving you the stepping stones you will need to have in place if you are going to rise to that level, sure. But knowing the path, and being able to see it through are two completely different things.

So below you will find six secrets that all successful, and sustained, freelancers know and work by. Day in and day out.

#1 – Community Connection is Key

First and foremost, if you are hoping to be a successful web design freelancer, then you have to understand that the community connection is key. Web design freelancers know the benefit of the online community and how being connected to said community is beneficial to them and their brands. So they engage. They become an active part of the community and contribute. This is not only good for growing your business through referrals by others whom you have connected with, but it allows you to grow as a web designer too.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Being an active part of the community keeps you up to date and plugged in to the latest developments in the field without having to make any sort of costly investments. While it might be a fantastic thing to do for your business, you might not always have the openings in your schedule or the funds available to attend every web design conference that is held. But the community will respond and actively share what was learned and discussed at these conferences. So you have the learning potential.

And just like with any community you are a part of, they can offer useful advice and reviews of products or services that you are considering, but haven't the means to risk spending funds on them that might just end up being wasted. Like if you are trying to find a good, reliable host, you are going to trust what those who have used them have to say about their service. Same applies elsewhere in the web design community.

So there are many ways that being part of online web design community is beneficial to freelancers. We are not always backed by big corporate budgets that we can play somewhat loosely and riskily with. So we have to do a little more research and planning before we spend. Nor do we have the budgets to continue educating ourselves in the field without tapping our free community knowledge pool from time-to-time to assist us. So the community can be and often is a freelancer's savior.

#2 – Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

…and neither will your projects be. This is not something that applies strictly to web design freelancers, and we know this. But it is something that many of us forget when we start diving in and taking on projects. We forget to pace ourselves and allow for said pacing when we set up a timeline with the client. There are not enough hours in the day, we hear this all the time, so we have to learn to effectively manage them. We must also learn how to balance the work hours and the non-work hours to keep us refreshed and productive.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

This is an area where a lot of freelancers fall down and lose themselves. They let the work completely consume them and their schedules until they are consistently putting in 16 hour days, and not giving themselves any time to decompress and unwind. To have their mind unplugged from their projects and offering their creative energies a chance to recharge. This can spell disaster for anyone, but for a freelancer, it could be the end of our very brands.

Once we lose the confidence of our clients because we have been unable to deliver on their expectations and our promises, we begin to lose the credibility we as freelancers rely on to keep clients coming in. So we need to be sure that we are managing our time effectively, but also responsibly. An overwhelmed and overworked web designer is good to no one. If our creativity is faltering, then so too is our freelance business.

#3 – Inspiration is a Hydra

Freelance web designers also understand that inspiration is a hydra. It is like that mythic beast of legend in a couple of ways. And treating it as such, is a game changer that can really take your work to the proverbial next level we all should be striving for. Now this is not saying inspiration is a deadly beast to be feared, but more that is has many heads. You cannot get your inspiration from just a single source.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Doing so is a recipe for stagnating and having your creative drive and output slow. We need to be influenced by other fields and inspired by other formats in order to be taking our work to exciting new places. It is simply not enough to find our inspiration from the wealth of web design offerings that are out there and filling the portfolios and collections of works. We have to reach outside of our own field to find new ways to approach our work within it.

Also, just like with a hydra, cutting off one head (or excluding one source of inspiration) simply means replacing it with another. The more perspectives we allow to shape and ourselves to hone our creative voices through, often the more potent it will prove to be. Our creative experiences will be that much deeper and richer, and so too will be that which is wrought from it.

#4 – It's Feast AND Famine, Not OR

You often hear when people are talking about freelancing the whole feast or famine comparison. That this mode of operation is what you can expect while working within the freelancing machine.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

You will either be enveloped in times of feast or times of famine. And when many people hear this, especially those considering getting into the field, they mistake that it is kind of an either/or situation. This is what will often lead to a freelancer over-committing themselves and booking too many projects at a time. To stave off any chance of famine.

But that is unfortunately, not often how it actually plays out. You will have periods of both. For most freelancers, there are times when you will be feasting and riding high upon a successful wave of projects that have come your way. But there will also be times when you will be in the grips of famine as the waters are still and no waves are present. You need to prepare for it. Being caught off guard in this respect is not something that tends to produce favorable results.

Being unprepared for the times of inactivity on the work front will also hopefully keep you out of that desperate place that has you accepting work from a client who comes with all sorts of red flags and warning signs. The fewer of these jobs we find ourselves forced to take, the more enjoyment we reap from our work. This helps feed our longevity and stamina for staying in the field. Even when times are tough.

