Graphic design skills have endless uses for those pursuing freelance work and having the skills required to do good graphic design work is priceless (to an extent...). Graphic designers do everything from laying out newspapers and magazines to building websites and more.

To jump into freelancing, graphic designers should first have a working knowledge of visual arts design, typography, page layout techniques, interface design (i.e. web design and software design) and user experience design. As with photography, designers will most likely be entering the freelance field with a strong background.

Companies are always looking to outsource for designers. Elance is a great website for freelancers of many pursuits. The website notes that it currently hosts 159, 500 designers, 51,200 marketers and 27,200 mobile developers, to name a few. The numbers may sound overwhelming but you might also find the perfect fit with the high level of demand. The website ed2010 is perfect for finding freelance magazine jobs, and offers a variety of up-to-date and well-filtered openings.

Another resource is Freelancer.com. Designers can upload their work and specific knowledge set in order to be hired by people looking for a freelance or temp designer. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there are hundreds of requests for freelance designers.

The icon design process is one important part of web design. Here's an example of how it works:

Want to make your own icons? Check out IconFinder as well as Freebbble for resources to build your own icons and web designs. Also, be sure to check out PicMonkey and similar apps (many of which are free and user-friendly) for design tips and tools.

As far as typography goes, there are a number of resources for finding and learning about fonts. This blog has some free downloadable fonts-"Tesla" is my favorite!

Want to design your very own typography from scratch?

Check out this article on "Fast Company" and how to do it!

Don't know how to code?

I just heard about this great resource-Code Academy-an easy, interactive and free guide to help you learn how to code your way to success quickly.

You'll see infographics later on in this guide. Infographics are a necessary design tool for quickly demonstrating data and other information. Here's a great resource for creating free, easy-to use infographics.