FraserDesigns

I started this YouTube channel at the age of twelve when I was first teaching myself Adobe Photoshop. I found the software's capabilities fascinating and liked watching other "speed art" videos, which were timelapsed photomanipulations. I decided the best way to learn would be by doing, so combining my interest in graphic design with my interest in film, I made the following piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of James Bond films.

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For any experienced Photoshopper, it's clear that I'm still learning. Even today, I feel like I'm still learning and improving my design skills. I really love to work on new projects that challenge me and take me out of my comfort zone.

This YouTube channel was a great way for me to share my interest in graphic design, and although I didn't upload many more speed art videos to this channel, it helped invigorate my longstanding passion for design.

Once I felt sufficiently skilled with Photoshop and other design software, I saw an entrepreneurial opportunity in providing these services to my friends. You might expect that most teenagers wouldn't have needed design services, but I had quite a few friends who were just as creative or entrepreneurially driven and starting YouTube channels and online businesses. Of course, these YouTube channels and online businesses needed to look good, and so I offered to help. In the early days of YouTube, the channel backgrounds were customisable, so I helped design logos, banners, and backgrounds to create consistent branding for my clients.

(Disclaimer: If you're not as big of a fan of dubstep as twelve-year-old me, I might suggest turning your volume down before playing the next video!)

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Overtime, I was running out of friends and friends-of-friends who had YouTube channels or websites that needed designing. But, the great thing about posting these videos to my YouTube channel was that viewers from all over the world were watching, and some of them were interested in what I had to offer as well. Soon, I began offering this service to clients who were far older than me and had more serious websites.

Although I'm doing less freelance design work now, I learned how valuable professionalism and good communication are for client-facing work. What I loved about FraserDesigns is how much I learned about both entrepreneurship and graphic design in the process, and it's why I still like to take the occasional freelance project today.