Remote work has become a normal part of the creative industry. Advertising agencies, design studios and marketing teams regularly collaborate with freelancers who are not physically sitting in the studio.
In my own case I regularly collaborate with Australian advertising agencies while based in Seoul, South Korea. I operate using my Australian ABN and work Australian business hours, which allows me to integrate with agency teams almost exactly the same way I would if I were physically sitting in their office.
Many designers are curious about how this actually works in practice. Working remotely with agencies sounds complicated at first, but in reality the process is surprisingly straightforward once you already have relationships and experience in the industry.
I thought it might be useful to explain how I ended up working remotely with Australian agencies and what the workflow typically looks like day to day.
My Background in Freelance Design
I began working as a graphic designer in 2009. Like many designers starting out, my early career was spent working inside boutique design agencies where I learned how studio environments function and how creative teams collaborate on commercial projects.
Those early years were extremely valuable because they exposed me to the real pace and pressure of agency work. Deadlines are often tight, concepts need to be developed quickly, and designers need to communicate ideas clearly with creative directors, strategists and clients.
In 2015 I transitioned into freelancing after leaving Sony Music. Moving into freelance work opened the door to a much wider range of projects and teams. Instead of working within a single studio environment, I was suddenly collaborating with different agencies, brands and creative teams across multiple industries.
Freelancing also meant working across a broader mix of creative output. One week might involve developing advertising concepts for a pitch, while another week might involve rolling out an existing campaign across dozens of formats.
That variety is one of the things I still enjoy most about freelance work.
How I Ended Up Working Remotely
I'm currently based in Seoul, South Korea.
I originally moved to Korea for a full-time design role with a Korean company. However when COVID arrived that job disappeared quite suddenly and I had to rethink how I would continue working as a designer.
The design industry in Korea is very different from Australia. There isn't a large market for foreign graphic designers and most companies prefer hiring local Korean designers. Many of the roles open to foreigners are in completely different industries such as teaching English or working in entertainment.
At that point I began reaching out to agencies and contacts I had previously worked with in Australia. Fortunately the timing worked in my favour because the pandemic had already forced many studios to adopt remote working practices.
Because agencies were already collaborating remotely with their own teams, working with a freelance designer overseas didn't feel particularly unusual.
That is essentially how my remote freelance work with Australian agencies began.
The Kind of Work Agencies Hire Freelancers For
Most of the freelance work I do comes from advertising and marketing agencies.
Advertising agencies regularly bring in freelance designers when their internal teams are overloaded or when a particular project requires extra creative capacity.
One common situation is brand rollout work. A campaign concept might already exist, but the agency needs someone to help translate that concept across multiple deliverables such as social media graphics, digital advertising, outdoor placements and presentation materials.
Another large area of freelance work involves pitch projects. Agencies frequently compete for new clients and need to present creative campaign ideas during the pitching process.
During those periods agencies often bring in freelance designers to help develop the visual side of the pitch. That might involve building concept visuals, creating presentation graphics or developing speculative campaign assets.
If the agency wins the pitch, the campaign often moves into production and the freelance designer may continue working on the project.
Because of this, freelance work in advertising tends to be very varied from project to project.
How Remote Freelance Projects Usually Start
The beginning of a freelance project is often very simple.
An agency will typically reach out with a short message asking if I'm available for a certain period of time.
Sometimes the request is for the following week. Other times it can be extremely short notice, especially when a pitch deadline is approaching.
Once availability is confirmed we usually agree on a booking for several days or a week.
Most projects begin with a video call where the creative director walks through the brief, explains the campaign idea and outlines the deliverables required.
From there the creative process begins. Concepts are developed, ideas are shared, and the design direction gradually evolves through feedback and discussion.
Even though the collaboration is remote, the rhythm of the work is very similar to what you would experience inside a studio environment.
How Remote Collaboration Works
Modern communication tools have made remote collaboration extremely easy.
Most agencies I work with use Slack or Microsoft Teams as their primary communication platforms. These tools allow teams to organise conversations around specific projects and share files quickly.
Real-time messaging platforms also make it easy to ask quick questions, send previews of work and receive feedback throughout the day.
Some agencies still rely heavily on email, although personally I find Slack or Teams much easier to work with on fast-moving projects. When long email threads start piling up it can become difficult to track the most recent version of files or feedback.
With modern collaboration platforms everything tends to stay much more organised.
Working Across Time Zones
One of the most common questions people ask about remote freelance work is how time zones are handled.
In my case the time difference between Seoul and Sydney is actually very small. Depending on the time of year it is either one or two hours.
That makes it very easy to align my working hours with Australian agencies.
I simply start the day slightly earlier than I normally would and follow the same rhythm as an Australian studio. Most days begin with a video call to review the project, discuss feedback and plan the work for the day.
Once that is done I spend the rest of the day developing concepts and collaborating with the team just like any other freelance designer.
The Advantages of Remote Freelancing
For me personally the biggest advantage of remote freelancing is simply being able to continue working with Australian agencies while living overseas.
It allows me to collaborate in English, communicate easily with creative teams and operate within a professional culture that I already understand.
The creative industry has also become far more comfortable with remote collaboration in recent years. As long as communication is clear and deadlines are met, most agencies are perfectly comfortable working with freelancers who are not physically in the studio.
In many cases the work being produced is entirely digital anyway, so location becomes far less important than reliability and quality of work.
Advice for Designers Interested in Remote Work
For designers hoping to work remotely with agencies, experience and relationships are incredibly important.
It is quite difficult to start completely remotely without having built connections in the industry first. In my case I had already spent several years freelancing and working with agencies before moving overseas, which meant I already had contacts and a portfolio of work that people were familiar with.
If someone is just starting their career, gaining experience inside studios and building relationships with creative teams is extremely valuable.
Portfolio quality is also critical. If an agency is considering hiring someone remotely, your work needs to be strong enough to compete with designers they could easily hire locally.
The Projects I Enjoy Most
Freelancing often involves quick turnaround work such as social media graphics or campaign variations. While those projects are part of the job, the work I enjoy most tends to be larger campaigns that evolve over time.
One of my favourite projects involved collaborating with the agency INVNT on a campaign for NFT NYC. The project involved designing visuals for a Times Square takeover featuring work by digital artist Mad Dog Jones.
Seeing my work displayed across multiple buildings in Times Square was an incredible moment.
Starting with a blank page and gradually developing something over weeks or months that eventually appears in the real world is always rewarding.
Projects like that remind me why I enjoy working on large creative campaigns.
