In two months, I'll mark my second anniversary as a full-time freelancer with this local agency. During this time, my role evolved from web designer and Webflow developer to "Lead UI/UX Designer".
Initially, I welcomed this change. While learning Webflow, I had inadvertently neglected to focus on web design. Though I engaged in UI/UX design, I wanted to concentrate more on this aspect rather than Webflow development.
This shift aligned with the agency's needs, both then and now. Work has been steady, with more projects in content, design, and development. The agency even hired a dedicated project manager to handle various aspects of project oversight.
Adding to this "growth," we're transitioning between project management tools - though in reality, we've been without one for months.
The underlying theme is the agency's vision of expansion and becoming a larger team. However, this vision may not fully align with the current reality. While there's plenty of work, only a few of us collaborate at any given time. The agency may boast a team of 10, but in practice, it's a team of five at most. This context makes my "lead" title feel somewhat inconsistent with the actual team structure.
During client calls and pitches, I've observed presentations that might not fully reflect our current team composition. Most team members are remote, located over 100 miles away.
Project timelines have improved, but there are still challenges in aligning scope, deliverables, and ongoing projects. While we appear to have a thorough, well-intended process, it can be compromised without proper planning, expectation setting, and communication.
Our new project manager is tasked with addressing these issues and creating SOPs. However, I believe we need to focus more on planning and project forecasting. Unfortunately, they're constantly managing unexpected issues, which limits their ability to implement long-term improvements.
These might be seen as "growing pains," but they've led to increased stress and challenges in maintaining the quality of work we aspire to deliver.
As this situation has evolved over months, I've adjusted my workload as a self-employed freelance designer. I've reduced my availability from 25-35 hours per week to 10-15. Fortunately, new opportunities have made this a smart and healthy decision. While I'm grateful for the consistent work with this agency, the increasing complexity and stress have become unsustainable.
Moving forward, I'm transitioning into more of a "design advisor" role with the agency. This shift allows me to leverage my experience and expertise in a way that benefits the team, while also giving me the flexibility to pursue other opportunities. As a design advisor, I'll be able to provide strategic input on projects, offer guidance on best practices, and contribute to high-level decision-making without being as deeply involved in the day-to-day execution.
From this I've grown and am grateful for the start and journey I was one within this agency. Without this agency I would not be able to do what I am transitioning into with the goal of one day working on my own product full-time with no clients and spending most of my time providing feedback.
