Our head of the week, Alessandra Oliveira, is a freelancer with a load of experience under her belt. She has worked as a graphic designer and art director for over 15 years and in freelancing, she especially appreciates being able to have a direct contact with her clients. She also believes that a good briefing at the beginning is the alpha and the omega of a successful cooperation between a client and a freelancer. Curtains up for Alessandra Oliveira from Brasil…

1. FREELANCER INSIDES
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Alessandra Oliveira –
Graphic and Web Designer
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

2. Our head of the week, Alessandra
Oliveira, is a freelancer with a load of
experience under her belt. She has
worked as a graphic designer and art
director for over 15 years and in
freelancing, she especially enjoys being
able to have a direct contact with her
clients. She also believes that a good
briefing at the beginning is the alpha
and the omega of a successful
cooperation between a client and a
freelancer. Curtains up for Alessandra
Oliveira from Brasil…
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

3. 1) First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a multidisciplinary graphic designer and art director with
over 15 years of professional experience and a focus on
brand identity and interaction design, advocate of user
centered design approach and responsive web design.
I come from Rio de Janeiro, but I go anywhere. That´s one of
the reasons why I am a freelancer.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

4. 2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are
the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
Responsive Web Design; Branding; Increase Sales
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

5. 3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually
decide to become a freelancer?
I have started freelancing while I was still in college. I have
worked as an employee too and it has it´s perks, but being
in direct contact with clients is energizing and rewarding. It
fuels creativity and a design process focused on results.
Clients and business owners can provide great insights
about their target audience´s needs. A smart client is
aware of their public behavior and of problems and
obstacles their users face and good design should propose
solutions to those issues.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

6. 4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to
provide?
• Design for web, print media and video.
• Developing the visual identity of events, workshops and TV
shows.
• Logotypes and stationary.
• Illustrations.
• Interactive hot sites, responsive web pages, newsletters,
banners, menus, icons, landing pages, user navigation
flows and wireframes.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

7. 5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide
skills that you don’t possess?
Yes, working as a freelancer allowed me to collaborate with
developers, illustrators, animators and print producers. I
can count on a network of trusted professionals I´ve
worked with before when a job eventually demands those
extra hours in a short time span or requires a specific
expertise.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

8. 6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are
interested in your services?
Most of my projects come from word of mouth. I also have a
portfolio website for displaying samples of my work. I tried
cold calling once but found it particularly difficult to filter
contacts from a random list in order to find leads for my
freelance business.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

9. 7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little
bit about your experience with our IT-network?
I have just joined Freelancermap.com and had the impression
that it´s truly making an effort to connect freelancers and
clients. I have been long looking for a fair trade freelancer
website. There are lots of businesses trying to find
qualified professionals and also freelancers out there
looking for a company to represent them. I would like to
see more graphic and web design jobs posted here.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

10. 8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What
makes you special?
I offer great value at a very small investment rate because I am
interested in the mobility and freedom that telecommute allows.
This presents an opportunity for clients to hire a professional with
the background of having worked both for tech and media
companies and as a freelance professional with many years of
experience.
I strive to keep improving my skills and give my best at each job and I
believe that working remotely will boost the creation of
outstanding work. Things like a better life balance and an inspiring
working environment reflect positively on graphic design work.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

11. 9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you
read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
Zurb, Webdesigner Depot and Skillcrush. I read many blogs
on web design and technology, but those three are the
main ones that I follow.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

12. 10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
It all starts with a good briefing.
To other freelance designers I would say, it pays off to be honest to
clients when it comes to defending a layout solution or idea. It´s
part of the designer´s job to point to the best solution and to be
able to explain why a certain visual won´t work for their business
or why you made those visual choices when questioned. Reviews
are part of the work, but don´t expect the client to art direct you
except you´re being hired by an art director for following a defined
visual style. Discussions should aim at getting the best result
possible.
6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com

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6/8/2015 info@freelancermap.com