Graphic Designer is a person who is largely responsible for the representations. A design designed for any purpose should be clearing the motto of designer or it will be a waste. I am in the field of graphic designing from more than two years now and I could say that to get a perfect design you have to get in to the theme of design deeply.
It do not really matters that if you are working somewhere or you are freelancer but the fact matters is that how you work and what quality you can give to your costumer or supervisor. Just make an habit of getting in to the theme of design while designing and you will see the difference. Many designers uses to think that they can complete maximum numbers of designs per day by editing existing designs but that only makes their path difficult. As a designer I will only advise you to make each and every design with core of your creativity and do not care what it takes as that design will represent yourself and will be adding a huge benefit to your career or your freelancing business.
Think in this way, you are a graphic designer and you have to give your best shot every time you got chance to design. Do not think that if you have given your best once then you cannot do better than that, it is designing secret that once you have done a good job then a little more effort could let you do job with the next level of quality.