#5 – Good is the Enemy of Great

This is something that I was taught a long time ago in another job, but that seemed to resonate with me more once I got into freelancing and started working for myself. This gem was handed down from a manager I worked under over a decade ago, and it holds true still. Good is the enemy of great. And even if they do not realize it themselves, the most successful freelance web designers live by this old adage. If we become too satisfied with being good at what we do, then we will never be great at what we do.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Freelancers cannot afford to fall into this trap. Especially in such an innovative and changing field as web design is. Instead, if we view every opportunity that we take on, as a new chance to prove ourselves to the client and the web design community at large, then we will always be striving for greatness. We will never be satisfied with our current level of skill and design prowess and we will constantly be seeking out new learning opportunities and challenges.

This is a recipe for keeping us at the very top of our games, and should be considered a priority for us all. You always hear that you should never stop learning, and this just furthers that idea and drive. For if we allow ourselves to stop growing, then we in turn prevent ourselves from moving forward on a path of upward mobility. We instead wander along a plateau until we reach the end and start declining. That's not a route we should ever be satisfied with taking.

#6 – Not Every Innovation Will be Welcome

As we work with various client types and brands, we have to remember that not everyone is on the same page as we are with this push for constant upward mobility and growth. So while we may be wanting to always broach new areas and break new ground, that's not necessarily where the work will be. And while we know trying daring new things can provide amazing and unique break-throughs in the field, we understand that we are ultimately working for the client.

Image credit: Bigstockphotos

They get to decide the full trajectory of the project and where it ends up. So not every innovative thing we suggest will be welcomed and be able to be implemented into every project. This is just the way the game is played. Some clients just aren't willing to take chances in that way, and we have to be willing to let those things go and not push the client into being our guinea pig.

Learning to work within the constraints of the client's wishes is just as important as being able to convince the client to trust in your judgement and expertise.

No More Secrets to Tell

But that doesn't mean that the conversation is over. There are bound to be more secrets that you are holding on to waiting to share. Or at least some thoughts on those we have.

Now is your turn. Take a few moments to drop us a line or two in the comments.

Some tell a story as you scroll through the site, some give an insight on the product being offered, then others grab your attention by being too busy, too bright, too big, etc. These types of designs can make you determined to figure out how they work – of course, on the other hand, they can simply make you move on if you really don't have time right now!

Website Designs with a Great Concept

James Bond 007 Cars Evolution

My Hangover Hoody

Visit Bruges

CoolApps

Don & Dona

Kinder Fotografie

Sanissimo

Jacqui Co

Apologie Paris

Bullet PR

Rit Team

Kunal Chhajer

Cilantro Cafe

Ben the Bodyguard

Jan Ploch

Cascade Brewery Co

Amazee Labs

Accept Joel

Nintendo: Mario Cart

Bagigia

FK Agency

Asics: Stop at Never

Design Made in Germany Magazin

Tag Reaction

TokioLab

The Horizontal Way

Ladio

SkullCandy

Carmilla Vampire

Skittles – Experience the Rainbow

Paolo Cavanna

Eutem

Sensi Soft

Ted Rosedale

Layrr

Conclusion

Hopefully, if you have visited some of the selected websites, you now understand the title. Whether the concept is in the graphics, the scrolling, the animation or just the general overall design, these sites have great concepts!

To help you get started with wireframing using your tool of choice, I have compiled a list of useful resources and templates that are available in different file formats.

Webpage Wireframe Stencil Kit (Adobe Illustrator, EPS)

A collection of high-fidelity wireframe controls and icons in .ai and .eps vector format; free for use in both personal and commercial projects.

Webpage Wireframe Stencil Kit →

Wireframe/Blueprint Kit (Adobe Illustrator)

A small kit of beautifully designed website wireframe elements in light-grey with flecks of blue.

Wireframe/Blueprint Kit →

Sketching & Wireframing Kit (Adobe Illustrator, SVG, EPS)

A free wireframing kit that contains typical websites elements such as form controls, banners, icons and indicators.

Sketching & Wireframing Kit →

Sqetch Wireframe Toolkit (Adobe Illustrator)

This is a comprehensive collection of carefully hand-drawn templates and elements that can be used for web and mobile wireframes.

Sqetch Wireframe Toolkit →

iPad Sketch Elements (Adobe Illustrator)

A collection of typical iPad controls offered in a sketch-like style for use in Adobe Illustrator.

iPad Sketch Elements →

iPhone Wireframe Elements (Adobe Illustrator)

A set of wireframe elements for iPhone apps in .ai and .pdf format; released under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

iPhone Wireframe Elements →

PowerMockup: Wireframe and Storyboard Tool (PowerPoint)

An add-on for PowerPoint that provides a searchable library of over 250 wireframe stencils and icons.

PowerMockup: Wireframe and Storyboard Tool →

Windows 8 Wireframe Templates (PowerPoint)

A free collection of PowerPoint slides for wireframing Windows 8 apps; includes 240 app icons.

