Benefits of your Designer's side gig

Scratching that itch

It’s become increasingly common for people in almost any industry to pursue additional income and fulfillment through projects they work out outside of their 9-5 day job. In a world also being redefined by remote work, what does this mean for employers, specifically in the design, development and creative industry?

Why we love a side gig

Working in the creative industry can be an incredibly fulfilling space to explore new ideas, regularly try new things and discover a niche that you are most passionate above. However, it can be challenging for employers to offer a depth of opportunity that consistently allows Designers to scratch that creative itch to explore, test and discover.

One place Designers often look for a good ole creative back scratcher, is side projects consisting of work they are excited about. We get excited about diversifying our growth, while opening up more opportunity to make connections and build their portfolio.

Furthermore, we live in a world that is more expensive, demanding and success-oriented then ever before. This circumstance can also be a driver for Designers to pursue extra work in their spare time in exchange for cold hard cash to easy the strain of inflation and bills, while also improving their accessibility to travel and goods they seek.

Types of side projects

Side gigs exist in a wide variety of work, from freelancing in a niche space, or supporting others in the industry they look up to, to creating micro-products or industry relevant content that is able to be monetized.

Whether added income is a result of these projects or not, a consistent benefit is the depth they can offer to one of the Designers more important experience identifiers — their portfolio. We often will weigh the pros and cons of different side projects based on how they could present in our portfolio as a means to present more skills or a type of work we are most excited about.

Benefit — Free training

One of the most impactful employer benefits of their Designers side gig comes in the form of them often times growing their skillset much more quickly then those that stick to solely the work during their day job.

I have lost count of the many times I have been working in a side project that ended up teaching me a new skill, which I then ended up needing to use for a new project in my role during the day. These are often things I become extra curious about, or are an unexpected requirement of side work, which results in spending hours searching the web high and low to learn and execute this new thing. All of those hours spent researching are therefore valuable time that i would have otherwise filled my days with, which likely would’ve delayed project timelines since it’s more common then not that research types of work are incorporated to project timelines within the industry,

Benefit — Free innovation

Creativity and innovation are often sourced from our combined experiences, which have been reflected upon in new ways. The more experiences we have related to our role, the more potential and opportunity that is created for our minds to connect the dots of a unique idea.

Since a side project often serves a different audience or operates in a different industry then our full-time role, the experiences gained from the side gig become a fuel for a fresh perspective on the work we are involved in during the day gig.

Benefit — Foster greater trust

• We are all adults, and when employers fully lean into this, it empowers employees to feel trusted and respected, resulting in more drive and loyalty to the employer.

Risk — Feeling the burn

• Designers could get burned out from a constant grind of work. This can decrease productivity and increase risk of turn over for the employer.

Risk — Misuse of time and resources

• Designers who aren’t responsible may take advantage of the time they are supposed to be working for the employer to make progress on their side projects.
• They may also leverage various tools and resources provided by the employer to the benefit of their side projects.