Hey friends,I’m Faizur
A self-taught designer turned solopreneur.
I help designers turn their skills into careers they love,
with more money and freedom.
The Design Solo
A weekly letter to help you design better, think better and build a better career.
Every lesson comes from my own client work: real projects, real prices, and the mistakes I made along the way.
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About
From a 9-5 job
to $100k a year working for myself
I started as a junior graphic designer and worked my way up: UI/UX Designer, Senior UX Designer, Principal Product Designer, and then Creative Director at a VC-backed startup.
After years climbing someone else’s ladder, I built my own.
Now I run a six-figure design business, and share what works with designers like you.
You know how to design. Nobody showed you how to build a career on it.
Maybe you’ve been designing for a year, maybe ten. You were probably told that good work speaks for itself. That you need a design degree to be taken seriously. That the only way up is someone else’s ladder.
I believed all of it too, and none of it turned out to be true. A director once told me I couldn’t be a designer without a design degree. I studied computers, not design.
It’s been a strange road since. I taught myself Photoshop at 14, got my first design job at 16, became a Creative Director at a startup that won a Webby and a Golden Kitty, and finally opened my own studio. Today I still design for everyone from early-stage startups to teams that have raised over $25M.
After going solo, I started sharing what I learned. Now I’m on a mission to help 1 million designers build careers they love.
Read my full storyLetters
Weekly solo letters
If I started freelancing again, this is what I'd do
Why your design skills aren't enough to succeed as a freelancer
How to price your work as a freelancer
Every client asks the same question, and most of us guess the answer. The three simple rules I now follow every time someone asks for my rate.
Undercharging won't get you more clients
Cheap rates feel safe, but they keep freelance designers stuck. The discount that taught me this, and how to raise your rates without losing good clients.
/ Tools & Resources
Check out resources
Proposal Kit
A complete proposal kit to help you save time, win better projects, and get more clients.
Figma Thumbnail Kit
Beautify your Figma projects with 50+ minimal cover thumbnails in light and dark modes.
Grid Layouts Kit
The ultimate grid system for websites, portfolios, dashboards, and app designs.