Windows 8 Wireframe Templates →

Wireframe Stencils (PowerPoint)

A small set of UI shapes for creating wireframes of desktop and web applications in PowerPoint 2003 and newer releases.

Wireframe Stencils →

Keynotopia: User Interface Design Libraries (Keynote, PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress)

Keynotopia is a huge commercial collection of low and high fidelity UI components for use in Keynote, PowerPoint and OpenOffice.

Keynotopia: User Interface Design Libraries →

Keynote Kung-Fu: Wireframe Toolkit (Keynote, PowerPoint)

Similar to Keynotopia, Keynote Kung-Fu provides dozens of UI templates for use with Keynote and PowerPoint.

Keynote Kung-Fu: Wireframe Toolkit →

Sketchit for iPhone App Wireframes (Keynote)

Sketchit is a collection of Keynote slides that can be used for creating wireframes of iPhone apps.

Sketchit for iPhone App Wireframes →

WireKraft Wireframe Kit (Keynote)

Another collection of templates for wireframing iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone apps using Keynote.

WireKraft Wireframe Kit →

Stencils for Information Architects (Visio)

Visio stencils that are designed to aid the work of an information architect. The resource includes stencils for wireframes, sitemaps, and process flows.

Stencils for Information Architects →

Spoon: Mobile Wireframe Kit (Photoshop)

A clear and elegant kit of wireframe controls for use with iPhone and iPad apps. The collection also includes hand gesture illustrations.

Spoon: Mobile Wireframe Kit →

Photoshop Wireframe Kit (Photoshop)

A free, simple website wireframe kit that includes elements such as headings, bullet lists, form fields, image and video controls, etc.

Photoshop Wireframe Kit →

Photoshop Wireframing Tool (Photoshop)

A wireframing kit that consists of 175 vector-based custom shapes for use in Photoshop. It is priced at $19.

Photoshop Wireframing Tool →

Wireframe UI Kit (Photoshop)

A free kit containing 60+ editable wireframe templates for many of the typical elements used in web design.

Wireframe UI Kit →

Web Design Wireframe Kit (Photoshop)

Another kit for creating website wireframes in Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The kit consists of over 120 UI elements.

Web Design Wireframe Kit →

Mini Wireframing Kit (Photoshop)

A PSD template for cute little miniature wireframes, includes a pixel font for dummy text.

Mini Wireframing Kit →

Web UI Wireframe Kit (Photoshop)

A free collection of scalable Photoshop shapes and smart objects that can be used to create website wireframes.

Web UI Wireframe Kit →

Konigi Wireframe Stencils (OmniGraffle)

A rather large set of shapes for making wireframes of websites and mobile apps in OmniGraffle.

Konigi Wireframe Stencils →

Web Wireframe Stencils (OmniGraffle)

Another OmniGraffle stencil that is designed to allow users to quickly create simple wireframes of websites and web applications.

Web Wireframe Stencils →

Wireframe Sketch (OmniGraffle)

An awesome template of hand-sketched wireframe controls for OmniGraffle.

Wireframe Sketch →

elwebUI: Web Wireframe Kit (OmniGraffle)

A relatively complete collection of commonly used user interface elements for web projects.

elwebUI: Web Wireframe Kit →

ZURB iPad Stencils (OmniGraffle)

A great looking stencil and some sketch sheets for quickly creating low-fi wireframes for the iPad.

ZURB iPad Stencils →

Adobe Fireworks Wireframing Kit (Fireworks)

A free and handy wireframing kit, handcrafted by Hannah Milan with Adobe Fireworks.

Adobe Fireworks Wireframing Kit →

Dragnet Website Wireframes Kit (Fireworks)

Another wireframing kit for Fireworks. The kit consists of over 25 common web design elements such as scrollbars, buttons, menus, etc.

Dragnet Website Wireframes Kit →

Wireframe Kit (Google Drawings)

A set of blue-colored wireframe templates for use in Google Drawings, a component of Google Docs.

Wireframe Kit →

iPhone Wireframe UI Kit (Sketch)

A kit for creating wireframes of iPhone applications in Sketch (a powerful vector-based design tool for Mac OS X).

iPhone Wireframe UI Kit →

Conclusion

I hope you have found our compilation of helpful resources useful and that there is something in the list that suits your needs. Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below. I’d also be glad to hear of any further resources that I may have missed in the collection and you would like to recommend.

Graphic designing has become extremely popular in the recent time. These are required for creating different types of designs as well as animations. Majority of the graphic artists are totally dependent on Photoshop for creating different varieties of graphical designs and they make use of the diverse kinds of applications like brushes present in this platform for creating attractive designs.

