Curated design jobs site Folyo launches

Folyo, designed and developed by Sacha Greif, launched today. The site, according to Greif, is largely geared towards freelance work and is at its core a newsletter of design job offers. Each week, members receive around ten selected job offers, and it's also possible to browse designers and job offers on the site. Replying to any offer automatically sends your profile to the company posting the offer.

Greif told .net that he created the project for two reasons: "First, I've been pretty successful lately as a freelance designer, and I've had to decline more and more work. I felt bad that I didn't know what to answer when a client asked me who else I could recommend. I know great designers, but not their availability nor interest in a specific project. Folyo was conceived as a place where I can send people to when they ask me to help them find a designer." The other reason, he said, is to make it easier for up-and-coming designers to find work: "When you're starting out, you don't have a big client network or thousands of Twitter followers, so it can be hard to find a job, even if you have the skills. Folyo can help by vouching for your skills and putting your profile in front of a client's eyes."

We asked Greif what filters are in place at Folyo, to stop companies placing ads and then finding themselves inundated with dozens of responses. "I'm the filter," he responded. "Every designer profile on Folyo has to be approved by me. It's the only way I found to ensure the quality of designers stays high. Later on, I plan on recruiting more judges, to avoid skewing the community towards my own preferences, or maybe even letting existing community members vote on new entrants."

Having financed Folyo out of his own pocket, Greif's first priority is to break even (job ads cost $100, although a refund is available when receiving fewer than three replies), but he then hopes it will become a truly useful resource for the design community: "Ultimately, by helping clients find great designers, I'm hoping to raise the average level of design on the internet. I know: I have big goals!"