How Liquid Screen Design Scaled With a Reliable, Global Team of Freelancers

Liquid Screen Design is a creative partner to companies that want swag to be more than just a giveaway. From Bluetooth speakers shaped like mixtapes to bespoke swag boxes, they design custom campaigns that leave a lasting impression.

With clear systems, a global team of freelancers engaged through Upwork, and a company culture centered on inclusion, Liquid Screen Design moves fast, stays creative, and works as a tight-knit team no matter where workers are based.

The challenge: Turning transactional swag into strategic campaigns at scale

Liquid Screen Design is a remote-first company that had team members located in different cities from day one. Like many businesses, they started small and were fortunate to find success. And as business grew, so did their need for highly skilled designers who could deliver quality work quickly.

"We're a swag company, but if someone orders 1,000 t-shirts, we don't just fill the order. We ask questions first, digging deeper into their marketing goals, brand values, and audience," says owner Bryan Goltzman. "Then we design a campaign that uses swag to tell a story and support their purpose."

That level of custom, hands-on creativity requires more than transactional help. It takes a reliable, skilled, and well-connected team working toward a shared purpose.

Bryan couldn’t hire all the employees he needed, so he turned to agencies to connect him with freelance professionals. But while his goal was to build long-term relationships with the workers he engaged, he found the agencies weren’t consistently able to deliver quality talent that met his budget.

The solution: Building a high-performing global team with Upwork and strong systems

Bryan knew the best talent could be anywhere in the world, so he turned to Upwork. As the owner of a remote-first company, Bryan had already built systems to keep teams productive across time zones. Upwork helped him go further by making it easy to find great people quickly and work with them efficiently.

“When I need freelancers, I always go to Upwork. I get access to a vast international talent pool and the entire hiring process is streamlined,” Bryan explains. “The platform handles payments and tax compliance. Managing contracts is just as simple. If a freelancer isn’t a good fit, I can end the contract with a few clicks and look for someone else.”

To find the right match, Bryan uses a system that includes Upwork tools and features. For instance, he uses the custom questions section in job posts to see whether applicants truly understand the work and to filter out AI-generated responses.

Next, he holds video interviews to check communication skills and internet speed.

Having the right skills is a strong start, but Bryan believes the real key to a successful engagement is making sure freelancers feel included, valued, and connected. The business encourages that sense of belonging by paying attention to the little things like inviting freelancers to team-building events and company-wide yoga sessions, and sending them branded swag.

The result: A connected remote team delivering high-impact campaigns

“Using Upwork is such a no-brainer in terms of the cost and the work that we can accomplish,” says Bryan. “I’m such an Upwork evangelist that I often talk to other businesses about using the platform to find global talent. Why limit your search to candidates who can commute to your office when you can work with the best person for a project from anywhere in the world? The quality talent is so high that for a long time, the only people that had master’s degrees in our company were people we contracted on Upwork.”

The business set out to scale by building long-term relationships with global freelancers, and the approach worked. At the time of this writing, the business:

• Works with freelancers across 3 countries
• Hires freelancers for inside sales, support, order ops, design, and analytics
• Builds long-term freelancer relationships (oldest: since 2018)
• Boosted productivity 20% YoY in recent years

By combining smart systems with a dependable team of freelancers on Upwork, Liquid Screen Design was able to scale its growth while still making sure everyone feels valued and included. Their model shows that great teams don’t have to share the same office to succeed, and that high-performing teams aren’t limited to an employee-only model. Freelancers, when given the space, can be just as impactful.