Apart from the integrated brushes, many brushes have also been developed by the expert Photoshop users for giving a realistic touch to the designs created by them. Specialized sets of Photoshop brushes are present on the internet that will help in designing diverse kinds of plant and grass with precision. So if you are in need of designing plants and grasses for your next project take help of these tools to get the desired result. With the use of these brushes the time required for completing a project is also much less and the works of the artist is bound to get noticed as well as appreciated by the viewers.

Here is a list of the twenty seven qualitatively superior brushes that are going to help the designers in creating perfect designs. We have hand picked these high quality plant and grass brushes after searching the internet thoroughly. If you are looking for this kind of brush, then go through this post as you are going to get hold of all the viable options. Add this in your library and use them whenever you need it to design plants and grass conveniently.

1. Photoshop Plant Brushes Bsilvia

Download Photoshop plants brushes for free, that’s it. High resolution, set of 23.

2.  Angela 3D Plant Brushes

Five plant brushes made in Photoshop 7.0

3. The Ultimate Collection of Grass Brush Set

Charfade’s Ultimate Grass Brush Set, Made in Photoshop CS3, but can also work in CS, CS2, CS4, so far some can use it in PS elements and versions of gimp.

4. 5 Bonsai Brush set for Photoshop

This free Photoshop Brushes Set – 5 Bonsai Brushes is made by me – Ewa Sajdak – Pink On Head. You can download it and use for personal use. You are not restricted in how you use my works as long as you do not claim authorship, sell them, use them for any offensive or unlawful purpose.

5. Grass Brushes by Diana’s Creation

This is a set of 10 Hi Res grass brushes. All brushes are crisp, large and clear just wonderful for all your nature art projects and more..!!

6. Sagbot Grass Brush Pack

Sagbot is local definition for grass. First attempt on making brushes and grass brush files. Hope you can find a good use for this grass brush pack.

7. Grasses and Photoshop Plant Brushes

A set of Photoshop & GIMP brushes composed of various grasses and plants. Includes: bamboo, cattails, numerous grasses, hay, barley, bushes, and several other plants

8. Grass Brush Set by Slizzie

This is a set of 6 grass brushes that I use in my digital artwork. They can be used to add realism and give your artwork a more natural painterly feel.

9. 5 Grass Brushes

Made with PS 7.

10. Lush Grass Brushes

11. Grass nature brushes

12. Tree Brushes by Falln Stock

The Brushes here are made by me, for Photoshop.They do not work in PS 7 or lower – they were made with Photoshop CS.

13. Grass Plant Brushes

This brush file contains the three ones you can see in the image, made from very large source files. You can use it both as plant, or smaller as grass. Made in Photoshop CS4.

14. The Grass Lands by Mid Night Touch

15. HD Grass Brushes

16. Grasses

17. Photoshop Plant Brushes

There are 9 Photoshop brushes (16 bit) in 1000x dimension.

18. Stock Photoshop Brushes Plants

19. Tree Brushes by Winerla

It’s a tree pack brush for Photoshop CS3 and more. We can find all these trees in European forest !

20. Dill Brushes

This set contains 18 brushes of various sizes created in Photoshop 7.0. They are perfect imitation of trees and branches in graphic designs, but of course it all depends on your creativity .

21. Woodland Brushes

Set of tree brushes made in Photoshop CS. These are for personal use only – please read the rules inside the zip folder.

22. Photoshop Brushes Tree

23. Tree Border Brushes

24. Jax Grass Brushes

A set of brushes perfect for clone stamping and for filling out with different shades of green and earth tones.

25. The Grass Lands

A very ambitious set of 45 grass brushes. Done in PS 7. Image Pack is included for those with older versions, Be patient, it’s a big download.

26. Nature 2 Brushes

Everything you need to make your own Micro cosmos Jungle(need Bugs)

27. Plants

When properly applied, the negative space effect can result in a clever and elegant logo. Negative space is the empty space between the main elements of a design and good designers know how to take advantage of this to create something that is memorable and captures the imagination. So, today we gathered some inspiring examples of negative space in logos to show you.

When the design consultancy group Antrepo analyzed the logos and typography of these vintage cameras, they were struck by the line-based logos and extended-outline fonts that designers utilized for the majority of these products. The switch to the “less-bold” typefaces presumably cut down on production costs.

So, like any good creative, the team at Antrepo asked “what if….” Specifically, what if the hottest digital brands of the current day were done in this same vintage style? From there, the Instanbul-based company reimagined logos for such web leaders as Google and Amazon to social media sites like Twitter, and Pinterest.

The result is a cool mashup of modern-day tech with retro branding. It’s also a good reminder of how trends in design are constantly changing and evolving — but that there’s enduring merit in revisiting the ideas of the past.