Samantha Gong
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a web designer! ”
Everybody is told that they need a website. If you’re a makeup artist, you need a portfolio. If you’re a restaurant, you need a website. If you’re a shop owner, you need an e-commerce store. Between knowing that you need a website, and actually taking the time to put everything up is where I come in. With colors, typography, and images, we put up your story so everyone knows where to find you (in a non-creepy way, of course).
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
It’s almost a little embarrassing to say that it all started with my beauty blog, which I started without being really into beauty, surprisingly enough. I just wanted something I could write about, and between makeup, modern femme style (bold of me, considering I didn’t know what that was) and pools, I decided to go with makeup. Yeah. POOLS. I wrote it down.
So I started my blog about beauty, which transitioned into getting into the nitty gritty about everything online - websites, online businesses, social media. As cheesy as it sounds, it really opened up a whole new world to me. I ended up pitching my services (before I even had services) to a wealth management company and being able to create their website. That was my first dip into Squarespace, and I loved it.
When someone else mentioned they needed a website and if I could fix theirs, I was like, “HECK YEAH.” I wouldn’t say I had the best design chops then, but that experience opened me up to the idea that could be something I do as a business, which fueled me to quit my job at a mortgage start-up, and get back into design. After finishing a few design courses and a lot of procrastination, I’m now going freelance!
How do you stand out in your field?
I thrive trying to be as logical and efficient as possible when it comes to approaching a project and seeing how to make things easier for everyone involved!
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I’m super focused on getting clients for my business! Coming up with mock projects, finding my ideal clients and pitching to them.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I find I gravitate towards more minimalist, clean sites with a few really interesting features that really tie the whole thing together and make it unique. This is a good example of where I want to be.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
Honing my creative writing skills! They’re pretty rusty right now, but I’ve been meaning to get back into writing for a long time.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I get caught up on the smaller details of making a project come together, and my workflow slows way down. The small things do matter, but I've realized I'm getting a bit extreme with it, so it's just learning moderation and realizing when you just have to step away and continue moving forward.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Social media! Ironically, it used to be my job, but that job was enough to tell me that I don’t want to do my own socials. 😬
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I would tell myself to not be afraid to speak up! Especially at my full-time job, I always tried to take up the smallest amount of space in the room, even when I had good ideas or reasons why we shouldn't be doing something. I'm still working on it now, but I think I would have felt more comfortable there if I had done something sooner
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I’d LOVE to talk to an art or creative director more about what they do and their thought process behind coming up with creative solutions.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Right now I’m mainly looking for freelance web design projects to work on, but I always keep my eye out for any creative opportunity to try something new or work in a small team.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My ideal client would be someone who has a clear vision of what they want and where they want to go. It makes the workflow go much easier (and faster) if I already know what you need and what you’re looking for.
An ideal collaboration would be with someone who complements me, and I can do the same for them. We all have different strengths and weaknesses so let’s use that to our advantage to make something really great happen!
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
I have flat rate packages priced according to size of the project and timeline deliverables which you can see on my website.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Email is the best way! samantha@hugthedesigner.com Give me all the dirty details of your project, what you're hoping to achieve and let's make it happen.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
It's cliche, but staying active!
This member profile was originally published in March 2020.